Training manual for volunteers and guides in English. Volunteering and Learning English: Helping Others and Ourselves Teaching English to Volunteers Teaching Aids

English is considered to be an international language, and everyone should know it at least at the initial level. Therefore, English teachers will never be left without work. And what could be more interesting than doing what you love and traveling the world?

In this article we will tell you about all the opportunities for internships and volunteering in different countries for English teachers in the fall of 2016.

Austria

The English teacher training college offers teachers with higher education an internship or volunteer program in the rural and alpine regions of Austria, teaching English to children and teenagers. After submitting an application, a potential employee will be offered to take a language proficiency test, since the job requires the “Native” level, that is, the applicant must be fluent in English. Volunteers are provided with accommodation in a hostel and three meals a day, as well as reimbursement of travel expenses. Interns, in addition to all of the above, are paid a salary. The duration of stay in Austria is determined by the applicant himself. You can apply for participation in the programs at any time through the organization's website.

Czech

The Czech organization "EnglishStay" invites everyone to practice teaching English as part of an annual volunteer project. Two week-long programs are planned for autumn 2016: from 9 to 14 October in the region of South Bohemia, in the medieval castle of Hradek, and from 13 to 18 November in West Bohemia, in the Selský Dvůr estate. The next "expeditions" will take place in the winter and spring of 2017. Young professionals are given the opportunity to travel around the Czech Republic, live in the most beautiful monumental buildings and teach English to Czech schoolchildren and students. Basic requirements: a high level of knowledge of English and a valid Schengen visa. In total, 15 volunteer teachers are required for each weekly program. The organizers pay for accommodation, meals and transfer from Prague to the venue of the program. Applications are accepted until the end of September using the online form on the organization's website.

China

The Chinese organization Volunteer English Teacher, or VET for short, is looking for volunteers from all over the world throughout the year to teach English to children in rural schools in the Yangshuo and Guangzhou region of southern China. The volunteer himself chooses the period of work, but it must be at least 1 week. The teacher is required to conduct two 40-minute English lessons per day. In return, the volunteer is provided with accommodation and food. The main requirement for candidates is a good knowledge of English, higher education in the specialty is not necessary, but it will be an advantage. To apply for participation in the volunteer program, you need to contact the organization by e-mail - [email protected]

Thailand

The Thai organization "SEE Tefl" invites young teachers for a paid 4-month internship in schools in the Chiang Mai region in the north of the country. Upon arrival, selected candidates undergo a two-week training and then begin full-time work in one of the Thai schools for 4 months. The next internship starts on September 26th. The young specialist is provided with accommodation, meals and a monthly salary of 650 euros. In total, 60 to 70 teachers are required. Requirements for the trainee: a diploma in the specialty, certificates of knowledge of the language, a valid passport. Applications are accepted until September 5 by e-mail [email protected] In addition to interns, the organization also welcomes volunteers who will assist teachers. The next internship starts on April 17th.

Sri Lanka

The SVS Public School of English in Sri Lanka in the town of Nugegoda, not far from the country's largest city, Colombo, is waiting for volunteer teachers throughout the year. The minimum period of participation in the volunteer program is 3 months. Requirements for volunteers: a high level of English proficiency, education in the specialty is desirable. Teachers will teach lessons (30 academic hours per week) for various age groups: both children and adults study at the school. Volunteers are provided with accommodation in cottages, three meals a day and a daily cash allowance. Programs start 4 times a year: in early January, mid-April, early July and late September. You can apply at any time through the online form on the website of the language school. Transportation costs are not paid, but the school management helps volunteers with visa applications and provides transfer from the airport in Colombo.

India

This year the Indian organization "SECMOL" ("Students' educational and cultural movement of Ladakh") in the Ladakh region of northern India is hosting volunteer English teachers from September to December for classes with student members of the organization. The activities of SECMOL are aimed at creating a comfortable atmosphere for conducting various research among young professionals and students, especially in the field of chemistry and astrophysics. In order to successfully integrate into the global scientific community, budding Indian scientists need a high level of English. Volunteer teachers are required to conduct two to three lessons per day with groups of students with different language levels. The minimum period for which volunteers come to Ladakh is 3 weeks. The organizers provide accommodation on the student campus, meals and a small cash allowance. Applications are submitted via email [email protected]), and you can join the program at any time from September to December.

