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Volunteer Teaching English Program in Cambodia
Volunteer to teach English to local Cambodians by working in schools and training centers. Support teachers and trainers, with an emphasis on conversational English and basic grammar.
This program places you in schools or training centers in Phnom Penh, working alongside local English teachers (and sometimes monks) to run conversational English and basic grammar sessions. Day to day you help plan lessons, run small-group activities, and support students who are falling behind, rather than lead a curriculum on your own. It suits anyone aged 18 or over who wants a structured teaching placement and needs no prior teaching experience, just a flexible attitude and a clean background check.
Placements run 2–24 weeks, with new starts twice a month (sundays) and the next intake on 20 Sep 2026; you can stay from 2 weeks up to 24. You live in a shared volunteer house, guesthouse or host family in Phnom Penh, with three set meals a day either at a partner restaurant three minutes from the house or with your host family. Fees start at $819 (deposit included). Weekdays are for teaching, and weekends are free, with Siem Reap and Angkor Wat within reach for those who want to travel.
- Volunteer to teach English to local Cambodians and empower them for growing tourism industry
- Focus to teach conversational English and basic grammar
- Work in local schools/training centers and assist trainers and teachers
- Support for the right push for the locals/students to pick up advanced careers with improved English
- Minimum commitment of 2-weeks and volunteer work is carried out on weekdays
- Weekends are free to explore Cambodia and also visit Angkor Wat
Your role on this program
- Work alongside English teachers, and sometimes monks, on pronunciation and conversational practice
- Prepare daily lesson plans and keep classes engaged for roughly 3 to 6 hours a day
- Give extra attention to weaker students and track how they are progressing
- Help students build vocabulary through practice and repetition
- Prepare test sheets for regular, informal assessments
- Run interactive, activity-based sessions rather than lecture-style teaching
- Support the class teacher during lessons rather than teach unsupervised
Exact duties vary with the placement's needs, the season and your experience.
Role boundaries
You assist the local English teachers and trainers who run the classroom; you are not a replacement for qualified teaching staff and you do not set the curriculum or grade formally. A criminal background check, issued within 12 months of your start date, is required because the placement involves working with children, and the local coordinator and placement staff supervise your day-to-day work.
A typical day and week
As a volunteer for the Teaching Program in Cambodia, your general schedule would be:
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Sunday – Arrival at the destination (Phnom Penh)
An orientation session will be conducted by the local coordinator, covering the major topics such as safety, culture, language, places to visit, behavior, food, and other suggestions for things to do in Cambodia. -
Monday – Orientation and Welcome Lunch
Morning :
8:00-11:00: Orientation at office
11:00-12 noon : Bring to buy local Sim Card or necessities at market or currency exchange at market or Bank
12:00-1:30 pm : Welcome Lunch and orientation/advice by the team to set up the Grab App or Local TukTuk App and how to use it.Afternoon:
1:30-4:30 pm: City Tour
4:30-5:00 pm : Traveling back to Office or Volunteer House -
Tuesday: All volunteers will be brought to work at their respective placement and begin volunteer placement
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Tuesday to Fri – Volunteer work
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Weekends – Free to explore the city / Head out to discover Siem Reap
Breakfast – 06:30 am onwards
Working hours at the placement – 09:30 am to 11:00 pm and 01:00 pm to 04:00 pm
Lunch – volunteers get two hours break in between work hours. You can either choose to return to the accommodation for lunch or you can carry packed lunch to the placement
Dinner – 07:00 pm onwards
The same work schedule continues from the second week onwards (Monday – Friday).
Note: Please note, the schedule may vary depending on the particular project the volunteer is participating on.
Timings are the placement's usual pattern; the local team confirms your hours at orientation, and they can change with school terms, clinic rotas, weather and the project's needs.
Who can join and what you need
- Minimum age 18 at the start of the program
- No teaching qualification or prior classroom experience required
- An open, flexible attitude toward working in a different culture and environment
- Physically fit and in good general health at the time of joining
- Clean criminal background check, issued within 12 months of your start date
- Travel and medical insurance, either your own policy or one arranged through Volunteering Solutions
The placement, its limits and your part in it
Placements are arranged with local schools and training centers in and around Phnom Penh; one example is a non-formal education school run through a church community project serving families in a low-income migrant area, though your actual placement depends on availability and project need at the time. Classes are organized by the placement's own teachers, and volunteers work into that existing structure rather than setting it up.
