Volunteer Thailand | Chiang Mai
Due to the recent political unrest in Thailand and the travel warnings for Chiang Mai during this spring we are currently not placing volunteers in Chiang Mai.
One of the many questions Thais may ask a foreigner visiting Thailand is "Have you been to Chiang Mai yet?", underscoring the feeling that Chiang Mai is a keystone of any journey to Thailand. Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand after Bangkok and has an excess of 300 temples including the breath taking Doi Suthep Wat which is second only to Bangkok’s Grand Palace.
Outside of the city center there are some fantastic National Parks that cater for all sorts of sports such as trekking and rafting, and are fantastic for animal lovers where they can take part in bird watching or a quick jaunt around the park of the back of an elephant!
Chiang Mai is also the home to interesting and colourful ethnic minorities, known as the hill tribes. Because of its size and character as the central city of the north, Chiang Mai also hosts many immigrants from Burma, many of whom are Shan and Karen. They have their own language and their own culture, and many are hoping to eventually return to Burma.
Our volunteers have the opportunity to teach English at either one of the two poor Primary schools that we work with in Chiang Mai.
At both of the schools the children are aged from six to fifteen years old and are from very poor backgrounds. Like many of the schools within Thailand they do not have a curriculum and their knowledge of the English language is very poor and basic.
During the many school holidays and public holidays we at Travel to Teach try and arrange either summer camps for the local children to take part in where they can learn English in an informal way along with playing games, sports and other activities, or we can arrange for restoration to take place at either the local Orphanage or the Orphanage in Mae Hong Son.
Thai close for school holidays in the middle of February and do not resume until Mid May. They are also closed for holiday in October. During this time your placement will be at various English camps in and around Chiang Mai.
Every semester we try and improve the structure and quality of these camps. A typical day teaching at a camp involves two/three hours of English lessons followed by an afternoon of games and activities. The aim of these camps is to allow students to practice their English skills in a fun and interesting way.
Travel to Teach are offering a discount of 340 USD for couples or friends applying to volunteer in Thailand or Mexico. All the more reason to encourage your partner or friends to join you on your adventure!
Please note discounts are only available for people applying to volunteer together in the same location in Thailand or Mexico.
Apply now to volunteer in Thailand during the months of May, June or July and receive a 135 USD discount!
Please note the spring and summer discount is only available for people on a single placement in Thailand and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount or offer.
Read how your fees are spent or compare our
prices with other volunteer organisations.
View our prices in other volunteer locations's or
combine your stay in Thailand with stays in other locations as part of a
combination
stay.
Our application process typically takes two or three weeks, but can
be speeded up if there is a need for that. When we receive the initial
application from you, we will send you our full application form.
(1) Complete the Initial Application Form:
The first stage of the application process is to fill out the brief initial application form. Upon
receiving this we will send you the full application form.
(2) Complete the Full Application Form:
Fill out the application form. After receiving this we will assess your
suitability and place you on one of our programs.
(3) Placement info:
We will return detailed placement information and an invoice. If you
accept the placement you should pay the invoice and send us receipt of
payment by email or fax.
(4) Program Fee:
The program fee should be paid to us at least 2 months before you are
due to start your placement. However please be aware that we have a limited
amount of placements, so placements will only be secured when we
have received your payment.
(5) Communication:
Once you have made your traveling arrangements you should mail your time
of arrival and the means of transportation and we will confirm pickup.
You can join us for any amount of time, from a week to six months. We do recommend a trip of three to six months since it offers the best value. Regardless of the length of your stay, you will be able to learn some Thai and you will have time to get to know a new culture, come to know its people, and form relationships that will outlast the duration of your stay.
Dates of arrival: All teaching will start on the Monday after the introduction.
|
August: Sat 7, Sat 21 September: Sat 4, Sat 18 October: Sat 2, Sat 16, Sat 30 November: Sat 13, Sat 27 |
December: Sat 11, Sat 25 |
| January: Sat 8, Sat 22 February: Sat 5, Sat 19 March: Sat 5, Sat 19 April: Sat 2, Sat 16, Sat 30 |
May: Sat 14, Sat 28 June: Sat 11, Sat 25 July: Sat 9, Sat 23 August: Sat 6, Sat 20 |
September: Sat 3, Sat 17 October: Sat 1, Sat 15, Sat 29 November: Sat 12, Sat 26 December: Sat 10, Sat 24 |
The dorm in Chiang Mai is a big stone and wooden Thai style house. There is a communal room with TV, DVD and a computer. There are 5 bedrooms with beds that can accommodate up to 3 volunteers each. The kitchen area is equipped with a gas cooker, toaster, fridge, water kettle and all the necessary cooking ware. There are 2 bathrooms with a western style toilet and a hot water shower.
The dorm is located in a typical Thai neighborhood, so it is perfect to experience Thai culture and life. Furthermore, the dorm is walking distance from the famous Night Bazaar.
Being a major city, Chiang Mai has a wide variety of things to do and see during the volunteer’s free time and at weekends.
For the animal lovers, Chiang Mai offers some of the best Elephant trekking and even has a near-by tiger zoo where volunteers have the opportunity to pet baby tigers!
