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Volunteer Teaching in Kenya
Volunteer teaching program in Kenya is an opportunity to teach to the children of undeserved communities, directly engage with locals and meet passionate volunteers from across the globe.
This program places you in a primary or elementary school in the Lower Kabete area of suburban Nairobi, where you support local teachers with English lessons and other subjects such as math, science, and social studies. Day to day you might co-teach a class, run small groups on pronunciation and conversation, prepare lesson plans or tests, and help with general tasks like reception work or translation. It suits volunteers aged 17 and up who want hands-on classroom experience and are comfortable with a flexible, evolving role — no teaching qualification or prior experience is required.
Placements run 1–24 weeks, with starts every week (every week (sundays)), so you can join for as little as a week or stay longer. You live in a gated volunteer apartment in Lower Kabete, sharing a room (private rooms available) with breakfast supplies and a cooked dinner on weekdays and three meals at weekends; lunch near the school is on you. Prices start at $599 (deposit included). Weekdays are for teaching, but weekends are free, and many volunteers use them for safaris or trips around Nairobi and beyond.
- Volunteer to teach English to the children of underserved communities of Kenya and assist local teachers as well
- This is a great opportunity to bring the families out of the vicious circle of poverty as English is a professionally rewarding language to be learnt
- Get a chance to directly engage with locals and meet passionate volunteers from across the globe
- Volunteers work on weekdays and weekends are free to explore the country
Your role on this program
- Assist staff English teachers, or lead classes focused on pronunciation and conversational skills
- Prepare lesson plans where possible
- Assist teachers in conducting classes for children
- Help with general placement work such as reception duties and translation
- Prepare tests for students
- Help improve students' vocabulary
- Bring in and implement new teaching ideas or methods where feasible
- Support activities such as art, music, or physical education depending on student interest and skill level
- After consultation with school management, share practical life skills such as first aid with students
Exact duties vary with the placement's needs, the season and your experience.
Role boundaries
You assist qualified, employed teaching staff and are not a substitute for them; lesson content, curriculum decisions, and discipline remain with the school's own teachers and management. The local coordinator and school staff supervise your day-to-day work, and duties may vary with the placement's needs.
A typical day and week
Volunteering Solutions provide accommodation in Nairobi at a volunteer house. The schedule for the volunteers remains as follows;
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Sunday – Arrival at the program destination
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Monday – Orientation + introduction to the placement (commute + local staff + kids +places to eat etc.). An orientation session will be conducted by the local coordinator, covering topic areas; such as safety, culture, language, places to visit, food, and other suggestion over things to do in Kenya
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Tuesday to Fri – Volunteer work
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Breakfast – 07:30 am onwards (self made by volunteers at the accommodation)
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Leave for the project – 08:00 am
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Working hours at the placement – 09:00 to 03:00 pm
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Lunch – 01:00 pm to 02:00 pm (volunteers need to manage lunch on their own. Timings can vary depending on school timetable)
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Dinner – 07:30 pm onwards (provided at the accommodation)
The same volunteer work schedule continues from the second week onwards
Weekends – Free to explore the city, and do activities such as;
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Visit the elephant sanctuary, giraffe center, Mamba village
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Visit the local markets and buy souvenirs
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Go for a safari
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Spend time at Karura forest in the city
For those inclined to travel further away for fun activities, one can go biking to Hell’s Gate National Park in Naivasha (1.5 hours from the accommodation), climb Mt. Longonot (1.5 hours from the accommodation), or visit Thompson Falls (3 hours from the accommodation).One could also go to Mombasa and experience sandy beaches on the weekends.
Note: Please note, the schedule may vary depending on the particular project the volunteer is participating on.
Timings are the placement's usual pattern; the local team confirms your hours at orientation, and they can change with school terms, clinic rotas, weather and the project's needs.
