Teaching English in Rabat

Volunteering in Morocco has been an amazing experience. Volunteering solutions/MCAS have been ensured that my self and my friend have been well looked after and teaching English to young children has not only developed me personally, but has inspired future adventures.

Volunteering Solutions have been supportive from the moment I decided to participate in a programme with them. They were more than happy for me to ask questions and always responded quickly. The pre departure guide aided my preparation for the programme, giving me advice on everything from what to take and what happens on my arrival in Morocco. Ali, our programme director in Rabat has been there to ensure our experience has been unforgettable. From meeting us at the airport, advising us on how to keep ourselves safe to recommending places to visit that match our interests, he ensures that every volunteer wants to return in the future.

Living with a Moroccan family has to be one of the highlights of the programme. It means that you are able to absorb yourself in Moroccan culture and understand their importance of family values. It also gives you the opportunity to meet other volunteers and learn about their home countries.

Teaching in a local school has been a valuable experience, for myself, the children and the teachers. It has even challenging at times, as the children understand very little English, but watching them develop over the past 2 weeks has been amazing. Even if they can't say the word, but can perform the action that represents that word, you know that they still understand and that you have taught them something. The children have enjoyed listening and getting involved with the story books myself and my friend brought from England, playing bingo and having the opportunity to experience a more creative approach to learning English. The teachers have also been supportive, helping us with behaviour management and they sit at the back and observe. Hopefully they will try some of our techniques in their own lessons.

Having the opportunity to explore Morocco whilst volunteering has been extremely exciting. Rabat is an ideal destination because there are so many interesting places to visit. It is also close to other cities such as Casablanca and with our free weekend we visited Marrakech, so we were able to immerse ourselves in much more than just the local area. If only we were here for longer so we could see more!

Overall, participating on a programme with Volunteering Solutions has been unforgettable.