These answers to frequently asked questions will help inform you about the program in Guyana. If you have further questions, please call the WorldTeach office at 1 800 483-2240 or 617 495-5527. We can also put you in touch with a returned WorldTeach volunteer.
When does the program start and end?
What language is spoken in Guyana?
When will I find out where I will be teaching?
Where will I be living?
How will I travel to Guyana?
Can I make my own travel arrangements?
Can I come home during the year?
Will there be a chance to travel to other places?
Do I need a visa?
What immunizations are required?
What if I get sick? What are the medical facilities like in Guyana?
Is Guyana safe?
What should I take with me?
Will I be paid?
How much money should I take with me?
Will I be able to communicate with friends and family at home?
Can I speak with a returned WorldTeach volunteer?
Q: When does the program start and end?
A: The Guyana program departs in early August. Volunteers will arrive in Georgetown for orientation. The school year begins in late August, at which point volunteers will depart for their individual sites. Volunteers will depart Guyana after the End of Service conference in July.
More information on exact dates of departure will be available 3-4 months prior to departure.
Q: What language is spoken in Guyana?
A: English is spoken throughout Guyana, though often with a strong accent or in a Creole dialect. With a little practice and patience, you will find that you adapt quickly to understanding the local dialects.
Q: When will I find out where I will be teaching?
A: Teaching placements are determined by the WorldTeach Field Director in consultation with the various host schools that have requested a volunteer teacher. Once accepted to the program, you may express general preferences with regard to your teaching or living situation. The Field Director will take these preferences and your prior experience into account when matching you with a suitable school and host family. Since WorldTeach also has to take into account the needs of the host schools and communities, we cannot guarantee any particular placement. This process of matching volunteers with placement sites is done once the Field Director has received information on all the volunteers in the group. You will receive information about your placement site, teaching assignment and host family about one month prior to departure. Until then, please be flexible and keep an open mind.
Q: Where will I be living?
A: Volunteers will live either in accommodations provided by the Ministry of Education. Usually this means government housing on school grounds or nearby. Often, Guyanese teachers will live near-by, also in government housing, and will be great friends and guides for volunteers. In addition, volunteers will also be given contacts of individuals and families in their town whom they can go to for support and friendship
Back to top
Q: How will I travel to Guyana?
A: WorldTeach arranges travel for each group departing for Guyana from a departure city in the USA. The group will meet at the departure city airport and then travel together to Georgetown, Guyana. The international round-trip flight from the departure city to Georgetown is covered by the WorldTeach program fee. WorldTeach purchases round-trip tickets valid for one year at a discounted group rate. More details of the group flight arrangements will be available about 3 months prior to departure. You will then be asked to confirm your travel plans by a certain date so that WorldTeach can finalize the group air tickets.
Each volunteer is responsible for getting him/herself to the departure city. Many volunteers are able to find discounted or teacher/student fare domestic connections from the internet or student travel agencies such as www.studentuniverse.com or www.statravel.com.
Q: Can I make my own travel arrangements?
A: You may opt out of the WorldTeach group flight. You should arrange your own flights if you plan to travel in Guyana before the program starts, or if you do not plan to leave from the United States. (If you want to travel after the program you can still use the WorldTeach return ticket which is valid for one year from date of departure; you will be responsible for any fees resulting from changing your return date).
If you choose to travel independently to Guyana you must plan to arrive in Georgetown on or before the date of the group flight's arrival so that you do not miss any orientation activities. Be sure to buy a round-trip ticket that is valid for a full year and has a changeable return date in case your travel plans should change. Volunteers traveling independently must inform the Program Manager in writing of their travel plans. If you purchase your own air ticket to Guyana, WorldTeach will deduct the equivalent cost of one ticket on our group flight from your program fee.
Q: Can I come home during the year?
A: As a WorldTeach volunteer in Guyana you are under contract with the Ministry of Education and are responsible for teaching full time for the duration of each school term. If you choose to travel home for a visit during the year you must do so during school vacations. School begins on August 29th and is divided into three terms of 13 weeks each. Between each term is a two-week vacation. If a family emergency or event requires you to go home during a term you must clear your absence with your school director and arrange coverage for your classes. Any trips home or other personal travel will be at your own expense. You might want to suggest that your family or friends visit you in Guyana, ideally during your school breaks so that you can spend more time with them.
