Thanks for the comment AlixM09. It certainly is very rewarding. I think the most satisfying aspect is knowing that I am helping newly arrived migrants to settle in to our community and hopefully I am making the transition easier. Some of them have become good friends over the years and this makes it even more worthwhile.

If I was an Australian teacher I would definitely do it!  I volunteered in the UK before I worked abroad, and not only did it help me lots, but it's a great service to your community.  I was teaching people from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe all in one class, plus another class of Sikh ladies.  They were all highly motivated and it was very satisfying.  Often they'd stay after class to say thanks, which proves you're doing something useful, so all round, a good idea.