Program Reviews

I was there for two weeks, and believe me when I tell you it was not enough. It was my first time traveling by myself and so far away from home – and yet, I did not feel lonely or homesick for a single second throughout my stay.
From the first moment I walked into the classroom and met my students and coteachers, I knew that this trip was going to be a very special one for me. The students are very eager to learn, have a positive attitude, and are loving that you can’t help but grow attached to them from the first time you meet them. The local staff is also always around to give you a helping hand with the kids and translations. During the program, you stay at a homestay with a Balinese family so you are also able to experience first hand the Balinese lifestyle and norms.
The program is designed in such a way that you can discover Bali in the mornings before class and during the weekends with the other volunteers and get to know them better. The two weeks I spent with the other volunteers, the experiences we lived together and the places we discovered/explored together were enough to create a bond between us that I’m sure will last a lifetime.
I thought I was only going there to teach the kids English, but I ended up learning and growing so much, all in the span of two weeks.
I want to thank everyone for being a part of this lifechanging journey, and specially Kimberley, the founder of the program, who’s become an inspiration to a lot of the participants.

I’m in my last week at VP Bali and i would really recommend it i was here from 3 weeks and time passes so fast i don’t want to leave this amazing place, 3 weeks wasn’t enough for me i will definitely come back and volunteer for more than 3 weeks. You will love everything, Kimberley and the staff are amazing, the kids are amazing and so cute, the people from the homestays are super kind, and the homestays are in a great location in the same street there are a lot of restaurants and shops, and on the weekends you can travel with other volunteers to Gili, Nusa, Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu, etc , you will end up with a lot of friends from all around the world.
Also this was my first time traveling alone and from the other side of the world (I’m from México), but i totally felt so safe and you will never feel alone because you will make a lot of friends and the kids are always there showing you their unconditionally love, i really don’t want to leave this amazing place and this amazing life changing experience.

I’m in my last week at VP Bali and i would really recommend it i was here from 3 weeks and time passes so fast i don’t want to leave this amazing place, 3 weeks wasn’t enough for me i will definitely come back and volunteer for more than 3 weeks. You will love everything, Kimberley and the staff are amazing, the kids are amazing and so cute, the people from the homestays are super kind, and the homestays are in a great location in the same street there are a lot of restaurants and shops, and on the weekends you can travel with other volunteers to Gili, Nusa, Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu, etc , you will end up with a lot of friends from all around the world.
Also this was my first time traveling alone and from the other side of the world (I’m from México), but i totally felt so safe and you will never feel alone because you will make a lot of friends and the kids are always there showing you their unconditionally love, i really don’t want to leave this amazing place and this amazing life changing experience.

VP Bali is such an amazing program, I have had the most life changing experience volunteering teaching the children English for a month. The schedule is perfect as it enables you to explore and travel around Bali over the weekends as you teach Monday to Thursday. Through staying with a Balinese family I have been able to really experience their culture and this has been such a great part of the program also, Wayan and his family are brilliant as they help you to book transport for your trips, including boat tickets to other islands. The program is great as you also have your mornings to explore Ubud. The children at VP Bali are so welcoming and eager to learn English so its been a pleasure teaching them, they make me smile everyday. I would definitely recommend VP Bali to anyone who wants to volunteer teaching English, I used my summer vacation from university to come here for a month and it has been such a rewarding experience as you really make a difference to the childrens future.

My time with Vp Bali was fantastic. I am a Canadian student who went to Vp Bali alone for 1 month. At first I felt nervous and scared because it was my first time traveling alone but the moment I got in the car with Wyan and Ibu (airport pickup) I totally felt safe and at ease. I can go on and on about how much I loved this experience but I will keep it short by giving you 5 main reasons why you should volunteer with VP Bali.

1- Volunteer experience: The kids are amazing and love to learn. They bring joy to your day and it is so rewarding to see them grow intellectually. The program is great because you do not need to know anything about teaching to be able to follow the curriculum and help the children. Truly great experience!

2- The homestay: Love love love the homestay family! They are honest and welcoming. Spend as much time with them as you can, you really get to know the culture through them.

3- Free time: The program is so flexible that you get a bunch of free time to roam around and travel other places.

4- Location: UBUD! I don’t think I need to say much more… great restaurants, market, temples, ... so much to do and see.

5- Fellow volunteers: You get to meet people from around the world and instantly make friends the moment you arrive. Great to have others share this experience with you and have people to travel with on weekends/free time.

The only regret was not staying longer!!!

Cheers,
Sabrina

I came to volunteer for VP Bali after dropping out of uni and it was the best decision I've ever made.

The time I spent in Bali was absolutely fantastic and I wouldn't have changed a moment of it. All of the staff and volunteers are so incredibly friendly, as are the locals, and not once did I ever feel unwelcome. On multiple occasions, I was able to experience Balinese culture in all of its beauty, and I wish I could've stayed longer to immerse myself even more.

The best part of this whole experience, though, was getting to know the children. They're always so happy and eager to learn, and they have the best sense of humour. Teaching them was such an enjoyable experience and I'll never forget them.

I had such a brilliant time at VP Bali and I'm absolutely planning on going back.

Thank you all so much for having me!

