Village Africa is looking for qualified teachers to teach a range of subjects at a new secondary school in a beautiful rural location.

About the secondary school

The school is called Mibukwe Secondary School. This combines the names of the 3 villages in the area including Milingano. It is based just outside Milingano, a 30 minute walk from the village centre where volunteers live.

It is a government school and opened officially in May 2007. The school was built by the government and villagers together in partnership as there was no other secondary school in the area with many students unable to continue on into secondary education.

It is an English medium school so all classes are taught in English although the level of English is low. The school follows the national syllabus and take national exams. They need particular help with science, maths and English teaching.

The school currently only has students in the first year and each year they will have a new intake, building up to full secondary status. There are 41 students in Form One, the first year, and it is hoped they will all continue into the second year. There are 4 teachers including the Headmaster, who speaks good English.

Education is highly valued by families and some children walk up to 10km to attend school each day. Orphans and children from one parent families also attend school, rather than being kept at home for chores.

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A typical week

A normal week will have around 15 hours of lessons from Monday-Thursday allowing weekends free to relax, explore the local area and have weekends away.

Lifestyle and accommodation

A huge part of the adventure of Tanzania is the environment you will live and work in. The villages are in an extremely beautiful area with a mixture of forest and farmland. There is lots of wildlife including dikdiks, rabbits, chameleons and birds. The people who live here are subsistence farmers and, despite it being fertile, are incredibly poor.

Volunteers live together in simple houses in the village, with a walk to school. A housegirl is employed to fetch water, shop, cook and clean and a watchman is employed to oversee the houses at night.

You will soon adapt to the Tanzanian way of life that is dictated by the hours of daylight. With the absence of electricity, waking hours become fairly similar to daylight hours. You will have plenty of free time to relax, enjoy Africa, get to know local people and learn more about yourself. There are also some great hiking opportunities in the area including viewpoints of Kilimanjaro and the Tanzania/Kenya border, waterfalls and historical caves.

Every other weekend Village Africa usually has transport going to one of the towns so you can join this if you would like to, allowing you to do some travel and exploration and have a change of pace and scene. Popular choices are the ancient trading port and beaches of Tanga, and the friendly town of Lushoto. Both offer good facilities, including email, bars and restaurants.

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world and as such the standard of living appears very low to us. The Tanzanian way of life is extremely laid back, relaxed and friendly. Society is generally not money driven and provides a very different view on how to live. This can lead to a degree of culture shock for people visiting, but more often leads to culture shock on the return to the UK at the end of an extended period of time living in a local environment. Longer term this can help to produce a much deeper and more mature understanding of our own society and a more tolerant and caring view of other peoples and societies.

What's included

• Travel advice and assistance
• A comprehensive information booklet
• Pick up and drop off at Tanga
• Transfers to the village
• Local introductions and tours
• Orientation to the Tanzanian education system
  
• Accommodation in a house shared with other volunteers (your own room)
• Ongoing support, help and advice from the Village Africa team

What's not included

Flights (£450-£600), travel insurance, visa (£38), food and general living costs (£150 per month).

The benefit and requirements

All lessons are taught in English so a qualified teacher who is a native English speaker is incredibly valuable.

It is a very exciting opportunity to be part of a school in its infancy. Volunteers have the opportunity to help establish a strong culture in the school, by setting a good example and through discussions with the Headmaster and the other teachers.

Volunteers must be qualified teachers (PGCE) and able to commit to at least 4 weeks of teaching time (preferably longer).

If you do not have any teaching qualifications we also have a primary school teaching project.

Next steps and how to apply

Please contact us if you would like to discuss the placement, or go to the how to apply section where you can apply online or download an application form. For views from past volunteers see our testimonials.