Overview
Volunteers joining the Monks Teaching Volunteer Program in Thailand, Chiang Mai will teach novice Buddhist monks, who are in the age group of 12-18 years. The placements are provided to interested volunteers at five different monastery schools, in the beautiful city of Chiang Mai. Objectives of these schools are "enhancing the knowledge of monks and novices in both religious and secular subjects" and "providing secondary education for boys who are unable to afford such opportunities elsewhere."
Volunteers will be intrigued to see that it’s not just the students who are budding monks but also the teachers who are fully learned Buddhist monks. One of the schools has both novice monk students and non-monk students (however the majority are monks), separated by classrooms. This a great volunteering abroad opportunity for those on their gap year to gain some intense international work experience. Teaching monks volunteering is one program where you are not only the teacher imparting knowledge and sharing views but also the learner who get to learn the basics of life science from the wise monks. Not only it is important to the school administration that volunteers aid in English education at the school, but also that volunteers receive a rich experience about Thailand, Thai culture and Buddhism during their service.
Program Requirements
?Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the time of joining the project. Participants should have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. Volunteers need to be flexible and open-minded. You should also be proactive and have an ability to take initiative All volunteers must provide additional documents such as a clean criminal background check report, Resume/CV and passport copy prior to joining the program.
Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities
Typical volunteer activities under the teaching monks volunteering program in Thailand include;
- Assist the teachers to provide low-cost teaching material and fun for the monk students.
- Teaching Conversational English to students.
- Assisting in other subjects such as computer teaching.
- Sharing new ideas with the students and exchanging their views on different topics.
Volunteer Work Schedule
Volunteers joining the teaching monks volunteering program in Thailand, Chiang Mai is required to follow a basic routine on a daily basis. This covers everything from meals to volunteer work and back. It must be noted that every placement functions at a different pace and on separate timelines making the schedule slightly differ at times. A generic daily schedule for volunteers is as follows;
- Friday: Arrival in Chiang Mai
- Saturday: Orientation + neighborhood familiarization tour. The orientation session will be conducted by the local coordinator, covering topic areas; such as safety, culture, language, places to visit, behavior, food, and other suggestion over things to do in Chiang Mai.
- Sunday: City tour of Chiang Mai + Language classes
- Mon to Fri: Volunteer work
- Breakfast - To be self-cooked (ration is provided at the accommodation)
- Working hours at the placement - 08:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:30 pm to 04:00 pm
- Lunch - 11:30 am onwards (Provided at the placement)
- Dinner - To be managed by volunteers on their own outside
The same volunteer work schedule continues for the coming weeks
Weekends: Free to explore the city
Note: Please note, the schedule may vary depending on the particular project the volunteer is participating in.
Living
Volunteering Solutions provides end to end services as far as living arrangements of the volunteers are concerned. VolSol volunteers just have to land at the placement destination and the rest is on us to arrange it for you.
Airport Transfer
Volunteers are picked up from the Chiang Mai International Airport in Chiang Mai by the coordinator or representative. Volunteers who’d be present already in Chiang Mai will be met by the staff at a designated meeting point decided beforehand. Please note that volunteers are provided pickup from the airport between 8am and 8pm only.
Orientation
All volunteers are provided with a two day orientation before starting their project work. The Orientation session covers areas like, local Thai culture, greetings, locations, transportation etc. Volunteers are also given a half day city tour of Chiang Mai and are given a cultural welcome dinner to make them feel immersed in the local culture.
Accommodation
Volunteers are provided accommodation in a volunteer’s home in Chiang Mai. Accommodation is shared with other volunteers. The volunteer house accommodations are located in safe and secure neighborhoods within the Chiang Mai city. We have two volunteer homes in Chiang Mai which are very centrally located. The volunteer home accommodation has air-conditioned bedrooms that provide respite from the hot, sunny days of northern Thailand. The accommodation has a large comfortable living room in which you can relax,watch movies or just surf the internet in your free time.
Meals
All ingredients for breakfast are provided and volunteers can cook their own breakfast at the volunteer home. Lunch is usually taken at the project site and for dinner you can choose to head out to numerous restaurants and cafe’s in Chiang Mai city.
During your Free Time
Volunteers can take part in the Thai Cookery classes or Thai Massage course which are available all around Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai also boasts of restaurants of every international cuisine. During the weekends, you can travel to the cities of Pai , Chiang Rai or fly down to the capital city of Bangkok.
