Worldpackers: I Volunteered as an English Teacher Abroad

From City to Kampung: My experience volunteering as an English teacher abroad in Central Java, Indonesia through Worldpackers.

Steps follow me down the dirt road. Steady eyes on me through the windows. Gentle tugs on my hair as I pass by. The companionship and admiration of the Indonesian students I met in Java is unparalleled to any other experience I’ve had during my years of travel.

If you are interested in working or volunteering as an English teacher abroad or want to know more about the culture of Java, then keep reading! Here, I dive deep about my personal experiences as an English teacher in the rural kampungs (villages) of Indonesia. I also include a few lesson plan ideas for teaching beginner level English! I hope you enjoy it, let’s dive deep!

Worldpackers: I volunteered as an English Teacher Abroad (Java, Indonesia)

A lot of what I’ve learned about love, I’ve learned from these students in the upcountry villages. Having been given the opportunity to dive deep into Java’s ritualistic culture through the eyes of locals, volunteering as an English teacher in Java is one of the most rewarding adventures I have ever been on. 

Though not a common location of choice, I ended up among the rural villages of Central Java during my quest to authentically travel South East Asia. 

Volunteering as an English teacher abroad is one of the best ways to fully immerse yourself into distant foreign communities. When I arrived to teach in Java, I had already spent a year working full-time as an English teacher in Thailand. I had plenty of experience working with foreign students, but still a vague idea of what I was getting myself into.

Cultural etiquette in Indonesia

If you are planning to visit Indonesia (whether than be travel or volunteering with Worldpackers) I strongly recommend reading my article about securing a visa and cultural etiquette so that you are appropriately prepared regarding cultural differences.

Worldpackers: How I found the teaching opportunity

I found this opportunity via the Worldpackers forum. While all programs can vary, these volunteer experiences typically offer accommodation and food in exchange for a volunteer’s services. These services can range from housekeeping, reception, teaching, farmwork, etc. For my work exchange in Central Java, I exchanged my skills being an English teacher in return for living like a local. 

As far as logistical arrangements such as how to arrive to the destination, that is usually left up to the traveler. 

*Additionally, I think it is important to note that it’s strongly recommended to buy travel insurance when traveling abroad, especially while being involved in work exchange. I had to visit the hospital three times during my trip to Indonesia. Worldpackers offers its own various travel insurances to have while volunteering that cover health and accidents. *

Where My Adventure Began (Lesson Plan 1)

First impressions upon arriving at Weleri Station in Central Java was that it would likely be a long time until I saw another foreigner again (besides my new friend Sara from Mexico, who had made the journey with me), judging from the reactions of those gazing upon our arrival. From the station, we were picked up by our first host, Khozin, and driven for two hours into the villages of Temanggung. 

If you visit Central Java, expect to be popular. It was no secret there were foreigners in the commune. The neighborhood children followed Sara and I every time we stepped outside. We quite literally could not go anywhere alone. 

I first stayed a few days in Khozin’s house, teaching private English lessons in his home to the neighborhood children who dropped by. 

I used noun flashcards with categories and pictures that I had brought with me. This is the perfect tool for teaching vocabulary to those with limited English vocabulary.

First, we would go over each vocabulary word in that category while looking at the pictures. Then, we practiced forming basic sentences using the category name and one of the vocabulary words.

Ex: “My favorite season is winter.”

Traveling around the Kampungs (How do Indonesians learn English?)

After only a few days, I was told that I had been requested to go help teach English in other surrounding villages (referred to as “Kampung” in Indonesia). I would be leaving Sara and my host Khozin behind and would be accompanied by Mochles. Mochles is an English and Religion teacher at a few schools in Parakan. I would be staying in his home with his family, who quickly became my family too due to their kindness and hospitality. 

Strikingly, most of the English teachers in the area had not actually gone to school for English, because it was too expensive. Instead, many told me of how they would spend their teenage years camped out at Borobudur temple a few hours away, a famous Buddhist temple and tourist destination. The Javanese learners would walk around in the fields outside the temple and practice speaking English with anyone who would engage with them. At the time, this was virtually the only method possible if they hoped to learn English.

Side Quest: Becoming a guest speaker for “Early Marriage Prevention” Seminar

Mochles picked me up from Khozin’s house one evening and drove me 30 minutes to his village. Along the way, we stopped at some sort of government office where his wife worked. Their job was to legally issue couples marriage certificates. I introduced myself to the staff and enjoyed a hot tea. It just so happened that the office would be going to a local high school the following day to give an “Early Marriage Prevention” seminar. At some point during my visit to the office, they decided I was the perfect candidate to be a guest speaker for the seminar. I was not consulted about this decision.

Meeting the Students

That night, Mochles and I rolled up to his house, which was also across the street from a girls boarding school that he taught at. I am not sure if the students were previously made aware that a foreigner would be visiting, because even through the dark they began to chase his bike down the road. I was immediately swarmed with hugs, bows,  and tugs on hair. Mochles let the girls pour into his home, where I sat on the couch, introduced myself and asked the girls questions in English.

Cultural Differences

The following day I got up early and ate a breakfast of nasi and tempeh goreng (rice and fried tempeh) before leaving with Mochles for school. I was requested not to wear a helmet on the bike, so that the village people could see my hair.

