Teaching Volunteer, Thailand

I absolutely loved my volunteer program in Chiang Mai and had already booked to go back before I left! I was originally meant to volunteer to teach on the Phang Nga base, but unfortunately it had to close. This meant I went into the program not too sure what to expect - I was instantly pleasantly surprised. The staff are all lovely and work hard to make sure everyone feels at home. From the moment I started it was obvious how much each of them cared for what they were doing and it was truly inspiring. The volunteering itself was amazing. There are always millions of different opportunities for teaching, such as going into school or nursery aswell as teaching individuals in the evenings. I also really enjoyed learning about the elephants. I went in as a teaching volunteer so knew very little about asian elephants in general, but was able to join hikes, take data and watch presentations. I have now learnt so much more about conservation and what they experience in Thailand/Asia. My favourite thing about the program as a whole was the community feel, you truly begin to feel like a family - which is encouraged through the homestays. My homestay, the staff and everyone on base were super friendly and enhanced my experience. The village itself is gorgeous and the views indescribable. There are always activities to do such as, camping, learning the language, campfires, night hikes, ect. I loved every moment of my program and would recommend it to anyone considering volunteering abroad!