I volunteered with BBBB, Fun with English Online, during my three years at Durham University.

I worked with several classes and loved getting to know the children. I had never taught before but was well supported by the team at BBBB, including other volunteers who encouraged me and shared lots of great ideas to help me plan my lessons. I also discovered many resources and games online which helped me plan and deliver lessons on Zoom.

I taught boys and girls of different ages and the small groups gave me the chance to appreciate their distinctive personalities. They engaged well with lessons, especially if there was a competitive element involved and I’d definitely recommend interactive activities, lots of visual content and activities like word searches.

The staff in Malaysia were lovely – they supported me and the whole programme was very well organised. We taught about two hours a week and spent about an hour or so preparing each week.

I recommend this programme to anyone regardless of whether you want to go into teaching. I have grown in confidence and this has opened doors to other opportunities for me such as a TESOL qualification and working as a TA in UK schools after graduating. And to top it all, I’m going to Malaysia in January for six months where I can’t wait to meet some of the children in person who I’ve got to know online.