Trip Details

Volunteer Kindergarten Teaching Coral Coast Fiji

What better way to improve your teaching skills, than on our Volunteer Kindergarten Teaching project on the beautiful Coral Coast of Fiji? Teach the alphabet, numbers, rhymes, and arts and crafts to excited local children as you enjoy a week (or more!) in paradise! Your input will be greatly appreciated in Fiji, as there is a lack of educational support and class sizes are very large. So if you’re creative, fun and love working with children, join us for this amazing volunteer experience!

Help local Fijian children to broaden their cultural perspective

On this project, you will work with younger children between 4 to 6 years old. Their kindergarten schools are beautifully set up and made by our past volunteers, and you can add to this with your own innovative ideas! Predominantly, you will be assisting the local teacher, but you will also have the opportunity to lead sessions on English basics. Therefore, whilst you don’t need any experience for this project, it is good to have a level of organisation, to plan and prepare your teaching sessions in advance. This is a great opportunity to improve your teaching skills, as you explore all that Fiji has to offer its visitors!

Explore Paradise on our Volunteer Kindergarten Teaching Project!

After your day of teaching, you can head off exploring the islands, or simply chill at your accommodation in Sigatoka. There is a wonderfully chilled pace of life on the islands, so you’ll probably pick and choose your adventures as you go. Head down to the lush rainforests and take in stunning waterfalls and rivers as you search for indigenous wildlife. Alternatively, why not head out with your new volunteer friends on an island-hopping adventure, perhaps a bit of surfing – or even shark-feeding! Here, it doesn’t matter what you do with your time – only that you enjoy it!

Why Volunteer on our Kindergarten Teaching Programme in Fiji?

  • Help local children to learn English in a fun and creative way
  • Improve your own teaching skills and learn new techniques
  • Explore the islands of Fiji and immerse yourself in the Fijian culture
  • Make lots of new local and volunteer friends during your stay
  • Stay at our comfortable accommodation with communal areas and gardens
  • Enjoy Fijian cuisine, with all meals and beverages* included in the programme

*water, tea, coffee and milk

Get in touch to find out more or browse through our many other volunteer experiences.

Trip Itinerary

You will usually arrive on Sunday, giving you time to unpack and explore your surroundings before starting a thoroughly rewarding week as a Teaching Volunteer here on the Coral Coast of Fiji.

Mandatory Orientation Day

On the Monday of your first week at this location, you will join our orientation day, to familiarise yourself with the surroundings as well as local culture. Your program will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Schedule

  • Welcome, introduction to Fiji and projects, House rules, Code of Conduct and handling of documents
  • Sigatoka City Tour
  • Kava Ceremony – The Traditional Fijian Welcome Ceremony

Weekly Schedule

Your day begins at 9am in the morning when you will work alongside your teacher until 11 am. Feel free to bring resources that you think might be helpful in engaging the children. At around 12 noon you will have lunch back at the centre, before returning to the school for the latter half of the day. Before leaving you will prepare your lesson for the next day and discuss this with the teacher.

Monday

  • Breakfast
  • Introduction
  • Lunch
  • Introduction
  • Dinner

Tuesday to Friday

  • Breakfast
  • Kindergarten Teaching Volunteer Programme
  • Lunch
  • Kindergarten Teaching Volunteer Programme
  • Preparation time for the next day
  • Dinner

Please note: This schedule can be changed depending on weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Evenings and Weekends

After a day of creative exploits, you can choose to explore the area or simply chill. Many of our volunteers enjoy mixing with their new volunteer friends through the week and plan bigger outings at the weekends!

Places to Visit

  • Sigatoka sand dunes
  • Kila Eco Adventure Park: enjoy high rope courses, a leap of faith and a giant swing.
  • Scuba and snorkelling
  • Tavuni Hill Fort
  • Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course
  • Sigatoka Market.
  • Arts Village at Pacific Harbour: Enjoy the footbridges, the water-lily ponds, the pathways, the Fijian bure and experience how life was in the olden days which is one and hour drive.

