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It is common knowledge that a productive and worthwhile year out develops important skills that will aid volunteers in numerous ways upon their return home, including job hunting and in the jobs themselves. Here we catch up with ex volunteer Rakesh and ask him about the link between his placement and his current occupation

Name: Rakesh Vithalani Volunteered in: Malawi Placement: Maths & PE Teacher, 2012 Current Occupation: Property Investment for Henderson Global Investors

 

When and where did you go for you Lattitude placement and what did you do?

I taught mathematics and PE in Livingstonia CDSS in Malawi from January - June 2012.

 

Describe briefly your daily/weekly duties.

I taught mathematics to Form 1 and Form 3 students and PE to Form 2. Daily tasks involved lesson planning, teaching classes ranging in size from 40-70 students and marking questions that were set during the lesson. PE was taught on the field adjacent to the school and during my time the sports on the syllabus were football and netball. Lesson planning for this was very different to mathematics and trying to control close to 70 students outside was quite a daunting task at first. Fortunately my first couple of PE lessons one of the other teachers joined me to show me how the lessons had been run previously. We were also required to produce weekly reports on what we had been teaching and keep a record of any test we had conducted.

 

Why did you decide to volunteer with us in the first place?

My parents were born in Africa so I had always planned on doing some long term volunteering in Africa. I researched many companies and eventually chose Lattitude because Lattitude shared my thinking that volunteering is as much about the volunteer as it is the beneficiaries. The length of placements shows Lattitude’s commitment to the causes they represent and the heavily subsidised fees make it affordable. The support network is brilliant, with 24 hour in country and UK contact points.

What are you doing at the minute?

I am currently working in Property Investment for Henderson Global Investors.

 

What skills did you learn or develop during your placement that help you in your current work?

Many of my students did not speak English so being able to communicate with them was a challenge, so I had to learn to adapt my methods of teaching based on the students needs. This skill can be transferred into my current role as I regularly interact with a variety of people and being able to tailor my work to meet different peoples’ needs is essential. I also became more independent; as myself and my placement partner had to do everything for ourselves. From cooking, to cleaning to laundry (washing clothes in a bucket!). This has led to me taking a more proactive approach in my current role.

 

Do you feel like your volunteering experience helped you to get you where you wanted to be?

The volunteering experience has helped me more than I expected. I have learnt to appreciate the things that I have even more and make sure that I take advantage of every opportunity I get. Having a volunteering placement on my CV is looked upon favourably in job interviews and is also a great talking point. The experience 100% helped me to get to the position I am in now and has helped me to grow as a person (as much of a cliche as that is).

What was the most important thing you learnt on your placement?

Adaptability and flexibility. People in Malawi are not as strict with their timings as we are in the UK. The people in my village were some of the happiest people I have ever met and I think the relaxed nature by which they live life plays a major part. If I would have tried to live the same sort of lifestyle out there as I did here I would not have enjoyed the experience as much as I did and it would not have been a benefit to myself or the students.

 

Would you go back if you had the chance?

I am still in contact with my Country Manager and am sponsoring one of my students through university. I will definitely go back there and after speaking to friends and family, others are interested in visiting the country.

 

Interested in doing what Rakesh did? Find out more about volunteering in Malawi