PMGY - Volunteer in Bali from $330

In July 2017 I travelled to Bali on a 4-week endeavour through Plan My Gap Year. This is the second time I've went abroad with PMGY, having gone to Sri Lanka in 2016, and I honestly cannot get enough of how amazing everything about the projects are!

Once you are accepted onto the project, you immediately are given tons of information to help you prepare for your trip, including what to bring and background information on what the culture and environment will be like. Any questions you have, Josh and Philip work round the clock to answer and they help put your mind at ease with any worries or concerns. I found this support to be incredible as I had to do little extra research about Bali and it helped me gain accurate expectations on what the project would be like.

I cannot hype up Bali as a destination enough, from the moment you arrive you are showered with love by the in-country team, which ended up becoming a second family. Everything from the food to accommodation was amazing, it was incredibly easy settling in and Bali felt like home after only a few days. Indra was an amazing coordinator to have, always making sure everyone was alright and making them laugh. Ketut and Rush felt like my Bali parents and they worked tirelessly to see every volunteer was content. Even if you felt the slightest bit unwell, they would do anything they could to make you feel better - truly treating you like their own. Katherine was an outstanding coordinator, she cares so much about the greater good of the world and it shows in how dedicated she is to making the project the best they can be. My time in Bali would not have been the same without her, she became one of my best friends due to how down to earth and lovable she is. I honestly can't fault the in-country support one bit, every aspect of it was outstanding and I think all PMGY destinations should aspire to have support as good as Bali does.

The project in itself was a dream, I was doing English teaching and each day we'd get the chance to go to a new school and interact with new kids of different ages. This allowed us to never get bored and challenged us as what we were teaching constantly had to change to fit the different abilities of the children. After the morning classes we would then teach the kids which voluntarily want to improve their English at Akasa, which would allow us to properly interact with them and see their progress. The kids were absolutely amazing, they are so eager to learn and so grateful - even if you have no experience in teaching, it's so easy to get the hang of.

Bali is genuinely the most beautiful place I've ever seen, I'm so honoured I got the chance to go there through PMGY and have such an amazing experience. Being able to teach during the week and make an impact on the life's of the children was so rewarding, and having the opportunity every weekend to explore Bali and see all it has to offer was mesmerising. I would highly recommend this project to anyone who wants to travel, you get so much out of so little with PMGY and you meet the most incredible people from all around the world. I'm confident that my time in Bali has truly made me a better person and the memories I have from my 4-weeks travelling will stick by me forever. I can't wait for my next adventure with PMGY, which I'm sure will be soon!

I've volunteered with other organisations and pmgy is the best for sure! I did 3 weeks on the childcare programme in Bali! After signing up, you receive a very detailed handbook which contains everything you need to know about PMGY, your programme, safety advice, contact details, country info, etc. The PMGY UK staff are very helpful and will be happy to answer any questions you have about your programme, helping with visas, etc. Upon arriving at the airport, I was welcomed by PMGY staff, and taken to the volunteer house. We were welcomed again by in-country staff at the house, and was given a detailed orientation. Ketut, her family, Katherine, and all the other pmgy staff in tabanan were very welcoming and attentive to any concerns or questions we had. You could literally ask them anything and they'd sort it for you straight away! The accommodation in Tabanan is great! You'll either stay in one of three houses, but you'll spend most time in the main house, where the wifi is! The programme itself was very rewarding. I worked on the project for around 4-5 hours per day, Monday to Thursday, and there's quite a bit of flexibility (some days I did childcare, other days teaching older kids, some days painting schools, etc). Overall, it's definitely been one of the best things I've ever done. You'll meet loads of cool people and it's sooo fun! I'd definitely recommend making the most of your weekends, whether it's going on organized trips that PMGY offer, or just travelling independently with others. I'd say 3 weeks is a decent amount of time, but I'd love to have stayed another week or two for sure!

Volunteered in Bali for 3 weeks, and absolutely loved it. Ketut, Rush and Indra were so welcoming and I felt right at home in Tabanan. Accommodation and food were lovely.

