At a glance
Volunteer as a physical education teacher at a school in Samoa and work with children to develop their fitness. You’ll support the work of local teachers, and gain practical coaching experience. This could help your future career.
In Samoa, non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure are on the rise. These diseases are often caused by unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise. In addition, schools have limited resources and equipment, and there often are no dedicated physical education teachers.
This is why we need volunteers like you to coach sports in schools. You’ll encourage children to develop their fitness and have fun exercising. You’ll also raise awareness about the importance of eating healthy food.
You’ll be based in Apia, the biggest city in Samoa, and live with a local host family. During your free time, you can explore beautiful tropical beaches, go snorkelling, and more.
Start Dates:
Completely flexible dates
See DatesMinimum Duration:
Two Weeks
Requirements:
Anyone aged 16 or over can join
Is volunteering as a school sports coach in Samoa right for me?
If you’re passionate about sport and fitness, and want to share your passion with disadvantaged children, this project is for you.
This project will also give you valuable coaching experience to add to your CV, and it will help you develop your personal skills, like leadership. It will demonstrate your commitment to helping others, and give you interesting points to talk about in applications or interviews.
You don’t need any experience or qualifications to join, although having knowledge of several sports is recommended. You’ll support local teachers, and our staff in Samoa will be there to guide you if you need them.
This project runs year around, and you can join at any time for a minimum of two weeks. We encourage you to stay longer, so you can have a bigger impact on your students.
What will I do on the School Sports Project in Samoa?
In Samoa, your main role will be to teach physical education classes. The activities you’ll take part in include:
- Develop the sporting skills of school children during their physical education classes
- Promote physical exercise and healthy lifestyles to children at a local school
- Teach English to local Samoan children to assist them in pursuing desired careers
Develop children’s skills during physical education classes
You’ll work at local primary or secondary schools as a physical education teacher. You’ll work with different age groups, and teach sports like:
- Football
- Rugby
- Volleyball
You’ll work on developing their skills in these sports. You can also speak to our staff about introducing other sports.
Promote physical exercise and healthy lifestyles to children at a local school
In Samoa, non-communicable diseases like diabetes are on the rise. This is caused by unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise. As a sports coach in schools, you’ll help raise awareness about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
You’ll do this by demonstrating exercise techniques that children can do at schools and at home. You’ll also share knowledge about healthy foods to eat.
Teach English to local Samoan children to assist them in pursuing desired careers
You could also be asked to further develop the English skills of the children you teach. Many of the children only have a basic understanding of the language, and it’s an important skill to have in Samoa. During your physical education classes, you can encourage the children to practice speaking English with you.
This is important, as the children need more opportunities to practice and raise their confidence.
Where will I work in Samoa?
Apia
You’ll live and work in Apia, the capital and biggest city in the Samoan islands. Apia is located on the central north coast of Upolu, the second largest island of the country.
You will work at either a primary or secondary school that is located in or near to Apia. Many schools in Samoa have limited resources like sporting facilities, equipment, and they are often understaffed.
What will a typical day be like?
A typical day at your school will begin around 8:30am. You’ll travel here from your host family using public transport. A member of our staff will accompany you on your first day to show you the way. All of your work-related transportation costs are covered by Projects Abroad.
The structure of your day will vary depending on the school’s timetable. You’ll teach from 8:30am to 10:30am. After your morning classes, you’ll have a lunch break. Classes continue after lunch until 2pm.
During your free time, we encourage you to explore Apia. You could join some locals for a game of kirikiti, the local version of cricket. Or, you can visit one of the many festivals celebrating everything from fire dancing to traditional Samoan tattoos. You can also spend time with your host family.
There are idyllic beaches where you can swim, snorkel, and surf, within a five minute walk from Apia.
Aims and impact of the School Sports Project in Samoa
The main aim of this project is to encourage healthy living among disadvantaged children.
In Samoa, non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure are on the rise. These diseases are often caused by unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise. In addition, schools have limited resources and equipment, and there often are no dedicated physical education teachers.
It is extremely important for children to learn from a young age about the health benefits of a balanced diet and exercise. You’ll work with local teachers to teach kids about this, and you’ll sometimes assist interns from our Nutrition Project. Sharing this knowledge will go a long way with improving overall wellness in local communities.
We also have a secondary aim for this project. We want you to learn about playing sports in a different country, and gain hands-on coaching experience.
Join us in Samoa and help inspire children to get fit through sports and live healthy, active lives.
Management Plans
We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.
Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.
Measuring Our Impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
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