Bali: Language Exchange

Introduction

With Bali’s booming tourism industry, English has become a vital skill for local children hoping to work in hospitality, travel, or international business. While most students do receive some English instruction at school, it’s typically taught by local Balinese teachers. As a result, many students rarely get the chance to practice real-life conversation or interact with fluent speakers.

That’s where you come in. As a volunteer teacher, you’ll help bring English to life — not just through textbooks, but through engaging, conversational lessons that build confidence and curiosity. Balinese children are eager, energetic, and a joy to work with, and your enthusiasm will go a long way in making learning both fun and meaningful.

Each day, you’ll spend one to two hours in the morning preparing lessons, followed by around three hours of teaching in the afternoon. You’ll be placed at either an elementary or high school, depending on the needs at the time. You’re free to get creative with your lessons — there’s a general syllabus to guide you, along with lesson ideas from past volunteers that you can adapt or build upon.

If you’re new to teaching, don’t worry. Many volunteers team up to co-teach, which can be a great way to share ideas, boost confidence, and manage a class full of excited learners. Two to three volunteers working together in one classroom often works very well!

Daily Life

Tourism in Bali makes up 80% of the local economy, and speaking English is a must have skill to get a good related job. The Indonesian government offers free schooling only at the primary school level, after which all schools are fee paying. Therefore many underprivileged children end their education before they reach high school.

Your help is needed to offer English training to primary and high school age children to help them get conversational and excel in their English skills. You will be volunteering from Monday to Friday, the mornings will be spent preparing for your lessons, and the afternoons you will be teaching alongside local teachers and other fellow volunteers to 2-3 hours.

You are welcome to also teach other subjects and skills should you wish, such as sports, arts and crafts, music, games and anything else you are able to do!

Intro. Week

Your placement can start with an optional Cultural Discovery Week, which will introduce you to the Balinese way of life, and prepare you for the rest of your placement. This week is automatically included in your placement. Your schedule will look like this;

Monday
After our coordinator collects you from the airport, you’ll be taken to check in at your guest house. The day begins with a briefing to outline your program, and to tell you our house rules. You’ll be introduced to Bali on a walking tour of Monkey Street, the main commercial road in the city. There’ll be a welcome dinner, followed by a traditional Balinese dance in Ubud palace.

Tuesday
After breakfast, you’ll be given a language lesson to teach you some key phrases. After that, you’ll go on a walking tour of the village, where you’ll get to experience how Balinese families live.

Wednesday
After breakfast, you’ll be given a language lesson to teach you some key phrases. In the afternoon, you’ll go to a local batik shop, where you’ll learn how to draw, and paint your own batik designs.

Thursday
You will be given a Balinese Cooking Class. You will learn to cook Balinese food. In the after noon you’ll learn how to make an offering to God, and the spirits of the Hindu religion. There will be a flower offering class, and you’ll be taught how to make a flower basket. You can use your flower offering in the next day.

Friday
Spiritual Tour: We will bring your Flower offering to the Holy temple. We go to visit the famous temple ” Pura Tirta Empul ” the holy water temple and you can enjoy a shower with the Holy Water.
You’ll be free to enjoy your weekend however you choose, and you will start your volunteer placement on the following Monday!

Travel & Accom.

For projects in Bali you will need to fly into Denpasar International Airport, where you will be met by a project representative. You need to arrive on the Sunday before to take advantage of the airport pickup service.

If you are joining the projects in Lombok or Flores, please check your Arrival Guide before booking flights.

Accommodation will vary depending on the location of the school, but it’s most likely to be a shared dormitory at our guest house.

You’ll be provided three meals each day during the week, and two per day at weekends. All food will be traditional Balinese cuisine.

We expect all volunteers to be environmentally responsible and to use all resources with restraint; especially water, paper and electricity. You’ll be expected to clean up after yourself, and to play your part in keeping the guest house neat and tidy.

Requirements

• Minimum age 18.
• No previous skills are necessary, however you will need to speak English at a native or near-native level.
• Minimum 2 weeks commitment
• CRB Police check (or equivalent) showing that you have no previous criminal convictions
• Necessary vaccinations.
• Necessary flights & visas.
• Full travel & medical insurance.

Costs

£400 GBP per week

* Check the latest currency conversions with xe.com
** All payments incur a 5% bank transfer fee.
*** Placements are confirmed with a 1 week deposit, minimum 2 weeks booking

What’s Included:

Project Fee includes food, accommodation, airport pickup, orientation, in-country support and project activities.

Private rooms are available for an additional €150 per week.

What’s not included:

Flights, insurance, visas (if applicable) and vaccinations. Full assistance will be provided in getting all these arranged if you choose our Premium Support.

Premium Support Upgrade

We understand there’s a great deal to plan and organise for your trip. When booking a Placement, many of our participants choose to purchase our Premium Support Upgrade to benefit from the expertise, knowledge and experience of our Project Coordinators.

We can provide the personal advice you need to ensure your trip is organised with excellence and planned with efficiency; ensuring the very best experience possible. Read more about how we can help you.