Teach Buddhist Monks in Nepal

Project At A Glance

Location: Kathmandu Start/End point: Kathmandu Duration: 2-12 weeks Hours: 30-40 hours per week Food: Local meals (3 times a day) Room: Temple hostel, host family or homebase Date: First and Third Monday of each month

Project Summary

Nepal is an important place in the Buddhist religion. Although Nepal is a predominantly Hindu country, it has a significant Buddhist influence. There are beautiful monasteries throughout Nepal thus demonstrating the popularity and acceptance of Buddhism in Nepal. In Kathmandu, there are also practicing Buddhists who are Tibetan people in exile in Nepal.

Those interested in volunteering in a Buddhist monastery will mostly teach English education to monks and immerse themselves in Buddhist culture. This is a perfect project if you are interested in or curious about Buddhism and the serene and enlightened lives of Buddhist monks.

Skills/Qualifications Needed

There are no specific qualifications needed to join the teaching Buddhist Monks program in Nepal. However, it is important to note that monks are highly respected figures and follow strict and exemplary life rules. Only volunteers with serious discipline can join this project.

Volunteer Responsibilities

Volunteers in Nepal’s teaching Buddhist monks project primarily work as English instructors in either the schools of Tibetan Children's Village or in local monastery in Kathmandu. Volunteers conduct English lessons for 3-4 hours a day. In addition to English teaching, volunteers will assist with extra-curricular activities and administration. In the evening, volunteers organize games, drawing, singing, dancing and other creative education and extracurricular activities. Morning and late evening time is free. If you love Buddhism, this is the perfect time to join meditation, rituals, prayers and songs with the Buddhist monks. This project gives ample opportunities to immerse in the Buddhist religion and lifestyle.

Room/Food/Supervision

IFRE manages living accommodations, meals and supervision for volunteers throughout their stay in Nepal. Most volunteers placed in Kathmandu projects stay at our home base – a permanent home set aside for international volunteers and manned with a local staff. Our safe and secure Kathmandu home base is located in a beautiful area of Kalanki, nearly 5 km away from Thamel, a popular tourist hub of Nepal. Most of our volunteers’ projects are located within 2-5 miles of the home base. Therefore, volunteers can simply walk to their projects or take a local taxi or bus. Most necessary services for travelers are located within 2 km of the home base: internet cafés, restaurants and grocery stores. Our home base is located in the heart of city and provides easy access to volunteer to all parts of Kathmandu. It is a perfect situation for volunteers to live safely and comfortably while making many new friends and sharing experiences every day. In the evening volunteers return to the home base, to relax, eat dinner, explore local areas or share the day’s experiences with fellow volunteers and staff. Our home base provides a same-gender shared room and shared bathroom with running hot water and a “western” style toilet. Volunteers will have the ability to do laundry at the home base.

Volunteers receive three prepared meals per day. Our cooks prepare breakfasts, lunches and dinners of Nepali foods (similar to Indian food, including wheat bread, rice, curry, dahl, chapatti and pickles) for volunteers. If volunteers will be out of the house during lunch hour, they can request a lunch "to go”. If traditional Nepali fare does not appeal to volunteers, they are welcome to buy personal food and prepare it.

Occasionally, depending on volunteer traffic, available projects or distance to a volunteer’s assigned project, we may also place our volunteers with carefully pre-screened host families. Our host families are socially respected and are experienced with hosting international volunteers. They have strong interest in our volunteers’ safety and well-being and demonstrate this with caution and care. In most host family situations, volunteers will share a room with another volunteer of the same gender. Another viable option is an at-orphanage stay. Many orphanages in Kathmandu have special rooms set aside to house international volunteers. Volunteers who have stayed with a host family or at an orphanage describe an enriched experience because of having done so. Once you have applied for program placement, you will find the specific details of your accommodations in your personal placement documents for your project.

IFRE maintains two offices in Kathmandu and Chitwan to supervise and assist volunteers. However, volunteers working in Pokhara will stay in touch with Kathmandu office by telephone or email and will receive staff visits as often as possible, usually every two weeks.