The project was enjoyable; the kids were brilliant and the lessons we taught were very fun All volunteers were so friendly. The weekends were great because it allowed some travel time of your own, either by yourself or with the PMGY trips. If you needed transport Indra was brilliant at sorting it out for you. Bali has so many things on to see and do: waterfall, Mt Batur, the Gili Islands, rice fields... As long as you're willing to try new things, you will have the best time in Bali. I definitely did!

Bali was the best experience ever! The volunteer accommodation in ketut's home was much better than I expected and the meals were really nice, a good mix of Balinese and western. All the girls at the volunteer house were so friendly and ketut, rush and Indra are the most welcoming family ever and would do anything to make your stay as happy and safe as possible.
The project work was really enjoyable and I learnt a lot, however I would suggest bringing some of your own materials with you e.g. Stickers, board pens, worksheets, maybe some games, to ensure you keep the teaching fun and provide variety.
The evenings in tabanan are very chilled but you can definitely find things to do e.g. Watch movies, karaoke, night markets, yoga, danke cafe etc we even went to the cinema one night.
Weekends were really fun but I would suggest organising your own trips when you arrive as it is super easy to book transport with Indra and book hostels etc as the wifi at the house is good enough.
Cannot recommend this trip enough, you will have the best time if you are open to a new culture and trying new things!

I volunteered in Bali for 4 weeks and loved my experience here. I was on the childcare programme and loved teaching the kids at the kindergarten. This experience was completely new to me but I felt like I was supported well by the lovely team in Bali. Everyone I met at the volunteer house was so friendly and made a great social environment and there was plenty of oppurtunity for travel experience too. The volunteer house was great with good, safe facilities and a good breakfast lunch and dinner provided daily, with such helpful transport provided for us pretty much everywhere we went! The team in Bali are amaizng and I will never forget my time here :).

I have just completed a month volunteering in Bali and it has been one of the best experiences. Teaching English was completely new to me, especially teaching in a foreign country but I felt at ease as there was a lot of guidance from the programme leaders in Bali. The children were great to work with and very eager to learn which made the experience that much more enjoyable. Their energy definitely put a smile on my face everyday!
I felt very safe and looked after the whole time I was there which gave me the confidence to explore everything the island had to offer.
I have been raving about my experience to anyone who will listen and would recommend this volunteer program to anyone looking to get out of their comfort zone and who are looking to give back in one of the best ways possible.

I really enjoyed my whole month in bali! I met some amazing people and enjoyed teaching the children of all ages. All of the weekends were very fun and everyone was up for going away, I would suggest not booking any pre-planned trips and wait till you get there. Gili T was my favourite place to go for the weekend so definitely visit there :). Everything whilst I was there ran very smoothly - all transport is sorted for you and the family you stay with are extemely welcoming!

Pre-departure support is given via specially set-up social media groups for the individual programmes where you have direct access to volunteers that are already on the programme, Phillip, Josh and the in country support. You can ask any questions and someone who knows the answer is guaranteed to get back to you within 24 hours. You are also sent a volunteer handbook which has lots of information, with practically anything you need to know and more- including phrases you may need in that particular language.
The in-country support was next to perfect. We were with Ketut and her amazing family. They dedicate their lives to ensuring you are safe, well and enjoying the programme. They even contacted me when I arrived home to make sure I got there safely and my journey went smoothly. You live with them, so your safety is guaranteed and they are a 24/7 support. They were brilliant. I was quite homesick when I first arrived in Bali and they supported me so much and helped me get through it, I also fell and triggered a recurring injury. The family were brilliant at ensuring I was okay.
The programme is ideal if you want to gain experience of working with young children or teaching. If you can teach English to Indonesian children, you can teach anything! The day is set up so you teach at local schools for an hour in the morning and teach local children at an optional English lesson in the afternoon at Ketut's home. The teachers at the local schools speak very little English, but members of Ketut's family come to the placements with you if you need any support while teaching or need to speak to the children in Indonesian.
The accommodation is brilliant. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be that good. The beds are comfy, you are provided with meals, there is good wi-fi if you need it, the rooms are single-sex with a kitchen specifically for the volunteers and each bedroom has a bathroom. There are also lockers and wardrobes at your disposal.
The only advice I would give to future volunteers is to bring bug spray (lots of it and apply it as much as you can!) and to take all the support given to you while you are there. If there are volunteers that have been there a while take all of their advice- they know how to make the most out of the experience.