Volunteer Tibetan - Teach English to Tibetan

Description

All of our students risked their lives on their way over the Himalayas from Tibet to India.  They have a strong wish to study, are highly motivated and are very hard-working.Besides providing them with education, one of our main goals is to improve their self-confidence.  Therefore, we find it very important that the atmosphere at the school between teacher and student is one of esteem, respect and goodwill.

Programme info

The main goal of ES-Tibet is to educate Tibetan refugees in India, in order to improve their work perspectives once they are back in Tibet. Because the Tibetan Exile Government in Dharamsala had already established educational support by setting up the Tibetan Transit School (TTS) in which newly arrived refugees are educated for five years, ES-Tibet seeks to complement this educational establishment.

ES-Tibet therefore started a school in India in which carefully selected TTS-students are educated further for two years in English, Computer Skills and Chinese. These three subjects were identified as key elements for professional success once the students are back in Tibet.

Every two years ES-Tibet carefully chooses about 20 new students via an elaborate selection procedure. The students then live and study in the school. ES-Tibet provides them with food, medical cover, accommodation, and even some pocket money every month, as well as meeting travel costs at the end of the course, so that they do not need to worry about such things while studying at the school.The curriculum of English in ES-Tibet is, to start with everyday English, English grammar and then to move on towards Cambridge English Tests starting with Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test (PET), First Certificate in English (FCE) and ACE (Advanced Certificate in English).

Knowing most of the students are going back to Tibet, we also teach the students Chinese, which is essential for them when they get a job back in their native land. We are trying to reach at least a level which enables them to understand and speak everyday Chinese.The  computer program we offer them is as follows; computer fundamentals, Microsoft Office Package 2003 and 2007, Web Design, book publishing, Adobe CS3 complete, player and converter, Internet, Windows Installation, Hardware, Network Troubleshooting and configuration.

More info

Certified review

The following review was written by Eibhlin Nic Diarmada

I volunteered in the school from the middle of Sept 2009 until the end of June 2010. It was a unique and wonderful experience. The students are welcoming, helpful, respectful and hardworking. I was repeatedly surprised by their eagerness to learn which is a pleasure for any teacher. I spent a long time searching the internet for a place to volunteer without paying huge fees. It was also very important to me where I volunteered.

What originally drew me to teach in E.S.Tibet was the ethos of the school. It provides a non-religious, non-political education for Tibetan refugees. These students have been given a basic education and the school was set up to continue their education in Computers and English so as to enable the students to gain employment, be it in Tibet, India or another country. The school however takes a holistic approach in terms of the general welfare and development of the students. I enjoyed many extra activities with the students including camping and hill-walking. What sealed my decision to stay for nine months was the students and their outlooks. They all have amazing stories of bravery which I could never imagine but yet have such a positive outlook.

They are deeply spiritual and most are committed to returning to Tibet. I admired this as too often the East looks to the West. These students are proud of their culture and most wish to take the education they receive back to Tibet. The school provides basic but adequate accommodation with a view of the Himachal mountains. They also provide all meals and have plenty of teaching books available.

The surrounding area is peaceful and beautiful and the school has a small but very well stocked library which I really appreciated. I generally taught for between three and four hours a day and I supervised study once a week for an hour in the evening. I spent many weekends relaxing in the school but I also went up to McLeod Ganj which is a touristy town and is where the residence in exile of the Dalai Lama is situated. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend several of the Dalai Lama's teachings. I really enjoyed my time there and definitely plan to return in the future. I had many inspiring conversations with the pupils and I really believe I gained far more from them than they from me.

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E.S. Tibet” lived up to and surpassed my

by Anne Fryer

on September 17, 2010

A few weeks into our trip to India, my partner and I had planned to do some voluntary teaching in Mcleod Ganj, home of the Tibetan government in exile, and thought that we would easily find opportunities there when we arrived. However, to our surprise and disappointment, all the schools there informed us that they already had teachers and didn't need us. We spent a few weeks doing drop- in conversation classes, which were fun, but we felt we wanted something that we could get our teeth into. Although we were enjoying the many opportunities that Mcleod Ganj provides for rest and relaxation, we both had a nagging feeling that there was something missing.