Volunteering at VP Bali is an incredible experience. I had been in the program for two weeks, and I wish I could stay more.
The volunteers have all the support from the Staff through all the journey. They give us time to settle in Bali and then they give us all the orientation for the actual volunteering.
You don´t need to have experience teaching, because you have always a co-teacher with you and mostly the classes are really fun, you just need to be a little creative. The kids are amazing, they are the best about the program.
The classes are from Monday to Thursday from 2PM until 5.15PM. You have the mornings too visit a little more of Ubud and the weekends to travel in Bali.
Volunteers stay at a family homestay in Bali which is very important to help their community. Balinese people are really friendly and they make you feel at home.
VP Bali is an amazing program, I loved everything about it and I will surely come back to visit.

I remember arriving in Bali at the airport and it was really hot. Well. It wasn’t that bad actually but very humid. So welcome to Bali, this is what it’s going to be like the next few weeks! But I promise you, you get used to it. I wanted to shower two or three times a day when I arrived. After two weeks I was okay with the climate, I got used to it. But now I’m kind of cold back home even though it’s up to 30 degrees…
But let’s go back to the airport: At the airport I waited a bit for the driver who fetched me (Bali time is different than ours, don’t forget that, they don’t forget you). There were a lot of taxi drivers who wanted to offer me a ride which is really tiring. But some also talked to me about their life and stuff, they are quite friendly. Then I found the vpbali driver I was looking for. He is a really nice, good man and he’s the owner of the homestay who’s cooperating with vpbali and brought me to the homestay where I was about to stay for the next five weeks. Since there were a lot of volunteers back then I stayed in the other one that is organized by him. So actually, I stayed only two weeks there and moved to his homestay as other volunteers left. So, what is a homestay? A homestay is very common in Bali, the family owns the land and builds other houses on their land, so tourists can rent it. It is really nice because you get to stay with the family, believe me the grandchildren of the owner are adorable, there’s no chance you are not going to love them! 😊
Since you live at their home you will find out Balinese people are morning people. If you don’t sleep very tight usually bring earplugs unless you want to be woken up quite early. But I would recommend doing that anyway, you’re going to be two people in the room and sometimes you have different plans like getting up at 2 AM to do the Mt. Batur hike! Your roommates are other volunteers of course! This is quite nice because you stay with them and if you have the same mindset you’re just going to hang out together, get some food together in one of the million possibilities (you always eat out, you don’t need to do grocery shopping unless you want to buy snacks and water; oh and go and try Clear Café!) and travel together.
Talking about plans: You’ll have time to go exploring in the mornings and on weekends. And there are plenty of possibilities, you can stay in Ubud and do some yoga, go to the north of Bali, Uluwatu in the south, the surfer area Canggu, have parties and good food in Seminyak, you can go to visit the Skygarden in Kuta, the Nusa islands, Gili islands…. You will find something!
You’re going to teach English Monday to Thursday in a funny way. But you’ll get an introduction about what’s expecting you at school by the staff once you arrive. Don’t worry too much about it and don’t worry if you never taught before, that’s not a problem at all, I didn’t do it either. But it is really cool, the kids are so cute, it’s fun to work with them. They are openminded, interested in you and thankful for you teaching them as well! It’s not hard to have a conversation once their English is good enough, they want to get to know you. At least the older ones the younger ones are really cute as well but they just begin to learn. They might sometimes look at you and ask or tell you something in Bahasa and don’t even think about you not being able to speak Bahasa. But especially for this you have helpers in your class and you can just ask them to come and help you which is very helpful.
So how do you get there? Well, you either take the car which is provided or you rent a scooter on Bali and go there on your own. You haven’t been to Bali unless you drove a scooter! You can go anywhere. You might be stuck in the traffic jam with the car but with a scooter you can go anywhere. I started taking the scooter after a friend taught me how to drive on an empty space somewhere in Denpasar. It’s quite convenient! And you get used to it very quickly. Just don’t try to do it in rush hour. And make sure you drove before you rent a scooter and that you’re comfortable when you want to take it away because otherwise no one’s going to rent you one. You can rent one at the homestay usually, if not the owner is going to help you organize one.
Well… as you see, I loved teaching and even though I like my life at home I was really sad to leave Bali. It’s a totally different lifestyle, so peaceful, so deeply relaxed, so Bali. I highly recommend doing the program! So what are you waiting for? Check their story on Instagram and you’ll know exactly what is going on, the staff and Kim are very busy keeping you up to date on social media! 😊

I stayed 4 weeks at VP Bali and it was the best experience I have ever had.
It was my first volunteering program abroad and everything stated on the website was what happened.
Children are amazing and you can bond really fast with them. Preparing the classes and knowing how to teach was my biggest fear but you are always paired with volunteers who arrived before so you have a smooth integration.
The homestay was really nice and clean and Wayan and his family treat you like kings and queens. You are paired with another volunteer in the room which helps you adjust more easily. When I stayed at Wena (Homestay) there was around 24 volunteers from different nationalities so you won’t be alone and you can meet people from all around the world.
On the top of the program, you have Friday to Sunday to travel and discover Bali. There are a lot of different places to visit. From temples and secluded areas to more popular areas like Seminyak and Canggu.

I would definitively encourage anyone who wants to mix volunteering and holidays to come to Ubud.

A huge thank you to Kimberley and her team for doing such an amazing job for these kids! This experience was one of the most touching experience in my life. Teaching these cute and adorable kids was such a pleasure.
I also discovered the Balinese culture which is so different than the European one, but so beautiful. Balinese people are extremely kind and welcoming (the homestay family was amazing!).