Colombia

Freshly graduated English teachers can earn professional experience in Colombia. Columbia's Institute Connections School of English in Ibague, near the capital, is looking for volunteers throughout the year to teach 1 to 4 lessons per day for children and adults. In return, the organization provides volunteers with accommodation in a cottage with all conditions, meals and free attendance of Spanish lessons. Each volunteer determines the length of stay at the school independently, but the minimum period is 2 weeks. The school also helps those who want to work with visas. Applications are accepted through the online form on the website.

Training manual for volunteers and guides

Belyaeva E.N., Timiryasova L.B.

Kazan is the capital of the 2013 Universiade.

(Kazan – the capital of Universiade 2013) 3
Sights and historical places of Kazan

(Sights and historical places of Kazan) 7
Traditions and cultural life of Tatarstan

(Traditions and cultural life in Tatarstan) 10
Tatar and Russian national cuisine

(Tatar and Russian national cuisine) 12
Souvenirs

(Souvenirs) 13
Phrasebook of the Universiade volunteer

(Phrase-book for the Universiade volunteers) 14
Dialogue Samples

(Sample dialogues) 31
^ KAZAN-THE CAPITAL OF UNIVERSIADE 2013
What is the Universiade?
The Universiade or World Students Games is viewed by many as second only to the Olympics in terms of importance.
What will Universiade 2013 give to Kazan?
It's a great honor for each city to host such a signifcant sport event. Kazan will receive the attention not only of the world sport community, but also media, trade and business, tourism and sport industry.

The Universiade will bring additional investment capital, stimulate city development, and increase job opportunities for the people of Kazan. Kazan is experiencing a construction boom, especially in new sport venues.

During the preparation period Kazan will develop a powerful sport infrastructure; it will make life of youth and students more healthy and vivid.
^ Where will Universiade 2013 be held?
Republic of Tatarstan
Tatarstan is located in the central part of Russia on the junction point of the two largests rivers in Europe – the Volga and the Kama. Territory of Tatarstan is 68,000 sq.km. Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Representatives of more than 70 nationalities live in Tatarstan; most numerous are Tatars and Russians. The Republic has two official languages: Tatar and Russian. Approximately 3.8 million people live in Tatarstan.

Tatarstan is one of the most highly developed regions of Russia. It's main industries are: oil and petrochemicals, aircraft building and mechanical engineering, while it's main natural esources are oil, water and land.
^ Kazan, City of Universiade 2013
Kazan is the capital of the Tatarstan Republic and one of the largest economic, scientific and cultural centers of Russia. The city is situated on the left bank of the Volga River and both banks of the Kazanka River. It occupies the territory of 425.3 square kilometers and has a population of 1.2 million people, represented by more than 100 nationalities. Thirty-five percent of Kazan’s population is younger than 30. Kazan celebrated its millenium on the 30 th of August, 2005.

Today Kazan is a dynamic, rapidly developing industrial, scientific, and trading center. As a city with unique historical monuments, Kazan is listed in the UNESCO of World Heritage list. In 2004 Kazan was acknowledged as the best city of Russia and won the award "Russian National Olympus". Kazan was branded as "Russia's third capital".

Kazan is situated on the north-west of the Republic of Tatarstan in the junction of Volga and Kazanka rivers. It’s 1.2 hour flight from Moscow to Kazan by airplane, 10 hours by train or 5 days by ship.

Kazan, with its marvelous Kremlin, mosques, churches and rich museums, is a unique place of interest, included among the Volga River tourist rout. Kazan is also a city of theaters, museums, music, international festivals, rich libraries, newest technologies, business partnerships and science.

economics

Kazan is an attractive region for foreign investors. Today there are more than one hundred foreign invested enterprises and also 150 representatives of foreign firms. Large international conferences, among them EBRD (European Bank of Reconstruction and Development) and COWHC (Congress of Organizations of World Heritage Cities), were held in Kazan. There are two world-known giants of aircraft industry in the city: the “Kazan Aircraft Production Association” and the “Kazan Helicopter Plant” Joint Stock Company.

