A Career Break in India

Volunteering in India

Use you career break to make a difference to the world.

Community Projects - Bunac.org

Volunteer India offers placements in community awareness and volunteer teaching in India projects in three uniquely different regions of the country, giving you a chance to experience the culture, the people and much more.
Bunac is very thorough in their interview process, orientation and preparing you for your trip beforehand. Various volunteer placements are offered: working with children, women's empowerment, HIV/AIDS awareness and care work, special needs care and teaching. They offer three destinations, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Goa.

Jaipur by RussBowling at Flickr

Community Projects - Gap Year For Grown Ups

Offers a range of volunteer projects in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Goa working amongst communities, day care and learning centres. Gap Year for Grown Ups is all about helping people plan and undertake an overseas trip, whether it is a volunteer project in the developing world or a complete round the world trip.

Building in Spiti, India - i to i.com

This great placement enables volunteers to help a community by building greenhouses to allow the local people to grow fresh vegetables all year round. Spiti is situated high in the Himalayas, in the "forgotten valley".

Various Volunteering Projects - VSO UK

VSO is a leading development charity that sends volunteers to work abroad with full financial support. This excellent and reputable company is well worth a look for the range of placements it offers.

Volunteer Eco-development Conservation in India - Projects Abroad

Voluntary Conservation project in India - short-term term volunteering for gap years, career breaks and work experience.

Tea Gardens of Munnar, Kerala by Kerala Tourism at Wikimedia Commons

Teaching English as a Foreign Language

teaching English is a great way to get to know local people

TEFL.com

The world's largest real-time database of English Language Teaching Jobs. Listing current job vacancies and training courses worldwide.

American TESOL ESL TEFL Online & Seminar Certification Courses

Teach English to children, adults, and professionals in ESL programs worldwide. American TESOL Institute provides TESOL and ESL certification for professional development, computer assisted language learning, and teaching English abroad.

Travellers Worldwide

Teach conversational English, Music, Drama and other subjects in the South of India with Travellers Worldwide. Open to gap years and career breaks with Travellers. Placements overseas for gap year, year out, under-graduates, graduates, career breakers, grown up gappers and retired people.

Bunac Teaching Program

As a Teaching in India BUNAC volunteer, you will help the educational development of students and young people within the local communities. The focus is on English, maths and enhancing creativity. The schools we work with are generally overcrowded and under staffed so as a volunteer you'll be able to give the children much-needed attention.

Projects Abroad

Voluntary Teaching in India, Asia - short-term volunteering abroad, teaching English and other subjects, for gap years, career breaks and work experience. Projects Abroad volunteers are placed in schools in Madurai and the surrounding area. Madurai is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu with a history dating back to 500BC.

India - Faces - Rural women driving their own change by mckaysavage at Flickr

Learn a Skill or Indulge a Passion During Your Sabbatical!

Indian Cooking Course - Gap Year for Grown ups

Spices by Sudhamshu at Flickr

Your Indian Cooking experience will not only involve learning how to cook delicious Indian cuisine, it will also teach you about India's history, customs & traditions. You will have the opportunity to take part in lots of extra activities during weekends and free time.

Gap Adventures - Photograph India

India is a photographer's dream. From the colours and activity of the bazaars to the peaceful and romantic Taj Mahal, you are sure to satisfy your appetite for the perfect photograph in this incredible journey. Join a small group of like minded people, make new friends and learn new skills!

Learn New Skills - Expeditions India

Expeditions India (L.E.I.) is committed to help travellers and seekers who want to get a deep insight into Indian culture and actively learn certain skills India is famous for. We are an experienced Indian organisation working for many years in collaboration with Indian cultural experts. In order to make your trip to India as convenient and enjoyable as possible, we offer you solutions to organize your stay in India. Offering learning experiences in a variety of courses such as pottery, Ayurveda, Indian dance and language skills.

Meditation, Yoga, Dance Workshops and Holiday - ClubMeditation.com

Amazing Yoga Holidays in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Come to Sandeep's native place Udaipur, the city of lakes. A chance to sing, chant, dance and live with the tribal people. Living in nature, an ashram with ayurvedic massage and treatments, horse riding and much more. A promise for an unforgettable experience.

Rajhastan by David Kerkhoff at Wikimedia

Adventure Travel Tours in India

Get adventurous on your career break!

Northern India tour - Responsible Travel

This fascinating journey visits the major highlights such as Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur but it also includes fabulous castles, forts and palaces of Rajasthan.

We head off the beaten track which gives you the chance to see how life continues in India's villages. Our nights are spent at a number of exquisite heritage hotels which vary from luxurious Maharaja's palaces and lavish tented camps to more simple but equally atmospheric old buildings.

