Volunteer Teaching English in Ghana

Gain practical experience teaching English to children in the more rural areas of Ghana

Destination

Ghana

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

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Starting at £1,675 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Empower educators and students

Improve opportunities for children in Ghana. Assist teachers and support students to increase their English skills.

Get classroom experience

Lead lessons, create engaging activities, and give individual support to students to quickly gather classroom teaching experience.

Experience Ghana’s unique culture

Live with a welcoming host family for instant access to the rich culture of Ghana, including Twi language, local food and customs.

Discover West Africa

Confront the legacy of slavery and explore the promising future of West Africa through the lens of Ghana, which was once called the Gold Coast.

Develop key personal skills

Receive guidance from supervisors and improve your planning and leadership skills in a different cultural setting.

What you need to know

Overview

If you are looking to pursue a career in teaching and love working with young people, then our Teaching Project is for you.

A volunteer Teaching placement in Ghana gives you plenty of practical classroom experience, along with building your lesson planning skills. You can use this to give your CV an extra edge, and it will give you a lot to talk about in interviews and on applications.

In addition, teaching overseas will let you learn skills like planning and leadership, which you can apply to any career you pursue. It will also show that you adaptable, and can work in different environments.

No experience is required to sign up. You’ll receive guidance from our qualified supervisors and have full access to our online database of teaching resources. We also run training programmes and workshops where you can ask questions and get ideas from staff and other volunteers.

A Day in the Life

Wake up in your host family’s house every morning, get dressed, and have breakfast in the kitchen area. Eat a plate of breads and spreads before grabbing your packed lunch and heading out the door. Jump into a tro tro or shared taxi and make your way to the school. On your first day, Projects Abroad staff will accompany you to show you the way.

A typical day starts at 8am and finishes between 2-4pm, with a half hour break around 10am and an hour lunch break at 12pm. You’ll work Monday to Friday and have the weekends free to explore and relax.

Your day will be varied with regards to the subjects you teach. One day you may start with English and French classes, and others you will be teaching IT and maths. You’ll assist the teachers with extracurricular lessons in the afternoons. Every lessons is between 30 minutes to an hour long, with some lessons being double periods.

When you’re not teaching, you’ll have free time to prepare lessons for the next day. The teachers will be happy to help you plan lessons, although your own new ideas will be welcomed.

Once you are done for the day, head home or grab a traditional Ghanaian meal from a restaurant or food stall with the other volunteers. You also have plenty of free time on the weekends, so organise a trip with other volunteers, or just relax and explore on your own.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to support local teachers and help students improve their English.

Although English is the country’s official language, many local children grow up speaking their local tribal languages such as Twi, Ewe, or Ga. With English becoming the main spoken language in education, business and other aspects of life, it is vital for children to learn English. This will ensure they have better career prospects open to them later in life.

We have also identified a need for better access to education in rural areas like Akuapem Hills. Many children here stay home until they’re old enough to walk long distances to attend the nearest schools. To meet the need of education in Akuapem Hills, we partnered with Tore’s Foundation to found and build the Tore Eikeland School. Together, we provide free education to children aged two to twelve.

With your help, we are working toward five long-term goals through our Teaching Project:

Increase English levels
Improve the learning environment
Improve support for those with learning disabilities
Increase numeracy
Encourage learning through creativity

Join the Teaching Project in Ghana and help us work towards these goals. Together, we will give young students in Ghana a stronger education.

Activities

You’ll gain teaching work experience in Ghana at a local school. You’ll also support the work of the teacher there by teaching English. You can get involved in the following activities:

A Projects Abroad teaching volunteer prepares some English exercises for the class in Ghana.

Run educational English lessons for the children

A Projects Abroad volunteer explains a text to some students in Ghana during her teaching English internship.

Assist the local teachers with teaching other subjects like maths and IT

A volunteer doing a teaching English program with Projects Abroad prepares a lesson to local students in Ghana.

