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Fantastic 4.54rating (29)
  • Quality Education

Conversational English in State Schools

location
4 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Teach conversational English in Thai state schools, from 100-pupil schools to ones with over 1,000 students
  • Our coordinators deliberately choose schools with NO foreign teacher on staff, so you are not duplicating someone else's job
  • Choose your grade level: kindergarten, primary or secondary, discussed with you on the first Monday

Highlights

  • Teach conversational English in Thai state schools, from 100-pupil schools to ones with over 1,000 students
  • Our coordinators deliberately choose schools with NO foreign teacher on staff, so you are not duplicating someone else's job
  • Choose your grade level: kindergarten, primary or secondary, discussed with you on the first Monday
  • Most schools sit inside the old city moat, several within working temple complexes
  • Two-day orientation, half-day city tour and cultural welcome dinner before you set foot in a classroom
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Teach conversational English in Thai state schools inside Chiang Mai's old city walls. Our coordinators pick schools with no foreign teacher on staff.

    Thai state-school English teachers know their grammar. What their classrooms are missing is anyone to practise on. That gap is what this placement fills, and it is why the schools want volunteers rather than tolerate them.

    Where you will be

    Schools across central Chiang Mai, most of them inside the ...

    About the program

    Thai state-school English teachers know their grammar. What their classrooms are missing is anyone to practise on. That gap is what this placement fills, and it is why the schools want volunteers rather than tolerate them.

    Where you will be

    Schools across central Chiang Mai, most of them inside the old city moat. Some sit within working temple complexes, complete with monastic communities and shrines; others are on ordinary school grounds. They range from around a hundred students to over a thousand, and cover kindergarten, primary and secondary — sometimes all three on one site.

    Your daily walk or ride to school goes through neighbourhoods most visitors to Chiang Mai never see.

    One thing worth knowing about how the placements are chosen

    Our local coordinators look specifically for schools with no foreign teacher on staff. That is deliberate. It means you are not standing in for a job someone could be paid to do, and it means your presence is the only chance these students get to use English with a fluent speaker.

    What you actually do

    • Teach conversational English — talking, not textbook drilling
    • Help the Thai teachers put together low-cost teaching materials and activities
    • Assist in other subjects where you can, including computing
    • Run games, songs, painting and creative activities that get children speaking without noticing
    • Exchange ideas and views with older students, which is where the real language practice happens

    You choose the age group. Kindergarten, primary or secondary — settled on the first Monday with the coordinator and the school.

    The part that is bigger than the language

    For many of these children, a volunteer is the only Westerner they will meet in person for years. The classroom is a very long way from the tourist Chiang Mai, and you are in a position to shape how a generation of children think about people from elsewhere. That is worth taking seriously.

    Who it suits

    Anyone 18 or over who is fluent in spoken and written English. No teaching qualification or prior experience is required — the Thai staff lead the lesson and you contribute to it. Gap-year students get genuine international work experience out of it; so do career-breakers and retired teachers. A clean criminal background check is mandatory and you arrange it yourself.

    Typical day

    Friday — Arrival in Chiang Mai and transfer to the volunteer house.

    Saturday and Sunday — Two-day orientation: Thai culture and greetings, how to get around, and a half-day city tour, ending with a cultural welcome dinner and show. You also read reports written by volunteers who taught at these ...

    Typical day

    Friday — Arrival in Chiang Mai and transfer to the volunteer house.

    Saturday and Sunday — Two-day orientation: Thai culture and greetings, how to get around, and a half-day city tour, ending with a cultural welcome dinner and show. You also read reports written by volunteers who taught at these schools before you.

    Monday — A coordinator takes you to your school by local transport, introduces you to the administration, and agrees your grade levels, hours and any school events coming up. You travel with them so you learn the route and can do it alone from Tuesday.

    The school day

    • 8:00am — Morning assembly and prayers. Some schools ask volunteers to be there for it
    • 8:30am — Classes begin
    • 11:30am — Lunch and break, taken at the school and included in your fee
    • 12:30pm — Afternoon classes
    • 4:00pm — School ends

    You are not timetabled for every period. Between classes you are free to leave the school if you have something else on, but staying is worth it — the staffroom and the playground are where you actually get to know the students and the teachers.

    Hours — Around five to six hours a day, Monday to Friday.

    Evenings and weekends — Yours. Dinner is at your own cost and Chiang Mai makes that a pleasure rather than a chore.

    Schedules vary by school and shift with local circumstances, exam weeks and Thai public holidays. Flexibility is part of the job.

    Free-time activities

    School finishes at four and weekends are free, which in Chiang Mai is a genuine advantage.

    Temples — Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang are a short walk from the volunteer house; Wat Phra That Doi Suthep sits up the mountain with the whole valley below it. If you are placed in a temple school you ...

    Free-time activities

    School finishes at four and weekends are free, which in Chiang Mai is a genuine advantage.

    Temples — Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang are a short walk from the volunteer house; Wat Phra That Doi Suthep sits up the mountain with the whole valley below it. If you are placed in a temple school you will already know more about Thai Buddhism than most visitors.

    Learn something — Thai cookery classes and Thai massage courses run everywhere and cost very little. Most volunteers do at least one and leave able to cook a proper green curry.

    Markets — The Sunday Walking Street takes over the old town every week; the Saturday market and the night bazaar fill in the rest.

    Weekend trips — Pai through 762 bends of mountain road, Chiang Rai for the White Temple, Lampang, or a cheap flight to Bangkok. Volunteers on longer placements often finish with a stretch in the southern islands.

