Internships in Mueang, Thailand

Travelling abroad to a country over 15 hours away can often feel daunting. I know it did for me! I was 18 years old and it was my first time travelling solo. However, after months of preparation and motivation I knew travelling to this wonderful country and fulfilling my dream to teach abroad would absolutely be worth it. From the moment I reached Thailand the GVI staff were friendly and supportive and super welcoming. There was a real emphasis on safety which I believe is incredibly important and for me was reassuring that I had made the right decision. The programme itself involved teaching in two schools, and we were also able to travel to a centre for students with disabilities twice a week. The relationships you build with your students is very important and I was lucky enough to witness their grades increase by 6% with us only being there for 12 weeks! The students were well focused and always ready to learn, which made it easier for us teachers. I had an amazing 12 weeks teaching the students and even sharing the Christmas season with them. The Thailand programme accommodation consists of not only volunteers who teach but also conservationists and health carers. This provided us with a refreshing environment and an opportunity to socialise with individuals doing different programmes. The accommodation is of course basic, but I feel this is important when deciding to do something different and challenging. However, we did have WIFI and this would be helpful during lesson planning sessions, and just contacting home. We had quite a bit of free time which allowed us to travel further afield on our weekends off. I had the amazing opportunity to go to places like the Surin Islands and Krabi. Overall, I had an amazing experience and was fortunate enough to spend Christmas and New Years with wonderful people. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for being so great! If you're thinking of traveling to Thailand with GVI I would say absolutely GO FOR IT! It's a life changing experience you'll never forget!

So far this has been an awesome experience. I think this program has already, and will continue to provide me with very good experience towards my career goals. I think the country representative should be informed better of the situation here and I think the pricing in the field manual and travel guides need to be reviewed and updated.