International Volunteer HQ’s partner NGO in Thailand requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a range of volunteering opportunities available in the Chiang Rai province working with local villages and hill tribes.
LOCATION OF THAILAND VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
IVHQ has volunteer placements located in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand. Chiang Rai is a great place to volunteer as the weather is nice and the scenery beautiful with green jungles, rice fields, waterfalls, elephants and more. The Northern Thais (both the ethnic Thai and the various hill tribes) are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people in the world. It is very safe and good medical facilities are available. Furthermore, Chiang Rai is easily accessible by air, road and railroad links.
START AND DURATION OF THAILAND VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Placements begin on the 1st and 15th of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of one week to three months, however we can accommodate volunteers for very short term periods as well (1 day to 2 weeks).
THAILAND VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education.
THAILAND VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS
TEACHING ENGLISH
In the Northern areas of Thailand such as Chiang Rai many of the local people have not been fortunate enough to have access to any type of formal education. Therefore there is a real need for volunteers to assist in the education of not only young children but also adults from surrounding hill tribes and local villages. Volunteers may be based in a local hill tribe village or at IVHQ's partner organization with other volunteers and staff depending on your preference.
N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
IVHQ Placement: Houe Khom School - Located just of Chiang Rai in a rural village. This school caters for over 300 Thai children from local villages ranging in age from 7 to 12 . (Please Note - This is just one of many schools on our program and not necessarily the one you will be teaching at).
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
The Community Development project with IVHQ's partner in Thailand can encompass a wide range of work and is largely dependent on the areas our partner is focusing on during your volunteering placement. While the work is varied, general tasks it can encompass include basic construction work (for example, painting and building of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and housing - this is also largely dependent on funds), working in local child care centers (which can involve, cleaning, cooking, teaching and playing with children) and assistance in development projects such as the Anti Human Trafficking Project.
NB - It is important to note that all community development volunteers will initially be teaching English and working at local schools and kindergartens for the first 1-3 weeks of their stay. During this time, program staff will look at the skills interests and experiences offered by each community development volunteer to see where they can be best used in assisting the community development work being done in the Chiang Rai area by our volunteers and staff. Therefore it is unrealistic for volunteers to expect to be doing a great deal of community work (aside from teaching and working at local schools and kindergartens if only volunteering very short term - 2 weeks or less).
In addition to the two placements listed above, it is also expected that volunteers will assist with other general chores and activities such as cleaning and cooking occasionally. Dependent on the time of the year and the skills of the volunteers, there may also be other jobs and activities, volunteers can assist our Thailand partner organization with such as; website development, translating Thai into English, assisting local NGOS in their activities, fund raising and participation in development projects (Examples Include: Anti Child Begging Campaign, HIV Awareness Project and Youth Development Projects).
THAILAND PROGRAM COSTS
One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. CLICK HERE to see the program cost to volunteer in Thailand and what you receive in exchange for your fees.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Volunteers are housed onsite at our partner organization’s headquarters in Chiang Rai. Volunteers live in a communal environment (males and females have separate lodgings) with other staff and volunteers. The accommodation is well integrated into the environment as the buildings are made of wood and soil. The 'Wooden House' house is for female staff, volunteers and interns and has two floors. You may share the house with 3-12 people, depending on the period. The 'Soil House' is for male volunteers, and made of soil, chaff and straw. A feature of the house is that it is cool in summer and warm in winter. Also, the soil house is environmentally friendly as it minimizes tree logging. While bedding is provided, it is recommended that volunteers bring their own sleeping bag and mosquito net if they wish to travel away. Meals are cooked and eaten in a common kitchen which is also located onsite. The menu will be Thai dishes however because the staff come from different parts of Thailand, these are always varied. It is expected that volunteers will assist with cooking once a week. In the weekends, volunteers generally get their own meals, however if a core group exists who still want to cook together than they can do this. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.
ORIENTATION
Your program will begin on the morning of the 1st or 15th of the month (dependent on your booking). You will be picked up the day before your orientation is to begin (or earlier if you wish but you will have to pay for accommodation and meals for your extra stay) from Chiang Rai by the program staff. Orientation will be conducted by the team at Chiang Rai and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement with them. Orientation will involve an introduction to the program set-up and your role as a volunteer. Because you will live on site, staff and other current volunteers will be at your side 24 hours to help you with any problems you may encounter.
VOLUNTEER WEEK
First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be introduced to the project staff by project coordinator .
Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of what some volunteers might experience is outlined below.
- 7.30AM Breakfast onsite at dining room
- 8.00AM Volunteer begins work at project;
The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in. - 2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
- 4.00PM-5.00PM Communal work time with other staff at project headquarters
- 8-8.30PM Dinner at project headquarters
Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of Chiang Rai and Thailand. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield and engage in tourist activities such as trekking, jungle safaris and visits to temples. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit local hill tribes, or learn weaving and Thai massage from local friends you will make.
WHAT PAST VOLUNTEERS SAY ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
Although IVHQ is a young volunteering placement organisation (we were formed in early 2007), we are getting tremendous feedback from our first volunteers who are finishing programs. Here are just a few small snippets of what volunteer's are saying about our programs.
"Everything is going great here in Thailand, I love it. Everyone is extremely nice and welcoming" - John Clements, 22, Americus, United States
"I think the organisation's goals and work are great, and absolutely everybody there was incredible" - Gary Schumaker, 38, San Francisco, United States
"Everything is going great here in Chiang Rai. It has taken me a little while to adjust to the dramatic lifestyle change but other than that I have been enjoying the many experiences on offer. As part of my volunteer work we have stayed in two different hilltribe villages already and tasted many different foods. The last week has been very busy and it feels as if i have been in Thailand for months. Thankyou for everything" - Kirstie Ward, 20, Western Australia
THAILAND INFORMATION
Capital: Bangkok
Population: Dec 2006 estimate: 62,828, 7062
Official language: Thai
Currency: Baht (THB)
Time zone: (UTC+7)