Who can join and what you need
- Minimum age 17 (a parental consent form is required for participants under 18)
- No teaching qualification or prior classroom experience required
- An open, flexible attitude toward working in a new environment
- A genuine interest in working with children, along with initiative to bring your own ideas
- A clean criminal background check report, issued within 12 months of your start date
- Travel and medical insurance, either your own policy or one arranged by Volunteering Solutions
- Comfort with basic self-catering for breakfast and lunch during the week
The placement, its limits and your part in it
You work inside an existing Kenyan school, usually a public primary school in suburban Nairobi, staffed by qualified teachers who follow the Ministry of Education curriculum. Placements are arranged with the school's own management, and your role is agreed with them and the local coordinator based on what the school currently needs, which can range from co-teaching English to supporting art, music, or physical education sessions.
Supervision sits with the school's teaching staff and, for logistics and welfare, the Nairobi-based coordinator, who covers safety and support outside the classroom. Your contribution is additional support — extra hands for small groups, conversation practice, test preparation, and classroom activities — rather than a replacement for the school's qualified teachers, and outcomes for individual students are not something the program can promise.
Our standards
- Responsible volunteer travel policyHow we choose, run and review every project
- Safeguarding policyBackground checks, supervision and our code of conduct with children
- Child & vulnerable adult protectionThe rules every volunteer follows on placement
- Certified B CorporationSocial and environmental performance verified by B Lab
- How we volunteer responsibly in KenyaCountry-level partner context and standards
Start dates
Weekly start dates, year-round — pick any week across the next two years.
Program fees by duration
Prices include your $249 booking deposit — which is deducted from your total program fee. Your deposit stays valid for one year, during which you may enroll in multiple programs. A 5% international banking fee applies to credit-card payments in USD or AUD.
| Duration | Total price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | $599 | |
| 2 weeks | $729 | |
| 3 weeks | $859 | |
| 4 weeks | $989 | |
| 5 weeks | $1,119 | |
| 6 weeks | $1,249 | |
| 7 weeks | $1,379 | |
| 8 weeks | $1,509 | |
| Each additional week | +$150 / week |
Indicative conversion — your booking is charged in the currency you choose at checkout.
✓ What you're paying for
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Airport Pickup
- Orientation
- Food – 2 meals a day
- Accommodation
- Travel & Medical Insurance(Available at an extra cost)
- Certificate of Participation(On Request)
Not included
- Airfare
- Return Trip to Airport (Can be arranged at an extra cost)
- Local Transportation
- Visas
- Vaccinations
Accommodation & meals
Airport Transfer
Volunteers are picked up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi by the local coordinator or representative. Those volunteers who are arriving overland or are already in Kenya will be picked up at a meeting point in Nairobi decided beforehand.Nairobi is a major hub for airlines in East Africa and has good international flight connections.
Accommodation
Volunteers in Nairobi are provided accommodation in the Lower Kabete area.The area is located around 20-25 minutes from Westlands and Parklands area which is famous for good restaurants and shopping areas. The CBD (Central Business District) is around 30 minutes away by car.
Volunteers stay in a gated apartment complex in which we use 4-5 different apartments for volunteers. The volunteer apartments are located on different floors such as the ground floor,third floor and fifth floor. The rooms in the apartments are shared rooms with usually four participants sharing one room with two bunk beds. There are some private units also available in the apartment complex for any volunteer interested in having a private room.
Some of the facilities available are hot showers, microwave, induction top, refrigerator and WiFi internet. There is no air conditioning in the apartments as it is not required in Nairobi as such.
Volunteers purchase their bottled water on their own. It can be purchased easily from the local market at walking distance from the apartment complex.
For Laundry, volunteers usually hand wash their clothes or alternatively give clothes to a Laundromat located not far from the volunteer accommodation at walking distance.
Orientation
An orientation about your program will be provided by the local coordinator in Nairobi. Areas like culture, safety, locations, project, transportation and weekend trips are covered in the orientation. During the orientation day, the coordinator will also give you information about the nearest market, help you in getting money exchanged and get a local sim card from the market.
Meals
Volunteers are provided with 2 meals(Breakfast and Dinner) on weekdays and three meals during the weekends. For Breakfast volunteers are given supplies such as Bread, Eggs, Butter/Margarine Spread, Fruits, Tea and Coffee. Volunteers need to cook breakfast on their own.
Lunch is not provided/ included in your fee and volunteers usually take a packed sandwich or fruits to the placement or have food at/ near the project.
