Itinerary

GETTING THERE

You will need to fly into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. From there you will take an internal flight to Chiang Rai, where you will meet Bryan and Rosie Massingham, who will look after you in Tha Ton. Travelling to Tha Ton takes about one and a half hours through some of northern Thailand’s stunning scenery.

BRIEFING AND ORIENTATION

You will spend about five days at Tha Ton, enjoying the comforts of the Maekok River Village Resort. We will:

• Explain Thai history, culture, customs and polite behaviour
• Teach you some Thai
• Teach you some basic Thai cooking
• Discuss safety issues
• Give you some training in teaching English, and make you practise on each other and on local Thai children.
• There will be plenty of free time, so you will be able to get to know each other better over some Pad Thai.

YOUR NEW HOME

After the orientation course you will head out to the villages. All villages are within ninety minutes of Tha Ton and of the hospital at Mae Ai. We will take you to your new home, which will be close to the school, or actually inside the grounds, at the heart of the village.

Some houses are a bit more ‘authentic’ than others. You will have at least one bed/sitting room, a kitchen area, some equipment to cook with (although local food stalls provide good, cheap food) and some plates and cutlery. Most houses have flushing lavatories and a shower.

You will be close enough to each other to visit at least one other pair with ease, using taxis or buses. Occasionally you will all meet up as a group.

THE PROJECT

You will be formally welcomed to the school. It will take a bit of time to know all the staff, but you will be looked after by one of the English teachers (who may not be a confident English speaker!). The school will normally give you lunch, shared with the other teachers. Schools are always at the centre of the village communities, so you will be very well known and your presence much appreciated.

- Most pupils will be aged 4 - 11. Standards of spoken English are not high.
- Classrooms are generally good, but not heavy on IT.
- Children respect older people (you!) but can be quite cheeky and are very competitive.
- Scouting is important in Thai schools and scout or guide uniforms are worn once a week. On other days different dress is worn.
- All schools are built around a football pitch-sized space (small school, small pitch), so there is scope to play football, basketball or volleyball.
- Most schools have a quiet period after lunch.
- Thailand is intensely patriotic and, at the pinnacle of this feeling, is the hugely popular King. You may have ‘King Day' holidays.
- Occasionally, schools have picnics or other celebrations at weekends but otherwise your time is free to meet other AVs, have fun and explore.
- You will need to apply energy to start extra classes for local villagers, for example, to arrange sports with other schools or other activities, but it will be worth it!

INDEPENDENT TRAVEL - 4 weeks

Now is your chance to explore South East Asia. There are any number of iconic beaches and secluded islands for sunbathing or perfect locations for scuba diving, especially in the archipelago on the western side of the Thai Peninsula. If you would like to explore further, the options are almost limitless:

• Cross into Laos, visit Luang Prabang and head down the Maekong River to Vientiane, that very French city.
• Travel (perhaps fly by one of the region’s low cost carriers) to Siem Reap and visit the astonishing Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the world.
• Visit Vietnam, its lovely gentle people and the Maekong Delta, Ho Chi Min City and the relics of the Vietnam War.
• Travel down into Malaysia, taking the train to Singapore or crossing to east Malaysia to visit the Orang Utangs (originally Orang Hutan or “Forest People”!) before they become extinct.

HOME

You will probably need to return to Bangkok to fly home, but your ticket should be flexible so you can delay your return if you want, for a fee.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Before departure:

Pre-departure information, support and advice
A nominated member of the UK volunteer support team
One-to-one face to face briefing for UK applicants
Telephone briefing for non-UK applicants
References taken up
Comprehensive online health check
Advice on group flight booking or individual flight arrangements
Briefing for group departure from London airport

In-country:

In-country representative
24/7 in-country backup
Meet and greet at airport (if arriving with the group)
Airport transfer (if arriving with group)
In-country induction course
Transfer from induction course to school/project
Accommodation (except during independent travel)
Food allowance (except during independent travel)
Management of emergencies, including lost passport, illness, etc. whilst in-country

Upon returning home:

Returning home advice
Full telephone debriefing

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Flights
Travel Insurance
Country visas
Meeting of non-group arrivals
Accommodation for early/late arrivals
Medical expenses, e.g. inoculations, malaria prophylatics
In-country medical expenses
Drinks
Tips/gratuities - No tips/gratuities for AV staff are necessary or expected
Spending money
Extra activities that you choose to do
Independent travel

If you need some help and want to talk about your plans to volunteer, please Get in touch

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