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Program Description
WorldTeach - Volunteer Teaching in Thailand
Description
Many people know Thailand for its beautiful beaches or Bangkok's temples and shopping on Khao San Road, but few people have ventured off the beaten trail to the more rural areas of Thailand. Whereas in the tourist destinations, many people speak English and have a global perspective, people in the rural eastern part of Thailand have rarely seen foreigners, let alone had a chance to speak English with a native speaker. Students in the eastern Isan area have difficulty competing with the more privileged students in the cities for enrollment in universities or for jobs.
In our brand new Thailand program, volunteers will be working in the Nakhon Phanom Province, in Northeastern Thailand, with Elementary and High School students. This program will focus on English language education, mostly in underpriviledged, countryside schools. Volunteers will give these students a chance to interact with foreigners and be introduced to different cultures.
WorldTeach will accept up to 25 volunteers for the 2011 school year. The volunteers will be placed in elementary schools and high schools in rural towns in Nakhon Phanom.
Highlights
Classroom life in Thailand varies greatly between schools. Most volunteers will teach the majority of a school's students over the course of a week. Two or three classes a week with each grade level is a normal schedule, averaging about 12 to 16 classes total. Some schools will ask volunteers to teach out of a specific text book, and others will ask the volunteers to create their own curriculum. Classroom logistics also vary, with some volunteers having a set classroom and others requiring the volunteer to move between classrooms each period. Even the number of students in a class varies -- some classes have only 5 or 6 students, others have 35. While each individual school is quite consistent, placements shape the Thailand experience far more than most other WorldTeach programs.
Volunteers also engage in extracurricular activies appropriate to their grade levels. Most lead an English club or another optional class where they have more freedom to teach about subjects they or their students find interesting, such as English songs and dances. Volunteers with older students may start a drama club while elementary teachers may focus on drawing pictures from English words.
Qualifications
--Native-level English ability
--Hold a bachelor's degree by the start of the program
--Between the ages of 21 and 74
--Highly flexible, mature, willing to live and learn in a different culture, genuine
interest in teaching
Ratings and Reviews
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Authentic Thai living
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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.