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Location
  • Thailand
Length
40 hours

Program Details

Teaching Practicum
No
Job Placement
No
Housing
Apartment Host Family

Pricing

Starting Price
5490
Price Details
Housing
Living stipend
Comprehensive orientation, mid-service, and end-of-service training conferences
24-hour in-country field staff support
Access to a remote teacher quality support
Pre-departure preparation and visa assistance, if necessary plus visa fee*
Supplemental overseas travel medical insurance
Alumni services and networking

*Visa fee of up to $160 USD for regular processing of Thailand Non Immigrant Visa
Many volunteers are able to successfully fundraise all or a significant portion of their program expenses. Please refer to our fundraising page for more information about fundraising possibilities.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Meals Transportation Travel Insurance
What's Not Included
Airfare
Mar 13, 2019
May 21, 2018
Wish List
0 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

WorldTeach’s Thailand program was established in 2008. WorldTeach partners with the Ministry of Education of Nakhon Phanom to provide elementary and high school students with access to native-speaking English teachers in the Nakhon Phanom province, one of the poorest areas of the country. The majority of volunteers teach at schools in rural areas, although there are some placements available in Nakhon Phanom city. WorldTeach provides a valuable service to help underprivileged rural and city schools reach a higher standard of English education, thereby enhancing students’ abilities to compete with those in more advantaged areas for work and a better future.

With our year-long program, you can also become TEFL certified to earn credibility and give you an edge in the ESL teaching job market. While certification usually costs about $1,899, with WorldTeach you can become certified for only $350 while also gaining priceless in-country teaching experience.

This program is no longer offered. View more programs from WorldTeach.

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Program Reviews

4.70 Rating
based on 10 reviews
Leave a Review
  • 5 rating 70%
  • 4 rating 30%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Benefits 4.45
  • Support 3.75
  • Fun 4.15
  • Facilities 4.75
  • Safety 4.45
  • Instruction 3.7
  • Support 4
  • Value 4.7
  • Academic Rigor 3.7
  • Job Assistance 2
Showing 9 - 10 of 10 reviews
Default avatar
J
50
Male
4/5
No, I don't recommend this program

The Draw of Isan

May 24, 2012

This program is located in Isan, the northwest area of Thailand. That turned out to be a wonderful part of Thailand, as its culture is still very much intact and not so much changed by Western influences as is the more southerly regions such as Bangkok. The culture is very welcoming, and as such, we were received and treated very well the entire time. To be invited to various local events and to be included in activities was the norm by our Thai hosts. The food is generally outstanding and always freshly prepared and there's always plenty of it as well. (Cheese and chocolate, however, are relatively rare.)

Many, but not all, volunteers are housed on campus alongside Thai teachers. That often means cold-water bucket showers and basic facilities but you end up living just as some of your fellow Thai teachers are. At my school (in a small village), the teaching aids were basic but sufficient; no overhead projectors, for example, but copiers/printers and alike were available. Internet access was sometimes problematic, which could be frustrating at times because I used it extensively to find materials to augment my lessons.

In my opinion, the WorldTeach home office had some serious problems with organization and communication and this weighed on my overall experience. On the other hand, they managed to find excellent staff to take on the in-country field director position.

For me, the bottom line is that the beauty and wonder of the culture outweighed the problems I experienced with the program itself. I heartily recommend experiencing the Isan culture; it was an amazing experience for me.

44 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Response from WorldTeach

Great to see that you had a positive experience in the classroom and that you took advantage of the opportunity for cultural immersion. Invitations to local events, fresh and delicious food, and authentic living conditions sound like memorable experiences (and make for good stories!).

In regards to the organization and communication from the home office, please reach out to us at info@worldteach.org with more details. WorldTeach is committed to excellent volunteer support so your feedback is essential to improving our processes.

By WorldTeach on July 1, 2013
Default avatar
ZachG
32
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Authentic Thai living

May 23, 2012

Living in Nakhon Phanom was a true experience of what life in Thailand is like for Thai people who have not been exposed to the globalizing trends of western business and tourists. It takes a lot of adjustment to be able to cope with living in a very rural area, from getting used to the different kinds of food and climate, to adapting oneself to the specific ways that people are expected to interact with each other. The people, though, are welcoming and overwhelmingly friendly and make living in Nakhon Phanom a wonderful experience. You will get to teach some loving students, maybe learn about Thai rural traditions and culture, see and maybe participate in rice farming, go on trips to neighboring cities and celebrate holidays with the locals. The summer break is a great chance to travel the country and see how the Thai people live in different areas. All in all, one of the greatest experiences of my life.

45 people found this review helpful.
Helpful

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Erin Carden

Program
WorldTeach - Volunteer Teaching in Thailand
Thumbnail

Why did you choose this program?

I chose WorldTeach Thailand because I was drawn to the welcoming nature of the Thai community and the beauty of the region. The WT program proved to be very organized, and I wanted a program that provided its volunteers with high levels of support before, during, and after their experience abroad.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

WT provided a welcoming program director who supplied important information to prepare for our arrival in Thailand.

