PMGY - Volunteer in Bali from $330

Name: PMGY - Volunteer in Bali from $330
Brand: Plan My Gap Year
SKU: 139861
Rating: 4.84 (37 reviews)

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4.84 Rating

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Location

Indonesia
- Bali

Length

1 to 8 weeks

Project Types

Childcare Conservation Wildlife Conservation Education Teaching Tourism

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Program Details

Language

English

Age Min.

Timeframe

Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round

Housing

Guesthouse Hostel

Groups

Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)

Travel Type

Budget Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price

330

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation

What's Not Included

Airfare Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Feb 10, 2025

Last Reviewed: Apr 28, 2024

Wish List

82 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Volunteer in Bali with Plan My Gap Year (PMGY), an award-winning international organisation offering safe, trusted, and affordable programs in the enchanting island of Bali. Based in the culturally rich town of Tabanan, in the southwest of the island, PMGY provides a variety of impactful programs, including Childcare, English Teaching, and Wildlife Rescue, opportunities.

Our volunteer in Bali programs start on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, running year-round with flexible durations from 1 to 8 weeks. Volunteers stay in a welcoming Volunteer House, enjoying three delicious meals daily. With comprehensive pre-departure guidance, airport pick-up, in-depth orientation, and local support, PMGY ensures a culturally enriching experience while learning about an alternative side of Bali.

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Impact 🌎

Ethical Impact

Plan My Gap Year is committed to providing ethical volunteer opportunities that truly benefit the local communities. We have personally vetted all of our Volunteer Programs in every destination. We support a small network of Volunteer Programs abroad that we have specifically chosen due to their efforts being sustainable for our volunteers and the local communities alike. We work closely with each of our local teams to ensure we are assessing and adapting to ensure quality experiences for all involved.

For this reason, PMGY does not provide volunteer opportunities in orphanages in any of our locations. Research and studies have shown that visiting and volunteering in orphanages has the potential to generate an industry that separates children from their families. In turn, putting children at increased risk of neglect and abuse. Therefore, we do not support these institutions with our volunteer network.

Instead, we focus on offering alternative childcare volunteer opportunities whereby children come to and from the placement setting each day. In other words, our local teams collaborate with childcare projects which do not offer any form of residential care. These are safe, responsible, and vetted projects, where participants continue to provide valued assistance supporting local staff.

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Program Highlights

Most Affordable – PMGY’s programs are accessible to everyone who wants to make a difference, through low fees and high-impact projects.
Best Support – Our international and local teams provide extensive around the clock services to assist you every step of your PMGY adventure.
Safety Prioritised – With safety a PMGY number-1 priority, we have taken all necessary precautions to ensure our programs are as safe and structured as possible.
Extraordinary Experiences – With PMGY, you have the opportunity to truly immerse yourself in amazing cultural and travel experiences, ensuring you leave with unforgettable memories.
Friendships for Life – Your PMGY experience not only opens up a doorway for new experiences and exciting memories, but also life-long friendships when meeting new people from around the world.

Popular Programs

Bail Childcare Volunteers

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Bail English Teaching Volunteers

Teach in this incredible setting surrounded by rice paddies. Make a lasting impact by investing in children and helping to shape their futures!

Bali Wildlife Rescue Volunteers

Help with a number of conservation and rehabilitation efforts whilst participating in the Bali wildlife program in the traditional town of Tabanan.

South East Asia Encounter

If spending time in vibrant and colourful destinations excites you, this incredible combination of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bali is perfect for you.

Program Reviews

4.84 Rating

based on 37 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Volunteer

5 rating 83.78%
4 rating 16.22%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Impact 4.75
Support 4.95
Fun 4.85
Value 4.65
Safety 4.9

Good for Solo Travelers, Students, Adventure travelers

Showing 1 - 8 of 37 reviews

I absolutely loved everything about volunteering with pmgy!! I did childcare volunteering for 5 weeks! I extended my time as I was living it so much! It’s like a big family, they help you with everything and truly care! the rooms are comfortable and the food is really nice although a bit repetitive. We extended our visas and the process was easy with pmgy. The volunteering was so much fun and the kids are the best, so eager to learn making it feel so rewarding. Thank you for the best time plan my gap year Bali!!❤️

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Just enjoy every moment, it goes to quickly!

