5 Ways Giving Is Good for You: Jason Marsh and Jill Suttie offer added incentives to get into the holiday spirit.
Harvard Business school in Boston Massachusetts, USA, found that subjects who thought they would be happier spending money on themselves, rather than helping others, actually gained physical and mental health advantages when they gave.
This finding was reproduced by at least two more studies. If you are young working as a volunteer for no pay or low pay looks good on your cv and makes you appear a generous person. If you are older, you bring experience to the workplace and overcome fears and doubts and homesickness with determination and resilience.
You need to consider:
Do you have qualifications or wish to gain qualifications?
Do you have savings or need board and lodging - and the return airfare.
Are you willing to go overseas and then look for a job once you are there?
You may visas, health insurance, emergency cash. In the short term you need paperwork and medical clearance.
Singapore
In Singapore teaching English with a pass I need to provide my university degree certificate and to take a chest x ray to show I did not have communicable TB.
Once I had these, the school which needed me simply sent me to the employment pass office. The school asked their secretary to type a two line letter. I asked if I could see what it said. Yes. It said: 'This lady is a native English speaker and we have a class of pupils urgently needing a teacher to start today. Please supply the relevant pass. Signed, head teacher ....'
I showed my passport and letter and paperwork. Stamp, stamp, stamp, sign, sign sign. I was back in a taxi and into my first class.
Getting the job was easy.
Challenges
Teaching was more of a challenge. A class ranging in age from 12 to 35! I wanted to teach Advanced. My class was intermediate. This meant we used the Intermediate textbook and anybody who wanted to start this Monday went into my class.
The first lesson I asked them: 'Say what you like about Singapore."
A girl from China admitted, "I am homesick. I hate everything about it!" She burst into tears.
What do do? One of her friends was quicker off the mark than I was. She said, "I'll fetch the head teacher."
The head teacher came rushing down the corridor to fetch the troublemaker. Miss Hysterics was removed by the beaming, reassuring head teacher, for tea and sympathy.
Next day the building lights once went out. I was left conducting a three hour lesson in complete darkness. The interior room had no windows.
One pupil used his phone to read aloud from the book. He looked like a ghost in the corner of the room. Then his phone died.
He decided to go back to work. Most of the class deserted me.
I told the last three about life in London, answering their questions. The lights came back on.
Lessons were full of unexpected moments.
At Christmas, a man who I presumed was a pupil's father, asked if he could come in and show me something. He demonstrated a tissue box cover which turned inside out to make a teddy bear.
I bought one. So did one of my pupils.
Afterwards one of the pupils said he had thought I was in collusion with a salesman.
I could not believe that a salesman for a Christmas toy had sailed past security and had the temerity to try selling to a class in the middle of an English lesson.
At the end of the term, four pupils cheated (gave identical wrong answers) in the end of term exam.
Luckily one of the more experienced teachers had befriended me. She advised, nonchalantly, "Just take the papers to the head of the school - and let her decide what to do."
I am glad I had that experience.
When can you go to give and receive on a holiday?
ISRAEL
One idea is to work on a kibbutz. The kibbutzim might speak English or another language. For example, you might choose a French speaking kibbutz if you wish to improve or retain your French.
Many schemes take you on a free tour of the country after you have worked a certain number of weeks.
What are the challenges? On a collective farm you could be bored in the first week picking oranges all day or object to cleaning showers and toilets and it is not using your your uni skills. You have to stop fretting and look around for other jobs you would prefer.
Who has a better job? When are they leaving?
Then ask politely if and when you can be moved to another job such as teaching English in a school or babysitting and helping with homework.
Do you have an international driving license? Would you prefer driving a bus or school bus? Or doing deliveries? Or learning a new skill operating a tractor? Could you go on the next free travel trip, even though you have not completed the minimum one month of work, if you drive the tour bus?
Socially you might notice that it's like a school and soap and shampoo and food is provided. Very good. But you still feel outraged when other people use your shampoo or eat your chocolates without asking. It is the same as milk and sandwiches in the office fridge. Keep everything covered, labelled with your name and phone number. Warn that is specialised and must not be thrown away but returned to you for safe disposal. Attach a find my item tag.
There are many more countries with many more projects, each with its own challenges and cheering moments.
In the UK you can help the National Trust.
English language teachers are required all over the world including China.