Journey to India & the Himalaya - Imaginative Traveller

With focus on local cultures and historic sites, these trips have the perfect mix of discovery, exploration, comfort and relaxation.

Spiritual India - Geckos Adventures

India has been described as one of the most spiritual places on earth. This journey takes us on a pilgrimage to the special spots that highlight the mystical aspects of this amazing country. From the bustling capital, Delhi, we travel to Rishikesh - the 'Yoga Capital of the World' - where we enjoy daily yoga sessions, with plenty of time to enjoy side-trips and exploration.

At the holy city of Varanasi, we see passion and devotion on their grandest scales in an amazing spectacle as pilgrims congregate on the banks of the Ganges River. This is experiencing India on a different level!

Bengal Tiger by Koshy Koshy/Wikimedia

Tiger Spotting - On the Go India

Follow the tiger trail and enter two of India's premier tiger reserves - Pench National Park and Kanha National Park. Both host an outstanding abundance of flora and fauna and a diversity of species that only the Indian subcontinent can deliver.

Himalayas Trekking Tour - Peak Adventure Tours

A journey through Himachal holds the promise of a deep and refreshing communion with nature in its varying beauty. The lush river valleys surrounded by snow-capped peaks, the fruit-laden orchards, gurgling streams and the dense forests that echo with birdsong evoke enchantment and delight.

Closer to the Greater Himalayan and Zanskar range, delight gives way to awe as one is faced with the stark, haunting landscape of the cold desert. Here, still lakes gleam like emeralds and sapphires amidst towering White Mountains that stand aloof and forbidding in their majesty.

India adventure expeditions with Raleigh

Raleigh provides expeditions and volunteer projects abroad for people taking a gap year, career break, retirement or time out from education, employment or training. School expeditions, corporate expeditions and expeditions for youth organisations can be tailor-made to suit specific requirements.

Circle India - Intrepid Travel

Circle India on this epic cross-country journey, taking the time to discover the sounds, sights and smells of this remarkable nation. The subcontinent is a fascinating region pulsing with the life and culture of over a billion people. Here religion is lived and breathed each day in a thousand ways and glimpses of history are found on every corner. From jam-packed cities to chilled out beaches, explore the major sights and off-the-beaten-track delights of colourful India.

South India Explored - Tucan Travel

South India Explored is a 15 day Adventure Tour including Kerala backwaters, Madurai Temple and Mysore with award winning Tucan Travel. Southern India - from its delicately decorated temples and sacred sites, to vibrant cities and colonial towns, is an incomparably beautiful destination. Nature lovers will enjoy opportunities to view diverse and abundant wildlife. Explore the paradise of Kerala, India's sunshine state and venture to the hill stations of Tamil Nadu. Meet snake charmers and gypsies of colourful Mamallapuram, and take in the intricate networks of canals at Allepey.

Extreme adventure holiday in Ladakh - Responsible Travel

A demanding expedition ideal for those who enjoy a challenge. The Tri-Adventure Expedition is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. It is a demanding expedition ideal for those with a good level of fitness who enjoy a challenge.

The expedition is divided into three sections, mountain biking, rafting or kayaking and trekking, covering a total distance of 460km. Located in Ladakh on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau this entire trip is at high attitude and acclimatisation adds an extra element to this expedition. With a low point of 2940m and a high point of 6153m we cross 5 passes (4200m, 3700m, 4400m, 4950m & 4850m) along this epic journey. With over 90% of Ladakh's population practicing Buddhism it is more like Tibet than India in many ways. The expedition gives a great insight into local culture with visits to monasteries, palaces, villages and markets all included.

Mountains in Ladakh by Jochen Westermann at Wikimedia Commons

Travelling solo around India!

just do your own thing!

The Man in Seat Sixty-One...

How to travel by train or ferry from the UK into Europe & worldwide... Train times, fares, how to buy tickets, advice & information.

Career Break Site - independent career break advice and information

The Career Break Site is the biggest career break site in the UK. Get free, independent advice and information, and search for the right career break for you.

Help and Guidance For Your Career Break at A Career Break (UK)

A career break or sabbatical is a great life experience. Check out our expert advice on schooling, family, visas, finances and activities to make the most of your leave.

Hostels & Youth Hostels Worldwide

Book hostels online. Confirmed reservations at over 20,000 youth hostels worldwide as well as up to the minute Hostelworld customer reviews and ratings, descriptions and photos. Cheap hostels at Hostelworld.com.

Road Junky

After 6 months in India you'll never be the same again, read this account of India which tells it like it is!

The Thelma and Louise Club

An online community for women travellers to find travel buddies.

Briefcase to Backpack - Travel Advice for Career Breaks or Sabbaticals

Briefcase to Backpack: Offering travel advice and inspiration for Americans taking a career break or sabbatical.

Guru by Jorge Bassy - 2KPhotos.com at Flickr