Pros

Safe
Social
Fun

Cons

Repetitive food

PMGY is a very trustable company with assistance available at all times. I did two projects in Southeast Asia and had the best time. I started with the medical program in Vietnam; it was nice to experience the way of working in the hospital there, but I think this program would be better for students at the beginning of their study. There is not a lot to do and the doctors do not always have time to explain what is going on with patients or to answer your questions. After this project, I went to Bali to do the English teaching program which was the best thing I have done so far! The people were amazing, the weekend trips well organized but most importantly: the project definitely made a difference for the community. The kids were really happy to see you and they were eager to learn. I am thankful that I got to experience this!

Hi,

I’m 26 years old (turned 26 when I was doing the volunteer work) and I did 4 weeks of volunteer in the childcare program in Bali. It was my first time traveling out of Europe on my own and for that long.
I had an awesome time during these 4 weeks. The staff at PMGY Bali was so amazing and they were all so kind. They made our stay in Tabanan really enjoyable as they organized some evening activities as bonfire, culture nights or quiz-games etc.
Working in the childcare program was truly amazing and wonderful! The children (as well as the teachers and daycarers) were so so nice. The children were always so great full for everything you did and thought them. They give you so much love and are so happy to get the chance that you teach them. You would never see kids acting like that in schools in Europe.
Also the fact that you only work from Monday to Thursday and that you have the weekend free to travel is so nice as you can organize your trips to see the beauty of the island!
So taken together my time here was really wonderful and an amazing experience!
Not everything was always so great obviously. Living with so many people and so many different personalities under one roof can sometimes be a bit difficult but that’s part of the game!
So to conclude, I can only suggest and recommend everyone to do such an amazing experience as it is really worth it! I would immediately do it again if I could!

Thank you so much to the PMGY team and the PMGY team in Bali for everything! I will not forget this!!

Jil

The pre-departure help was amazing. The international team provided answers to all of my questions and offered a great support. At the final destination, everything was planned and arranged. The pick-up at the airport was trouble-free. The accommodation in Bali was clean and had everything you need. Indra and his family made you feel very welcome. It felt like a second home. There are different projects everyday if you do the wildlife one, which is so cool. I got to meet so many different species and got to be in direct contact with them by feeding, cleaning and by taking care of them. Overall, I am more than happy that I could experience PMGY Bali.

Pros

A lot of different animals
Helpful and nice host family
Amazing friends

Cons

Be careful about your food
You might catch Bali belly
Time flies by too fast

The past few days have been one of the best times I've ever had! I just wanna say thank you to all the people who have generously helped me in my time of need.

The first night I couldn't sleep so I climbed on the roof to see the sunrise and I saw people getting up early to start their day. Once when we passed a house I saw an old lady put an offering in front of the gate and reverently sprinkled a few drops of water. These moments really made me feel the passion and love for life of the people here.

And I still remember the joy when I first held Sunny in my arms and the feeling of a baby goat with its little head on my hand.

And again hank you for being my home during the past few days. See you again! :)

Pros

You can meet fabulous people here.
The local team is very kind and friendly.
The time spent with those adorable animals is truly unforgettable.

Cons

Be cautious with your food choices.

I spent 2 weeks volunteering with PMGY Bali. I hadn’t done volunteer projects before much less going overseas alone, but the support provided was amazing. There were zoom calls you could join before going in which you could ask any questions you had which helped ease any worries I had about going. The food and accommodation was great as-well as the staff who were there for you whenever you needed it. The other volunteers were great and I wasn’t as nervous about meeting and living with people I had never met before. The projects it’s self was amazing I loved that I got to work on something different each day. My whole time there was amazing and I had to stop myself from asking if I could stay for longer.

