Volunteer Thailand | Namsom
After Nongkhai, Namsom is our oldest and most estabilished volunteer program. Namsom is a typical Isan small town, and a center for the farming villages around it. Surrounded by rice paddies with a market in the center it's the administrative and commercial center for a small region.
Namsom is a popular destination with our volunteers as it offers a true Thai experience and is an exciting way to meet many new Thai friends. We are fortunate enough to have been able to supply the schools that we teach in with a constant flow of volunteers for the last 5 years. Namsom offers many different activities and cultural experiences.
Even though Namsom is not as big as nearby Nong Khai everything our volunteers are likely to need is available, supermarkets, banks with ATM’s, post office, internet café’s, sports facilities etc. It has become a custom over the years that the volunteers from Namsom and Nongkhai visit each other on their free weekends as it is only a 2 hour bus ride away.
There are two schools in Nam Som that Travel to Teach send volunteers to. These are:
Thasom is a large primary school, with around 800 students. It is located around 500 meters from the volunteer dorm. Volunteers work either as an assistant to fifth and sixth grade English teacher or will work as assistants to Thai teachers for the first to fourth grades.
The high school is situated approximately 3km's from the volunteer dorm and has around 1500 students. Our volunteers normally work as assistants to the Thai teachers here, although there are opportunitiesfor volunteers to teach things such as conversation skills on their own.
The high school and other schools in the surrounding area often arrange special English camps at the weekend or in the school holidays. Volunteers are often asked to participate in these, helping to boost the English skills of the children. They are a lot of fun and are often held at nearby National Parks or places of interest.
Travel to Teach are offering a discount of 315 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.
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.
|
May: Sat 26 June: Sat 9, Sat 23 July: Sat 7, Sat 21 August: Sat 4, Sat 18 |
September: Sat 1, Sat 15, Sat 29 October: Sat 13, Sat 27 November: Sat 10, Sat 24 December: Sat 8, Sat 22 |
| January: Sat 5, Sat 19 February: Sat 2, Sat 16 March: Sat 2, Sat 16, Sat 30 April: Sat 13, Sat 27 |
May: Sat 11, Sat 25 June: Sat 8, Sat 22 July: Sat 6, Sat 20 August: Sat 3, Sat 17, Sat 31 |
September: Sat 14, Sat 28 October: Sat 12, Sat 26 November: Sat 9, Sat 23 December: Sat 7, Sat 21 |
Our dorm in Namsom is a beautiful multi level wooden Thai house just outside the centre of Namsom. There is a large living room with hammocks, TV, DVD player, computer and a large kitchen with fridge, cooker, toaster, water boiler. We have 2 toilets one western and one Thai with 2 cold water showers. The dorm has 3 bedrooms which can accommodate a total of 7 volunteers. There is a big upstairs balcony for sun bathing and a covered porch in front of the house.
Although there aren't a huge variety of Western style activities in Namsom, volunteers find plenty of ways to keep themselves entertained. There are waterfalls, mountains, national parks and a number of forest temples within easy reach. Within Namsom volunteers can join the local football club, play basketball or badminton, or visit one of the many karaoke bars. Volunteers can also try traditional Thai activities such as weaving or rice farming.
As in all Thai towns food can be purchased in many places and there is an excellent night market in the middle of Namsom every night selling a wide variety of Isan and Thai food. The 2 primary schools our volunteers work in provide lunch, and volunteers will often find themselves invited for dinner with teachers and Thai families. The volunteer dorm has basic cooking facilities. There's a small supermarket close to the volunteer dorm which sells some basic Western foods, such as bread, yoghurt etc, but there are no Western restaurants.
Namsom has basically the same weather as Nongkhai. The wet season, May till October is a bit more wet normally and the cold season, November till March, a bit colder.
Namsom Weather Chart
Situated around 100 km northwest of Udon Thani, Namsom has excellent bus
services from Rangsina bus station in Udon. About 10 regular buses run
each day, plus there are a number of mini buses that leave when they are
full. A number of buses run every hour from Nongkhai to Udon, and
Nongkhai to Namsom via Udon normally takes around 3 and a half hours.
From Nongkhai volunteers can also reach Namsom more directly by taking a
bus to Ban Phue (1 bus every hour and a half) and then catching a
different bus to Namsom (one every hour). This takes between 2 and 3
hours depending on how lucky you are with the bus connection in Ban
Phue.
Jim graduated from Khon Kaen University's tourism program in 2007 and initially completed a 3 month internship with Travel to Teach before joining us permanently. After working with us in Chiang Mai for 2 years Jim now helps manage our programs in Nongkhai. She is responsible for contact with schools and organising English camps and looks after our volunteers giving Thai language lessons and cooking classes.
Contact Jim: jim@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.
If you are planning to work in Cambodia then you will need to obtain a police records background check before starting your placement. For details on the application procedure in your home country please take a look at: www.travel-to-teach.org/CRB-information.php
At all other locations you will be required to abide by the Travel to Teach Child Protection Policy.
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.
Biddy, UK
