The Most Affordable Volunteer in Bali - 25K happy Volunteers Since 2006

My time volunteering in Bali was split between volunteering at a sea turtle conservation center and teaching English in a small village in east Bali. Volunteering and living in Bali is completely different from going on holiday in Bali. The Bali you see on social media filled with white sand beaches, vegan food, smiling white people, and luxury resorts is actually not the Bali that locals live in obviously. There's so much depth to the culture here and until you fully embrace it, you will not learn to appreciate all this amazing island has to offer. I love working with animals and working with the sea turtles at the conservation center was out of this world. We even got to see a mother turtle laying her eggs in the middle of the night several times and it was so incredible to see "nature" in action. Teaching in Karangasem changed everything I thought I knew about Bali. The students were lovely and loved having a foreigner in their classroom. I enjoyed it very much. I have taught English many times and in many different countries but I have to say teaching here in Bali was an experience of a lifetime - the teachers were incredible welcoming and gracious towards me and constantly invited me to see the village with them. My direct host made the experience happen smoothly and was there whenever I had any question - big or small. Would recommend this program to a well seasoned traveler and someone really able to get out of their comfort zone.

Me and my friend spent 3 wonderful weeks teaching children (age 6-12) in a primary school in Bali, Kuta. During the process of our online applications everything went smoothly, we were given all the help and support that we needed. The in-country coordinator Komang was more than just a support for us, he took us to a traditional Balinese wedding, showed us the most beautiful authentic parts of Bali and was there whenever we needed him. He was also really flexible and helpful when we wanted to change our accommodation or had any other questions.
About the teaching experience: We could choose in between two sites, Karangasem or Kuta. We chose Kuta and the school and teachers there are wonderful. They had one English teacher (Miss Surya) and we got the chance to teach alongside with her and help these wonderful, respectful and energetic children learning English. However, if you are seeking to have an authentic Balinese environment please do not go to Kuta, Karangasem is a much better option with the beautiful Mount Agung on one side and the sea on the other. Also as IFRE is a smaller organisation they spread out the volunteers all over the island hence do not really expect to meet with other volunteers, most probably you will be on your own.
I can 100 % recommend this program for anyone even if you haven't done any teachings yet.

This is my first time going to Bali and doing overseas volunteer work. I always wanted to do so, but I cannot find an affordable one. On Aug30, I finally found IFRE and called them to see if it is possible to arrange 1week program at last minute and go to Bali on Sep 21. The staff was very helpful and immediately contacted the local coordinator (Komang) to see availability. I confirmed and did the payment same day. The documents are prepared immediately and I actually very impressed that IFRE has a local coordinator that I can contact during my stay.
Being a person who never teach children and looking after turtles, I am soooo fascinated about education in Bali. Every kids are very polite, and I actually learnt from them too - To be grateful in everything.
For sea turtle program, I am so lucky to see 2 turtle mothers laid their eggs! The person who is responsible for the turtle centre (Agung) is truly enjoy taking care of the turtle and love them. I can feel his passion and I did enjoy the whole week there! I didn’t expect a sea turtle can lag that many eggs and there are thousands of eggs waiting to hatched in the centre! The tourists love the idea of nurturing the baby turtles and release them. They really appreciate what the organisation did. I enjoyed to introduce them the sea turtle information too.
Komang is very supportive and he kept checking with me to see if I have any issue (so caring!). He helped to arrange driver to pick me up from the airport (again I am so impressed about it, I thought I need to go to the accommodation myself). The driver was very friendly and took me to a local restaurant (which is very tasty!). Komang has arranged a hotel for accommodation, I loveeeee the staff there, the meals are good too! They are very friendly and I like them!
The working hours are flexible and you can go to have other tours if you want to. Just tell Komang and Agung is fine.
I was so excited to finally step out of my comfort zone!! I even made a short story to introduce the process how sea turtle mother lay eggs :) I love Bali - good food, good weather, good people. This is a great experience and relaxing week and I definitely will come back next year and have a longer time staying in Bali.

I went to Indonesia (Bali) for two weeks in the beginning of August and worked at a primary school as a teacher the first week, the second week I worked at a babies’ home. I had an amazing time and I got a chance to experience the real Bali and meet some really wonderful people. It was real work, I really did get to do things and it really felt as if I did make a difference, sometimes the hours were long but it was always fun and worth the time. The coordinator was also very flexible and helpful. He helped me with any problem at work and also to plan my activities for the weekends.

To be honest I did struggle a bit in the beginning since it was all very new to me- different country, different culture etc, but the people were so nice and helpful that it went quicker than I thought. I would recommend everyone that is interested to stay for a longer period then I did. At least one month or more, which gives you time to settle down, get used to the work and get to know the children and teachers better.

Overall, I must say that (Jun 11 to Jun 22, 2018) was the best and the most rewarding 2 weeks of all time. I volunteered with IFRE at Bali. Location was great. Well to be honest even though both the program teaching and turtle conservation was great and fun, I would say I enjoyed teaching more because it gave me this opportunity to connect with those wonderful kids. The feeling was simply priceless