WT also provided each volunteer with international travel medical insurance, housing, and a monthly stipend. WT volunteers also attend 3 in-country training conferences during their service.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Don’t have any expectations for what your experience is going to be like. The reality is that for the most part, your experience will be completely different than your expectations and so the more open-minded and flexible you are, the better your experience you will have. You should also keep in mind that living and teaching abroad is not easy, but it is the challenge that makes the experience rewarding.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

During the month-long orientation, volunteers spend the day taking intensive teacher training courses with evenings free to explore the city of Nakhon Phanom. Once volunteers have moved to their respective site placements after orientation, an average week consists of 20 hours of teaching with a typical day starting at 7:30 am and ending at 4:30 pm.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was living alone. Before coming to Thailand I had spent 4 years living with my best friends, and before that, living at home with my mother in NYC. Moving to Thailand meant that I would be living alone in a rural village with fewer things “to do” compared to the bustling daily life of a New Yorker.

In Thailand, I learned how to find comfort in the quiet of my own thoughts. I began to to accept the emptiness that I felt on the monotonous weekends spent sitting on my porch in my PJs, reading, writing, and staring ahead at the greenery of my garden. I may have felt at times, a sort of emptiness during these moments but in ways that were not obvious at the time, the stillness that entered into my life was in fact, making me full. This sense of stillness came not from self- assurance, nor from a certainty in my abilities, but from the knowledge that every day I was, in some way, shape, or form, growing. It was in Thailand where I spent my days constantly “losing” and “finding” myself. I was in a beautiful state of flux.

What is your great experience?

Throughout my time in Thailand, I became aware of the great extent of nurturing kindness found in Thai culture. In America you are told at a very young age to never get in a car with strangers but living in Thailand taught us that this was no malicious act, they were merely offering us a ride home.

So, we hopped into the car along with the mother, the daughter, and the little brother who looked to be about five years old. When we arrived back in our village they dropped us off in front of our school, which is about a three-minute walk from where we live. When we got out of the car they also got out and seemed as if they wanted to walk us to our front door. With the help of Google translate, they asked us if our homes were too far and if we were afraid to walk. We thanked them for their great kindness in escorting us home and told them not to worry, we would be ok. We tried to offer the mother some money for driving us but she would not accept it. “No problem,” she said in perfect English.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Daniel Warden

Program
WorldTeach - Volunteer Teaching in Thailand
Daniel Warden grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Luther College in small-town Iowa, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. In college, Daniel traveled to Northern Ireland to study the ethno-nationalist conflict known as 'The Troubles' and took a culture course in China. Fascinated by the varying ways that people live, Daniel decided to continue his travels by joining WorldTeach Thailand as a volunteer English teacher. Recently, he assumed the position of Head Teacher and is honored to continue working with the vibrant WorldTeach volunteers in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand.

Teach English in Thailand with WorldTeach

What makes teaching in Thailand with WorldTeach so special and unique?

Daniel: What makes this program truly extraordinary is that WorldTeach Thailand volunteers are submerged in the rural, village lifestyle. Our volunteers are situated in Nakhon Phanom along the Thai-Laos border, which is about as far away as one can get from the busy urban environment of Bangkok. Distant from the country’s renowned beaches, the locals refer to the area as “real” Thailand, and we tend to agree with them. Here, resources are quite limited, so the volunteers must be creative and work in ways that they never have before.

Did you teach abroad? If so, what inspired you to go?

Daniel: This is my first experience teaching abroad. My inspiration to come to Thailand sprouted from my curiosity in how other people live, and I wanted to be proactive while doing so. It is incredible how much one can gain from traveling, working, and sharing knowledge with people of different backgrounds.

What should teachers know about the classroom and workplace culture in Thailand?

Daniel: The teaching culture in Thailand is very hands-on and practical toward their way of life. For instance, each Wednesday my school has “Scout Day.” Students compete in various events and competitions that are centered on teamwork and originality. At first I failed to see the value of Scout Day, as the students are not in the classroom for the majority of the school day. However, I found it remarkable how creative and imaginative my students could be in completing their assignments, and that same creativity carries over into the classroom.

What can you tell us about the current state of education in Thailand? How do you see this changing in the next 10 years?

Daniel: Unfortunately, most of the government funding goes to schools in Thailand’s larger cities, such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Most rural schools receive limited funds and must work with severely limited resources. However, as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a ten country geo-political and economic organization, initiative grows more mature, English, the international language, becomes significantly more important throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia. Thus, WorldTeach Thailand will continue to be productive and play an important role providing English education in rural Thailand.

What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering teaching abroad in Thailand?

Daniel: Be flexible and learn to expect the unexpected. Like many other things in life, lessons often do not always go according to plan. The students might be unruly, you may be in a foul mood, or some electronic equipment might not work as you had planned. Anything can happen, but that’s what makes teaching abroad so exciting.

Location

Location:
Thailand
Currency:
Thai Baht
Weather:
Jan-Mar
95 F / 57 F
Apr-Jun
91 F / 72 F
Jul-Sep
90 F / 73 F
Oct-Dec
88 F / 59 F
Airports:
Suvarnabhumi Airport
( BKK )
Don Mueang Airport
( DNK )
Phuket Airport
( HKT )

Thailand has become the most tourist visited country in Southeast Asia. This country provides dense jungles, beautiful beaches, world-class shopping, and stunning architecture. No matter your budget, there is something for you to take part in in Thailand.

About WorldTeach

Thank you for your interest in our organization. Recognizing that the world of global volunteerism has shifted considerably, our Board of Directors has decided to take a pause in order to think strategically about the future of the organization and to re-calibrate as necessary and feasible. WorldTeach was founded in 1986 by a group of Harvard...

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