Free volunteering abroad: from 4 - 51 weeks
Free volunteering abroad: teach English across Sri Lanka
Free volunteering: an opportunity to change your life and theirs in Sri Lanka.
This unique free volunteering opportunity is made possible through GAFV’s deep roots in Sri Lanka, and partnership with an innovative and groundbreaking education organisation that teaches English through local teachers in villages, towns, language centres, and monasteries across Sri Lanka.
You’ll join this community‑led teaching program coordinated through a central hub with GAFV, and you’ll support local educators, and teach students who all truly value learning from fluent English speakers.
Our mutual commitments
Join us at any point in the year
We’ll meet you at the airport (or at a local hotel depending on your flight arrival time),
and take you to your first home in Sri Lanka
You’ll be housed with our teachers in their homes
You will receive 3 meals per day at your base location
You will be deployed across a variety of locations
You’ll spend a maximum of 2 weeks with any one host family in each 6 weeks
You will be given an orientation session on arrival
Whilst in Sri Lanka, you'll have the option to learn Sinhala, and or Tamil
You’ll enroll on our partner’s government certificated Teaching English as a 2nd language (TE2L) course prior to arrival.
(This course justifies your visa, and gives the legal right to volunteer).
You’ll volunteer a consecutive 4 day week, as
a teacher’s aid,
language assistant,
conversation lead
in local school’s with children learning English
teacher as your experience and confidence enables
You’ll have the following free days:
3 consecutive days each week, taken
at your base accommodation
or elsewhere at your expense
additional free days include:
1-3 days pcm (we plan 28/30-31 days)
the monthly full moon poya day (if on a volunteer day)
(should you join the TE2L, some of these days will go towards your in-person taught days.)
You can have extended breaks, as agreed with our partner, of
4 - 9 days in each 3 month visa period
up to 18 days in your final visa period, taken at:
our partner’s central campus (to a maximum of 7 days with 5 full, and 2 half board)
any other location at your expense
Your visas are issued for 30, 60, 90, 90, and 90 days (360 days / 51 weeks)
Conditions
We apply conditions so that both parties, the volunteer, and the placement providers, have a clear understanding of mutual expectations and respect.
Time volunteering
3 or 4/7 days, where 1 day is a travel day.
8 hours each day, which can include preparation of materials, lesson planning, and planning team/tag teaching.
Time off:
Your time at each placement ends on the second morning after you complete your agreed consecutive days teaching, after which you travel to join your next placement, travel back to the hub, or take time out at your own expense in accordance with the time off criteria below.
If the placement hosts offers you additional time to stay, with them, you may do so, provided you are available for your next placement
You may teach for no longer than 2 weeks at any placement in any 6 weeks, except at the hub in Eppawalla
You may at travel back to the hub, for your days off each week, where you will have full board provided for those days and any accrued days you may wish to take.
You will earn an additional 1 day off for each week you have taught 4/7 days a week, which you can take at the hub, where full board will be provided.
You may also have an additional 6 days off for each 3 months of your volunteering.
All time off must be taken within the 3 month period you have accrued that in.
Volunteers costs include:
personal travel
accommodation, and food, and transport unrelated to any designated teaching placement
flights, visas, insurance, inocculations, SIM
Our management,admin, support fee, and insurance
1-3 months $450
each subsequent month, $115, payable in advance prior to visa renewal
total if staying 1 year, $1,575
That price makes this the most affordable gap year you will find.