Volunteer in Thailand
Why volunteer?
In many of Thailand’s schools, the real gaps aren’t so much in grammar but in fluency. Most Thai children aren’t exposed to English-speaking environments, and even less so with a Westerner. This places you in a unique position to shape children’s perceptions of English and other cultures, and shows them a world beyond their classroom. And, if you need additional teaching practice to put towards your teaching degree back home, then this is a fantastic way to earn those hours.
A carefully selected partner
After many years in Thailand, we’ve carefully selected a local organisation that specialises in volunteer programs within the educational arena – Future Advance Foundation. It is our belief that partnering with an indigenous organisation yields the best results. Local organisations, like Future Advance, care about the quality and efficacy of their volunteer program because they care about the quality of education that their nation’s children receive. Such partnerships encourage local sustainability and plough back into Thai society and the Thai economy. We believe respect and trust are built when we truly come alongside a local entity to help them accomplish their vision, rather than imposing our ideas or assuming we know best.
What can I do as a volunteer with Future Advance? How does it all work?
- Future Advance specialises in placing TEFL teachers in predominantly rural areas, anywhere from 3 months to a year, as determined by the volunteer’s availability. Sometimes Future Advance also organises shorter volunteer stints at an elephant camp, where you can sign up for a variety of tasks.
- Some schools are able to pay at least 25,000 baht a month, while other schools are only able to provide free room and board.
- You need to be over 18 years old, and fluent in both written and spoken English. If you hold a degree, or you’re a teacher with a teaching degree, you’ll be snapped right up – but it’s not a requirement to have a degree.
How much does Future Advance charge?
Unlike many other organisations, Future Advance doesn’t charge its volunteers anything. Whether or not you will earn a salary while you are volunteering depends solely on the particular school’s contribution capacity.