Culture

Kazan is one of the most important educational and cultural centers of Russia, including many museums, libraries, concerts halls, theaters, and featuring the “Hermitage-Kazan” center – a branch of the well-known Saint Petersburg museum. There are also numerous cinemas, night clubs, restaurants, pictures galleries, two aqua-parks, the Circus, and the Zoo.

Education

Kazan is one of Russia’s major scientific and educational centers and the second biggest city by the number of students. There are about forty institutions of higher education here; among them, Kazan State University, founded in 1804. One of the most important features of education is the possibility to study in Tatar language.

Universiade Sports
Compulsory sports / Compulsory sports

• 
  Artistic gymnastics - rhythmic gymnastics
• 
  Basketball - basketball
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  Diving - jumping into the water
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  Fencing - fencing
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  Football - football
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  Judo - judo
• 
  Rhythmic gymnastics - gymnastics
• 
  Swimming - swimming
• 
  Table tennis - table tennis
• 
  tennis
• 
  Track and field - athletics
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  Volleyball - volleyball
• 
  Water polo - water polo

Optional sports / Additional sports

• 
  Badminton - badminton
• 
  Beach volleyball - beach volleyball
• 
  Belt wrestling - belt wrestling
• 
  Boxing - boxing
• 
  Сayak/canoe racing – rowing and canoeing
• 
  Chess - chess
• 
  Field hockey - field hockey
• 
  Rowing racing
• 
  Rugby 7 - rugby 7
• 
  Sambo - sambo
• 
  Synchronized swimming - synchronized swimming
• 
  Trap and skeet shooting
• 
  Weight lifting - weightlifting

Sports in Kazan
One of the most important trends in the city life is sport development. Hockey club “Ak Bars”, Football club “Rubin”, Basketball club “Unics”, volleyball club “Dinamo TTG” and others represent Kazan in championships of Russia, Europe and world. In recent years, several world class sport facilities have been built, including Basket–hall Arena, Ice Sport Palace “TatNeft Arena”, hippodrome, Grass Hockey stadium and Aquatics Palace. Sport competitions of world level are often held in Kazan. Kazan will be hosting the seventeenth World Student Games in 2013.

The city of Kazan offers its guests a diverse array of entertainment and relaxation options that are available in all the world’s capitals, but in, it offers the unique, cozy, home-like atmosphere that distinguishes Kazan and Tatarstan from all other places on earth.

The opportunities for amateur and professional sports in Kazan are currently increasing by leaps and bounds.

It is no secret that the city and republican officials are themselves passionate fans of Kazan sports teams. It’s hockey team Ak-Bars (three time Russian champions, champions of hockey’s Euroleague), football team Rubin, basketball club UNICS, volleyball team Dynamo-Tattransgaz, and many other teams are well-known across Russia.

Equestrian sports are actively developed in the Republic of Tatarstan, and the International Equestrian Sport Complex is found in Kazan, in the Soviet district (from ul. P.Lumumby to ul.Sakharova, at the location of the old airport). It is the largest such center in Europe and the sole one in Russia of its level. Its competition space includes an enclosed grandstand seating 4,000 and an open grandstand seating 2,000. There is also an equestrian sporting club “Kazan”, not far from the city, and the equestrian sporting club “Confido” in the village Orekhovka in the Zelenodol`sk district. Altogether, those who would like can not only watch horse racing, but also learn to ride.

Rowing sports can be practiced in the very center of the city, on Lake Kaban.

In Kazan a number of good chess schools operate, as well as fencing, billiards, tennis, and many other sports. You can play tennis on the courts of the Shamil` Tapischev School. While the Field Hockey Center (Orenburgskii trakt), is one of the best facilities in Europe. The center will host the European Men's Field Hockey Championships and hosted the qualifying rounds for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Additionally, Kazan is vying for the 2014 World Championships.

The Kazan water park LETO STOP (Summer Stop) (located 10 minutes from the city center) and the water park Riviera are superb entertainment for the whole family, where you can spend an entire day enjoying the water park’s attractions and visiting its many cafes.

For those wanting to ice skate, the Ice Sports Palace and Tatneft Arena are open year-round, and in the winter there are many open rinks, where skates can easily be rented.

