TEFL volunteering in Tibet

A country where many volunteer organisations are active and where your help is needed is Tibet. Tibet is a vast area, equal in size to the whole of Europe and is one of the poorest areas in the world. In contrast to other developing countries, Tibet suffers an extremely harsh winter. In consequence a substantial part of peoples' income must be spent on heating. There is one qualified doctor for each 16,830 of the population (one to 500 in Switzerland). Only 37% have access to clean water. World Bank figures give adult literacy as 38% (male) and 13% (female), in Tibetan areas. Many teachers at existing schools have few or no qualifications and children are not taught in their own language at most Middle Schools. In many areas Tibetans have lost the ability to speak Tibetan, though parents frequently cannot afford to send their children to school.

Cactus Teachers supports ROKPA

Our volunteer placements are offered through ROKPA, a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports people in need irrespective of their religion, nationality or cultural background.

ROKPA's name is taken from the Tibetan word meaning "to help" or "to serve". Placements are offered in four different towns located in Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures and close to the provincial borders of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

ROKPA supports over 70 schools primary schools, middle schools and colleges - both religious and secular - and more recently, university education. These give priority to the very poor, particularly girls, orphans or those from families with only one parent. Children are taught in their own language, receive a standard education and learn cultural subjects.

Less than 10% of Tibetans receive a secondary education. Very few can afford to complete their schooling or receive any training. Vocational training is now part of all ROKPA secondary schools education. Students learn the traditional crafts and technical skills that are most likely to lead to local jobs.

Many students have already qualified through ROKPA teacher training colleges and now run small schools in their own areas.

ROKPA has been concentrating its efforts in the rural areas of Eastern Tibet: traditionally known as Kham and Amdo. These now extend over 5 Provinces: The Autonomous Region of Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan and Gansu. In project areas, a high percentage of the population is of Tibetan ethnicity. Geographically, the land is on a high plateau; the average altitude is over 16,500 ft with valleys from 10,500 ft to 17,400 ft. 75-95% of the population are of Tibetan origin.

In the sparsely populated areas in the North-East small-scale agriculture and animal husbandry are the principal occupations. There are often no roads and the region is only accessible across the steppe by jeep or on horseback.

TEACHING ENGLISH IN TIBET - Location Details

Rokpa provides information and support to qualified English teachers who want to teach English to Tibetans. We provide opportunities in the following places:-

1. Yushu Tibetan Orphans Primary School, (Qinghai) (150 students aged 5 - 15)
2. Gannan Girls’ School (Hertzou in Chinese) in Gansu Province (50 girls from poor nomadic or farming backgrounds)
3. Chabcha (Hainan) at a Medical University (47 - 150 university students)
4. Kanze Middle School in Sichuan Province. (a new posting, details to come)

All towns are in Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures. Yushu and Kanze lie in the mountains of the Tibetan area known by Tibetans as Kham and the other two towns are in the Tibetan area called Amdo..

All volunteers will:

· have completed a certificated course to Teach English as a Foreign Language and have experience
teaching adults or primary school children or both.
· be prepared to teach at the project for nine months (minimum six months) usually starting in March.
· pay their own travel expenses to and from the school. (this can cost up to £1,000 from the UK)
· preferably have had some experience of living in a third world country.
· be over age 25

Volunteer teachers are provided with room and board while teaching.

Volunteers will be expected to teach approximately 18 hours per week, in classes of up to 50 students. These are usually mixed ability. There may be some additional, smaller adult classes and extra-curricular activities are encouraged.

Volunteers may also be required to obtain and forward information and photographs about different Rokpa projects in the area. Expenses for this can be reimbursed.

Interested candidates should send a CV with a brief letter saying why they are interested, to the volunteer co-ordinator Diana (see below).

Thereafter, potential candidates will be provided with more detailed information and may be invited for interview. The selection of volunteers rests ultimately with Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche, Rokpa’s Founding President and main fieldworker in Tibet. If it is impossible to meet him, he will take advice from one of Rokpa’s representatives, with whom we can arrange an interview.

Costs
This is a humanitarian project and the only "cost" is your travel expenses to and from the project, once you have been accepted. This can cost up to £1,000 from the UK.

Whilst we endorse other types of holiday-volunteering projects on the site (see links below), this particular project to Tibet is of an altogether different magnitude. This project is run in the UK by a small team of dedicated volunteers, and we hope you will be motivated to apply, if you feel you are the right person to give the kind of special support required.

Click here to email your CV, letter of motivation and (if possible) a photo to Rokpa
or, find out more about ROKPA INTERNATIONAL

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