Trip Details

During this volunteer programme in India you will teach English to the monks at monasteries. You will also get a chance to learn about Buddhism at the same time. The individuals will be novice monks, some of them children, and aged from 8 to 25. 

Each class at the monastery has around 10 to 15 students. Teaching subjects include English, Maths, Science and a subject they themselves choose.

This program is tailored for those who are interested in teaching English and at the same time learning something new themselves! You will be teaching to monks of all ages inside a monastery, which will give you the unique opportunity to immerse in their day-to-day lifestyle and learn about Buddhism.

Aims & Objectives
To help teach monks English and in return, to get our participants immersed into the lifestyle in a monastery and to help them learn about Buddhism.

Trip Itinerary

You will teach primarily English and various other subjects to the monks, both young and old, for around two to three hours daily. You’ll be given a teaching timetable for your particular location. The minimum duration for this program is 3 weeks.

Monday

  • Breakfast
  • Volunteer on the project  3-5 hours
  • Lunch
  • Volunteer on the project 2-3 hours
  • Dinner
  • Free Time

Tuesday

  • Breakfast
  • Volunteer on the project  2-3 hours
  • Lunch
  • Volunteer on the project 2-3 hours
  • Dinner
  • Free Time

Wednesday

  • Breakfast
  • Volunteer on the project  2-3 hours
  • Lunch
  • Volunteer on the project 2 -3 hours
  • Dinner
  • Free Time

Thursday

  • Breakfast
  • Volunteer on the project 2-3 hours
  • Lunch
  • Volunteer on the project 2-3 hours
  • Dinner
  • Free Time

Friday

  • Breakfast
  • Volunteer on the project  2-3 hours
  • Lunch
  • Volunteer on the project 2-3 hours
  • Dinner
  • Free Time

Saturday& Sunday

Free time to explore Incredible India?

This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Trip Accommodation

An area of unspoilt natural beauty, framed by snow capped Himalayan peaks. The capital of Sikkim, Gangtok, reflects this tiny state’s extraordinary ethnic diversity. In the crowded city which spills precariously down a ridge, Lepchas (the region’s original inhabitants) live alongside Tibetans, Bhutias, Nepalis and Indians from the plains. Though now full of modern structures, Gangtok’s “Shangrila” aspects can still be experienced in pockets of the city and in its alpine environs.

Until 1975, Sikkim was a kingdom with the status of an Indian Protectorate. It was ruled by the Chogyals Buddhists of Tibetan origin, whose dynasty began in the 17th century. However, the British Raj’s policies of importing cheap labour from neighbouring Nepal for Sikkim’s rice, cardamom and tea plantations drastically changed Sikkim’s demography, soon Nepali Hindus constituted 75 per cent of the state’s population. In 1975, the population of Sikkim voted overwhelmingly to join the Indian Republic, ending the rule of Palden Thondup, the last Chogyal.

Accommodation & Food

Our Volunteer house is a standard and comfortable place we call home, there is a mini library, a dining room, a lounge area where you can hang out with fellow participants and a beautiful garden to relax.

Food Arrangements
The meals are a mix of Western and Indian food, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables. You can expect to have a chicken dish about twice per week. There is a refrigerator which you are welcome to use to store food and beverages.You can also use the kitchen facilities to cook for yourself or eat out at any of the local restaurants.

Facilities
ATMs: There are ATM’s around our centres. The closest one to our residence is about a 15 minute walk from the house.

Shop: The closest local supermarket is a 15 minute walk from the centre.