The ski sport complex Dynamo (Kazan’s Kirovskii district, not far from Lake Lebyazhye), is a favorite place for winter relaxation among Kazan’s residents and guests. Here, everyone can rest in the fresh air and ski a couple or dozens of kilometers on the quality surface. There are also skis available for rent. After skiing, you can snack and drink hot tea in a café.

Alpine Ski Sporting and Recreation Complex “KAZAN”.

Kazan residents` love for winter sports led to the construction of this wonderful Alpine ski complex not far from Kazan. It can be reached by the M-7 highway in the direction of Moscow, crossing the Volga and then following the directional signs. Its slopes are superbly groomed, with a drop between 160 and 190 meters and overall length from 800 to 1,800 meters. Of course, this isn’t the Alps, but it’s the best to be found in central Russia, especially regarding the lifts and the quality of the slopes. The Alpine ski complex isn’t just slopes, but also a well-developed infrastructure: here you’ll find cozy cafes and restaurants, equipment rental and service, ski lodges, and sporting goods stores, and professional instructors on the slopes. What else do you need to complete healthy relaxation on the weekends?

^ SIGHTS AND HISTORICAL PLACES IN KAZAN
The Kazan Kremlin is a unique complex of historical, architectural and archeological monuments. The appearance of the first people on the hill may be traced to the 1st millennium B.C.

The Kazan Kremlin, a magnificent architectural ensemble bearing traces of many centuries of building activity, is enclosed in high, white stonewalls with characteristic loop-holes and thirteen hipped-roofed towers. The most remarkable building of the Kremlin ( Kermen is fortress in Tatar) is the Suyumbika Tower, seven stores and 58 meters high. Its distinctive profile, visible from all sides, is balanced by the contours of the Spassky (Savior) Tower, which stands at the opposite end of the Kremlin.

The key monuments represent an outstanding example of a synthesis of Tatar and Russian influence on architecture, integrating different cultures (Bolgar, Golden Horde, Tatar, Italian, and Russian), as well as showing the impact of Islam and Christianity. Having been built on an ancient site, the Kazan Kremlin originates from the Muslim period of the Kazan Khanate. When it was conquered in 1552, it became the Christian bulwark of the Volga region. The Kazan Kremlin consists of an outstanding group of historic buildings dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, integrating remains of earlier structures of the 10th to the 16th centuries. The Bolgar fortress was founded here in the 12th century. In medieval time the Kremlin ramparts were constructed of oak beams, while the buildings inside were of both wood and stone.

Towards the middle of the 16th century, about 30,000 people lived within the wall of the citadel, which then had approximately the same boundaries as today. A number of the entrances and trading quarter towers (13) have not survived; the rest were reconstructed when the Kremlin ramparts were rebuilt in stone by order of Ivan the Terrible (1556-58). The Kazan Kremlin was just as impressive in olden times.

Starting in 1556, Russian stonemasons, under the direction of the architects, Ivan Shiriay and Postnik Yakovlev (nicknamed Barma, the architect of St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow), rebuilt the Kremlin walls and towers in the Pskov style, adding a few new towers, including the Tainitzkaya and the Spasskaya. Kazan, though a military fortress, gradually turned to a large tradecraft and administration center for the region. They erected the Annunciation Cathedral. In 1708 it became the capital of the enormous Kazan Province, occupying nearly half of the European part of Russia.From 1709 till 1917 many offices of the Kazan Province were located in the Kremlin.Eight Kremlin towers still survive today.

^ Spasskaya Tower– People usually enter the Kremlin though this tower, although it is also possible to enter the fortress through Tainitskaya Tower at the bottom of the hill. This is the oldest tower; along with the round Southeastern and Southwestern towers, it was built in the 1560s. Initially it had two stories, with a T-shaped and later with an elbowed-type passage, thus constructed to ease defense. In 1930, a straight passage was made, but at the same time the adjacent Spasskaya Gate Church was destroyed. In 1963, a sound and light clock was installed on top of the tower.

^ Tainitskaya Tower Gate was also built in the middle of the 16th century, and in the first half of the 18th century one more tier was added to it. According to archeologists, it was built near the Nur-Ali tower destroyed during the siege of Kazan. The tower got its current name (literally, “secret tower”) because according to legend, there used to be an underground passage where the tower now stands, through which the defenders of the fortress reached a spring on the bank of the Kazanka during Ivan the Terrible's siege.

