Emma volunteered as a Schools Assistant in New Zealand
My role in the school as a ‘Gappie’ at Woodford house was varied. I was in charge of a small kiwi volleyball team - sport isn’t one of my passions but I was given lots of help to start me off and I really enjoyed learning a new sport.
I loved going to their games and cheering on my team. At 3:30 sport would be played till 5 so I would often go with the girls on their coaches and get to see them achieve in the sports they loved. I also got to go on a camp - which was great. I never thought I would be abseiling, river crossing, and white water rafting. I grew in confidence as much as the girls did. I also got to enjoy other school trips which were a great way to spend more time with the girls. Two nights a week I would be supervising a room full of girls doing prep - again another way to catch up on the gossip - whilst making sure they got their homework done. My other responsibilities included some administrative work, inputting data into the schools computer system, photocopying. My jobs would change depending on which department I was helping but all the staff were lovely.
Due to my previous teaching experience and training I was asked to become a Teaching Assistant for a new pupil who didn’t speak English as their first language and was deaf in both ears. I jumped at the opportunity and loved every minute. I went to special training days with my pupil and with their help and the training I learnt New Zealand sign language. This meant most of my time was spent with my pupil or with outside agencies to review her progress fitting into a boarding school environment.
Being a volunteer in New Zealand allowed me the opportunity to learn about a new culture. A lot of it is similar to England although they are a lot more laid back and all the people I met were friendly and more adventurous then the people I meet back home. However, experiencing the Maori culture, seeing a traditional haka and Maori welcoming service is something I won’t ever forget!
I learnt a lot about working in a school environment. It helped me put into practice all the theory work I had done on my training at home and, I believe that the experiences at Woodford had a major part in me obtaining my current job as a special needs teaching assistant at a secondary school. Before I went to New Zealand I applied to many jobs for months and didn’t get any interviews. After my year in New Zealand I was offered a job after only being home for two weeks. I decided that this job was something I would like to continue after working as a hearing impaired teaching assistant at Woodford.
There are so many things that make being a volunteer in a different country so worthwhile. However I know I would not have enjoyed it half as much if it wasn’t for some of the people I met in the school and on my travels. Everyone was so friendly and inviting and some of them became my family away from home.
I have definitely been bitten by the travel bug since volunteering in New Zealand, I want to experience so many other countries now - not just for holidays but to really experience the cultures and meet the people. As they have so much to offer and the experiences you gain are priceless. I never thought I would be spending Christmas day having a BBQ and then spending the rest of the day swimming in Lake Taupo or sleeping at the bottom of Mt Cook (one of the locations for lord of the rings) in the back of a van.
I am a lot more outgoing and confident than I was when I left England for New Zealand and people have often commented on the fact I am always smiling. A smile definitely goes along way and New Zealand taught me that. Without the bursary to help me get over there I would probably still be struggling to get a job and would not of been able to prove to myself that I am a stronger, independent person who can abseil, jump off the top of waterfalls, make new friends, speak a small amount of Maori and get to say that I have seen one of the most beautiful places in the world.
It seems like a dream now but New Zealand holds a special place in my heart as do the people I met, and I am saving up the pennies one by one to get back out there again and catch up with all my kiwi friends.