You work under the supervision of the local teacher or trainer at the placement and the local coordinator team based in Phnom Penh. Because the work involves children, a background check is required before you start, and volunteers are expected to stay within a support role rather than take charge of the class. Realistically, your contribution is extra conversation practice, small-group attention and activity support during the weeks you are there, not a guarantee of specific learning results.
Our standards
- Responsible volunteer travel policyHow we choose, run and review every project
- Safeguarding policyBackground checks, supervision and our code of conduct with children
- Child & vulnerable adult protectionThe rules every volunteer follows on placement
- Certified B CorporationSocial and environmental performance verified by B Lab
- How we volunteer responsibly in CambodiaCountry-level partner context and standards
Start dates
Weekly start dates, year-round — pick any week across the next two years.
Program fees by duration
Prices include your $249 booking deposit — which is deducted from your total program fee. Your deposit stays valid for one year, during which you may enroll in multiple programs. A 5% international banking fee applies to credit-card payments in USD or AUD.
| Duration | Total price | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | $819 | |
| 3 weeks | $969 | |
| 4 weeks | $1,119 | |
| 5 weeks | $1,219 | |
| 6 weeks | $1,289 | |
| 7 weeks | $1,439 | |
| 8 weeks | $1,509 | |
| Each additional week | +$200 / week |
Indicative conversion — your booking is charged in the currency you choose at checkout.
✓ What you're paying for
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Pick up from the airport
- Orientation and Welcome lunch/dinner
- Food
- Accommodation in volunteer house, host family or guesthouse
- Travel & Medical Insurance (Available at an extra cost)
- Certificate of Participation(On Request)
Not included
- Airfare
- Return Trip to Airport
- Local Transportation
- Visa Fees
- Vaccinations
Accommodation & meals
Airport Transfer
Volunteers are picked up from the Phnom Penh International Airport by a local representative of the team in Cambodia.Upon arrival, you will be greeted at the airport by a member of the local team and taken to the volunteer accommodation in Phnom Penh. Your accommodation is covered by your Program Fee and includes the Sunday night before your program orientation
Orientation
The program orientation begins on the first and third Monday of the month and volunteers need to arrive in Phnom Penh on the Sunday before orientation.
Orientation and briefing of the volunteers is conducted by our local team in Cambodia team at the volunteer house or team office. During the orientation information is provided about Cambodia history, safety, culture differences, expectations, working conditions, your project placement as well as weekend travel opportunities in and around Phnom Penh.
After the orientation volunteers are given a local tour of Phnom Penh city and also taken for a welcome meal.
Accommodation
Volunteers in Phnom Penh are provided accommodation in the shared volunteer house, host family or in a family operated centrally located guesthouse in Phnom Penh.
The volunteer house is conveniently located in the heart of Phnom Penh City near the Russian Market and Boeung Trabek market. The house provides volunteers with a comfortable, simple and relaxing place to live. Presently, the volunteer house can accommodate more than twenty volunteers in five rooms. Rooms in the house are on a shared basis with generally 3-5 volunteers sharing a room together. Rooms have fans and AC. If the volunteers need any help or assistance they can always come to the local team office, which is in the same building and literally right next door. Wifi Internet is available at the volunteer house.
Participants also have the option to choose to upgrade to a single private room at an additional charge at the guesthouse accommodation. In case of non availability at the volunteer house during busy periods, participants are provided accommodation in a guesthouse.
For those participants wishing to stay at a home stay, host family accommodation is also available.
All the locations provide a welcoming family or staff of helpful individuals who will always be available to help with any questions or issues you may have.
Laundry can be done from a laundry service and usually costs $0.5 – $1/Kg.
Meals
Cambodian cuisine is a fusion of cuisines from other countries in South East Asia such as Vietnam and Thailand. Cambodian food is light and healthy and is not very spicy and hot.