^ Suyumbike Tower is rightly considered the architectural symbol of Kazan. It is a seven-storied tower, 58 meters high, and made of red brick. In the tsarist period, the tower was crowned with a gilded spire and a two-headed eagle – the symbol of the Empire – sitting on a ball inside of which, according to the beliefs of Kazan Tatars, some important documents concerning the history of Tatars and the Khanate were hidden. During the repairs in the late nineteenth century, the spire was taken off and the ball was hit by lightning several times, and it turned out to be empty. In 1999, the tower was crowned with the Muslim crescent moon to commemorate the spiritual rebirth of Kazan. It is said that the graves of the first Kazan khans used to be alongside the tower. Annually on October 15, people gather at this place to pay homage to the defenders of Kazan who perished in 1552. Suyumbike Tower is a leaning tower, deviating from the vertical by 1.8 meters at its tip. Supposedly, it was constructed in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century as a watchtower. Its name is tied to the legend of the Kazan tsarina Suyumbike.

"Pearl in the necklace of Kazan Kremlin" - Kul-Sharif Mosque

The main mosque of medieval Kazan was the Kul Sharif, a huge, white stone edifice with eight minarets reminiscent of the eight provinces of the Bolgar State. The mosque was decorated with Bolgar stone carvings. The mosque "s eight domes represented the authority of the Seid while the crescents recognized the absolute power of Allah. Containing a magnificent and rich library, it was the center of religious education and the north outpost of Islam in that period. The mosque is named in honor of its last Imam Seid Kul Sharif, a respected religious figure, a poet and a diplomat. In 1552 during the conquest of Kazan Seid Kul Sharif was one of the defense leaders. He and all his principals were killed. After the siege of the city Kul Sharif Mosque was completely destroyed.

It belongs to the type of the central dome mosque with many minarets. The basis of its arrangements is laid on the combinatory symbol of the Moslem Community "Bismilla" in the shape of 2 squares displaced at an angle of 45 degrees and laid one on the other. According to this project, the high central dome with broken facets of the curved upper part was erected. It is surmounted by the dome on the muezzin platform and accentuated with 8 vertical lines (4 tall minarets and 4 pinnacles). The hall is lit by high Gothic and tulip-shaped windows. The motifs and elements of Tatar decorative art were widely used in the Mosque's styling.

In the capital of the XXVII World Summer Universiade 2013, the fifth season of the educational project for teaching volunteers "Kazan 2013" in English "English 4U" started. The new season of the project is attended by students from ten Kazan universities, as well as the Lyceum. Lobachevsky

It is also worth noting that the project was launched in Yekaterinburg - at the Ural Federal University, which, on the basis of a cooperation agreement with the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, is the official university of the Universiade 2013 in the Urals. In the near future, training will also begin at the Bashkir State University, and on April 23, activists from 8 Universiade volunteer centers from Moscow will join the training.

Students of a number of secondary specialized educational institutions of Kazan, as well as schoolchildren, expressed their desire to learn English as part of a unique volunteer project. All applicants for participation in the educational course are carefully selected, the main criteria of which are active participation in events, volunteer experience and, of course, personal motivation.

A special language program has been developed for students of the English 4U course, taking into account the wishes of the organizers of the future Universiade. In April 2012, the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate published a special textbook for participants and tutors of the project, which allows them to master speaking skills for various functional areas of volunteer activity. In addition, the course contains an extensive block of sports terminology, information about Kazan and the Universiade, as well as about Kazan 2013 volunteers. Volunteers learn to overcome the language barrier and practice their conversational English skills.

During the two-month training course, volunteers take intermediate exams at one of the Universiade sports facilities, in a hotel and in the Universiade Village. The final test for the project participants will be fully modeled as the work of a volunteer attaché with a guest from the moment of his arrival to the organization of the training process.

The project has become an integral part of the Kazan 2013 volunteer program. Its teachers are active volunteers with extensive experience, holders of grants under the program "Algarysh", "FLEX" and foreign students.

Graduates of the English 4U project successfully apply their knowledge at all events on the eve of preparations for the World Summer Student Games in the capital of Tatarstan, taking responsible positions when working with foreign athletes. Thanks to the project, entire volunteer teams are being formed that are able to show high-quality cohesive work and good knowledge of the English language at any events held in the city.