Program Cost
Please Note: -An application fee of $199 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment. (A 4% international banking fee is charged at the time of payment)
What are you Paying for?
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Airport Pickup
- 2 Day Orientation and half day city tour
- Cultural Dinner and Show
- Food - 2 meals a day
- Accommodation
- Travel & Medical Insurance (Available at an extra cost)
- Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)
What's NOT included?
- Airfare
- Visa Fee
- Return Airport Drop
- Local Transportation
- Vaccinations
Program Dates
| Months | 2022 | 2023 |
| January | 14 | 0620 |
| February | 04 | 03 |
| May | 13 | 12 |
| June | 0317 | 021630 |
| July | 011529 | 14 |
| August | 12 | 0418 |
| September | 02 | 01 |
| November | 0418 | 0317 |
| December | 0216 | 0115 |
FAQ's
FAQ's Application and Program Details
As we have limited spots available in our programs and we serve on first come first basis, it is recommended that potential volunteers book their programs well in advance to get confirmed placements. You can book your slot by filling the application form online and pay the application fee of $250 You can pay your program fee later and also, in installments. However, the complete payment should be made 45 days prior to the starting date of the program. If you are volunteering in a group, you can also fill a group application form.
After you complete your application, your personalized ‘My Account’ will be activated.You will need to upload your CV/Resume along with your photo in the same. Our backend team and the placement site takes around 10-12 days to review your application. After we review your CV and documents,your booking is confirmed and booking confirmation is updated in your ‘My Account’. Some projects need mandatory criminal background check and the same is mentioned in the project info of your program. Approval of your application depends on your qualification and eligibility criteria for each project.
Volunteers are provided with the airport pick up from the Chiang Mai International Airport by the coordinator or representative. Volunteers already in Chiang Mai will be met by the staff at a designated meeting point decided beforehand.
Please note that volunteers are provided with the airport pickup from the airport between 8 AM and 8 PM only. The volunteers are advised to book their flights accordingly.
If you are planning to come for multiple programs in your trip, you will have to pay the application fees just once. Your application fee is valid for a year's time (from the date of applying). You will not have to pay the application fees again if you come within the mentioned time frame.
For our returning volunteers, $50 discount is provided for the application fee for their next Vol Sol program.
Medical internships are recommended for pre-meds, nursing and healthcare students. These internships are designed to gain experience and insight into global health and also help you gain a mature understanding of the healthcare field. Interns are placed in the various hospital departments and work under professional doctors and nurses.
Medical volunteering, on the other hand, is valid for all practicing doctors and healthcare professionals. 3rd and 4th-year medical students are eligible for both the projects, i.e. medical volunteering as well as internships.
This, however, is destination specific and you must consult the program advisor before booking.
As a medical intern, you will be working under a professional doctor. You will be assisting the doctor in various medical practices, observing the processes and would also be allowed to shadow them in critical surgeries or operations. Some pre-meds will be allowed to handle the procedures, depending on your skill set and knowledge level and confidence of the doctor on you.
Some major benefits include:
Working in a live environment and gaining hands-on medical experience
Being able to work with minimum resources available and help out the ones in need
Being able to work with patients of different cultures and understand cultural dynamics of a new city or country
Being able to travel during weekends and in the evenings to explore your destination
Minimum age requirement to participate in any of the programs in Chiang Mai is 18 years and above.
For medical and healthcare interns:
Age limit is 20 years and above
Statement of motivation is required
Interns have to submit a CV/Resume
Letter of recommendation from medical professional/doctor (you’ve worked with earlier) is also needed
Interns are required to give a list of their preferred departments, where they would like to work in the hospital
For Journalism Internship program, requirements are as follows:
You need to be 18 years and above
You need to provide a Statement of Motivation
Resume/ CV and photo is needed
Interns are required to submit 2 samples of their writings and published work
We encourage our participants to volunteer in a group. We take special care in providing you a placement and also customize your itinerary to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. Also, we can design special group programs for groups of 5 or more. Our programs are designed to be safe, affordable and offer a great group volunteering experience to the volunteers.
In our experience of more than 12+ years we have enabled and facilitated volunteer program placements for college groups, university groups, high school groups, group of families, group of couples as well as groups of colleagues.
Yes, we will provide you with the Certificate after successful completion of your program. The certificate is provided on request.
