Ujjain

dan wood

I'm off to Ujjain next September.

I'm going to teach at Stamford International College, but basically I want to know if anyone has been tp Ujjain, and if so what did you thik of it?

Customs? Best mode of transport?

PeakXV

Hello Dan welcome aboard! Never been to Ujjain but it sounds fascinating and and well steeped of hindu & buddhist legend. Its on the Bhopal-Nagda line so rail seems to be the way to go.
Kalidasa wrote some of his immortal works there, & it even has a jantar mantar! ... That's all I know ... I'm sure a few IM'ers have spent some time there and can fill you in much better.

__________________
We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

dan wood

I would appreciate it if someone would be able to answer by this evening, but I was wondering what I would have to ask the school I'm going to.

Basically rather than going through gapguru.com or other placement middle people, I found an advert (which is genuine) on gapyear.com about this placement.

I have been talking to the Principal/CEO of the school, but basically I want the most detailed picture of what is going to happen as soon as I step off the plane in Indore.

What sort of questions would you ask? What would you need to know?

Thanks...

Dan

greenchutney

ask the principal of the college if he/she can give any contacts (with email/phone) for people like yourself who have done this before. contact them and get the details since they will know everything with the experience. doubt you are the first foreigner there...?

if you cant, then

1: A hotel he/she would recommend for short term stay

2: A local resource/student/family he/she could provide for help with finding a house/flat to stay long term

PeakXV

What specific information are you looking for? Perhaps you can list the questions that are urgent. Ujjain is off the beaten trail but I am sure the Indian Im'ers can extrapolate a little.

vir

I grew up in Indore which is 60 km from Ujjain.

Ujjain in my opinion is a nice town. Not as big as Indore and has a small town feeling to it. It is the place of one of the four kumbh melas. The Ujjain Kumbh mela is called Simhastha. It is one of the holiest cities. The mahakalshwar temple is very famous which has one of the 12 jyotirlinga.

Transportation: To move around locally you can hire a auto Rickshaw (Tuk tuk) which works in same way as a Car taxi in big metros. OR tempo which sits 12 people and runs on a designated route.

Custom: It is in hindi speaking belt of India. Very few people on street will understand English except few common words. Basically its like any other Indian town. Ask anything specific about 'customs' and may be I will be able to help you better.

Now...I have never heard of Stamford International College. Is it a College or a school? May be its a new college/school. Are you going to be a volunteer there ?

The school is not there on the Alumni site and it doesnt have any kind of reference on internet (I googled it).
http://www.alumni.net/Asia/India/Madhya_Pradesh/Ujjain/

The only reference is on gapyear site you mentioned:
http://www.gapyear.com/modules.php?n...light=ujja in
and the name there is "Stanford International Girls School"

I feel this could be a fraud school (I am not sure what the purpose would be) OR a small school for underprivileged kids where you are going to volunteer.

Ujjain wikipedia page has some more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujjain

dan wood

Yeah sorry it was Stanford, just I was misunderstoon due to Chelsea FC. :$

So shall I turn down the placement,

greenchutney

its difficult to give any sort of suggestion if enough details arent provided.

1: what is this stanford international college and is it located in ujjain city? some details please and if they have an internet address.

2: is it affliated to some international school like stanford university?

3: what kind of teaching /course are you doing?..is this a paid position?..how long is it for?

4: have you talked to anyone who has done it?..please ask for references.

good luck

dan wood

The address given on the original email was just
Stanford International School for Girls
Ujjain
India

He gave a mobile number as well.

Is there anyway shape or form I could check.

They have no web address.

And to my knowledge no one else has done this, on the placement it is unpaid and my accomodation and foodf is paid for.

Jorge Reverter

Hi Dan,

Last September I've been three or four days in Ujjain. I liked the town and the people, and there is always a lot of ambiance in the old part of the city and in the ghats.

Best way to move are tempos, you'll find everywhere and for few rupees you can move easily.

In my Picture's Gallery as well and in my son's picture gallery (jorge jr) i think i have some pics.

Jorge

greenchutney

this could be a small institution, could be a new institution. from the name of it, it doesnt seem to been like NGO or charitable institution..but i could be wrong. having no website or email address doesnt surprise me. i am curious however how they got listed into that gapyear.com website...

regardless check with Vir here to see if he knows anyone/has friends that could contact from indore to ujjain or locally.

you might also want to cold call some one locally and ask them about it. i dug up a univeristy in ujjain, a govt ayurveda college, some random place but it has some faculty and lists their phone numbers...maybe worth just calling and having an unsolicited chat with a local ....know i would do it...who knows what may come of it.

vir

Even if its a small school it must have a land line phone and a physical address.