Mochles teaches at two different schools. As a prior teacher myself, I was curious as to how this was possible. 

As it turns out, the schooling system is quite different in Indonesia. Teachers only need to come to school during the hours in which they teach a class. They can stay longer and lesson plan at their desks in their office if they choose to.

This is quite different from the seat warming culture I experienced in Thailand, where I was required to come to school, even when there were no children and quite literally nothing to do. 

In the middle of the day, the Indonesian students go home for a few hours to have lunch and take a rest.

First Day at School (Lesson Plan 2)

When Mochles and I arrived at the first school, there was a big commotion. I tried to decompress for a few minutes in the teacher’s office, but I had a line of students waiting for a photo with me. Male students watched me through crevices in the walls. 

During my stay with Mochles, I taught only high school age students, both boys and girls. Compared to the USA, and even Thailand, the classroom experience is quite lawless. I found it hard to believe the students could learn anything at all in those conditions. 

The level of English I experienced in the school was elementary, as the high school students still used their fingers to count to ten. There were exceptions of a few motivated students who were practically fluent.

When teaching beginner level students English, I find it more beneficial to teach sentence structure rather than grammar. I want to emphasize that students are recommended to use complete sentences. This is so that students can excel faster in language learning due to familiarity with the new language. Grammar can be stressed later, once the students are more fluent. 

I wrote questions and answers on the board such as:

Q: “What is your name?” A: “My name is __________.”

Q: “How old are you?” A: “I am _____ years old.”

Q: “Where are you from?” A: “I am from _________.”

Once students are comfortable with this, brainstorm vocabulary words together. I wrote “Hobbies” on the board, and called students up to list ideas. They wrote ideas such as “fishing” and “sports.” Once you have some ideas listed, practice turning them into complete sentences. 

Q: “What is your favorite hobby?” A: “My favorite hobby is _________.”

You can do this same activity for a variety of topics such as careers, sports, etc.

Speaking at the Seminar, and More Teaching

After teaching two classes, it was time for Mochles and I to go to the Early Marriage Prevention Seminar. I greeted the government office staff that I had met the day prior, and made my way upstairs to the seminar room. This is when I was finally informed that I would be a guest speaker.

I had no idea what I would say. As an unmarried 22-year-old with zero prospects, I just figured I would tell them about the way my life was going to use as reference. 

When it was my time to speak, the students cheered for me, giving me the confidence to start making up my speech right on the spot. I took time for questions, in which I was requested multiple times to sing. This was quite a common theme during my trip in Java. Due to social media, American singers are among the most famous globally. Therefore, my American face looked like “a singer” to the students. With no musical background, I began singing just about everywhere I visited. 

The seminar ended, and since I was already at the school, I was requested to teach a few English lessons there as well.

Second Day at School (Lesson Plan 3)

The next day, I woke up early again and walked across the street from Mochles’s house to teach that day’s classes.

The levels of English at the boarding school were slightly higher, and so I taught the students how to play Simon Says. 

I did this by writing instructions on the board, such as:

• Jump
• Spin in a circle
• Clap
• Step left/ step right
• Stomp

From there, I demonstrated each instruction. Then, I added numbers to it by saying “Simon Says to jump three times.” or “Simon Says to take four steps left.”

Expect to do a few practice rounds so the students can get the hang of the instructions of saying “Simon Says” vs. not saying Simon Says. Make sure to eliminate students if they hesitate when they are not supposed to move, or do the wrong instruction/ wrong number for the instruction. 

This activity turned out to be a favorite, as even students from other classes heard us playing and joined in on our games.

Impact and Reflections

In total, I lived with Mochles for three days before heading off elsewhere (coffee plantation blog post coming soon!) and reuniting with Sara. During my time volunteering as a guest teacher, I learned so much about the Javanese people and their culture. They are very hospitable people, as everyone I came in contact with invited me to their house for tea or a sleepover. If I told a local I had not tried a certain food before, that food would soon be gifted to me. They truly appreciated me taking the time to come visit their rural community and did everything they could to show me as an outsider their ways of life. 

This experience changed my outlook on not only being an English teacher, but also the joys of traveling off the beaten path. It was intimidating and overwhelming at times to be such a blatant outsider, but it was all made up for by the kindness of the Javanese people. They made sure I was always fed and had somewhere to sleep. 

Obviously, this is quite different from the culture in America where people primarily take care of themselves. It would be very unusual to invite someone off of the street into your home for tea or coffee. However, Indonesians truly live up to their national motto of “Unity in Diversity.”

Advice for Future Volunteers

For those wishing to do a similar, or the same, experience to teach English abroad, I would highly recommend it. Worldpackers served as an amazing forum for making this possible. Teaching and interacting with the Javanese students has truly made me a better person. I definitely have plans to go back in the future, as my heart has been immensely touched and changed. 

The Javanese are also very excited by the potential possibilities of more foreigners visiting in the future. If you have plans to travel to Java in the future, you will be well loved and cared for. 

My best advice I can give to those looking to volunteer as an English teacher abroad is just to go for it. Always make sure you will be put into a safe situation prior to arrival, and brush up on cultural norms in the area of visitation that way you can be respectful. 

And make sure you have a few songs ready for you to sing.

Thank you again to Mochles and Khozin for trusting me to teach your students. 

Good luck to the future volunteers, and safe travels.

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