My instinct is to choose a place where English is spoken. But the fastest way to pick up a language is to go to a place where you need to pick up their language.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Harvard Business school in Boston Massachusetts, USA, found that subjects who thought they would be happier spending money on themselves, rather than helping others, actually gained physical and mental health advantages when they gave.
This finding was reproduced by at least two more studies. If you are young working as a volunteer for no pay or low pay looks good on your cv and makes you appear a generous person. If you are older, you bring experience to the workplace and overcome fears and doubts and homesickness with determination and resilience.
You need to consider:
Do you have qualifications or wish to gain qualifications?
Do you have savings or need board and lodging - and the return airfare.
Are you willing to go overseas and then look for a job once you are there?
You may visas, health insurance, emergency cash. In the short term you need paperwork and medical clearance.
Singapore
In Singapore teaching English with a pass I need to provide my university degree certificate and to take a chest x ray to show I did not have communicable TB.
Once I had these, the school which needed me simply sent me to the employment pass office. The school asked their secretary to type a two line letter. I asked if I could see what it said. Yes. It said: 'This lady is a native English speaker and we have a class of pupils urgently needing a teacher to start today. Please supply the relevant pass. Signed, head teacher ....'
I showed my passport and letter and paperwork. Stamp, stamp, stamp, sign, sign sign. I was back in a taxi and into my first class.
Getting the job was easy.
Challenges
Teaching was more of a challenge. A class ranging in age from 12 to 35! I wanted to teach Advanced. My class was intermediate. This meant we used the Intermediate textbook and anybody who wanted to start this Monday went into my class.
The first lesson I asked them: 'Say what you like about Singapore."
A girl from China admitted, "I am homesick. I hate everything about it!" She burst into tears.
What do do? One of her friends was quicker off the mark than I was. She said, "I'll fetch the head teacher."
The head teacher came rushing down the corridor to fetch the troublemaker. Miss Hysterics was removed by the beaming, reassuring head teacher, for tea and sympathy.
Next day the building lights once went out. I was left conducting a three hour lesson in complete darkness. The interior room had no windows.
One pupil used his phone to read aloud from the book. He looked like a ghost in the corner of the room. Then his phone died.
He decided to go back to work. Most of the class deserted me.
I told the last three about life in London, answering their questions. The lights came back on.
Lessons were full of unexpected moments.
At Christmas, a man who I presumed was a pupil's father, asked if he could come in and show me something. He demonstrated a tissue box cover which turned inside out to make a teddy bear.
I bought one. So did one of my pupils.
Afterwards one of the pupils said he had thought I was in collusion with a salesman.
I could not believe that a salesman for a Christmas toy had sailed past security and had the temerity to try selling to a class in the middle of an English lesson.
At the end of the term, four pupils cheated (gave identical wrong answers) in the end of term exam.
Luckily one of the more experienced teachers had befriended me. She advised, nonchalantly, "Just take the papers to the head of the school - and let her decide what to do."
I am glad I had that experience.
When can you go to give and receive on a holiday?
One idea is to work on a kibbutz. The kibbutzim might speak English or another language. For example, you might choose a French speaking kibbutz if you wish to improve or retain your French.
Many schemes take you on a free tour of the country after you have worked a certain number of weeks.
What are the challenges? On a collective farm you could be bored in the first week picking oranges all day or object to cleaning showers and toilets and it is not using your your uni skills. You have to stop fretting and look around for other jobs you would prefer.
Who has a better job? When are they leaving?
Then ask politely if and when you can be moved to another job such as teaching English in a school or babysitting and helping with homework.
Do you have an international driving license? Would you prefer driving a bus or school bus? Or doing deliveries? Or learning a new skill operating a tractor? Could you go on the next free travel trip, even though you have not completed the minimum one month of work, if you drive the tour bus?
Socially you might notice that it's like a school and soap and shampoo and food is provided. Very good. But you still feel outraged when other people use your shampoo or eat your chocolates without asking. It is the same as milk and sandwiches in the office fridge. Keep everything covered, labelled with your name and phone number. Warn that is specialised and must not be thrown away but returned to you for safe disposal. Attach a find my item tag.
There are many more countries with many more projects, each with its own challenges and cheering moments.
In the UK you can help the National Trust.
English language teachers are required all over the world including China.
My instinct is to choose a place where English is spoken. But the fastest way to pick up a language is to go to a place where you need to pick up their language.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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