Teaching English abroad. Thailand experience.

I spend one month (August 2016) in the Original Volunteers project set in Thailand. I volunteered as an English teacher in a primary school in Phang Nga, southern Thailand. During my stay there I also have the opportunity to collaborate at the Sena School English Camp for teens.

I would describe my stay as adventurous, enjoyable, rich and worthwhile experience. For this reason I truly recommend this rewarding experience with Original Volunteers. This company offers a good value for money; I can affirm the costs are reasonably priced. Also, provides you with advices and support before and during your stay there. The facilities for the volunteers are impressive good taking into account the poor place where the project takes place.

Teaching English to Thai children provides them a wide range of their opportunities to work and find a good job position in their adulthood. I wanted to help and give a better future for the children. As the same way I wanted to give the moral of the children a huge boost and present them enjoyable English activities. This was one of the main reasons which makes me took the decision of being a volunteer. Collaborate with this project let me met my expectations. It makes me feel really good to be able to collaborate in that local community to improve and increase their English level.

Volunteers went out to small town where little or no English is spoken. There we taught in local schools every day. The town I did my volunteer was called Khok Kloy. The weekdays all the volunteers slept in the same hostel pretty close to the different schools where we collaborate. Every morning a tuk-tuk taxi pick up us and drop of to the schools. There were two teacher volunteers per school (there were never a volunteer teaching alone in a school). I did class of English to children of different ages (from nursery to 12 years old) during all morning (5 hours per day). I must say I felt really comfortable teaching to that school. The teachers and the director of the school were really nice with the volunteers during all our stay there. We have lunch with the teacher staff who share us their food. They are really interested in meeting us and let us be part of the staff team. Students were really motivated for English classes and meet new volunteers from other countries.

Teachers follow the Thai Government curriculum which makes the lessons relevant to the children education. The classes we taught in the school where already programmed by Original Volunteers teachers team, but we also have the opportunity to create new activities at the end of the class or change the way to present (if we thought it could be easily learned by the students). To sum up, we follow the program but we were free to create new activities and English games to motivate them. Even thought they are already motivated for learning English. As teachers reported, children enjoy the volunteer’s activities and they are “hungry for English”.

I will appeal to the food. As I said before Thai teachers share their meal with the volunteers. It was a good excuse to eat and taste the real Thai food cooked by the teachers. Disappointingly, in the hostel the food service is limited. But there are a thai tesco, street markets, shops, and pharmacy in fifteen minutes walking from there.

During my stay there I felt well looked after by the coordinators and other teachers of the project. There was always somebody there able to help and assistance me. When it comes the communication with the company was excellent being always happy to answer all my queries and doubts.

Before I went to Thailand the company helped me get in touch with other futures volunteers who will share the same project during my stay there. I was able to meet and chat them before my arrival at the project. Despite I went there alone, I never felt as I was on my own. We created a really nice volunteer teachers team in the school where the project took place. We also have the opportunity to share trips around the country of Thailand when the project ends.

It was definitely a worthwhile experience that I will never forget. I came back to my country with my bag full of lovely and brilliant memories from Thailand. Thanks Original Volunteer for let me be part of your admirable, skilful and great team.
You will be always a part of me.
Mar Rof.