Volunteer Thailand - Realize Your Dream Travel Abroad

Name: Volunteer Thailand - Realize Your Dream Travel Abroad
Brand: uVolunteer
SKU: 22402
Rating: 5 (8 reviews)

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Location

Thailand

Project Types

Sports Education Computer Literacy

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Program Details

Language

English

Housing

Hostel

Last Updated: Apr 29, 2019

Last Reviewed: Sep 10, 2014

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3 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Join uVolunteer in Thailand to experience the amazing culture and give back! Volunteers are needed to teach English in elementary schools in and around Trat, Thailand. Another volunteer option in Thailand with uVolunteer is to teach physical education and coach sports. Volunteers who are interested in sports and being active will have the chance to work at elementary schools throughout Trat.

The third option for volunteers currently offered by uVolunteer in Thailand also involves teaching. Volunteers are needed to teach basic computer skills and advanced IT skills. By working with IT teachers in elementary schools you can give insight and help improve their IT program. Volunteers with all levels of computer literacy are encouraged to apply.

All projects offer in-country support and orientations, airport pickup, travel insurance, and require volunteers must be at least 17 years old. Visit uVolunteer's website for more information!

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Showing 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

I am Joe, I am from Manchester, England. Last year I stayed over two months whilst volunteering to teach English in the small town of Phonphisai. After completing my time there, I was completely surprised how this experience changed my life.

What would you improve about this program?

Staying here changed my whole perspective on travelling. Most people who travel to Thailand overlook the Isaan region, for it's lack of tourist sites. But for myself, it is the true face of Thailand. Whilst slowly devouring my favourite Cappaccino Ice Cream at the riverside Milk Cafe, I remember the scores of children playing fun and games in the late afternoon sun, monks in their rich orange robes gathering in the temple courtyard, and locals finishing their daily duties, getting ready for the most important meal of the day. I spent most of my afternoons by that riverside cafe, watching the world go by, enjoying an occasional conversation with a curious Thai, while the crimson sun set descended beautifully over the peaceful town and the winding river.
By day, I was an assistant teacher at the local secondary school. Here, I would help Ajan (Teacher) Phusita in class, in a number of ways such as pronunucation, grammar and spelling. Again my role went beyond that, as gradually I realised that all of the above were secondary. The students wanted to know more about myself and the culture that I represented. Furthermore, many seemed to be very interested on my thoughts of Thai culture. Hence, teaching in Phonphisai enabled the opportunity for myself as a teacher, and the students, to teach English through the means of sharing both cultures. The phrase 'time of your life' is used too easily in this day in age. I do believe that my stay with Jack, and his family in Phonphisai, was the best time of my life. I discovered so much about the world and myself. Yet, there seems tobe something in my heart which urges me to return there one day in the future to rediscover the adventurous Joe, and to rekindle the friendships which I forged. The true Thailand awaits to those who are adventurous enough to seek it.

After been picked up for the uVolunteer staff, we went directly to our Dorm. My room was lovely and had all the basics, pillows and a small table, hanging rack and a important fan. Very basic but it was all what I needed.

What would you improve about this program?

The door had a lock, but Ban Thin Dung is so safe I never felt the need. The view was amazing; coconut trees and rice fields. The perfume of the flowers stayed with me as two walls of my room were shutters with screens. At night I could see the stars and would fall asleep along with the bug and reptile serenade. Two of the bathroom toilets were Western, the other two were Thai style. It's best to have the family show you how to use these. Showers were no problem, plenty of hot water. In the hot months we all needed cold water.
Some students needed the Thai translation to assist them with their comprehension. A basic subject guide is available as is lunch with the teachers. I would suggest to all volunteers to take a lunch, as it is a great way to get to know your school, discuss ideas, ask for help and in turn you will be helping the teachers to practice spoken English. Remember, you are here to speak with the children, so don't get bogged down with the grammar, handwriting and so on.
Behind Jack's house are the rice fields, acres of them. Staying for six months I was able to see the seasons of rice. So much so that I helped with the harvest, which earned me the invite to the local Rat BBQ! Tasty! I have so many photos of this along with many hours on my old bicycle in and around the jungle taking in Mother Nature in Thailand.
The schools in Thailand take plenty of vacations so ask before you book your stay. I had several small trips planned. You may need visas so allow extra time. I took the night bus; it and the train are both comfortable and cheap. It's a great way to meet people like myself who are volunteering or traveling around. As last count I had spoken with people from twenty nine countries, any who have become friends.

From the time I arrived in Udon Thani and was met by Jack and some of the others volunteers, I knew it was going to be a great Experience. After arriving the house, I was quickly shown the around, shown my room and all what I needed to start my adventure.

What would you improve about this program?

