Description

With Projects Abroad you can gain practical work experience volunteering as an English teacher in Thailand without the need for a certification or previous teaching experience. Whether you are volunteering during your gap year or summer vacation, or as a career break or a worthwhile vacation, you will have a valuable role to play on one of our Teaching projects while experiencing Thailand differently than a typical traveler.

Thailand has a long and well-deserved reputation as a country popular with tourists and travelers from all corners of the globe. However, the majority of normal Thai people benefit very little from the tourist dollars entering the country. Speaking English is now a route to better jobs and by volunteering as an English teacher in Thailand you can help to improve your students future prospects.

Most of our teaching placements in Thailand are situated in the towns of Ao Nang and Krabi and the surrounding region. Krabi is situated about an hour's flight south of the capital of Bangkok on the west coast of Thailand.

Most volunteers work in government primary schools with children aged from about 7 to 12 years old. The schools vary in size, from small sub-district schools up to much larger schools with more facilities. On average there are between 20 30 students per class, but some schools may have classes as small as 12 students and others have classes with up to 40 children. It is also possible to work in a secondary school on request; here the children will be from about 13 to 16 years old.

Teaching volunteers in Thailand are expected to be at school from about 8.30am to 12.30pm. You will usually be formally teaching for between about 2 and 3 hours a day, plus most volunteers spend another 8 to 10 hours a week lesson planning. In many Thai schools you will often lead the class, which is why planning ahead is especially important. However, in some schools volunteers work more closely alongside the local teachers.

Even if your first class of the day does not start till 9.30am it is important to be at the school in the morning to take part in singing the national anthem and respecting the flag. When you are not teaching a class you can be planning lessons, grading work, and getting to know the other Thai teachers.

Our Teaching Coordinator in Thailand runs workshops every two weeks for all the Teaching volunteers to share ideas and cover useful teaching techniques. All Teaching volunteers also receive an introductory teaching workshop before their first lesson, which will familiarize you with the Thai teaching system and cover some useful cultural information.

Highlights

Thai students are generally dedicated and hard working and respond well to the arrival of a new face. Thai culture ensures that they are especially respectful to teachers in general - although children are still children! The younger children enjoy the fun elements that our volunteer teachers often inject into lessons, especially activities like songs and games.

The local teachers are often good at teaching the grammar and structure of the English language but when it comes to speaking many lack confidence themselves and wont have good pronunciation skills. As a volunteer teacher, you can help to fill this gap by focusing on speaking and developing the confidence of the students.

The older students are often eager to find out about Western culture and you should take advantage of this to encourage them to develop their English skills with you. They will ask questions about where you are from and your favorite sports. A popular lesson may be teaching a class how to sing one of the latest pop songs you all know and helping them to understand the lyrics. However, this age group will be working toward set exams and you will often have a curriculum to follow, so you may also get asked some less-exciting grammar questions from time to time.

If you want to get involved outside the classroom, previous volunteers have set up an English club or helped with sports. Please tell us your main interests when you apply and we will try to accommodate you.

The schools in Thailand have their main vacation during April and the start of May, with a shorter break in October. During these times we organize a variety of special programs, including basic English lessons and fun educational activities in Krabi and teaching some English classes to adults in the local community.

Qualifications

No qualifications and experience required.

Intern Types

• Education
• English as a Second Language

Languages

• English
• Thai

Cost in US$:

please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

The price you pay covers you for the duration of your stay and includes all you food, accommodation, insurance and all of your overseas support while you are there.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Academic Reinforcement
• Education
• English Teaching
• Teaching
• Volunteering

Age Range

16-70

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays
• Group living

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992