Thailand Teach: Teaching English in Rural Thailand

Our family had a wonderful time with Rob and Pooh, who support the local schools with the volunteers. Poohs wholehearted way of making us feel at home (and the best thai-food on a daily basis) and Robs pragmatic and direct way of hosting are wonderful.
We felt at home in a different country. Home-stay gets a new meaning.
Thank you, Rob and Pooh, you supported us to grow as a family and enjoy the time. I think one of the feww places that support families with younger kids.

I have a wonderful experience joining Thailand Teach. I have never expected that volunteering could be in such friendly, comfortable and easy environment and it's very much because of Pooh, Robert and all the family members, warmth, great hospitality that make me feel comfortable as part of the family. I strongly recommend this to first- timer volunteers, as it's such an eye opening and lifetime experience.

I would just like to share my volunteer teaching experience with you. The month in Bang Rachan, Sing Buri was absolutely amazing and our hosts Rob and Pooh, made us feel like part of their extended family.
The teachers and students at the local temple school were enthusiastic, welcoming and receptive, making us feel extremely comfortable. The Students are a delight!!
Living with the Thai family in extremely clean and comfortable accommodation allowed us to embrace the true Thai culture and getting to know neighbours and locals in this rural community enabled us to experience many amazing things that are well outside any average Thailand holiday.
As an experienced Thai Restaurant cook, Miss Pooh serves meals that are better than anything I've experienced in top Thai restaurants and the variety was astounding. She is happy to share all her cooking secrets with you.
I could go on for hours about the generosity of our hosts who showed us all the local sights, introduced us to the best eateries and ensured all of our needs and requirements were fulfilled.
Witnessing locals constructing traditional brooms made from palm tree fronds, collecting coconuts and de-husking by the old traditional methods, grating coconut were just some of the many experiences.
One neighbour uses trained squirrels to collect nuts from high in the trees.
The Thai locals, by our standards are extremely poor, however, they are rich in terms of embracing a true sense of family and community.
Anyone contemplating a holiday to Thailand should consider a trip to Bang Rachan which is a couple of hours north of Bangkok and stay with Rob and Pooh. Volunteering at the local school is the bonus.
You will leave Thailand a lot richer for the experience.
I am planning my next trip for the new year !!!

We have spent 2 weeks with Rob, Pooh & family in their guesthouse. I have stayed with my wife and 2 kids (5 and 7 years old).
We have been in a school located in Bang Rachan, near the house as volunteers. Assisting in English classes with kids of this rural area.
I encourage everyone to try this experience to share some time in the schools with the local kids and stuff so you can understand better Thai lifestyle and culture and help the community.
The stay in the guesthouse has been awesome because Rob and Pooh are the best! They have helped us in everything as part of the family.
They prepare great food and you can learn how to cook Thai food.
You have to be prepared to live in the countryside, that means: hot, humidity, mosquitoes, some bugs, lizards and so on. If you are good with that you'll have a great time here.

I loved the 3 weeks that I spent with Robert, Pooh and their lovely family! It has been an incredible experience! I was a teacher for kids at the local school (very close from Robert and Pooh's house). The kids were adorable and it was a real pleasure to spend 4-5 days per week with them!
During the week ends, we were most of the time travelling (we went to Pattaya, Bangkok and Aytthaya) . Robert and Pooh helped us a lot to find places to stay while we were travelling and also helped us to plan our journey.
The homestay is located in the north of bangkok and it is really easy to go to bangkok by bus (approximately 2-3hours).
I would recommend this experience to any traveller looking for vacation in a great and authentic place with lovely people who loves to share their culture and their knowledge to make the stay of their guests as good as possible.

I am looking forward to be back in Singburi as soon as I can.

Thank you again Pooh and Robert :)

Rob and Pooh are very nice people, you can ask them anything and they'll take you anywhere you want to go!

We stayed for almost a week with two children of 2,5 and almost 5 years old. Rob and Pooh went out of their way to make our children feel like home. They had toys for them and they played outside with Rob and Pooh's children and the neighbors kids. They really had a great time!

And so did we! Because of the save environment for the kids, we could really relax and talk with Rob and Pooh or read a book in one of the hammocks.

