Bali Kindergarten Project in Indonesia, Ubud

To book an activity with us we require you to participate for a minimum of two weeks. Therefore, you would need to book a quantity of two for this activity, unless you choose a separate activity to go with it. See the ‘Related trips…’ section for more options.

Program Description

We work in over 15 kindergartens in Ubud and its surrounding villages. Moreover, we have our own self-run kindergarten for 4-5 year olds, who can attend it for free. The kids are right at the start of their school careers and the chance to start learning English since such an early age will prove invaluable for them further on. Like in kindergartens throughout the world, the teaching is informal as the children will want to play with you more than to be ‘taught’. However, simply by getting them enthused about coming to school, giving them some very basic English phrases such as simple greetings, you may well have sown the seeds of a lifelong learning habit. The children will all be excited to see you and exceptionally welcoming, partly due to the natural and genuine friendliness of the Balinese, but also due to the fact that you will be one of the few foreigners they have met!

CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) Check
It is required that participants complete a CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) check in order to take part in this project.

Start dates are every week of the year with your activities starting on a Monday. We therefore request you arrive anytime on the Sunday before to receive a free airport pick-up and transfer. Early or late arrivals will incur an additional charge for the transfer and extra night including food, so arriving on the Sunday will be your better option.

Your trip will finish on the Saturday morning when you will need to vacate the accommodation.

Aims & Objectives

To support local kindergartens by helping to take care of the children, playing with them and teaching them basic English.

Schedule
Monday to Friday

Typically, you will be working at the kindergarten in the morning hours. After lunch, you will have time to plan and organise activities for the next day. On a typical day during the project, you will have an early morning breakfast and leave to work at the kindergarten where you will teach some basic English phrases for little kids, play some games, etc. Then, once you have lunch in the afternoon, you will start planning the activities for the next day at kindergarten. The day would end after having a delicious dinner at the accommodation.

Location

You will be accommodated in one of our houses in the village of Pejeng Kaja. Located on the outskirts of Ubud, village life is quintessentially local here and you will get a good chance to see typical Balinese life – roosters crowing and all!

Accommodation & Food

The accommodation is located in Pejeng Kaja which has shared rooms for participants including all facilities as well as enough space for them to interact and enjoy their time in Bali. There are two centres in Pejeng which are specially furnished for the participants’ accommodation namely Santi Rahayu and Melati.

Available Room Types

* Three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the week and two meals (breakfast, dinner) during weekends
** Drinking water
*** There are local laundry services around the village
**** Please bring a padlock

Food Arrangements

Indonesian food is tasty and diverse and you can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during your stay. Typical dishes included Mie Goreng (fried noodles and vegetables), Nasi Goreng (fried rice and vegetables) or Gado Gado (mixed vegetables with a satay sauce). For those who do not eat meat, Indonesian cooking uses a lot of tofu and tempeh (soybeans), some western dishes would also be available. Breakfasts are varied and include pancakes, fresh fruit, toast etc. Tea, coffee and purified water are available at the house. We do not recommend drinking tap water.

Facilities

Our houses are located in Pejeng village and it will take about 15-30 minutes by car to reach the centre of Ubud depending on the traffic. There are grocery shops in the village and 24 hours mini-marts are available in Ubud centre.

Shopping

There are small local shops which will take 5-10 minutes by a walk where you will be able to find everything that you need.

Restaurants and Cafes

If you want to eat out occasionally, there is a wide selection of restaurants with high standards of both international and local cuisine. There are several cafes in the village, where you can relax and hang out with other participants in your spare time. It takes about 5 minutes by car or 20 minutes by walk to the centre of the village.

Swimming Pools

Our swimming pool can be reached in 10 minutes by walk and is available for all the participants. There is a juice bar at the swimming pool where you can buy meals, snacks and drinks.

Gym

There are several gyms around Ubud area.

Clinic and Hospital

The clinic UPT Kesmas is open 24 hours, is located in Tampaksiring about 4 km away. It takes about 10 minutes by car and the hospital Ari Canti hospital Rumah Sakit is about 8 km from the centre and it takes 15 minutes by car to reach there.

Mandatory Orientation Day

On the Monday of your first week at this location, you will join our orientation day, to familiarise you 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 Indonesia, House rules, Code of Conduct and handling of documents
• Culture Lesson
• Lunch
• Project meeting and Preparation
• Activities & Events
• No scheduled activities outside the program

Sights & Surroundings

Since the weekends are free, you can go wherever you please. Several popular destinations that you can reach by taxi are:

• The Gili Islands, where you will find small resorts and huts for tourists looking to get away from the bustle of Ubud. The islands are a popular destination for snorkelling and diving due to their abundant marine life.
• Nusa Lembongan, an island paradise with one of the clearest waters that you will ever see and it is also a place where you can find peace and completely relax. Surfing, diving and snorkelling are amongst the most popular activities that visitors can enjoy.
• Lovina, located between the Bedugul mountains and the sea, it is popular for dolphin watching, trekking, hot springs and its gorgeous coral reefs.
• Sanur, a stretch of beach in Southeast Bali that contains villa resorts and Zen Villas. Historically, it was used as the landing site for the Dutch invasion troops during the Dutch invasion in 1906 as well as being the entry point into Bali for the Japanese during WWII.
• Kuta, a beach known for its surfing opportunities and party atmosphere.
• Uluwatu, a temple built at the edge of a 70-meter high cliff at the edge of the sea and inhabited by monkeys.

Transportation

From this location we do not provide free transport to other locations

Accommodation

Volunteer camp with shared rooms (4-8 people per room); Basic but comfortable; Shared toilet and shower facilities; Communal areas for socialising and relaxation, Wifi in social areas.

Food

3 meals a day are provided on weekdays, and then 2 meals per day on weekends; Diverse and tasty meals are provided. Meals are of a typical Indonesian fare.

Airport Transfer

Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you are arriving early/late. You be supported at the end of your trip in your onward travel.

Training

A full orientation and project induction takes place. You will also receive full training relevant to your volunteer role.

Support

Pre-departure help and advice; Local in-country team; 24 hour emergency support.

Donation

Part of your fee is used to buy decent equipment for the project and community you work with. If you wish to bring further donation, please make sure that this is in the form of equipment and not monetary donations.

• Flights
• Travel Insurance
• Visas
• Vaccinations
• Spending money
• In country travel
• Laundry service
• Extra activities not on itinerary
• Departure transfer

Preferred Duration
There is no preferred duration but we believe that the longer you can stay the more you will experience and benefit.

Pre-requisites
No prior experience or qualifications are required and it is important that you can speak English. All participants require a CRB/DBS check to take part in the project activities.

Ideal for
Volunteer Holidays and Placements in Asia; Community Work and Activity Breaks in Indonesia, Volunteer Gap Years and Career Breaks in Indonesia, Student Summer Holidays in Indonesia, cultural experience Indonesia, TEFL experience Indonesia, Teach English Indonesia

Suitable for ages 18 to 84

Most participants are between 18 and 25, so please be aware of this. We do welcome older people because of the value and experience they bring to the community. Participants below 18 require parental consent and participants above 65 require medical clearance to take part in the project.