Pros

The project
The people
The experience

Cons

The bugs

I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering in Bali I would definetly recommend the Gili T island weekend trip and the English teaching program the kids that you teach are amazing and range from 6-12 years old, I enjoyed teaching the younger kids the most! You may also get the opportunity to attend a lunch hosted by the students at kanva college which I would recommend attending. The hostel in Bali is great aswell it has everything you need and Indra and ketut and all the staff and driver are always very helpful!

Pros

Building social skills
Learning about a new culture
Working with keen to learn young children

I can hands down say that deciding to do plan my gap year bail was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I did the real Bali experience which was incredible allowing me to see the variety Bali has to offer in a safe and secure way! Budi and Mr C were the best guides we could have asked for making sure we had EVERYTHING we could want! I then volunteered for 2 weeks doing the English teaching project which wasn’t long enough in my opinion where I was welcomed into the volunteer house by Indra and his family! All in all I can say if you’re on the fence about whether to go out not I say DO IT! you won’t regret it! I’m already planning on which plan my gap year destination to go next! :)

Pros

Affordable
Good communication
Friendly

Questions & Answers

Hi I am Laura! I’m 14 years old, turning 15 soon. My dream is to volunteer like this. Can I participate with my mom?

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

Bali always spoke to me, as there is so much to do and see in such a short amount of time, because it's such a small island, but it has so much to offer: waterfalls, temples, amazing beaches, jungle etc.

I loved teaching English in India and Cambodia and I feel this is such a great and simple way to give back to local communities. Knowing how to speak English opens up so many doors for these kids, especially because Bali is relying so much on tourism, and speaking English is a big part of that. I loved the fact that my host mom Ketut has set up the whole program on her own just because she wanted to do something for her neighborhood and it's really rewarding to be able to help her fulfill her dreams.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

PMGY provided me with basically everything. The gave me a really handy volunteer handbook that had all the information about culture, packing lists, the actual volunteering, tips for teaching, tips for traveling in the weekends, etc. I also attended a webinar about their Bali program, which was really helpful; it was just nice to have someone talk through everything.

They also organized a pick up for me from the airport and the local team helped me book the taxi and boat tickets to the other islands, like Gili. The only thing I organized on my own were my flights, but if I wanted to, they could've helped me with that too. PMGY was also really helpful with getting my visa, as that was a bit of a pain to get in The Netherlands. I organized the weekend stuff on my own, but with help from Ketut's recommendations for boat companies and stuff.

View Entire Interview

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Expect the unexpected, go with the flow, take every day as it goes, embrace the good and the bad moments, allow yourself to have bad days too; it's all very cliché, but the best way to do this is to go without any expectations and just embrace what happens down the road.

You will experience so much more if you just go out and explore instead of having this set idea in your head of how it's supposed to be. But also be honest with yourself: if you are having a bad day, feeling homesick or anything like that, don't deny it, it's okay to acknowledge the bad day so you can learn from them and they can help you grow. There's no rainbow without a little rain :)

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

An average week in the life of a Bali volunteer is like in eat-pray-love.

You get up in the morning and get your breakfast - there's always fresh fruit and toast available and sometimes even pancakes or traditional Indonesian cakes (yummm) - and then you just walk to the school. You help the teachers in the first hour with teaching the kids Indonesian and after that it's English time. You teach them for a few hours, walk back to the house, get some lunch, chill by or in the pool and in the afternoon it's time for teaching again. After the second class of the day, you get back to the house to just chill and do whatever you want, I watched the sunset on the rooftop a couple of times walked through the night market and went out for food in Canggu.

In the weekends you have time to do what you want; I went to so many places, but I think Seminyak, Canggu and Nusa Penida were my favorite.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

To be honest, I didn't have much fear going to Bali because I had already traveled and volunteered abroad twice, and I already went to Cambodia with PMGY, so I didn't really worry about anything, I knew that there was somebody at the airport to pick me up and, after that, it was all just really easy. I felt like I was well prepared thanks to the webinar and the handbook and browsing Pinterest for days for Bali tips, so I knew what I was getting into.