My primary reason for going to volunteer was to teach English and push myself to do something I had never tried before, but living with Jack and his family offered a chance to get to know the real Thailand as well. We lived in the village of Ban Thin Dung with only a few hundred inhabitants and several kilometers from the nearest town of Phon Phisai, population less than 9,000 inhabitants. The children would start the morning with a call of 'Hello Teacher'. "Hello Students, How are you"."Fine Thank You and How are you". The students had learned some prior English by reading and writing but often didn't know what all of it meant or were often embarrassed to practice in front of the 'farange' or foreigner. I was able to assist the farmers in harvesting the rice while being rewarded with a welcome into their homes for dinner or joining for the 'rat hunt and barbecue'. For the nights where we were looking for something a bit quieter, a sunset cocktail on the banks of the Mekong would set the night up perfectly before the occasional karaoke to finish off the night. The whole experience is something I won't soon forget. Almost everyone made an impression on me and the hospitality shown by Jack and his family was beyond expectations, not to mention the wonderful Thanksgiving meal prepared as well. I only wish that I had more time devoted to do more, but I will look forward to my return as soon as I am able.

The most satisfying thing about the computing course is how far the students can progress in a short space of time, some of them going from being unable to even use a mouse at the start of the basic course to being able to being confident in Excel, Word and even Photoshop only a few weeks later.

What would you improve about this program?

One of these students Som who was previously a buffalo farmer has even managed to get a job working with computers in Bangkok. The fact that you're only teaching to 6 people at a time also makes the computing class an ideal place to start if (as I was) you're nervous about standing up in front of a class for the first time.
Initially I found myself having 5 minute conversations in which neither party understood anything the other was saying.
I quickly picked up quite a bit of the Thai/Isaan (admittedly some of this isn't appropriate for use in the classroom) and its amazing how well you can get on with that little language, even if you do sometimes find yourself having the same conversations over and over again.
Phon Phisai really gives you the chance to experience Isan village life. The dorm is located in the middle of a group of Thai houses in which the people are like one giant family. This initially seemed quite daunting, especially as they spoke virtually no English, but with the help of Jack (uVolunteer Representative) we were quickly made to feel part of the family and where constantly being invited to eat and drink with various neighbours.
Phon Phisai is pretty quiet but there are still plenty of things to do. Jack has his own badminton court and there are nightly competitions with the locals as well as a swimming pool at the local guest house, football, pool tables and the karaoke bars. If you get bored of these there's always eating weird food to keep you occupied. Since I've been here I've tried buffalo, dog, eel, ant, frog, grasshopper (good in a peanut style snack sort of way), cricket and scorpion amongst other things. My only regret being that I wasn't here during rat eating season. Another big plus point is that Nong Khai, where there are always numerous other volunteers and Bar Nana (the disco), is only 35 minutes away so it's easy to return there for the weekend.
I'm really sad to be leaving Phon Phisai and have made some great and hopefully lifelong friends here in particular Jack, his girlfriend Pim and neighbour Noung, not to mention the semi-legendary kii mao drinking partnership of Mr Nung and Mr Kum who I'll certainly never forget even if I won't miss their insistence on me drinking Lao at 10 o'clock in the morning.

Some of the kids had never seen a farang before, so the sight of 3 tall farang (of which two blond-haired girls) scared many away. After a while, they got uses to the appearance and tried to communicate with us a litte.

What would you improve about this program?

The kids are really eager to learn everything you tell them, so if you prepare some good lessons, you can really expand their vocab and understanding by a thousand per cent.
After school, Jack took us to see many things: We went to see the sunset on the Mekong in the boat of a fisherman, we saw an Isan pottery maker (and they let us make one ourselves, no great success!), we saw the market of Lao coming over the river to sell their goods at the side of the Mekong, we went to a village celebration (one of the funniest things I've ever done!) , Jack took us to his master, a monk in the mountains of Loei, for two days... and many many more things. If you want to really get to know Isan and its people, Isan is the best place to stay!
After two weeks, the two Dutch girls continued their journey through Thailand and I remained in Jack's house 'alone'. I was afraid that it would be not as much fun as it was with them, but that turned out to be not true at all! Isan is just never boring.
Two weeks later again, I stopped teaching at Dungkhampee school and went to Chumphol Phonphisai, the highschool of Phon Phisai. That was really one of the best things that ever happened to me! I've had so much fun with the teacher (Ajahn Yu) and especially with the students (many of them were my age). Thanks to Chumphol, I let many tears when it was time to leave Phonphisai. Thanks to Chumphol, I've got many friends in Thailand.
Leaving Phonphisai was really hard for me, having to leave Jack and his lovely family behind, leaving Chumphol and my friends behind, it made me realize I was actually leaving home. I'm going back there in a month to celebrate Songkran and, although I just left this morning, I just can't wait until April... to go back to my second home.

When I first arrived I really had no idea what to expect. As the first volunteer to Trat there was no information about this project and the accommodations was just being set up and the school placement being organised.

What would you improve about this program?

My one piece of advice to future volunteers is, don't buy your return ticket first. You may find that it is very hard to leave this place.
I really like the town of Trat. It is large enough that you can buy pretty much anything you need, but small enough that it feels like a community. It is very clean and easy to get around on a bicycle. I found the Thai people to be very friendly and welcoming.
I was very nervous about starting at Tha Rue Jang school, but the teachers were very friendly and welcomed me almost as family. The children's English skills were very limited but over the course of my stay we found many ways to communicate without language. I was teaching computer studies, but I hope I also helped with their English and confidence speaking English. Occasionally I found things challenging or difficult to deal with. But there wasn't anything that I could not work through with the help of the teachers, and the support of Meaw.
Volunteering in Thailand was an experience beyond anything I could have hoped for when I signed up for this project. It gave me the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and make great friendships. To be able to become part of a community and learn about the culture and how life is lived in this part of the world was such a privilege. I know that I could not achieve this as traveller and it was exactly what I was looking for when I decided to volunteer. My one piece of advice to future volunteers is, don't buy your return ticket first. You may find that it is very hard to leave this place.

