While it can be hard to find paid work as a TEFL teacher in South Africa, there are plenty of volunteering opportunities that you can take part in. Most of these are run by a company who charge a fee to organise your trip, usually including accommodation and food but not transport to South Africa. Always read the project details to see what’s included and what extra costs there might be, particularly for visas.
Plan My Gap Year
runs trips for English speakers (native or of a good level) to teach in South Africa. Volunteers will teach English and a range of other subjects to underprivileged children from government schools in Cape Town. Predominantly you will be a teaching assistant, there to support the local teacher, but it’s quite usual for volunteers to have the opportunity to plan and lead their own classes – you should be enthusiastic, creative, and be able to think on your feet. Expect to get up early and take (often, unreliable) public transport to your place of work. Lessons finish by 2:30, and after preparing your materials for the next day, the afternoon is yours. Explore the local area during your weekends. Accommodation is included in the fee but meals aren’t. Projects run from 2 weeks up to 12 weeks.
New Hope Volunteers
runs a program to teach English in Cape Town. Volunteers are placed at the local schools and teach at a primary, middle, or high school level, where you will mostly be assisting the full-time teacher. You need fluency in the written and spoken English language.
GVI
looks for volunteers to work one-to-one with underprivileged primary school children. As well as literacy, you might also be teaching numeracy, art, and sport.
RCDP
looks for volunteers to teach English in Cape Town. Volunteers stay in a hostel or with a host family, on trips ranging from 1 to 12 weeks long. The Teaching English Project aims at enhancing written as well as spoken English language skills of these children. Volunteers can assist by taking classes, preparing curriculum, or organizing various activities for the children to participate in. Volunteers can work in the kindergarten, primary or secondary school, teaching for 2-3 hours per day.If you want to find out more about volunteering as a TEFL teacher, read
this article
.