Travel to Teach Chiang Mai

Hello! My name is Heather and I am a Year 1 teacher at a primary school in Warwick, England. I am going to give you an honest review about my experiences teaching English with a charity called Future Sense in Chiang Mai Thailand.

Aside from teaching, travelling is my main passion. I love exploring new places, cultures and meeting new people. I have travelled all around Europe, across North America and hiked to Everest Base Camp but Chiang Mai, Thailand, still remains my all-time favourite destination! If you wish to know why read on!

I first came to learn about the program when I typed into Google ‘travel and teach’. A company called Gap Guru offered a variety of teaching projects across the world. At the time I had never travelled east before so figured it was time to do so. The program offered a 3 week placement at an underprivileged school with a charity called Future Sense, a perfect opportunity to use my skills over the long summer break. Even better accommodation and food were included so I wouldn’t have to worry about sorting all of that out! Approximately a month before my trip I went to a pre departure meeting to learn about what I would be doing in Chiang Mai. To be completely honest, the organisation and lack of information and enthusiasm during this part of my journey made me apprehensive about joining the project. This is a real shame as the people who run the actual project in Chiang Mai are extremely well organised, incredibly enthusiastic and explain everything clearly. If you have similar experiences do not let this put you off going to Chiang Mai to join this project!

Before I went to Chiang Mai I spent a few days in Bangkok. Whilst there I received an email from the project leader called David. He explained he would be picking me up from Chiang Mai Airport and that the school were excited to meet me etc. This immediately put me at ease and I was safe in the knowledge that I was going to be looked after. Sure enough once I landed in Chiang Mai David was there with a car to take me to the volunteer house. At this point I was given an option. I could stay in the volunteer house or I could stay at the school I would be volunteering at. This would be a great opportunity for those who want to fully immerse themselves in the Thai culture. I decided to stay at the volunteer house as I wanted to make friends with other volunteers and live with English speaking people as it was my first time to Thailand.

Once I got to the volunteer house I was pleasantly surprised. The house is in the middle of beautiful rice fields in the Doi Saket area of Chiang Mai. It is a 5 minute cycle (they have bikes for volunteers to use) to an outdoor swimming pool, 10 minute walk to songthaew (taxi to city centre) and 7 Eleven. It is also opposite a temple where I taught English to monks twice a week ….oh and a 10 minute cycle to the best pizza place EVER Pizza Plus!

Once I had put my bags at the volunteer house I then went for a drink with David and Will (Programme Development Manager). Will lived in the volunteer house so there was always someone around if you needed advice, had questions or well needed anything! They explained what would happen in the coming weeks. From Monday to Friday 9 o’clock till – 3 o’clock I would be at an AMAZING school called Banpangew teaching children between ages 4 and 14. Then on a Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon I would teach English to the monks who lived in the temple opposite for an hour. The rest of the time was my own to explore!

At the volunteer house I met another girl called Malika from Dubai who was doing a similar project. Future Sense tries to pair you up with other volunteers so you share the experience with another likeminded traveller. Transport was all organised for us. The Songtaew would pick us up from the volunteer house every day at 8:30 and then be waiting for us at 3:15pm ready to take us back to the volunteer house.
Teaching English at the schools in Thailand is completely different from teaching in the UK. I wondered what equipment or resources I should bring with me as I had no idea what the school would be like or what resources they would have. In the end I decided that I should just take my ipad and I am very glad I did! The school themselves are basic. They have an old white board, whiteboard pens and that is about it as far as resources go. The school I was at did have an old computer and wifi that worked intermittently. What they lack in equipment they make up for in enthusiasm and willingness to learn! The children value their education a lot more than the children in UK schools. For example one boy who was aged 14 was in grade 6 (equivalent to Year 6 UK) had travelled by foot from Burma to Chiang Mai to obtain a better life so they really do appreciate everything you do for them.