As a result of the educational program, all volunteers will receive special "English 4U" badges, confirming their level of language proficiency. The gold badge will mean that the volunteer is fluent in English, the silver one will be evidence of the average level of English knowledge, the owner of the bronze badge will be able to understand and communicate with foreigners in elementary phrases. Thus, during the Universiade and test competitions, by the volunteer badge, one can say whether he took English courses for volunteers and what grades he studied for.

Everyone knows about volunteering. Volunteers are people who volunteer to do some work in different parts of the world for free. Today I will focus on volunteering in the UK, otherwise it would be strange if I wrote about some other country.

In one of the previous articles, I talked about how one of the ways to spend a fairly long time there. The disadvantage of this method is obvious - the high cost of such accommodation in England. So I started looking for other options. Such that before the English law to be clean, and generally free, like in a fairy tale. Think utopia? But no, I found a way, by the way, quite promising.

What does it mean to be a volunteer in England

I don’t know why this thought didn’t immediately occur to me, but thank God, it did come. Let me briefly explain what it is volunteering in the UK eat, how to get there, what to do and who, in the end, is to blame.

So, volunteer work in England, in general, the same as in other developed countries. It could be child care, elderly care, or library work. You can join the ranks of animal advocates or paint the walls. It all depends on your tastes.

What are the benefits of living in England?

• First, of course, money. You are provided (not a five-star hotel, of course), food, pocket money, insurance and quite a lot of free time. Let's see what we get in terms of money compared to the first method. We pay only a volunteer fee (10-15 thousand rubles) and money for registration. How lucky you are with the transfer - you can pay for the ticket yourself, or maybe the sending organization. Everything else is paid by the employer or the host organization. As a result, if in the first case we paid at least 600-700 thousand rubles for accommodation during the year, here this amount is ten times less.
• Secondly, you just have to learn English, because. you will work with the same volunteers from different countries (groups are from 2 to 30-40 people). Naturally, the language of communication in such an international group is English.
• Thirdly, in a year (and long-term volunteer programs, which are called MTV and LTV, last from 6 months to a year), you will perfectly be able to get to know the good old beautiful England, its customs and traditions, make useful contacts, etc. You choose your work schedule. You can work 3 days a week until lunch, and the rest of the time immerse yourself in the life of the city that you have chosen.
• Fourth, free volunteer work in England is not always free. Often, in addition to pocket money, the employer pays a small amount daily, which can be easily spent in English shops (or pubs, as you like).
• Fifth, you are legally staying in the UK for a year, which counts. What happens when you legally live in England for 10 years? That's right, cherished citizenship. So an extra year is not superfluous at all.
• Sixthly, if you do not live in the capitals of our vast country, then you may experience difficulties with work and simply languish from idleness. I think it would be much more useful to work, albeit "for free", but in England. Plus, save 700 thousand wooden ones on learning the language. Moreover, if you're lucky, bring something with you, some amount. So in our case, it’s not completely free, is it? We live, eat, study the language, culture and traditions, save up for ourselves the length of stay, we get paid a little more for this - and in return we only work a few days a week at a dust-free job (remember, only you choose the type of work).

It seems to me that I will choose this option as the first step towards my dream. And about that, for a whole year for free, I will tell you in detail in the next article, otherwise you won’t master everything in one.

For a very long time I have been going to write an article about how I practiced and improved my English skills while working as a volunteer in Ireland. I would not say that this can be called the proud word “work”, but still I did some work and it was perceived by others as work.

Why and why did I get interested in the idea of ​​volunteering? No, not because of bright motives and the desire to show humanism and disinterestedness in a wealthy country. Before the trip, I had one main goal - to learn English as much as possible. But since I attended English courses in “in the city (northern suburb of Dublin - 12 km from the city center) in the morning from 9 to 12, then I, even taking into account the presence of homework or the desire to repeat something from the material covered on lessons, there was still a lot of free time. And everything would be fine if I was a fan of visiting clubs, discos and wasting time at student meetings in a pub with a glass of beer. Yes, sometimes such "outings" could be done, but day after day - it was not for me.