Trip Accommodation

Here’s what you can expect from our Volunteer Kindergarten Teaching programme on the Coral Coast of Fiji.

About the Accommodation

You will most likely stay at our beachfront centre which is located in the Sigatoka area. Here, your room will be within a male/female separated dorm and will usually have between 4 – 6 people in each room with a private bathroom. In addition, there are refrigerators at the accommodation for volunteers to store their own food and snacks if they choose. The house also has a communal garden as well as a volleyball court. Lastly, please note that whilst there is Wifi available at the accommodation, volunteers staying for a long period may choose to get a local sim card to stay in touch with family and friends.

Food Arrangements

During the week, you will have 3 meals a day, and at weekends we serve breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is western style and lunch and dinner are typically Fijian style cuisine.

Facilities

ATM’s: There are many ATM’s near the centre which is about a 5 to 10 minutes from the house, and the local supermarket is a 5-minute walk from the centre. Also, for those who wish to buy a personal SIM card for their mobile, these are available at the local shop. Additionally, if you wish to visit Nadi, the closest city, it’s about 1.5 hours from the centre, with public transport regularly available. Finally, should you need medical attention at any point during your stay, there is a medical centre, 10 mins away from your accommodation.

Trip Country Info

Fiji

Capital: Suva
Language: Fijian
Currency: Fijian Dollar (FJD)
Time zone: ICT (UTC +7)

Country Information
Fiji is an archipelago of 333 sun-kissed, picture perfect islands tucked away in the South Pacific, close to Australia and New Zealand.

It’s famed for its rugged landscape of blue lagoons and palm-lined beaches, and eco-activities from mountain climbing and surfing to soft-coral diving and zip-lining. Its major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, contain the lion’s share of the population, meaning much of the country is uncrowded.

The 20th century brought about important economic changes in Fiji as well as the maturation of its political system. Fiji developed a major sugar industry and established productive copra milling, tourism and secondary industries.

As the country now diversifies into small-scale industries, the economy is strengthened and revenues provide for expanded public works, infrastructure, health, medical services and education.

The country’s central position in the region has been strengthened by recent developments in sea and air communications and transport. Today, Fiji plays a major role in regional affairs and is recognised as the focal point of the South Pacific.

Fiji is now home to many other races — Indians, Part Europeans, Chinese and other Pacific islanders living in harmony, and keeping their own cultures and identity. Fijians, slightly over 50 per cent of the total population, are essentially members of communities. They live in villages and do things on a communal basis.

Climate
The climate in Fiji is tropical marine and warm year round with minimal extremes. The warm season is from November to April and the cooler season lasts from May to October. Temperature in the cool season still averages 22 °C (72 °F).

Rainfall is variable, with the warm season experiencing heavier rainfall, especially inland. Winds are moderate, though cyclones occur about once a year (10–12 times per decade).

Culture
Fiji was first settled about three and a half thousand years ago. The original inhabitants are now called “Lapita people” after a distinctive type of fine pottery they produced, remnants of which have been found in practically all the islands of the Pacific, east of New Guinea, though not in eastern Polynesia. Linguistic evidence suggests that they came from northern or central Vanuatu, or possibly the eastern Solomons.

Before long they had moved further on, colonising Rotuma to the north, and Tonga and Samoa to the east. From here, vast distances were crossed to complete the settlement of the Pacific to Hawaii in the north, Rapanui (Easter Island) in the east and Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south.

Unlike the islands of Polynesia which showed a continuous steadily evolving culture from initial occupation, Fiji appears to have undergone at least two periods of rapid culture change in prehistoric times.

Participant Criteria & Requirements

Standard Requirements

DBS, Police Background Check
Travel Insurance
Under 18, Parental Consent is Required

Additional Requirements

Team Player
Open Mind

What's included

  • 24/7 support in case of emergencies
  • Accommodation
  • Airport Pick up
  • English speaking coordinator
  • Meals
  • Orientation

What's not included

  • Airport drop off
  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Vaccination
  • Visa