Sights & Surroundings

  • Enchey Monastery, whose large prayer hall is full of vibrant murals and images, representing the entire pantheon of Mahayana Buddhist deities. Enchey’s festivals feature spectacular masked dances. At the southern end of the town is the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. Established in 1958, it has a rare collection of medieval Buddhist scriptures, bronzes and embroidered thangkas.
  • Saramsa Orchidarium, situated 14 km south of Gangtok, displays many of the 450 orchid species found in Sikkim. They flower from April to May, and again in October.
  • Rumtek Monastery, 24 km southwest of Gangtok, is the headquarters of the Kagyupa (Black Hat) sect, on of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist sets, and the seat of its head, the Gyalwa Karmapa. The 16th Karmapa fled Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese invasion, and built a replica here of this monastery at Tsurphu in Tibet. Rumtek is an impressive complex, its flat roofed buildings topped with golden finials, and filled with treasures brought from the monastery in Tibet. Especially splendid is the reliquary chorten of the 16th Karmapa, behind the main prayer hall, made of silver and gold and studded with enormous corals, amber and turquoise.
  • Tsomgo Lake, 40 Km northeast of Gangtok, lies at an altitude of 3780 m. Visitors to the lake require a special permit from the Sikkim Tourism office in Gangtok. The drive to Tsomgo Lake, close to the border with China, is spectacular, and the lake is an impressive sight both in spring and summer, when it is surrounded by alpine flowers in bloom, and in winter when it’s frozen solid. Visitors can go for rides and the splendid shaggy black yaks that stand docile on the lake’s shores.

Trip Country Info

India

Capital: New Delhi
Language: Hindi, English and 22 other officially recognized languages
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
Time zone: UTC +5:30

India is known for its pyramid-like temples, its colorful streets and it’s crowded cities. This country represents one of the most vivid and the largest cultures in the world. From the golden triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra to the coast where Ayurveda medicine was born, India offers a 360 degree journey through the most magical of lands. Known for being the second most populated country in the world, India will show you the faces of thousands of Hindu gods in its very vast collection of temples all throughout the country. The land of colors and smiles is ready to take you on your next adventure whether road tripping or helping out in local communities, this sub-continent will amaze your senses. India will shift the way you see the world.

India’s literacy rate is around 60% for women and 80% for men. The principal language is Hindi and English is also commonly used in all major cities. New Delhi, the capital of India, is what many would call the real deal when travelling through the country. It is one of the biggest and most populated cities in the whole world with up to 25 million citizens. New Delhi is known for its amazing cuisine and its new modality of “street food”, which means restaurants with every specialty you can imagine are available to you all throughout the city! Chennai is another of the biggest cities in India, known as the “Detroit of India” for its automobile industry. If you are looking for a quieter spot Kerala is the centre of lifestyle, art, architecture, language and literature in all of the country!

Gap year programs to India are enjoyed in a country with wonderful history that dates back several thousand years. In particular, one of the most incredible historical points of India is how four separate world religions originated here – Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Beyond this, however, India has only truly been independent as a nation since 1947, just a couple years after World War 2 concluded.

In that time, India has grown to be the eleventh largest economy in the world as well as the second most populous nation, second only to China. This isn’t particularly surprising when you consider that India has been an economic powerhouse for trade routes in the past, but it is very impressive to consider that India has almost reached the status of superpower over the course of 66 years.

The geography of India has been a target for nature lovers for many years but is finally becoming an easy place to visit and explore for foreign tourists. With the Himalayas to the north, the desert in the centre and the luxurious beaches to the west, India has a type of climate that suits the desires of just about anyone. Even if you have a soft spot for snow, you can easily embrace that love by visiting some of the northern mountains which are nearly always capped in snow and ice!

With thousands of years of history and an incredibly diverse climate, India is not a place you can simply read about and understand. You have to visit and immerse yourself within the various Indian cultures before you get an idea of just how amazing India really is. So what are you waiting for? Get in touch now to find out more about our amazing gap year volunteer programs and holidays in India or browse the latest experiences below.

Please Note TRU are not currently able to accept any volunteers in India due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. We will be sure to update you when it is safe to travel and restrictions ease in India.

Participant Criteria & Requirements

Standard Requirements

No requirements have been provided.

Additional Requirements

No requirements have been provided.

What's included

  • 24/7 support in case of emergencies
  • Accommodation
  • Airport Pick up
  • English speaking coordinator
  • Meals
  • Orientation

What's not included

  • Airport drop off
  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Vaccination
  • Visa