When I first arrived at the school I was met by the head teacher. His name was Wittia. Wittia is a hilarious character. Thai people are known for their hospitality and kindness but he went above and beyond. Whilst in Chaing Mai to show his appreciation for our work he took us to lunch and had at least 5 bottles of Chang! (beer with random strength percentages). Life is more relaxed and care free in Thailand. Can’t imagine my head teacher trying to get us drunk at lunch time! He also took us out for dinner with his oldest friends and family which was a wonderful privilege. Other staff at Banpangew School were equally welcoming. The Thai teachers would want to know all about us and ask us lots of questions about ourselves. This is where my English to Thai app came in good use. We also learnt lots of Thai words which came in handy when sightseeing. You would get fed well at Banpangew…one teacher even got up at 6 o’clock in the morning to go to market and buy us a fruit we hadn’t tried before! Marcia (Future Sense Teaching coordinator) would also be at hand to help us out with lesson plan ideas. She would come and visit us in school to check how we were getting on and answer any questions we may have had.

When I first went to Wat Paka, the temple opposite the volunteer house to teach the monks English, I felt apprehensive. I did not do any research into the Buddhist way of thinking or have a clue on what the monks would be like. The monks I taught were actually novice monks (under the age of 20). They live by 10 precepts rather than a fully-fledged monk who has 227. A lot of boys become Novice monks for many reasons such as they have been abandoned by their relations or it is their only way of getting an education. After 10 minutes with them I realised they are just normal teenage boys. They have their iphones, electronics etc and they are crazy about football! Teaching the monks was really fun and they loved being competitive with one another when playing games such as Hangman or Pictionary. The only thing I had to keep reminding myself of was the no contact rule for women. Monks are not allowed to be passed anything by a female so I kept having to remember to put equipment on the table instead of passing it directly to them.

During free time Future Sense organised for us to do LOTS of fun things! If there was something you wanted to do in Chaing Mai then they would do their upmost to organise it for u! When I was there we all went to muay thai boxing, had fancy dress parties, went to a snake show, had the option to bungee jump , visit the Sunday market, temple tours, learn to cook Thai food, visit the tigers and go to an elephant sanctuary! The elephant sanctuary is a must, one of the many highlights of this trip! With regards to the elephant sanctuary Future Sense were able to point us in the direction of the best one. Lots of people come to Thailand and want that ultimate selfie of themselves riding an elephant. What they do not realise is that although elephants are sacred in Thailand the way they are treated is outrageous. The sanctuary Future Sense sent us to was actually a sanctuary for the elephants, the elephants were not exploited to make money they were looked after. We got to feed them bath them and learn about their past.
When not doing activities like that you can go up the road for a Thai massage, eat out at many Thai restaurants or one of my favourite things was chill out at Papa Gardens Sport Villa (swimming pool and gym) with an ice cream.

How have I not mentioned food at the volunteer house yet?! Future Sense has their very own chef called PK at the volunteer house! She makes your breakfast and dinner everyday and whilst I was there even cooked stuff for us on her days off! Her food is great and you will never go hungry. She also washes your clothes for a small price which is very helpful.

Speaking of clothes this is more for the females that are reading this...sorry lads. Most of the stuff I packed I didn’t wear! I ended up buying typical Thai touristy shorts and trousers. For teaching both the monks and at the school I wore a long skirt and t shirt every day. Whatever you pick has to cover most your legs and all of your breasts! Once you’ve finished teaching though I mostly wore shorts and a vest top. I do wish however I packed a pair of heels for nights out and my straighteners! Ignore what it says on the suggested packing list. Take your straighteners as I immediately regretted not taking mine. No need for hair dryer though as you hair can naturally dry within half an hour!

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone thinking of joining this project I would say take a leaf out of Wills book and chat to any Thai person you come across! For every effort you put into the project and with Thai people you get a million times more back! Chiang Mai is my favourite destination because of the people that live there and the chilled out Buddhist vibe. If you’re thinking of booking and working with Future Sense stop thinking and DO IT!

Heather