Escola Casa do Mar

NOTE ON RESPONSE RATE:
It is temporarily low because we missed some applications last week. Please still send your application. We respond to everyone and are actively looking for volunteers.

We accept 95% of volunteer applications :)

Trailer (2024):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ssWXqHEZH4

Trailer (2023):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZCGImgB8jk

Share a beautiful bilingual home with a dozen fellow travellers,

As you Teach, Paint, Make or Climb around Rio de Janeiro.

It is no problem if you speak no English or no Portuguese, but best that you speak at least a little of one!

OUR FOUR PROGRAMS:

1. The Escola Casa do Mar English Teaching Program: Assist at our English School & Gain an TEFL Certificate (Optional)

Read Full Program Details Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PvaA07wlfPokQf6zOpDD6YLWCXMk3JW1OOl1xR3_T4Y/edit?usp=sharing

We teach 120 students, 100% free of charge, at 4 sites across Vidigal, Rocinha and Mandela 1 (Zona Norte). Classes are conducted in small groups, with an average teacher:student ratio of 1:3. No experience is necessary, and no Portuguese is necessary.

2. The Escola Casa do Mar Social Entrepreneurship Program

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Amoe24DWWVpg1lXaIu1KBVCOCGhsNc_lhv9ajZS3GJs/edit?usp=sharing

3. The Escola Casa do Mar Street Art Program

4. The Escola Casa do Mar Adventure Sports Program (Climbing and Bouldering)

5. If you do not speak English and have a specific skill, please get in touch, we are always open to motivated volunteers who would like to share their passions with our students.

OUR HOUSES:

Our Vidigal house: https://www.airbnb.com.br/rooms/48282753
Our house in Santa Teresa: https://www.airbnb.com.br/rooms/27428250

(Please ignore the prices here, the airbnb links are just to check out the photos of the houses).

Sharing one of our beautiful houses with a dozen of your fellow volunteers, you’ll live in community, with everyone united in a shared act of creation at the school, and eager to enjoy the beach, go out to dance, and embrace life in Rio de Janeiro. You can choose to live at our charming 19th-century house in Santa Teresa, Rio's bohemian, hilltop neighbourhood, and spend your evenings and weekends lounging by the house pool and running wild and free. Or choose to live inside Vidigal, Rio’s safest favela, at Casa do Mar, a glass-fronted house opening out directory onto the rainforest, with uninterrupted views of the ocean, and monkeys playing in the canopy.

Outside of the school, we build community using weekly churrascos, weekly trips into nature (Parque Nacional do Tijuca; surfing at the beach; hikes) and regular trips to the Teatro Municipal, along with favela parties. Everyone is invited to everything, there are no cliques. And just being you is enough.

The Escola Casa do Mar team is made up of a group of Brazilians and foreigners living in Rio de Janeiro. We are deeply passionate about our projects, and grateful to be able to make a contribution to this wonderful city. You'll most likely find us at Posto 12 "in the process of getting into surfing".

Top Host
This host receives a lot of worldpackers and has a high average rating.

Reviews

5.0
(94 reviews)94

Staff & Host

5.0

Hours & Tasks

4.5

Hostel

5.0

Learning & Fun

5.0

Belgium

5

I loved this trip so much! I got really attached to the people who lived and worked with me. The work schedule is great, and the job is both interesting and fun! On top of teaching English to the kids, you also learn Portuguese in return. I highly recommend going a thousand times over!

10 days ago

Italy

5

Staying at Casa do Mar was an unforgettable experience that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Teaching english was not only fun and enjoyable, but also a wonderful way to connect with local life and meet people from the community.

The atmosphere is incredibly warm and friendly, making it easy to form meaningful connections both with the locals and with fellow volunteers and team members involved in the project.

And all of this takes place in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

11 days ago

Italy

5

Mind blowing experience! I had an amazing time at casa do mar: Lydia, Victor, Larry and James and the whole team casa do mar welcomed me since the very first minute and helped me to understand and get used to the local culture, always feeling safe and secure! Vidigal is safe, and the experience with the kids is amazing! Also you have the possibility to connect with international travelers and do something with them in the free time, building a second family here in Brazil! Totally would recommend! Hope to come back soon :)

20 days ago

United Kingdom

5

Absolutely loved my time at Escola do Mar!
The team was incredibly loving and friendly, and I truly felt that we were making a positive social impact by teaching English. Staying in Vidigal was a beautiful way to experience the local culture (it was very safe) and I wouldn’t have traded it for anywhere else!

There actually weren’t too many volunteer hours, and I would’ve been happy to contribute even more.
I can’t wait to come back one day — thank you for such a meaningful and unforgettable experience!

28 days ago

Chile

5

Llevo más de un mes acá y ha sido una experiencia hermosa, Escola casa do mar se siente como una gran familia, Kat y Luiz ayudan mucho en eso y en sentirte acogido.
Yo ayudo con la limpieza en una de las dos casas de voluntarios, los horarios son de mañana, por lo que deja mucho tiempo libre para poder disfrutar de esta hermosa ciudad.
Estoy muy agradecida de haber encontrado este proyecto 🤍

28 days ago


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