Q: Will there be a chance to travel to other places?
A: You will have opportunities to see different areas of Guyana. You will spend the first four weeks of orientation in Georgetown, Guyana's capital. After orientation you will travel to your individual teaching site. You will reconvene with the whole group for a Mid-Service Conference and again at the end of the year for an End of Service debriefing meeting and the flight home. These conferences may be in different locations as determined by your Field Director. Your travel to these conferences will be covered by WorldTeach. Any travel you choose to do beyond these program activities will be at your own expense and must be during weekends or school vacations. You may want to visit other volunteers on weekends or explore another part of the country. You should bring your own spending money for personal travel.
Q: Do I need a visa?
A: As of February 15, 1994, Guyana no longer requires visas for citizens of the United States, Canada, England, and most other Western European countries. If you are a citizen of another country, you should contact the WorldTeach office in Cambridge. A list of countries that do not require an entry visa can be found at: http://www.guyana.org/govt/visa_requirements.html.
Please note that visa requirements change frequently. WorldTeach will keep you up to date on the process.
Back to top
Q: What immunizations will I need?
A: The most comprehensive source of information on immunizations and travel health is the website for the Center for Disease Control, which can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ . This site provides recommendations for travel to South America as well as detailed information on specific diseases. In addition, after your confirmation in the Guyana program WorldTeach will send you a Healthy Travel guide. You must consult your doctor or a travel health specialist about immunizations and other health needs. WorldTeach staff are not qualified to give medical advice. Only your doctor can do this.
As with travel to any developing country, it is generally recommended that you get immunized against Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Rabies, Yellow Fever, and Typhoid. Check with your doctor that your Polio, Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR), and Tetanus-Diphtheria (TTD) vaccinations are up to date, or get a booster shot if necessary. Also check that you have had a recent TB test.
There is a high risk of malaria in Guyana. Risk is lower in the coastal regions than inland. Malaria is a serious, and possibly fatal, mosquito-borne disease. Mosquito repellant with DEET, a mosquito net for your bed, and malaria medication are all highly recommended. See the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/travel) for the latest information.
Q: What if I get sick? What are the medical facilities like in Guyana?
A: Adjusting to a new environment, diet, and climate places demands on your body and health. Living in a new culture and taking on new professional responsibilities will be tiring. You will get sick at certain times; it is unavoidable. But you will also learn how to look after yourself, maintain your health, and seek treatment for sickness. At every site there is either a hospital or a clinic that will be able to treat basic injuries and illnesses. If it is determined you need medical beyond what is available at your site, you will be evacuated to a private hospital in Georgetown used by WorldTeach as well as the U.S. Embassy and the Peace Corps.
As a WorldTeach volunteer you will have health insurance coverage that includes emergency medical evacuation insurance. Volunteers are expected to pay the full costs of medical expenses up front, including prescription medication. Volunteers will be reimbursed by the insurance company after filing their claims. All volunteers are covered under the mandatory WorldTeach group insurance policy. The policy has been specially designed with WorldTeach volunteers in mind. If you have a pre-existing health condition and require further treatment you should consider maintaining your own health insurance coverage as well. Volunteers will receive a description of the WorldTeach health insurance policy once they are accepted into the program.
Q: Is Guyana safe?
A: While there is always some level of risk involved in traveling and living in a developing country, WorldTeach pays close attention to US State Department and Embassy advice and does not place volunteers in any areas considered dangerous.
Theft and mugging are serious concerns, particularly in Georgetown, although volunteers, as foreigners, need to be aware of the surroundings wherever placed. The best way to avoid crime in Guyana is to use common sense. The Field Director will give you some guidance as to what areas of Georgetown to avoid, but keep some general recommendations in mind: don’t wander out alone until you know your surroundings, don't walk alone at night, make use of taxis (especially at night), and give muggers what they want immediately. If attacked, screaming for help is also a viable option, as windows are generally wide open and people will come to your assistance.