For Dinner, food is cooked by the caretaker and cook at house and meals generally include dishes like Lentils, Mandezi, Chapatis, Spaghetti, Pilao, Chips, Githeri (Maize and Beans) and Fruits. In case you are allergic to any particular item or have a particular requirement feel free to inform the coordinators.
Volunteers also purchase supplies from the supermarkets and take with them packed food cooked on their own to the project.
Local Transportation
Volunteers prefer to use mostly Uber or Bolt for their commute to the projects and local malls and places of interest in Nairobi.
During your Free Time
The majority of the volunteers go on safari trips on the weekends.Volunteers usually take the two days or the extended three-day safari. While in Nairobi you can explore the different places of interest in the city. The city has so much to offer and there are a lot of places to see and explore during free time. Places like Masai market,Bomas of Kenya, Giraffe centre and Karura Forest are visited by volunteers during free time and weekends.
Volunteers are also free to plan quick getaways and explore Kenya. We also arrange programs for groups in safari to Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park and Lake Nakuru National Park or the Nairobi National Park. The costs for weekend trips are extra.
Life on the program
Getting there and who looks after you in Kenya
Airport pickup
You are collected from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi by the local coordinator or a representative; those already in Kenya are picked up at an agreed meeting point in the city.
First night
You settle into the volunteer apartment in Lower Kabete on arrival day (Sunday), which is also when you meet other volunteers staying in the same complex.
Orientation
On Monday the local coordinator runs an orientation covering culture, safety, transport, the local market, money exchange, and getting a local SIM card, plus an introduction to your placement, commute, and colleagues.
First day at the school
Volunteer work begins Tuesday: you leave for the placement around 8am, work roughly 9am to 3pm alongside the school's teaching staff, and manage lunch on your own near the project.
Ongoing support
The in-country coordinator in Nairobi is available around the clock for the length of your stay, and the weekday schedule repeats from the second week onward.
From volunteers in Kenya
Frequently asked questions
What do volunteer teachers actually do in Kenya?
You assist staff English teachers or lead small groups on pronunciation and conversation, help prepare lesson plans and tests, support other subjects on request, and take part in activities like art, music, or physical education depending on the school's needs.
Do I need a teaching qualification or experience?
No teaching qualification or prior classroom experience is required; the program suits volunteers aged 17 and up who bring an open, flexible attitude and initiative.
What is a typical day and what are the working hours?
On weekdays you leave for the school around 8am, work from about 9am to 3pm alongside local teachers, and manage lunch on your own near the placement; Mondays in your first week are set aside for orientation.
How long can I volunteer for and when can I start?
Placements run 1–24 weeks, with a new intake every week (every week (sundays)); the next available start is 20 Sep 2026.
What does the program cost and what is included?
Prices start at $599, deposit included, covering airport pickup, orientation, accommodation, two meals a day on weekdays (three at weekends), and 24-hour local support; flights, visas, vaccinations, and local transport are not included.
Where do I live and what meals are provided?
You stay in a gated apartment complex in Lower Kabete, usually in a shared room (private rooms available), with breakfast supplies and a cooked dinner provided on weekdays and three meals at weekends; lunch near the school is your own arrangement.
Will someone meet me at the airport?
Yes, the local coordinator or a representative picks you up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, or meets you at an agreed point if you are already in Kenya.
What support is available if something goes wrong?
The Nairobi-based coordinator provides round-the-clock assistance throughout your stay, in addition to the orientation covering safety, culture, and local transport.
What about visas, insurance, and vaccinations?
Travel and medical insurance is compulsory, either your own policy or one arranged through Volunteering Solutions; visa and vaccination requirements are not covered in the fee, and specific guidance is sent to you before departure.
Is a background check required for this program?
Yes, because the placement involves working with children, you must provide a clean criminal background check report issued within 12 months of your start date.
Who is this program a good fit for?
It suits volunteers 17 and older who want structured classroom involvement in a Nairobi-area school, are comfortable with shared accommodation and self-catering some meals, and don't need a teaching qualification to get started.
What happens during school holidays?
The source notes that placements and duties may vary depending on the specific school and its needs at the time you join.
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