Prepare lessons under the supervision of local teachers

A couple of volunteers doing a teaching English project in Ghana with Projects Abroad participate in a reading club.

Participate in after school reading clubs on a weekly basis

At your volunteer teaching placement in Ghana, you’ll help:

Teach English lessons to young children

As one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide and the official language of Ghana, it is important for local children to learn English. However, most children grow up speaking a local language such as Twi or Fanti. If you speak English, you can offer valuable help. You can help improve the students’ and also the teachers’ conversation and pronunciation, and grammar.

You’ll begin by assisting the local teacher if you’re not comfortable leading the class. If you’re confident, you can lead the class yourself, or work with another volunteer.

If you are working with children who have special needs, slow down your classes and spend more time focused on small groups.

Assist local teachers with their other classes

There is more to the school day than just English lessons. Work alongside local teachers as they teach their students maths and IT skills, French, music, art, drama and sports. The lessons for each class will depend on the children’s skill level. You can help teach basic IT lessons, and assist with addition and subtraction during maths class.

Or, you can use your creativity during art and drama lessons, and get active on the field while teaching sports. If you can speak French to an intermediate level, you’ll have the option of teaching this class too.

Plan lessons to ensure you are prepared for the next day

As a Teaching volunteer, you’ll work towards goals that we have set out for the project. You’ll spend time planning your lessons for the following day, to ensure each lessons is in line with these goals. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be while teaching too. We encourage you to come prepared with teaching supplies from home and your own ideas on how you’d like to teach.

Participate in after school reading clubs on a weekly basis

Literacy is an important area for this Teaching Project. As a volunteer, you’ll assist with our weekly after school reading club. This club aims to encourage students to read outside of school by making it fun and interactive. You can read along with the kids or have them read aloud in turns.

Map & Location

Formerly called The Gold Coast, Ghana became an independent nation in 1957, and the first African country colonised by Europeans to achieve independence under majority rule. Still famed for gold and cocoa production, it’s a treasure trove of cultural and natural experiences.

Explore lush rainforests, cascading waterfalls, and golden beaches or get stuck in to the lively music and dance scene. With a rich mix of languages and traditions, its people are known for their warmth and hospitality.

Akuapem Hills

About 90 minutes north of the capital, Accra, lie the quiet and tropical Akuapem Hills. Known for their lush greenery, cocoa farms, and charming villages with traditional architecture, the hills are a perfect escape from city living.

You’ll never feel more welcomed than in the heart of the Ghanaian countryside and you’ll have access to all the essential amenities. Plus, Accra is well within reach for a day trip if needed!

Food & Accommodation

Immediately feel at home with a supportive and welcoming local host family. We’ve vetted each family to guarantee you get everything you need for a wonderful stay. This includes a comfortable bed, three daily meals, fresh drinking water, and daily transport to and from your placement, arranged by our team.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure, and they will welcome you as one of their own from the moment you arrive. Absorb the local culture, enjoy their incredible home-cooked food, and build a lifelong connection during the course of your stay.

You’ll stay with other Projects Abroad participants on your travels. If you share a room, we will match you with someone of the same gender and age. Whether you go it alone or with friends, you’ll have the time of your life.

Free Time and Leisure

Volunteering in Ghana is an ideal way to explore this colourful West African country. There’s a huge variety of different activities to do while you’re there, giving you plenty of exciting ways to spend your free time.

Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture. In the bigger towns, especially Accra, you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out. Evenings spent at buzzing restaurants will also give you a taste of some of the delicious local cuisine.

For a look into Ghana’s history, you can tour the slave forts of Cape Coast and visit museums. Nature lovers will relish trekking through the rainforests of Kakum National Park or Mole National Park.

We run a wide range of projects in Ghana so there’s sure to be other volunteers there during your trip. This means you can explore the country solo or connect with other volunteers and travel as a group.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Ghana Arrival Procedures page.