FAQs on Volunteering to Teach English in Ghana

Getting to Fumesua, Kumasi

Flights to Accra, the capital of Ghana, are available from most major UK airports. Choose from either an internal flight from Accra to Kumasi or a coach from Accra Central to Kumasi (the coach stops right outside the school). If arriving Mar - Apr, Jul - Aug or Nov - Dec then Philip Yeboah (founder of the school) will meet you at Accra Airport and transport you to your accommodation at Fumesua.

Fumesua is a small, friendly town - a safe place to wander around and explore. Read other volunteer's experiences.

Passport and Visa

Your entry to Ghana may be refused if there is only six months left on your passport before it expires. So the first thing to do is check your passport and get it it renewed if there is less than six months left before it expires on the date you plan to enter Ghana.

You must obtain a volunteer visa for travel to Ghana. Once you have been offered a placement with the school in Ghana you will be sent a letter from the school confirming your placement that you will need as part of your visa application.

Read our guide to filling in the visa application form.

Vaccinations

Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate: you must show this certificate to enter Ghana. The yellow fever immunisation takes effect 10 days after the injection and lasts for 10 years. Your local GP or clinic will be able to tell you where the nearest yellow fever clinic is located in your area.

Malaria prophylaxis with Lariam, Malarone, or doxycycline is recommended for all areas of Ghana. Insect repellents containing 20-35% DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) or 20% picaridin (Bayrepel) should be used to reduce mosquito bites. DEET may also be applied to clothing.

Other vaccinations recommended for Ghana are polio, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A, typhoid, meningococcus, tuberculosis and rabies. You should visit a travel clinic 8 weeks before your departure.

Travel Insurance

It is essential that you have adequate travel and health insurance, this can provide the peace of mind that if you get sick or injured, your medical expenses will be reimbursed.

What to take

Bradt’s Travel Guide to Ghana - Bradt’s Ghana has remained the bestselling guide to the country since it was first published in 1998, being used by almost every English-speaking visitor. Readers will discover a country steeped in a rich cultural tradition and little-visited attractions.

Money belt (cotton)

Sun hat/sun glasses

Sheet sleeping bag

Mosquito net

Water bottle

Binoculars (if interested in wildlife and birds)

Camera

Shortwave radio or personal stereo (batteries)

Torch with spare batteries

Towel or sheet towel as it is easier to wash and dry

Books

Toilet bag

Toiletries – soap, shampoo, conditioner, tooth brush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, shaving foam, body lotion (soap, toothpaste and body lotion are easily replaced in Ghana)

Toilet roll

Women should take sanitary towels, tampons, panty liners etc

If you wear contact lenses you should take all the solutions you require and also take spare glasses

If you wear glasses then tinted lenses are more comfortable during the day

Cotton clothes; trousers, T-shirts, long sleeve shirt, cotton underwear, cotton socks. Women; long skirts and dresses. The north of Ghana is mainly Muslim and it is best if women wear skirts below the knee.

Sandals, Training shoes or light walking boots, flip-flops (good for the shower)

Medical Kit – plasters, bandage, adhesive tape, scissors, pocket knife, tweezers, thermometer, tincture of iodine (cleaning wounds), moleskin (for blisters), sunblock, paracetamol or aspirin, condoms, oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, insect repellent, women prone to thrush should take vaginal cream or tablets for yeast infections.

If you have any questions or concerns, please use our Contact Form.

What's the weather like?

The Ashanti region of Ghana has an average annual rainfall of 1270mm and two rainy seasons, the average daily temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius. Find out more Ghana and the Ashanti region.

Etiquette in Ghana

Ghanaians greet, shake hands, pass something and eat all with their right hand. It is considered rude if you use your left hand. As a tourist you will easily be forgiven but it would be polite to use your right hand.

In general, Ghanaians emphasize communal values such as family, respect for the elderly, honoring traditional rulers, and the importance of dignity and proper social conduct.

When greeting people in a home, it is considered improper if the guest ignores any person present. Guests are expected to acknowledge and greet every person at a social occasion, including children and babies, by shaking hands (with the right hand only).

The north of Ghana is mainly Muslim and it is unacceptable for women, particularly young foreign women, to wear clothes of a revealing nature. Female clothing which would be acceptable in the West (shorts, low-cut strapped tops, etc) are not socially acceptable in Ghanaian society.