I do however live in a very small town surrounded by lots of people who care very much about everyone they know. My family and I are very close and when I told them about my upcoming trip to Thailand I had a lot of concerned comments pushed my way. 'You are going to get kidnapped... Or murdered... Or something bad is going to happen to you... Thailand is full of poverty ... The people are so poor... It is a really dirty place..'. I forgot to mention these comments were not just from family trying to scare me into staying home they came from coworkers and other acquaintances as well. I know in my heart the people who tried to stop me from traveling were just very uninformed and trying to persuade me to change my mind. Well I didn't get scared into staying home and I am so glad I chose to volunteer.

My volunteer project was to teach English with a co-teacher, whom I expected would be fluent in English and in the classroom with me at all times. Too good to be true right? I've always imagined teaching to be a very easy profession and I know now it absolutely is not! When planning this trip I had it in my head ' oh I can speak English and play with kids... No big deal.. Piece of cake...' well my job teaching was much more difficult than I had expected. For starters creating a lesson plan is a lot of work. Not to mention creating a lesson plan that is fun, entertaining, successful, and easy to translate without knowing any of the language. As the weeks went on I finally got into my own groove of teaching. Thai students are just absolutely amazing. I enjoyed seeing their little faces and hearing their accents. Being at the school was a great experience. I got to see how hard Thai teachers work and care for their students as well as their school. Teaching was such a great opportunity for me because I have always been interested in doing it. I do have the desire to maybe someday teach again and the curiosity to see how different the students from another country may be.

Aside from teaching, the rest of my time in Thailand was absolutely unforgettable. The beaches, mountains, waterfalls, and scenery just about everywhere are nothing less than astonishing. I fell in love with the beauty here and not just the physical beauty. Thai people are genuine and strong, despite how much money they have. It is the addition of this inner beauty and their culture that makes Thailand such a beautiful place. I spent three months in Thailand and I was not kidnapped, murdered, or felt disgusted from poverty. On the other hand something really bad did happen: I left.

The place is so inviting and the people are so kind. I was met by Meaw at Trat Airport and from there on time just flew by, my three weeks went by just like that .

What would you improve about this program?

After having quite an eventful year filled with some good moments and some bad ones, I had decided I wanted to do something for me so I started planning a 3 week volunteer holiday in September 2011. I decided that I needed to do something worthwhile and this seemed like the perfect idea. I wanted to do something with my skills and although English is my second language and I know it just as good as I know Maltese, I decided that making use of my computer knowledge would be a better choice for me. After choosing the organisation, next was the choice for the country location of the program and with the uVolunteer's representative's guidance I chose Thailand. I do not regret that decision one bit.
After choosing my dates and booking my place in the program I asked uVolunteer if any other volunteers would be joining me in my time there and I was told that only one was booked but that could easily increase as late bookings were quite common - which it eventually did as we ended being 4 volunteers with different backgrounds and each with our own stories but all here for the same reason. I was given the contact information of the other volunteer who had booked the same dates as I, Nick. We started emailing each other and we eventually planned 2 weekend trips: one to Pattaya and one to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We also planned a day trip to Koh Chang for the weekend of my arrival. We decided on the places of interest to visit and even booked our accommodation. After a lot of emails and a few Skype calls everything was prepared program wise and holiday wise. As the days went by I couldn't wait to get to Thailand. Now that my trip is almost over I cannot believe how fast it went by.
I'm in my last few days and although I am looking forward to going home, but deep down I wish I could stay longer. I will definitely cherish my experience here for all my life - I have even kept a travel journal that details every single experience I have been through here, as I am so adamant to never forget this experience even though I don't think that is humanly possible.

Questions & Answers

Location

Location:

Thailand

Currency:

Thai Baht

Weather:

Jan-Mar

95 F / 57 F

Apr-Jun

91 F / 72 F

Jul-Sep

90 F / 73 F

Oct-Dec

88 F / 59 F

Airports:

Suvarnabhumi Airport

( BKK )

Don Mueang Airport

( DNK )

Phuket Airport

( HKT )

Thailand has become the most tourist visited country in Southeast Asia. This country provides dense jungles, beautiful beaches, world-class shopping, and stunning architecture. No matter your budget, there is something for you to take part in in Thailand.

About uVolunteer

uVolunteer specializes in providing volunteer work placements in Costa Rica, Ghana and Thailand. Our service learning projects include Teaching, Care & Community, Construction, Environment and Animal Conservation. Our program promotes change and provides direction and purpose for our participants. Additional benefits are cultural insight, adventure...

Volunteer Thailand - Realize Your Dream Travel Abroad

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