Can you teach children English without being a native English speaker?

The answer is simple: YES YOU CAN.

I was a bit worried about this the first time I went volunteering because my English is far from perfect and I am not fluent or anything since I'm from The Netherlands, but my advice for all future non-native English speakers is: don't worry. You know so much more than you think you do and it's actually an advantage that you are a non-native speaker because you know how it feels to learn English and you know how hard it can be, so you understand the children more!

Native English speakers have the tendency to speak faster/with accents/slang from back home, which can be confusing for the kids sometimes. As a non-native English speaker, you have the upper hand here because we talk a bit slower for the children and we don't use fancy English words ;) You can always look up lessons plans etc on Pinterest/Google, so don't worry about not knowing what to teach; games and songs are always good too - I started and ended every lesson with head-shoulders-knees and toes, which was an absolute hit.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Picking my favorite travel memory is a hard choice!

My travel bug began when I was 14. I traveled around Europe with my family and then to Sri Lanka on a school exchange! This fueled my desire for traveling which has lead me to some incredible memories.

I think my favorite is traveling to Ghana for the first time in June 2016. Experiencing the Ghanaian cultures and traditions first hand is something I will take with me everywhere I travel. I was able to go on Safari in Ghana which is one of my ultimate favorite travel memories!

I was within an arm's length of a wild elephant and stood very close to a herd of buffaloes as they stampeded past!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Prior to working as a summer coordinator for Plan My Gap Year I traveled to Ghana with PMGY three times - all within nine months!

Through this I have developed a deeper passion for helping local communities and have deepened my love for the world. Since working with volunteers I have grown massively in my confidence and leadership skills.

Working as part of a team has given me great transferable skills which I will be able to take with me into all aspects of any future career plans in my field.

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If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Answering this question is tricky as prior to working for PMGY Bali, I completed the medical project and the orphanage project in Ghana. I thoroughly loved both of these projects and would highly recommend them to all.

I have heard a lot of amazing feedback from volunteers who have completed the teaching program in Ghana and their passion would sway anyone unsure of doing it to do it!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

My company is great value for money, extremely organized and the staff always go above and beyond their duties to meet the needs of all volunteers.

As I was a student when I first became involved with PMGY, I noticed that the company was unique in offering elective placements for medical students, and ensuring that learning outcomes are met through support from doctors and nurses alongside the in-country staff.

Location

Location:

Bali

Currency:

Indonesian Rupiah

Weather:

Jan-Mar

88 F / 73 F

Apr-Jun

88 F / 72 F

Jul-Sep

86 F / 72 F

Oct-Dec

88 F / 73 F

Airports:

Ngurah Rai International

( DPS )

Bali is known for its diversity of landscape. No matter what kind of natural beauty you find most stunning—mountain ranges, blissful rice fields, serene rivers, gorgeous canyons, and stunning waterfalls—Bali has it all.

About Plan My Gap Year

Plan My Gap Year is an award-winning volunteer abroad organisation, offering volunteer projects in Africa, Asia, Europe & South America primarily for 17-22 year olds. PMGY provide a safe, structured and social platform with volunteer travel opportunities available from 1-40 weeks. With over 10 years of experience and expertise, PMGY is widely...

Program Details

Pricing

Program Highlights

Bail Childcare Volunteers 

Bail English Teaching Volunteers 

Bali Wildlife Rescue Volunteers 

South East Asia Encounter 

Hi I am Laura! I’m 14 years old, turning 15 soon. My dream is to volunteer like this. Can I participate with my mom?

Alumni Interviews

Manouk Gidding

Why did you choose this program?

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Can you teach children English without being a native English speaker?

Staff Interviews

Katherine Hanna

What is your favorite travel memory?

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

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Bail Childcare Volunteers

Bail English Teaching Volunteers

Bali Wildlife Rescue Volunteers

South East Asia Encounter