Volunteer work as one of the ways to learn English

And so the idea arose of how to pass the free time for the benefit of the cause - to get a job as a volunteer somewhere in order to get language speaking practice. Looking ahead, I ended up getting 15 hours a week of college, and unlimited hours of English language practice, because I was able to get a free visit as a volunteer at the chain's thrift store.

I’ll make a reservation right away, so as not to sow a seed of hope among others who are looking for opportunities to visit another country for free, and even with the opportunity to practice their English, in exchange for some help in the form of performing volunteer duties, Irish visa legislation does not provide for the issuance of an entry visa on the basis of volunteer work in the country. So the possible maximum here can only be obtaining a short-term tourist visa, followed by attempts to get a job as a volunteer in order to get language practice. But here, too, most people may stumble over a stumbling block in the form of the need for local documents - and this is at least, which is issued only to students in long-term English courses, and, possibly, the need to pass a check in the Irish police called GARDA.

Now closer to the topic of volunteering for students on long-term English language programs in Ireland. I want to immediately draw your attention to the fact that not every offer to help as a volunteer in Ireland should be considered as an opportunity to get language practice. And I'll tell you why.

Carefully choose a place to work as a volunteer

As elsewhere, so in Ireland - no one shuns the idea of ​​taking advantage of someone's work, and even for free. It's just that in Ireland, as in a civilized country from the top ten countries in the world in terms of living standards, this process of exploitation is done in a more civilized manner than in our countries of Eastern Europe or Asia, the Middle East or South America. For example, newspaper or news ads on the Internet are full of headlines with an offer to help this or that, but in general and in fact - you are invited to clean something, sweep, wash, paint, move, and so on. Yes, if you have time, why not help, for example, in a nursing home or in a hospital? But doing it on a regular and free basis, at least in Ireland, does not seem reasonable to me. The country has enough finance to resolve issues with janitors, loaders and laborers. The next point that you should pay attention to is that in such work as a volunteer you will only have the practice of communicating with a broom, a broom, a box or a bag of garbage. I do not think that this will greatly increase your level of spoken English.

Donation collection

You will also often see just a myriad of offers to earn 50 euros a day and more - helping to collect donations. The essence of this idea is simple and is already widely used in our native countries - you will need to “shake” the box somewhere at the entrance to the shopping center, trying in every possible way to extract at least a couple of cents from the passing ones. Of the total "harvest" for the day - you will be paid (probably) some predetermined percentage. But here, it seems to me, one must be able to step over oneself in order to do this work, and even in such a colorful team, which for the most part consists of drinkers and people without a fixed place of residence. Yes, and from the English language you will often hear obscene expressions in your address indicating the route of your movement along with your box, than some more or less intelligible English speech.

Volunteer work with teenagers

And, let's put it this way, the third, more approximate version of the topic we are interested in is working with local teenagers. I was lucky to miss the first and second options in my personal experience, but I still managed to get into the third one. Why didn't I like him? Yes, in principle - to everyone: starting from the organization of the process and ending, again, with the lack of language practice. That is, there were a couple of proposals, but this is just zilch against the background of the desired. And so - the essence: you apply with your desire to help teenagers spend their free time in a company that deals with this issue in a serious way, unlike those that offer to “shake” boxes for a percentage of the donation. They consider your application for some time and may even ask for your personal data (passport data, GNIB Card, etc.) in order to verify your identity in the police, since, of course, they do not want assistants in their ranks for teenagers turned out to be a pedophile or someone else with mental disabilities.

Volunteering with teenagers is not easy

After your person passes their checks, you will be asked to come to the next evening of meetings. Usually such evenings are held a couple of times a week. How they are organized: you, surrounded by many mothers and their children (on average 12-17 years old), go into the lobby of a club or a specially designated room for this purpose, where, in principle, children are separated into one group that communicates according to their interests , and the mothers stand separately at the window and again talk on their own topics, understandable and close only to themselves, since most of them are divorced and are raising their children on their own. After spending about an hour in such “fun”, the mothers become a little more active and begin to offer the children to jump into circles and do some other completely uninteresting activity in the form of group, obviously stupid, games. After spending another 30 minutes on this matter, everyone successfully disperses. And I, including, sighing happily at the thought that this was my first and last day as a nanny for poorly educated, lazy and socially inactive teenagers, retire about my business. As you could understand, there was no smell of language practice here.

