In today’s evolving education landscape, teachers are expected to do far more than deliver academic content. They are also tasked with nurturing empathy, resilience, critical thinking and global awareness–skills that are increasingly important but difficult to teach through textbooks alone.
Yet, despite these demands, experiential learning continues to be seen as an add-on, rather than a core part of education. This is especially concerning at a time when teachers are facing growing pressures: from meeting curriculum targets and integrating new technologies to supporting student wellbeing and bridging post-pandemic learning gaps. Many educators are finding their passion diminished by mounting workloads and administrative burdens. What’s missing? Opportunities for teachers and their students to learn beyond the four walls of the classroom. Real-world environments, whether in unfamiliar cultures, challenging terrains or service-led projects, offer powerful lessons in leadership, collaboration and adaptability. These experiences aren’t luxuries; they are essential tools for modern education. Service-led trips provide a unique space for teachers to reconnect with their purpose. By stepping away from routine and engaging in meaningful, hands-on work, educators often rediscover why they entered the profession in the first place. These experiences also allow teachers to model important human skills like resilience, empathy, and adaptability by demonstrating them in real-world situations. Outside the classroom, traditional roles give way to shared goals and team-based problem-solving. Teachers and students work side by side, building trust and mutual respect in ways that aren’t always possible in structured school settings. These bonds often lead to more supportive, engaged classrooms back home. Of course, such trips are not without their challenges. Teachers may find themselves in environments that push them outside their comfort zones, adapting to limited resources, different cultures or unfamiliar conditions. But these moments of discomfort are often the most transformative, offering fresh perspectives that can enrich their teaching practice. The impact of these experiences is long-lasting. Educators return with renewed energy, practical insights and a broader worldview. They bring back stories, skills and strategies that inspire students to think beyond their immediate surroundings and foster a greater sense of global responsibility. One memorable example comes from a Camps International expedition in Kenya, where a student group decided to forgo a planned beach day to complete building a house. They handed over a finished home to a family they had worked with all week. On the walk back, one student remarked, “Yeah, but it’s still a mud house and we’re going home to so much stuff we don’t really need.” That moment stayed with their teacher, who later said the trip reshaped how they viewed their students’ capabilities and deepened their compassion in the classroom. As education evolves to meet the demands of a complex, rapidly changing world, the need for inspired and engaged teachers has never been greater. Service-led trips offer educators an invaluable opportunity to step away from the routines of the classroom, rediscover their passion for teaching, and develop the skills needed to prepare students for an interconnected future. Organisations that facilitate service-led experiences offer more than travel, they create space for growth, purpose and connection that can ripple through entire school communities. * Palmer is Managing Director at Camps International