What to Expect?

Big Beyond volunteers can expect to gain innovative international work and life experience, travel to amazing rural places off the beaten path, meet incredible people, be inspired about new possibilities and build some of your happiest memories that will last a lifetime.

This is an amazing opportunity for individuals to be involved in a teaching role across a range of projects with children and/or adults. The teaching placement is about sharing information using innovative and inspiring teaching methods. This can include everything from increasing basic literacy at nursery, primary and secondary school levels to supporting training days around enterprise, nature of health projects with adults in the communities. You'll be making a really positive impact on this community whatever level of teaching experience you have.

After your one-to-one consultation and if you are invited to join the team in Malawi, during the preparation stages you can expect your personal placement advisor to help you prepare for your expedition, making arrangements for your in-country transfer and advising on important travel considerations such as booking flights, organising your visa and much more. You will receive a volunteer handbook which will also provide you with basic language training and an overview about the community where you'll be living and working. About a month before you start, the team will send your personal placement design based on your answers during initial consultation.

On arrival at the airport, you will be met by one of the Big Beyond team who will transfer you and other new arrivals to your new home... You'll be living next to the stunning Lilwonde National Park in Southern Malawi right on the banks of the Shire River. It is a premier wildlife spot and the people are super friendly. With the beautiful clear waters of Lake Malawi just under an hour away for you to relax in your spare time.

An average day for you, being from Monday to Friday, in Liwonde will consist of working in one particular project site or across a range depending what you are interested in. Breakfast is served around 7.30am and afterwards you will make your way to your project site for the day. After the morning is over you will then have a well earned lunch, either back at the house or you will enjoy a packed lunch with your new friends and colleagues. Your day finishes at 5pm and dinner is at 7.30 so from then on this time is your own time. Relax, explore, or socialise with new local friends, co-workers and fellow volunteers, regardless of what time of the year you join us there will always be volunteers and the Big Beyond team to keep you company. We will design your placement but your free time is your chance to explore.

Now, that could be a usual day in Liwonde, but you are in Africa and there is not always an average day which means your experience will be diverse with variety and no doubt challenges. You will need to learn a different way of life and embrace it with enthusiasm and flexibility, an essential life skill! Your main aim is to be productive and help develop sustainable projects with your skills and knowledge which local people can thrive on and most importantly maintain. Big Beyond’s ultimate goal of all our programmes is to integrate conservation and development of the area. So our projects are related to education, enterprise, wildlife and the environment, health and culture. They're all of course interlinked. You are of course, also required to have fun! Refresh yourself through relaxation and exploring Malawi and all its treasures. Organise trips and days out to experience different African wonders, live and learn whilst on your program by immersing yourself in African culture and life.

The program fee to join our team includes the service cost of excellent placement design, training, on-the-ground management plus all accommodation, food, local travel and transfers, a local SIM card and internet access plus a few extras. For your entire placement duration you'll be provided with 24-hour support, as well as a detailed orientation training programme including basic language.