Short Term and Summer Volunteering
It can be difficult to get the correct balance between hosting programmes that are shorter and ensuring the values we stand for are not compromised. But very simply, sometimes a long term volunteering experience simply may not fit with other plans. This being the case we offer a series of exciting shorter term placements where volunteers can get stuck in without the need to be in one place for a very long period.
Summer placements:
Poland
Summer School Assistant
Our Summer School Assistants in Poland work in our host public kindergarten in Nadarzyn, in the suburbs of Warsaw. A normal nursery during term time, this school also opens its doors to children during the summer; a service greatly appreciated by local parents. Working with groups of no more than 20 children, you will help to care for young learners between the ages of two and six.
Alongside qualified members of staff, you will help to organise and run activities both indoors and out as well as teaching three classes of English per week. This placement is ideal for volunteers who would like to gain experience of working with nursery children while living and working in one of Eastern Europe’s most fascinating countries!
Overview
Placement duration:
Summer departure:
Summer placement:
Food included
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
2 months
July
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Vietnam
English Teaching
English teachers in Vietnam teach in a variety of educational institutions throughout the country. You will have the options of teaching in a primary, secondary school or university and will adapt your teaching style and lesson plans according to the age groups your are teaching. Placements will usually start off as teaching assistant-style roles where you will help permanent members of staff with language teaching. Then, when you gain more experience and confidence you will be given more responsibility and will be expected to take a more active role in the planning and teaching of your own classes. Schools will usually have certain text books that they are used to working from and you will speak with your hosts at the beginning of your placement to discuss learning outcomes. Most schools will also be keen for you to get involved in activities outside of your core English-teaching duties, so make sure you discuss any ideas for extra-curricular activities with your hosts!
Students in Vietnam love to learn by doing, volunteers in the past have enjoyed lessons that involve singing, playing games and role play. The more fun and engaging you can make the lesson the more interesting it will be!
Overview
Summer duration:
Summer departure:
Food included
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
3 months
June
Yes
Yes
Yes (see costs)
Short term placements:
Fiji
Teaching with Community
Lattitude volunteer Teachers in Fiji work in primary and secondary schools and are usually given real responsibility from their first day. Although many hosts will describe their placements as assistant-style roles, the reality is that you will most likely be given your own class to teach and to plan lessons for from the very beginning. This makes volunteering in Fiji a great opportunity to develop your own personality and teaching style while gaining some great presentation and leadership skills.
The precise nature of your duties will vary from host to host, but past volunteers have taught English, maths, cooking, dancing and swimming to name a few. Hosts are also keen to adapt roles to volunteers’ strengths, so if you speak French, for example, you might be asked to take some French language classes. You will also be encouraged to bring your personal skills and interests to extracurricular activities; after-school clubs set up by Lattitude volunteers have proved extremely popular in the past!
Due to the nature of some placements, combined with the welcoming nature of Fijians, these placements enable volunteers to expand their role to include a large aspect of community work too. In some of these placements volunteers live and work on a daily basis with the village community and will soon find themselves part of everything the community does. From playing games and sports to festivals and celebrations. Working with children in the evening – helping with English as well as arts and crafts etc.
Overview
Short-term duration:
Short-term departure:
Food included:
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
3 months
Aug
Yes
Yes
No
Malawi
Teaching
Undertaking one of our Teaching placements in Malawi is an extremely rewarding and varied experience. Our volunteers work with primary and secondary school-aged children, and gain experience teaching subjects such as English, maths, history and biology, and any other subjects that the school may need help with. At the beginning of your placement, your head teacher or mentor will discuss with you how best to put your skills to good use.
You are encouraged to take a proactive approach in suggesting how best your time can be utilised, and past volunteers have advised that the more energy and enthusiasm you put into your work, the more you will get out. Your hosts may not feel they can ask you to do extra work, so be prepared to offer up your time when possible: the more you take on, the more you will learn and ultimately the more your work will be appreciated! Within these placements there is plenty of opportunity to get involved with the school and local community as an extension to your teaching duties. Volunteers in the past have set up sports clubs and drama clubs as well as spent a lot of time getting to know and help the community they live with.
Overview
Short-term duration:
Short-term departure:
Food included:
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
3 months
Aug
Yes (see costs)
Yes
No
Malawi
Caring with Teaching (Assistant)
Caring placements in Malawi offer volunteers the opportunity to work with an incredible host partner that operates a school catering for children that are hearing impaired and deaf.
Volunteers will work primarily as Assistant Teachers. Volunteers’ particular academic skills will be utilised although they might also be asked to assist with the full curriculum. They will be helped to familiarise themselves with the signing method used and to ensure that they articulate as clearly as possible.
The school regards the extracurricular contribution that volunteers can make to be as important as their classroom work. Sport is very important and the school would also like assistance with creative arts and with IT. It would be appreciated if the volunteers spend as much time as possible with the students after school hours it is in this way that they can make a real contribution at this placement. The children are extremely friendly and the main requirement at this placement is a genuine interest and love of children.
Overview
Short-term duration:
Short-term departure:
Food included:
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
3 months
Aug
Yes (see costs)
Yes
No
Malawi
Community Worker with Teaching
Placements in Malawi are based around schools and as such teaching at the community’s school will be the first priority. However the job role at some schools can be very flexible and so there are also plenty of opportunities for volunteers to get involved with community projects within the local area.
Some of these projects include a Womans Development Centre, Health Centre and IT Centre where volunteers teach local people about computer literacy.
These placements will be organised in conjunction with your Country Manager and as part of the matching process Lattitude undertakes for every volunteer. If there is a particular area you are interested in then let us know!
Overview
Short-term duration:
Short-term departure:
Food included:
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
3 months
Aug
Yes (see costs)
Yes
No
Malawi
Medical work at rural health centres
As a Medical volunteer you will act as an assistant to the local “Health Officer”, who is in charge of taking care of the medical need of the local community. The Health Officer is akin to a GP in the UK, and offers a frontline medical service to patients. As a result, as a volunteer you could experience working in a range of medical situations, from broken limbs to pregnancies and childhood vaccinations! Medical volunteers in Malawi experience grass-roots volunteering at its best, living and working within tight-knit communities and getting involved in day-to-day community life.
The role of the Health Officer is vital within a rural community and is greatly respected; it’s rare to find doctors or nurses at rural health centres, so the demands on a Health Officer’s time are great and you will need to fit in with this. Resources, equipment and even basic facilities (electricity and fresh water) may be very limited so being intuitive and hard working is imperative.
The role does not require any technical or medical experience and you will volunteer under the supervision of the Health Officer (although if you do have experience, that would certainly be welcomed). Patients who required specific treatment are referred to a district hospital.
Typical activities of a Volunteer Health Worker will include assisting with some of the running of a rural health centre, often looking after a basic pharmacy and providing general administration for patient care, helping to maintain patient records, assisting with activities with babies and under-fives and monthly baby monitoring (weighing) and feeding.
Overview
Short-term duration:
Short-term departure:
Food included:
Accommodation:
Pocket money:
3 months
Aug
Yes (see costs)
Yes
No