During your stay at the volunteer house, food will be provided at a restaurant which is 3 minutes walk from the house.
The menu will offer for selection of the foods you prefer :-
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Breakfast: Usually starts from 6:10 AM -7: 30 AM, foods such as Baguette or slide bread with Butter jam or honey, peanut butter, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelette or fruit plate.
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Lunch: Usually starts from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, foods such as soup or stir-fried with a main dish consisting of rice, noodles, fresh vegetables, chicken, beef, or pork, volunteers eat with the other volunteers at a restaurant near the volunteer house with other volunteers.
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Dinner: Usually starts from 5:40 PM – 7:00 PM, food is similar to lunch, so you typically come together to eat with others.
Participants staying in the guesthouse and host family accommodation are provided meals there itself.
During your Free Time
Phnom Penh has a lot to offer and you will always find something of interest to do and see during your free time. There are a lot of temples, museums, and historic sites to visit such as Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, Royal Palace, National Museum and Wat Phnom. You can also join the local Khmer cuisine cooking classes if that interests you! Volunteers work from Monday to Friday and you will have the weekends free to relax and explore the country. The local team can also assist and suggest some options of destinations to visit. Other popular places to visit outside Phnom Penh are Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Kep.
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Life on the program
Getting there and who looks after you in Cambodia
Airport pickup
A local team representative meets you at Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH) and takes you to your accommodation. Pickup is arranged for the Sunday before orientation.
First night
The Sunday night before orientation is covered by your program fee, so you settle in before anything formal starts.
Orientation and welcome
Orientation runs on the first and third Monday of each month at the volunteer house or team office, covering safety, culture, and your placement, followed by a city tour and a welcome meal.
First placement day
Volunteers are taken to their placement on the Tuesday after orientation to begin teaching, with the same weekday schedule continuing from the second week.
Ongoing support
The local team office is in the same building as the volunteer house, and 24-hour assistance is available throughout your stay.
From volunteers in Cambodia
Frequently asked questions
What do I actually do as a volunteer teacher in Cambodia?
You assist local English teachers with conversational English and basic grammar classes, running small-group activities, helping weaker students, and preparing simple assessments rather than teaching a class alone.
Do I need a teaching qualification or experience?
No, no teaching qualification or prior classroom experience is required; you need an open, flexible attitude and a clean criminal background check since the placement involves children.
What is a typical working day like?
Classes generally run Monday to Friday, from around 9:30am to 11am and again from 1pm to 4pm, with a two-hour lunch break, though the exact schedule can vary by placement.
How long can I volunteer for and when can I start?
Placements run 2–24 weeks, with new intakes starting twice a month (sundays); the next start date is 20 Sep 2026.
What does the program fee cover, and how much is it?
Fees start at $819, deposit included, and cover accommodation, three meals a day, airport pickup, orientation, welcome meal, and 24-hour local support; flights, visa fees, vaccinations and local transport are not included.
Is the deposit refundable?
The $249 deposit counts toward your total fee, stays valid for a year, and is refunded if no placement can be offered to you.
Where do I live and what meals are provided?
You stay in a shared volunteer house, a family-run guesthouse, or with a host family in Phnom Penh, and you get three meals a day, either at a partner restaurant three minutes from the volunteer house or with your host family.
How does airport pickup and arrival work?
A local team member meets you at Phnom Penh International Airport on the Sunday before orientation and takes you to your accommodation, with that first night covered by your fee.
What support is available if something goes wrong?
The local team's office is in the same building as the volunteer house, and you have access to 24-hour assistance for the duration of your placement.
Do I need a visa, insurance, or vaccinations?
Travel and medical insurance is compulsory, either your own policy or one arranged through Volunteering Solutions; specific visa and vaccination guidance is sent to you before departure since this depends on your nationality.
Is a background check required for this program?
Yes, because the placement involves working with children, you need a clean criminal background check issued within 12 months of your start date.
Who does this program suit?
It suits anyone aged 18 or older with no teaching experience required, who wants a structured classroom support role and is comfortable adapting to a placement's existing routine rather than running it independently.
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