Then, to our good fortune, we stumbled upon “E.S. Tibet”, a school a few miles from Dharamasala, with 23 Tibetan students and a manager, all living and working together, rather like a big family. We visited the school, and were immediately struck by the harmonious atmosphere and warmth and friendliness of everyone there. So, we eagerly accepted the invitation to go and live and teach there for a month or so.

My experience at “E.S. Tibet” lived up to and surpassed my hopes and expectations. One of the things that really struck me was the mutual respect that the students show towards each other, supporting each other like brothers and sisters. Having been an English teacher for many years, working in many different countries, and teaching students from all over the world, I can say that the students at “E.S. Tibet” are among the most motivated, hard- working, polite, and respectful students I have ever taught. Every morning my class would greet me cheerfully with big smiles. They were so sweet and funny- some days they made me laugh my head off. And other times, like when I read their stories of their escape from Tibet, they made me cry.

Aside from the classes, I'll keep fond memories of chats with the students, listening to the often- touching readings at breakfast time, a lovely BBQ evening, the school basketball championship, the most raucous game of “Pictionary” I have ever experienced, and eating the most delicious momos (dumplings) of anywhere in Dharamasala, until I was ready to burst.

I am very grateful to the students and managers at the school for making my time there so special. On the wall in our room at the school were some words from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on “The True Meaning of Life”. In it, he states that “we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.” I think we found the “missing piece” at E.S. Tibet, and I hope that I may have contributed in a small way to the happiness of the students there, as they surely contributed to mine.

 

Volunteer Tibet - Great life experience

by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

on August 19, 2010

With a grown-up family and a good life in Ireland, I was eager to try new ex¬periences and give something back. I’ve always been interested and involved in the world refugee situation and I didn’t have to look too long before finding information on E.S.Tibet. I applied to volunteer to teach English for two months in North India at a school for young adult Tibetan refugees.

I arrived in Delhi where I was well looked after in the Tibetan quarters, then got the night bus to Dharamsala. I arrived at 7.30a.m. and was met by Lugyal the school manager on his motorbike and taken to the school in Upper Sukkar with prayer flags flapping in the breeze and twenty-three students and four other teachers having break¬fast. I was presented with my own cup and given a room at the bottom of the garden which has the most amazing views of the Himachal mountains that change every day. Introductions to all the smiling faces were made and I wondered how I was going to remember all the strange names.

I rested up for a couple of days then started teaching. I was very impressed with the level of English the students have and also their enthusiasm, sense of humour and dedication to learn. More than once I’ve thought how much we take free education in the West for granted.
The students, aged between twenty and thirty-two years old, are of an age that could so easily be forgotten or over-looked which is just one reason why E.S.Tibet is such an important project. Its more than a school, it’s their home away from home and they each feel part of a family here, and it wasn’t long before I felt the same.
Most mornings we, the teachers, waken to the sound of students reading aloud from their English novels, Sambo singing and the smell of freshly cooked Tingmo (steamed bread). Breakfast often includes a challenge and no-one is exempt, not even the man¬ager who on one occasion had us in stitches at this ‘Ballet’ performance. We laugh a lot before 8a.m. classes and this ensures a great start to the day. The atmosphere in the school is something that should be experienced and it is both a pleasure and a privilege to be here. I’ve learned so much about Tibet and about the students themselves. On my second week we saw H.H. the Dalai Lama three times and attended three days of his teachings in early June.
Everyone works so hard and diligently but other activities have included an unforget¬table camping trip, a tour of the Norbulingka Institute and a great day at the ‘Funky town’ swimming pool. On Saturday, classes take turns to perform a short drama pre¬sentation which is always very entertaining and it’s great to see the confidence these
performances instil in the quieter students. ‘Momo night’ is once a month and every¬one is involved. We eat our fill, sing, dance and play games.
It has to be said that the level of English the students have has to be complimented. So much thought, hard work and dedication truly makes the school a role model that schools in the West could learn and benefit from.
I have had one of the most important experiences of my life and I have gained so much from the big ‘family’ that is E.S.Tibet. I will continue to promote and support the school in any way I can when I go home and I look forward to coming back. I want to say I have the greatest admiration for you all. Thank you Lugyal and all you students. God bless and free Tibet!

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