Languages for Schools

Volunteer to support children who speak little English

The status of this project for the 2020/2021 academic year is yet to be confirmed.

Do you speak another language? Are you an overseas student?

Rewarding volunteering opportunity to provide native language support and make a real difference to school children in Cardiff who have little to no English.

About this opportunity:

There are lots of school pupils in Cardiff who speak little English. This may be because their family has recently moved here from another country, or because their family speaks little English at home. These children sometimes struggle to learn at school and engage with other children. The volunteer role will include:

• Engaging and supporting primary school pupils who have little English in their native language during lessons.
• You may be asked to translate educational resources.
• You may be asked to help the teacher liaise with the child/childrens' parents in their native language.

What you will gain:

• Enhanced communication and organisational skills.
• A rewarding experience and valuable skills to add to your CV.
• Development in English language skills - verbal and written.
• Work experience in a school and the chance to find out about the role of a teacher. 
• A certificate once you have completed the experience. 
• You can use the hours you spend volunteering towards the Cardiff Award. Find out more about the Cardiff Award on the Intranet. 

The languages in which schools and children are most in need of support with are: 

• Arabic
• Somali
• Czech
• Romanian 
• Portugese
• Swahili
• Farsi
• Punjabi
• Bengali
• Urdu
• Greek 
• Kurdish
• Polish
• Albanian
• Hungarian
• Bulgarian
• Norwegian
• Polish

If you speak another language not listed above and are keen to take part, please contact classroomexperienceproject@cardiff.ac.uk 

Feedback from a teacher at a school who received support from a Cardiff University Student last year:

"To have this extra help, certainly if it is in the child's home language, is wonderful for both the teacher and the child/children. The children respond really well - having someone to communicate with, talk to; just to feel like a regular child and not someone who stands out and feels different. The child's personality comes out and you see them relaxed and comfortable. They are engaged in work in a way they are not usually. You have a better understanding and knowledge of ability levels too - it shows how capable and able they are in their first language."

Skills/qualities required from Cardiff University Students:

• Enthusiasm
• Patience 
• Commitment
• Good communication skills
• A good understanding of English as you will need to liaise with the teachers and understand what is being taught in the lessons in order to help the pupil/s who do not have English as a first language. 

Additional Information:

• Once you have signed up via Cardiff Volunteering your details will be passed to the Careers and Employability team. 
• You will need to fill out a short application form. 
• Once you have applied, the Careers and Employability team will contact you to invite you to a 'Classroom Experience Project Induction' held at Cardiff University which will help you to prepare for your time in the school. They will also arrange a DBS check. After the induction, they will contact a school and match you with a school and pupil/s who will benefit from your language support. They will send you the details of the school and some information about the pupil/s you will be supporting before you begin volunteering.
• They will fund your travel expenses to and from the school for up to a certain amount.
• The Careers and Employability team will be a point of contact for you if you have any questions or concerns during your time at the school.