Volunteer Life Overseas in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal
Volunteer Life and Accommodation in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal
Home stay with a local host family. A great volunteer option!
This option is available in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal.
Volunteers really get immersed into local culture and life by staying with a host family. Living conditions vary but are usually simple and traditional. You may have your own room or you may share it with another volunteer. You eat with your host family and they include you in many family activities.
Spending time with a host family is a great way to get a close encounter with local culture and language, whether Thai, Lao, Khmer/Cambodian, Burmese/Karen, or Nepali. The family members, especially children, get a valuable opportunity to practice their English with you too! Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Volunteer in Northeast Thailand, Isan, and stay and teach at Openmind Projects Training Center
Situated in Nong Khai, our Training Center is the heart of Openmind Projects. Here we train our local trainees who stay for free and come from our field projects in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma. This is also where new volunteers have their popular (monthly) Volunteer Training.
You can also teach at nearby schools, for example, work in the local kindergarten and primary school in a village by the Mekong River in Thailand.
Volunteer in South Thailand and stay at our Openmind Projects Volunteer House in Krabi
Volunteer by the sea and teach English and/or computer skills at schools or volunteer at other projects in the area such as health and child care projects.
You can volunteer in many Krabi volunteer projects such as teaching English on an island just a short boat ride from Krabi town.
Volunteer at Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal in schools, orphan homes, temples
Volunteers who stay at a school or orphanage usually stay in a guest room, either alone or with another volunteer. Like host families, living conditions are generally simple and traditional. You eat with the staff most of the time. Local people will also likely invite you out for dinner.
At some temples, volunteers get the opportunity to share the simple life of Buddhist monks. This is generally only open to male volunteers though some temples welcome women as well, so if you're interested be sure to ask us!
You can teach English at a Buddhist temple. Temple Schools train young novices (usually age 12-18) in basic subjects as well as Buddhist teachings.
You can volunteer at an Orphan Home in Cambodia that cares for over a hundred children, from infants to teenagers.
Volunteer at national parks in Thailand
Volunteers mostly stay at the headquarter's bungalows or ranger stations inside the park.
You can volunteer for marine wildlife protection, scuba diving, teaching English. Volunteers assist with surveys of the coral reefs in the Andaman Sea. Qualified volunteers may dive.
Volunteer and stay at a nice, cozy guesthouse for more privacy
Couples or families who want more privacy may choose this option. In towns volunteers can stay at cheap but nice guesthouses. If you would like to stay in a guesthouse, please let us know so that we can help you find a guesthouse that suits you and your budget.
For instance, you can stay at a guesthouse in Mae Sot and volunteer teach at a school for Burmese children. The majority of the students are from ethnic minorities and hill tribes, many of whom are refugees.
Apply to volunteer and you will get detailed information about each project and your volunteer tasks.
Apply to volunteer and you will get detailed information about each project and your volunteer tasks.
Volunteer overseas work
Overseas volunteers typically do volunteer work 3 to 4 hours per day (or about 15 to 20 hours per week). Most volunteers have weekends off. If you teach at a school, you teach 3-4 lessons a day and spend some time preparing lessons.
As for volunteer work and tasks in other projects such as eco and health or child care volunteer projects you agree on a schedule with the local staff.
Apply to volunteer and you will get detailed information about each project and your volunteer tasks.
Volunteer life overseas: your free time
During your free time, you and your volunteer friends often spend time with the local people, colleagues, new friends, students, our staff and of course with other volunteers. This is your golden opportunity to discover the country, nature and culture all around you. Volunteers can agree for more time off by arrangement with the placement, though volunteer placements expect a primary commitment to your volunteer work.
We really encourage volunteers to explore and discover more of the fascinating countries that they volunteer in. We are happy to assist you in finding places to go, off the beaten track, where to eat and sleep, and suggest things to do such as trekking, visiting national parks and museums, scuba diving, and more.
Travel in Southeast Asia is inexpensive, but it can also be time-consuming; patience is very important when traveling here! We recommend that you as a volunteer plan ahead for train and bus trips as you may not receive a good seat (or a seat at all!) if you wait until the last minute. Make the most of your time in Southeast Asia! Our travel agent can help you find bargains.
As an international volunteer, you will often have opportunities to meet and befriend local people as well as other volunteers. Locals may be shy initially, but they often like to meet and talk with the international volunteers. This is a unique and excellent opportunity to get to know your host country, its people and culture. This is an opportunity that the average tourist or traveler never gets! Take it!
Make the most of your time in Southeast Asia! Seize your volunteer and travel opportunities!
Apply to volunteer and you will get detailed information about each project and your volunteer tasks.