Foodwise, all the options were on the table. We could cook for ourselves in the shared kitchen or order something Pooh would make.
They took us to a big supermarket when we arrived to make sure we had everything we needed for our stay.
They meals Pooh made were delicious and she even showed me how to make a papaya salad.

We would really recommend staying with Rob and Pooh!!

Great family-run organization. Robert and Pooh are experienced hosts, and genuinely nice and fun people as well. They took good care of me and made me feel at home. They even took the time to show me around the area, the local sights, markets and temples. A local guide like Pooh is invaluable in learning about a place and connecting with it. The school staff and students were also great. Staff was very appreciative and the students were respectful and paid good attention in class. They were very enthusiastic, friendly, and really wanted to spend time with me. It was quite heart warming and overall a very satisfying experience. I would recommend Thailand Teach highly.

Volunteering with Thailand Teach is an experience of a lifetime especially since the two people that run it are such wonderful, loving, caring and compassionate human beings.

My experience -
I had been interacting with Robert Newton Jr for a few months while looking up for a job in Thailand in 2014. Was keen on volunteering and helping society once I got there. Little did I know that the school that had hired me would suddenly dump me even though I had bought my tickets and got the visa etc to start working there. I informed Robert about my situation and he along with Chompoo tried to talk to that school on my behalf. Anyway may be it was destiny that the above happened. I landed in Thailand and went straight to Thailand Teach and volunteered with them while I kept looking for jobs. Both of them took me in like I was a family member and not a volunteer. The complete Thailand Teach household and all the people around are so welcoming and some have downright colourful personalities like Mr. Dang (a wonderful human being). Though it is not what they do or deal with Robert and Pi Chompoo helped me look out for jobs as well as drove me down to the immigration office in Bangkok (155kms one way) and back not once but twice. How many people would spare their time and effort for someone else?? They even helped me make a wing chun dummy from wood to train with as well as let me kick down a lot of their banana trees while training and I would still get a share of bananas when they were harvested. The list of things that they have done to make my stay there comfortable is actually very long and exhaustive
I came as a volunteer but soon I became like a member of their family. It was the way I was looked after and cared for that truly touched me and has had a deep impact on me as a person. I may have returned back but a part of me still resides in Chanasood with all the wonderful people, the lush green rice fields that I could see from my room,waking up to the beautiful chirping of the birds every morning, the love and friendships that had nurtured over time, the organic vegetables, the peace and quiet.

I can never ever thank Robert, Pi Chompoo, Mai, Ta, Toon, Nick, Egg, Sai, Fa, Dang, Jack, Nut, Noon and many other residents of Chanasood who have done much more for me than I did for them. All i can say is that -
Thailand Teach Keng mak lae khrab ( Thailand Teach is very good) ,
Khon sai Thailand Teach dee mak tee sud khrab ( the people at Thailand Teach are the best) ,
chok dee samer khrab (wishing them good luck always)

I learned alot about Thailand and Thai culture, i learnd alot about myself and my own perspectives, I met amazing and wonderful people, I lived in an amazingly beautiful place, I worked with beautiful children and I had alot of fun! Kap Khun Ka (thank you) to everyone who made my experience what it was.

Robert was kind enough to arrange a weekend for me at his wonderful house. His staff picked me up from the bus station and instantly made me feel welcome. This is an experience for people truly looking to immerse themselves in the local culture of rural life in Thailand. That being said, the location is nearby vibrant markets and everything you could need. The property is surrounded by rice fields and residents with large smiles on their face. Robert's wife Pooh is an incredible chef and clearly takes pride in her ingredients (many of which, grown in their backyard) and sharing her knowledge on Thai cuisine. I was escorted to their temple of worship, a monkey sanctuary, and to a learning centre. Being that this is my first time in Asia, it was extremely refreshing to avoid the tourist traps and understand the beauty of daily Thai life.

My favourite part of the experience was when Pooh advised me that this is an environment to not only teach English, but to also learn some Thai. Robert and Pooh have set up a space to exchange cultural values and learn from each other.

My short stay here was so enjoyable. Rob, Pooh and family were the warmest most welcoming hosts.
My experience at the local school was amazing. The children were lively keen and very pleasant. You can really see the everyday impact the programme has on the students lives and the passion and vision shared by Rob & Pooh to improve the schooling for these children. I really enjoyed my time at the school.
The area is so tranquil and the community so kind and welocming.
I would highly recommend the experience.