APPLYING FOR A TOUR

From 1st May to 31st July each year the button link at the bottom of this page called “Apply Now” will go live. When it is active it will link you to an online form that you will have to fill in asking for lots of details, you will be able to save this and return to it as it may take you some time to fill in. You will also need to provide two recent references who have witnessed you working with children and you will also need to submit a link to a 5 mins promo video of you (details of this here). If accepted you will be expected to undergo a police check relevant to your local area (we can assist those in the UK with their DBS checks).

Tour Information
A single tour lasts 2 to 4 months, but your commitment to PWB begins once you have been selected. We ask volunteers to be actively involved in fundraising and promoting PWB’s work before, during and after the tour. As a volunteer you will be responsible for fundraising the cost of your tour, putting together a show with the rest of the volunteers and planning a teaching curriculum around your unique skills.

As a group you will also have further responsibilities whilst on tour. These include:

Finding external groups and organising shows/workshops
Documenting and reporting back on the tour thorough newsletters and videos
Managing Budgets
Buying and cooking your own food
Managing transport logistics
Supporting the development of your team mates
Organising ‘rest’ days and activities
Ensuring the health and well-being of other team members
Reviewing your daily / monthly activities
We expect volunteers to be active participants in the tours – there is a tour facilitator but the tours are a team effort!

 

REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB

Essential

A mid to high level of skill in one or more circus skill or performing art
Experience teaching to mixed groups of children and young people
Experience of devising and performing shows
Self motivated and highly committed
Mature and professional attitude to work and touring life/demands

Experience of travelling/living/working in the country to which you are applying. Especially the following areas: Kenya – Nairobi,   India – Varanasi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Darjeeling.
Experience of facilitating/living/working in a group situation
Experience of working in social circus/community/charity sector
Experience of leading group process
Exceptional communication skills
Confident in fostering a positive team experiences

Desirable

Experience living/volunteering overseas
Experience of working in a team/touring
Experience of coordinating travel logistics
Experience of creating/editing short videos
Experience writing blogs/social media
Mid to high level skills in 3 or more circus / performing arts.
Experience in working with multiple partner organisations.

 

More detailed information about our tours

In general a PWB tour consists of:
a 1-2 week training camp in country to allow you to get to know your team and become acclimatised, put together a show, and finalise the curriculum you will be teaching.

2 or 3 projects (depending on the tour) with one of our key partners. These will last approximately 3-4 weeks for each project. These are organisations that work with vulnerable children and young people in the countries we work.
Regular out-reach projects. These are performances and workshops that last just one or two days.

The tours will be facilitated by experienced PWB volunteers who have toured previously with PWB in that country. They will form the Tour Leader Team and a Tour Coordinator will guide the tour from day-to-day in country.

More specifically the individual projects will be made up of the following elements:

India: 1x 2 week projects, 2-3 x one month long projects in Varanasi and Darjeeling and maybe Calcutta, broken up by at least 1 x 10 day/2 week break TOTAL= 3.5 to 4.5 months. Rough dates January to end April.

Nicaragua: 2 x month long projects in Leon and San Marcos, 1 x shorter project in Granada/Managua, 1 x 1 week break between the two longer projects. TOTAL= 3 months. Rough dates January to end March.

Kenya: 1-2 weeks working in Nairobi alongside national artists and teachers. 2 x projects each lasting 3 weeks with a small break in the middle. The 2019 Kenya tour is a shorter project, running for 10 weeks. This tour requires volunteers with a higher level of circus experience as we collaborate with the National Circus training school in Nairobi. We also look for volunteers who have teaching experience with vulnerable young people as we collaborate with at risk young people throughout this project. Currently this is looking to start in January.
Strong volunteers from this year will also have the opportunity to become a Tour Coordinator, or become part of the Tour Leader team for subsequent tours.

Fundraising

You will be asked to raise your own funds to go on the tour which is all part of the experience. The approximate contribution you will required to make is listed below plus you will also have to pay for your own flights and travel insurance (see below). Please note amounts may vary from year to year and we give a ‘desirable’ amount so that strong fundraisers can also raise extra funds to support PWBs central costs and to help keep us running sustainably year-on-year:

                (minimum —> desirable)
India:            £1000      to   £1200
Kenya:         £1000      to   £1200

This contribution is non refundable and must be paid in full before 20th December 2018. A £100 non refundable deposit will be required within a week of accepting your place on tour. The money goes towards food, travel, workshop equipment and accommodation whilst on tour.
You will also need additional funds for your own flights, insurance and vaccinations. Please check flights to Goa (India), Managua (Nicaragua) and Nairobi (Kenya) for an idea of this cost. You will also need your own spending money for day-to-day extras and for time off during the tours (approx 2-3 weeks).
PWB projects run on a tight budget and we don’t ask you for any more than we need to be able to run the tours. We fundraise ourselves to help cover the costs of the tour coordinator who has to work before, during and after the tour. We take minimal admin costs, everything else is run by volunteers.

Where the money goes:

PWB projects run on a tight budget and we don’t ask you for any more than we need to be able to run the tours. We fundraise ourselves to help cover the costs of the tour coordinator who has to work before, during and after the tour. We take minimal admin costs, everything else is run by volunteers. PWB look for the most cost effective, convenient and reasonable ways to run projects and try to keep everyone happy. The money you pay as a contribution to PWB covers the following things WHILST WORKING ON PROJECTS (you will need to fund your time off separately to this):
EQUIPMENT – A small portion of your contribution may be put towards to the amount of equipment we need to make the tour happen. This could include things such as equipment for the children’s workshops or bags to carry PWB kit in and running repairs on technical equipment for the tour.

Food

This will be a combination of meals out so you can try the local dishes and shared home cooking within the team. Where we have the option, this will be 2 out of 3 meals a day ‘at home’, cooking for yourselves as a team or individually, using what is available locally at markets etc. If you have specific dietary requirements, please note this on your application and talk to PWB about the local food and how you may be affected -it’s not ever been a problem so far, don’t worry – but do be prepared to be flexible, adaptable, and eat the same thing every day as the nationals do – such as rice and beans (Nicaragua), rice and dhal/curry (India), rice and meat or beans/lentils (Kenya). Being vegetarian/vegan in India is pretty easy, in Nicaragua less so with veganism (limited diet), and Kenya is also ok, although eating out will more often than not involve meat – or rice and beans!

Accommodation

Whilst on tour with PWB we do our best to source and provide comfortable accommodation, with cooking/cleaning/bathing and sleeping facilities and a practice space available, although sometimes this last part may not be possible. Sometimes you may be in a hostel with other travelers and sometimes you may be in a house or guesthouse, with or without other travelers/locals sharing the space. Sometimes, the local group/area we are working in may only have the most basic facilities. You may be required to share a room/bathroom with some of your teammates, male or female – you may be required to share a room/bathroom with all of your team-mates! PWB volunteers have to be adaptable and ready to leave their home comforts behind.

TRAVEL

This includes travel to and from the project you are working with, which may be: walking, bicycles, trains, taxi’s, rickshaws – people powered and motorized, trucks, buses, minibuses (public or private) or a combination of the above, whatever is most cost effective and convenient. It also includes all travel between projects if you travel as part of the PWB team or are carrying PWB equipment. Travels can be long, tiring, dusty, hot, bumpy etc. but sometimes the views are awesome!

PWB have decided not to run 2021 tours, applications will restart in spring 2021 with applications for the 2022 tours. 

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