    Also worth a look — The 3D art museum, the Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders, cabaret shows, galleries and cat cafes.

    Back at the house there is a big living room, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, laundry and up to thirty other volunteers, so nobody spends a weekend alone unless they want to.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Education Requirements

    at High school level

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check (at the volunteer’s own cost), CV/resume, copy of passport and proof of travel and medical insurance.

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    You must be fluent in spoken and written English. No teaching qualification or prior classroom experience is required — the Thai teacher leads and you contribute. TEFL training, any teaching background or experience with young people is welcome but not a condition. Thai is not needed.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:00 - 16:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    What the fee covers

    • Accommodation in the volunteer house for your whole stay
    • Two meals a day — breakfast supplies at the house, lunch at school on weekdays
    • Airport pickup at Chiang Mai International
    • Two-day orientation, a half-day city tour, and a cultural welcome dinner and show, with transport to and from it
    • Your school placement, with a coordinator taking you there and introducing you on day one
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information
    • 24/7 in-country support
    • Certificate of participation on request

    What it does not cover

    • Daily transport to school — though the walk is very doable
    • The return airport drop
    • Dinner every day, and both meals at weekends
    • International flights, visa fees and vaccinations
    • Travel and medical insurance (available through us at extra cost, and mandatory)
    • The criminal background check, arranged and paid for by you
    • Personal spending and weekend travel

    A private room upgrade is sometimes available at the volunteer house for an extra fee — ask about availability before you travel.

    Airport Pickup at Chiang Mai International Airport

    Pickup is included on arrival. The return drop is not.

    🚩 Airport pickup runs between 8am and 8pm only. Land outside that window and nobody will be waiting. If your flight is late, book a hotel near the airport and the local team will collect you the next morning. Check this before you book your flights.

    Arrive on a Friday at Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX). A coordinator or representative meets you and takes you to the volunteer house.

    Already in Chiang Mai? The team will meet you at an agreed point instead.

    🚩 The return airport drop is not included and is arranged separately.

    Most volunteers arrive on a short domestic connection through Bangkok. Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Korean Air all serve the route.

    Accommodation

    You stay in one of two volunteer houses in the middle of Chiang Mai, a few minutes apart, holding more than thirty volunteers between them. The coordinating office sits inside one of the houses, so the local team is genuinely on hand.

    Location is the point: the schools are within walking distance, and so are the old city, the temples and the night markets.

    Air-conditioned bedrooms, shared with other volunteers. Apply with a friend or partner and you will be placed in the same house and dorm, subject to the male/female arrangement.

    Facilities:

    • Wireless internet throughout
    • Two fully equipped kitchens
    • A large living room for films and downtime
    • Washing machine for laundry
    • Toilets and showers

    Restaurants, cafes, convenience stores and laundries are all a short walk away.

    Private room upgrades are sometimes available for an extra fee. Ask in advance; they are not guaranteed.

    Food & Beverages

    Two meals a day are included. Dinner is not.

    Breakfast — Ingredients are provided at the volunteer house and you cook your own: bread, butter, eggs, coffee, tea and fruit.

    Lunch — Taken at your school on weekdays and included. Thai school lunches are a decent introduction to the food.

    Dinner — Your own cost, and no hardship at all: Chiang Mai has some of the best cheap food in Asia and volunteers go out together most nights. A few dollars a meal.

    Weekends — Both lunch and dinner at your own cost.

    Vegetarian and other dietary requirements — Put it on your application form and tell the local team. Thai cooking adapts easily, but they need to know in advance.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) in Chiang Mai. We assist you to find cheap flights to Thailand. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Thailand provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Thailand you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Thailand. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Arrival is a Friday, at Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX).

    🚩 Airport pickup runs between 8am and 8pm only. If your flight lands outside that window there is no one waiting — book a hotel near the airport and the local team will collect you the next morning. Check this before booking your flights.

    🚩 The return airport drop is not included.

    🚩 Daily transport to school is not included — budget US$1.50 to US$3.00 a day. That said, all the schools are within a decent walk of the volunteer house, and plenty of volunteers walk it every day and see more of Chiang Mai for the trouble.

    Already in Chiang Mai? The team will meet you at an agreed point instead of the airport.

    Documents — Clean criminal background check, CV and passport copy, all before you travel. The background check is at your own cost.

    Visa — Most nationalities get 30 days visa-free on arrival; a 60-day tourist visa can be arranged in advance and a 90-day non-immigrant visa is possible but slow. Placements longer than 30 days need the visa sorted before you fly — ask us. If you pop over to Laos or Cambodia mid-placement, re-entry and any new visa are your own responsibility.

    What to bring — Lightweight clothes and rainwear, walking shoes, sandals, and a light jacket or jumper for November to February evenings. Thai schools are conservative: cover your shoulders and knees, and dress smartly — teachers here are respected and dress like it.

    Health — Hepatitis A and B and typhoid are the usual recommendations. See a travel clinic before you go.

    Insurance — Travel and medical insurance is mandatory.

    When to come — Weekly Friday starts, year-round. Note that Thai schools close for holidays in October and again from March to mid-May; ask us what your placement looks like if your dates fall in those windows. July and August are the busiest months for volunteers.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $250 per week 4 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    4 - 12 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Asia > South East Asia > Thailand > Chiang Mai

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Education  >  English Teaching in Thailand
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    1. - 1. Jan 1

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