VolSol volunteers usually work for 5 to 6 hours a day depending on their program type. You will have weekends off so you can go for traveling on weekends. However, in some projects, you will have to work on Saturdays as well.
Flights and Visa
Most volunteers participating in a short-term volunteer travel experience in Thailand can enter the country on a 30 days tourist Visa which is available to a majority of nationalities on arrival at the airport itself. It is also possible to attain a 60 days tourist Visa prior to the arrival in Thailand.
We can help you attain 90 days Non-Immigrant Visa as well. However, this takes longer time to apply for and requires a lot of paperwork. Please contact us for further information on the same.
Please Note: During your time of volunteering, if you leave Thailand (for example: to spend a weekend in Cambodia and Laos), it will be your responsibility to re-enter Thailand and get the relevant Visa at the border.
Also, note that the maximum duration of Visa at the Surin - Cambodia border is for 15 days.
Although all major carriers fly to Thailand, we recommend the following:
Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Tigerair flights, Dragonair flights, Bangkok Airways, AirAsia, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Air China flights, Thai AirAsia, SilkAir.
Health and Safety
Thailand is one of the most popular destinations in the World and attracts liable travelers all around the year. The locals are friendly and helpful as well; however, it is recommended to consult your in-country coordinators before you step out alone or go to any other locations in Chiang Mai. Also, it is recommended to be with your group whenever you venture out or stay out late in the night. It is strongly recommended to follow the safety rules and regulations provided by the in-country coordinator.
Carry general medicines with you, other than that consult your doctor before flying. We recommend these basic vaccinations for your safety:
Hepatitis A and B
Typhoid
Yes, for all volunteers it is mandatory to have a travel medical insurance. To provide the best option to our participants, we offer comprehensive insurance coverage in collaboration with a leading insurance provider.
Accommodation and Living
Your program coordinator will take you to your program location and introduce you to everyone after giving you a basic orientation about the program/city/culture etc. You will also be told about the local transportation and how to get to your project every day from the accommodation.
Lightweight clothing and rainwear is recommended for the day and warmer items of clothing for the evening (light jacket and/or light sweaters). A pair of walking shoes is highly recommended as well.
Sandals or flip flops are comfortable options and will come in handy as well.
For those traveling between November and February, please note, that the evenings can get cool, so a sweater/light jacket will come in very handy.
Medical Interns need to carry their scrub, lab coats and professional clothing as the program requirement. More details will be provided to enrolled participants in their pre-departure booklets.
In Chiang Mai, volunteers are provided accommodation in Volunteer’s house.
Located in a convenient area in the middle of Chiang Mai city, our volunteer houses are only minutes apart from each other and can accommodate up to 35 people in air-conditioned bedrooms. Both the volunteer houses have wireless internet, fully equipped kitchens as well as washing machines for volunteers’ convenience.
Breakfast is self-made and volunteers are provided with all the resources to cook their own breakfast. Lunch is usually at the project site and for dinner, you can go out with other participants and enjoy the Thai cuisine in one of the many restaurants in the city.
Yes – please do ensure that you inform the local team about your food preference and they can help you to try the best food available. Also, please do mention your specific food preference in the application form as well.
Depending on your project, VolSol volunteers are required to put around 5-6 hours of volunteer work for 5 days a week. Evenings and Weekends are free for you to roam around and indulge in your personal work or activity.
We encourage our volunteers to travel. We have designed various weekend tours which can be booked under the Add-on Tours section in your ‘My Account’. Your in-country coordinator will also help you book and organize the tours once you are in Chiang Mai.
Some of the places you can visit include Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai Cabaret show, 3D art Museum, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders, Catmosphere Cat Cafe Chiang Mai, Wattana Art Gallery, Wat Phra Singh and more.
If you are planning to head out of the city on the weekends, you can go to Pai or Lampang or even head out to Bangkok for a short 2-day trip.
There are ample money exchange counters at the Chiang Mai International Airport. You can change money at any bank or at the airport by showing your passport. There are ATMs located all around the city. You will not face any problems in regards to changing money while in Chiang Mai.
Connect with Past Volunteers
We encourage volunteers to get in touch with former Volunteering Solutions participants and also other program participants joining our projects. You are recommended to join the Volunteering Solutions Facebook Page or Facebook Group to connect with other participants.
To read alumni interviews from past participants, visit ?the Meet a Volunteer section on our website.
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