Drug trafficking is another issue worthy of mention. The government of Guyana is working to prove to the United States that it can deal with its drug trade problem effectively in order to avoid losing foreign aid. As a result, Guyanese police may be eager to catch Americans using drugs in order to prove a point to the United States. Although marijuana is plentiful and readily available, volunteers that smoke it will be shunned from the community. Some volunteers in Guyana have even refrained from drinking alcohol in public for this reason.
Be aware of luggage tampering at the airport in Georgetown. In rare instances in the past, Americans have had their bags filled with cocaine after they were checked in at the departure gate. Don't let anyone tamper with your luggage on your way home. This includes friends or neighbors who may offer you food or rum to take home with you. These items have been used to smuggle drugs in the past.
Back to top
Q: What should I take with me?
A: When you confirm your participation in the program you will be sent a booklet called Living & Teaching in Guyana. This booklet contains a suggested packing list. We do not recommend taking a lot of electronics, as they are easily broken or stolen. Try to pack light; you will need to be able to move your bags easily. The WorldTeach office in Georgetown has some teaching books and materials that you can borrow or copy, but you might want to take your own books, activities, or other materials that you think will be of use to you during your year. Posters or pictures from magazines, popular songs, or videos are valuable teaching tools that are hard to come by in Guyana!
Q: Will I be paid?
A: As a volunteer you will receive a stipend from the Ministry of Education. The stipend will be approximately $225 per month. Stipends are modest and are designed only to cover your basic living expenses. You will receive a stipend for each month you teach, but you will probably not receive it regularly and you might not receive it until late in your teaching year.
Q: How much money should I take with me?
A: The amount of spending money you decide to take along depends largely on your lifestyle and the amount of traveling you plan to do, among other considerations. Volunteers near Georgetown or New Amsterdam will probably spend more money than volunteers in smaller towns who spend most weekends in their host community. WorldTeach reimburses program-related travel to conferences. You will need spending money for personal costs such as communication with friends and family, social activities, and medical expenses, which you will need to cover until WorldTeach insurance reimburses you. You may also need to use your own money for daily living costs if stipend payments from your school are delayed. Volunteers in other WorldTeach programs recommend having access to about $1000-$1500 in spending money, or more if you intend to do a lot of traveling.
The currency in Guyana is the Guyana Dollar. The official exchange rate is currently about 200 Guyana Dollars to 1 US Dollar. You will be paid your monthly stipend in Guyana Dollars. Always change your money at banks or hotel exchange counters. Changing money on the black market is illegal and against WorldTeach policy.
Credit cards can be used only in select hotels such as Le Meridian or The Tower and more upscale restaurants. Le Meridian grants cash advances, but they require a minimum exchange of about $200. You can also use your credit or ATM card for cash advances at the teller window at Scotia Bank.
If you are placed in the hinterland, banking will not be easy, although more and more towns in the country are getting Western Unions. If you are placed in one of the more urban areas such as Georgetown or New Amsterdam, you will have fairly easy access to banks such as Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry or the National Bank for Industry and Commerce and may even choose to open an account. It is fairly easy to wire money into most bank accounts from the States. Also, in more urban areas there are cambios, legal establishments where you can change cash only.
Q: Will I be able to communicate with friends and family at home?
A: Either phone service or email, and often both, are available at most locations where volunteers are placed. Internet cafes are common, even in small towns. If there is neither phone or email service, volunteers will use shortwave radio to communicate with the Field Director. Airmail letters and small packages take about two weeks to go from Guyana to the United States or Canada, although they may take anywhere between 10 days and two months or more to arrive. It costs US$0.40 to send a letter to the United States from Guyana and US$0.80 to send a letter to Guyana from the United States. The cost of postage escalates rapidly as weight increases. If friends or family are sending mail to you in Guyana, be sure that they use an envelope clearly marked "airmail." In addition, Federal Express, UPS, and DHL now have service to and from Georgetown and New Amsterdam, although it is not cheap. When you receive your placement information you will be provided with your school's mailing address.
Q: Can I speak with a returned WorldTeach volunteer?
A: Absolutely! Although this is our first year in Guyana, WorldTeach has sent over 3,000 volunteers around the world. We can put you in contact with a returned WorldTeach volunteer who can share their experiences with you. Contact the office by phone (1 800 483-2240 or 617 495-5527) or send a request by email to info@worldteach.org.
Back to top
