Preparation is vital to the success of your placement and we provide a complementary training course to give volunteers confidence and to inspire them to make the most of their volunteering experience - to step over old limitations, to cross cultural boundaries and to reach out to new challenges.

The Schoolhouse training course is also designed to help volunteers to teach or pass over English skills in fun, practical and natural ways and to find the potential for teaching English in every situation. We’ll equip you with a repertoire of fun, effective and natural ways of passing over your English language skills. Once you start thinking along these lines, it’s amazing how creative you’ll quickly become at making the most of what’s available and thinking up interesting ideas.

The training course lasts for three days and is held either at Schoolhouse premises in Scotland or on arrival in the host country. For volunteers going to the arts and activity English camps, training takes place on location, prior to and ongoing throughout the camp.

The training course doesn’t give you a recognised TEFL qualification (although you will receive a Schoolhouse Certificate) but is specifically tailored to the volunteering situations you’ll find yourself in. This will complement any TEFL training you may already have or plan to gain in the future and also covers a range of skills not covered within conventional TEFL courses.

The programme is a lot of fun and very sociable. You’ll meet other volunteers and at the end of the course, you’ll feel relaxed, confident and ready for the challenges and adventures that lie ahead- in fact raring to go!

Support

From the start, you’ll receive a very individual approach. By getting to know you, we’ll be able to guide you to a placement that suits you. We’re happy to talk to you (or your family, especially if you’re a younger volunteer) at every stage of the pre-departure process.

And once you’re in placement, there’s ongoing Schoolhouse support. Alan and Cathy are regularly in the host countries and make every effort to be there to welcome volunteers and settle them into their placements. There’s also regular email, Facebook and phone support - when we’re not in country, we’re often skyping volunteers to discuss the next day’s work or find out how the day’s activities have gone. Additionally, an excellent local support network is built around each placement.

On return from the placement, Schoolhouse will get in touch to welcome you back, get feedback about your experience.

This follow-up will enable volunteers to prepare for the next chapter, building on what they have just achieved and Schoolhouse can offer guidance on possible future directions, careers or training and also provide a detailed reference.

You’ll become part of a network of returning volunteers. You’ll be encouraged to continue an involvement in the Schoolhouse project - from being a mentor to a new volunteer, team-leading in a future arts and activity English camp or running an information session for new volunteers. We hope to organise annual events where all past and present volunteers will be invited to attend a social event.