For the adventure lovers, Chiang Mai has some fantastic national parks and wild life sanctuaries which are great for trekking and white water rafting. For those who are interested in photography, Chiang Mai has some beautiful and scenic places which make great stills. The city is surrounded by a series of scenic waterfalls and mountains.
Chiang Mai has a huge variety of both Thai and international food. There is traditional Thai food close to the dorm and a massive selection of international restaurants throughout the town. The city is also famous for its Thai cooking schools with classes ranging from a few hours to 2 to 3 weeks.
The kitchen at the dorm is well equipped with a fridge, toaster, water kettle and gas cookers so you can cook your own food. In the past, volunteers have bought fresh fruit and vegetables from the market and practiced their Thai cooking skills with the support of the coordinator Yui.
From November to February during the cool season, Chiang Mai province experiences pleasantly mild sunny weather with temperatures in the city area on average ranging between 15 Celsius at night and around 28 Celsius in daytime.
At higher elevations, temperatures can sometimes dip down to freezing point at night. It doesn't snow, but sleet does occur at times.
During the hot season, lasting from March to May, temperatures especially in the city are high, rising into the high 30s.
The rainy season in the north is from June to October.
Chiang Mai Weather Chart
The fastest and most convenient way to get to Chiang Mai is with one of the low-cost carriers from Bangkok Don Muang International Airport. There are a number of budget airlines flying thus route and flights cost approximately 1,500-2,000 Baht. You can book a flight online at Nokair, Airasia, or Thai Airways
International flights arrive in to Suvarnabhumi International Airport and most Thai Domestic Flights depart from Don Mueang Airport. If you are flying with Air Asia you will be able to fly straight from Suvarnabhumi, but for Nokair and Thai Air you will have to get to Don Mueang. To get there you can take an airport taxi for approximately 500 Baht or you can take a local bus for 35 Baht (approx 45 mins depending on traffic), buses leave from the ground floor of the Suvarnabhumi terminal building. There are information kiosks should you get confused or lost.
There are several trains of various qualities and speeds leaving from Hualamphong train station in Bangkok throughout the day.
We recommend the non air-con 2nd class sleeper which arrives in Chiang Mai in the early morning.
Train reservations online can be made through www.traveller2000.com.
(There is an airport bus direct to the train station from the ground floor of the Suvarnabhumi terminal building)
Government buses leave the Northern and Northeastern busterminal in Bangkok several times a day. You have the choice between 1st and VIP class and tickets range from 300 to 400 Baht.
There are daily private night buses leaving from the Khao San area for as little as 100 Baht. If you go for these, make sure the agencies are delivering the services you were promised and watch your belongings carefully on all buses.
You will be picked up from the airport, bus or train station in Chang Mai by one of the coordinators with a placard that says Travel-to-Teach. Should you not see anyone just phone one of the contact persons on this sheet.
Joe currently works as project manager for Thailand. A qualified accountant, Joe volunteered with Travel to Teach for 9 months in 2004 / 05 and was only too happy to come back to Thailand to work for us. Originally from Nottingham in England, Joe enjoys watching and playing all sports (although he says that sadly he’s better at watching than playing).
Contact Joe: joe@travel-to-teach.orgThere are many options for your visa depending on the length of your stay.
One month tourist visa (free)
This is valid for 30 days and is granted free on arrival in Thailand by air. If you arrive at a land border you will currently only be given a 15 day visa. Please note you can only have three free one month visa stamps in any six month period.
Two/Three month single entry tourist visa (1,200 Baht - approx. 24€)
This is valid for two/three months after your arrival in Thailand. If you leave the country during this time your visa will become invalid. This can be arranged in advance at any Thai Consulate/Embassy. For a list of Thai Embassy's around the world see www.thaiembassy.org.
If you are staying in Thailand for more than a month and do not have time to arrange a 2 month visa, you can simply get your free stamp on arrival and then cross over into Laos after 30 days and apply for it there.
It's quite a simple process:
To revalidate your visa you will have to come to Nongkhai. Simply catch a tuk-tuk to the friendship bridge where you
will be able to get a bus across to Laos. On the far side of the friendship bridge you will get your Laos visa (approx $35).
Once in Laos you have two options, you can either return directly to Thailand receiving a 15 day visa extension or if you want a two month visa you will need to visit the Thai Embassy in Vientiane and spend one night in the city. Please note that for your Laos visa and for a two month Thai visa you will need passport photos and a photocopy of your passport. Vietiane is a 30 minute bus or taxi ride from the border.
You can also use your time in Laos to explore the country further and there are regular buses running from Vientiane to most of Laos including Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.
You should tell your doctor that you are likely to go on a jungle trip in Northeastern Thailand and that you will live in villages in Isan. Keep in mind, Nongkhai is considered to be an urban area and one need not worry about malaria pills for staying exclusively in Nongkhai.
Also visit the WHO's (World Health Organisation) Travelers health informationOne of the conditions of entry onto our programs is that volunteers have travel insurance. Most importantly the insurance needs to include medical treatment and repatriation in case of unforeseen accidents or illnesses. Volunteers should purchase insurance independently and bring a copy of their insurance certificate with them for their local co-ordinator to check before starting their program. Read our terms and conditions.
Sonny, United States