Accommodation can be had for as as little as Rs. 500-1500 for a 1 bedroom and kitchen home. and the food at most is 1000 - 2000 per month. So basically you will be working as a teacher for 1500 - 3500 per month. Unless your school is working for a good cause like providing free education to poor kids, etc...why you want to work for a low pay?

You never said how large is the school? and the student body? Is it Urban? Rural? Is it associated with a charitable organization? What is the curriculum like? (being an international school)

You should ask lots of question.

dan wood

I've given up on the option now, and started looking through established organisations one is www.gapyearinindia.com - seems reasonable and lots of goodies !

Its just for that extra security

vir

It was posted as a reply on the message board. The person has only two posts and both are same.

============================== ============================== ====

Hi,
I hope you are doing fine. I am a director of a school in India named "Stanford International Girls School". We are always on a look for good teaching volunteers who can help the students help understand different cultures. If you are still looking for an assignment please let me know, we would love to have you here. School is located in Central India in a city named Ujjain. School will cover the cost of accomodation and food during your stay in Ujjain, but you will have to cover the cost of tickets and visa. We will receive you at the airport and arrange for a comfortable stay while you are with the school.

If interested please email to sigsschool@yahoo.co.in with details.

Thanks,
Arun
Director, Stanford International Girls School.

Back to top Posts: 2 | Location: India

dan wood

Heres some emails exchanged from him:

First here is the full address he gave me:

Manish Sinha
Principal
Stanford International Girls' School
Ujjain
India

Email 1:

Dear Daniel,

Hi!

Thanks for writing us. Certainly we will help you in getting the Tourist Visa. let me talk to the school managemnt.

Yes, we can talk to each other through MSN or yahoo messenger. But we need to fix time beforehand as we both have diffrerent country time. I am GMT+5:30 hours ahead. It means, if it is 1 pm there at Greenwich {England), it is 5:30 pm here.

We may chat on coming Sunday. Time as you decide. let me know.

If you do not mind, please give some detail about your family members. May I know name of the Indian teacher who has inspired you to visit india? If yes, please give me his/her e-mail id.

-Manish Sinha

E-Mail 2:

Dear Daniel,

Teaching qualification is must for a permanent job. But in your case it is not required. You are welcome to our school.

-Manish Sinha

Email 3:

Dear Daniel,

Once again thanks to you for constantly interacting with me. Thanks for giving a brief detail of oyur family members. I wonder how you can have a daughter when you are still 17 years old.

Friday will be a very hectic day for me. It will not be possible for me to log on to internet at 11;30 (London's time) and 6 pm (India's time). This time I will be in a travel and thus difficult to log on to internet. We can fix Sunday, if it is convenient for you.

-Manish Sinha

Email 4:

Dear Daniel,

Sunday, 8 am (London) is equivalent to 1:30 pm in India. This time seems convenient for me. If something does not go wrong, we can have a chat on MSN or Yahoo that time. My MSN id is ******** and Yahoo id is ******.

May I suggest you one thing. 15 / 20 minutes before you log on to MSN / Yahoo on Sunday, you give me a missed call on my mobile. The number is ***********. 91 is the country code and ********* is the mobile number. I will understand that you are inviting me for a chat.

Take care.

E-Mail 5:

Dear Daniel,

I wanted to mention to you through MSN that I am not a lady. I am a gentleman.

Of course, we will pick you up from the airport of Indore which is connecedted with the international airport of Mumbai and New Delhi.

Our school will provide you free accomodation and food. We will also help you in local and nearby sightseeing and will bear all the expenses. If you plan to visit other parts of the country, you will have to bear the expenses. Yes, we can help you in making the arrangement of travel and stay through a local travel agent.

I am the Principal of the school, head of the instituition. I am the CEO of the organisation and anserable to only one person who is my Director, the man from the Board of Management. I am accountable for everything in the school and all orders are passed by me.

Your position in the school will be as a Guest Teacher. We would like to have you as early as possible and we will be happy to have you as long as possible. One thing I must tell you that we are a girls' school and all staff here are ladies. Including me there are only 4 or 5 gents.

Please give my regards to your parents.

Thanks