Lots of volunteers worry about being able to communicate with their host family if they speak little or no English, having been placed with a host family myself with VESL who spoke little to no English (although this didn’t stop them trying!), I have put together some handy tips to help you communicate: 1. Learn […]
Tag Archives | communicate
Volunteer Diary: Don’t Think: ACT!
“If you are thinking about volunteering with VESL my message would be don’t think – act! You are guaranteed an incredibly rewarding experience you will never forget. The schools here in Sri Lanka desperately need more volunteers to help improve their English speaking and listening, and your efforts will be more than appreciated. Come and […]
Dealing with reverse culture shock…
What is reverse culture shock? If you have volunteered with VESL for a long period of time you may find the shock of coming back to the UK bigger than the initial culture shock in your host community. Reverse culture shock can be harder to deal with as it is unexpected and can occur even […]
Volunteer Diary: Adjusting to life in the village
Olivia Higginson is writing a great blog about her time volunteering in Kerala, India for 3 months, below are some excerpts from her blog describing her first couple of days and adjusting to life in an Indian fishing community… So have spent 2 nights with my new family. Where to start? (more…)
A day in the life: Thailand Project
“Get involved with the culture and take every opportunity that comes your way as not only does it combat homesickness, it will create memories to make this one of the greatest experiences of your life!” Katie Desmond and Stacey Smail, Volunteers in Thailand 2012
Where to find VESL in 2012…
Interested in finding out more about VESL? We are attending several Careers and Volunteering Fairs across England and Scotland at universities from October 2012 and we have several Selection Events coming up. Check out our list below to find out where you can find us! (more…)
How to stay in touch…
A huge thank you to all our summer 2012 volunteers, we have had amazing feedback from the in country managers and hosts! We really hope that you will continue to support VESL and stay in touch with our news and events. There are numerous ways you can do this once you have returned from overseas, […]
Student Leader Diary – Thailand 2012 – The Land of Smiles
James Hallworth was selected as a Student Leader for one of the two Thailand projects that VESL ran at Edgehill University this year, here he reflects on his time overseas and the challenges he faced. I was very nervous about taking this role due to having no previous management experience. Looking back, I am so […]
Student Leader Diary – India 2012 – Free time…what free time?!
In true context of this post, we have been so busy that we have not had time to write another post – so although this a little delayed… here is my next post about what we have been up to in our free time! We have managed to become involved in lots of different activities […]
Help – I need some tips to control my class
For students, having volunteers in their classroom is a new and exciting novelty, and like students anywhere they will try to push the boundaries at the beginning. Below are a few tips that will help you manage the behaviour of the students, particularly in those first few weeks as you settle into the role (some of them may sound very […]
How do I communicate with home when I am overseas?
Going overseas can be quite daunting especially if it is your first time overseas without friends or family. There are lots of different ways to stay in contact with your nearest and dearest so here are a couple of suggestions! Phone Mobile phone is obviously the easiest way to communicate whilst abroad, however not with […]