Volunteer at St Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores

And only in the fourth of the cases I have considered, I think I was lucky - I got a job as a volunteer in a thrift store of the St Vincent de Paul chain. True, I had to wait for a response from their management about agreeing to accept me as a volunteer in their store for almost 1.5 months, but it was worth it. For example, I want to say that my classmate from Colombia went to work as a volunteer in the same store - so to speak, in my footsteps, but at the same time she received a response to her application within literally one week. What is the reason for such a difference in the timing of consideration of applications for work as a volunteer - I do not know.

Filing and reviewing an application at St Vincent de Paul

The application is submitted in the form of an extensive completed printed questionnaire, which can be taken at any of their stores at the checkout from the cashier. After filling out simple fields about yourself and attaching copies of your documents, which you can do in any nearest bookstore, you need to bring this package, along with the envelope that came with it, back to the store and give it to the cashier, who will hand it over to the main office together with other documents. After some time, which will take to consider your application, you will be called (either from the office of St Vincent de Paul, or the manager himself from the store where you left your wish to volunteer) and set the time for your first visit. Moreover, this time will be agreed with you and it will not look like an indication to come at the precisely appointed and only convenient day and hour. You will be politely asked how and when it would be more convenient for you to visit them, and at the time you specified, the manager of such a store will be waiting for you (they are called supervisors).

After your first visit, during which you will be told your simple responsibilities for receiving goods, sorting them and laying them out on the trading floor, your future schedule for visiting the store will be agreed with you. You can choose from a couple of times a week (Sunday is a day off) to at least a daily visit after college. Everything will depend on your desire, mood and other plans. And remember - this schedule can always be changed depending on your life circumstances.

The essence of volunteering in a thrift store

You will work surrounded by good-natured, not rich Irish people aged 40 and over, who will be happy to chat with you about everything in the world during your easy joint work. And this was exactly the place where I really found the opportunity to communicate unlimitedly in English with the locals without feeling ashamed of my level of conversation, since everyone knew that I was studying in English courses and tried to correct me or suggest the meaning of a word I did not know . Volunteering also gave me the opportunity to answer various questions that visitors to this thrift store asked while I was displaying merchandise on the sales floor. Both colleagues and buyers did not pay attention to my accent or my mistakes in English, as they were glad and grateful to me only for the fact that I do this work without receiving payment for my work. And it was there that I was able to really get a lot of live communication in English on a variety of everyday topics with the locals of Ireland.

My staff at the thrift store

Our team was quite small and consisted of about ten people who came to the store at different times. It so happened that Christmas 2012 was approaching, which caught me as a volunteer in a thrift store. As it turned out, every year our supervisor invites everyone to a small Chinese restaurant for Christmas. This year was no exception, and I received an invitation too. True, everyone paid for himself - it was not a paid cooperative, but for that I had the opportunity to spend Christmas in the circle of the Irish! And this event left a lot of positive memories for me and gave me the opportunity to gain additional experience in getting to know Irish culture. We had a nice evening in a Chinese restaurant, chatting cheerfully about everything vital over a glass of wine and some beer specially brought from China. This evening I received an invitation from one of our Irish employees to join their family dinner, as he himself was once a migrant to the United States and finds it very boring to celebrate Christmas alone. But I had to refuse, as I already had plans for the Christmas dinner. However, for myself, I noted another plus of the Irish nature - openness and hospitality, which allows them, in principle, to invite an unfamiliar person to their house for Christmas dinner.

Pathway from volunteer to paid position

Time was flying, my English language courses in Ireland at ICE College were coming to an end, and I was already planning my return to my homeland. And then, about a month and a half before my departure, our supervisor makes me an offer to work at the cash desk as a cashier. And what is special, you ask, accustomed to the fact that this position in our country is not some kind of special achievement? And here's the whole feature is that what is generally accepted in our country can be abroad, where you are a guest in a foreign country, showing a sign of great trust in you. You are trusted to work with cash in a country where you came just to study, and even not from an EU country. This fact is at least a sign that you are considered a decent person and the level of trust in you may be even higher than in part of the local population.