As one of the largest, most populous, and most ecologically-diverse nations in Southeast Asia, Thailand has long been a popular destination for tourists. Visitors are drawn to its friendly people, stunning scenery, and world-renowned cuisine. Beyond the Thailand most tourists experience, however, there are many social and environmental challenges affecting the country. World Endeavors volunteers in Thailand make a meaningful contribution to Thai society through a community-focused volunteer project, all while experiencing immersion in authentic Thai culture.
ABOUT HUA HIN
Hua Hin is a lively fishing town and popular tourist destination, and it has a lot to offer besides just sunbathing, snorkeling and swimming at its golden beaches. Not only are there plenty of seafood restaurants and other eateries to choose from, but visitors can also enjoy golf, spas, shops, markets (including a popular night market), and Hua Hin’s Vana Nava water park.
You might also consider visiting Khao Tekiab, a mountain at the end of the beach with a temple atop that overlooks the beach.
Hua Hin is also surrounded by beautiful national parks and you might decide to go slightly further afield to explore the likes of the Pa La-U Waterfall, located 60 km west of Hua Hin in the Southern side of the Kaeng Krachan National Park. Alternatively, 45 km to the south of Hua Hin is the mystical Phraya Nakhon cave for the more adventurous!
Some projects are located in other areas of Thailand, see project details for more information.
Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, though exceptions to this age requirement may be made on a case-by-case basis. Successful volunteers are hardworking, flexible, and open to truly immersing themselves in the culture. Keep in mind that all countries have different visa restrictions for varying types of passports.
Shawn is from North Carolina and was a biology major. He was a healthcare volunteer in Bangkok, Thailand.
“During my stay here in Thailand I have only felt welcome and at home. The people, environment, culture, the smiles and laughs make this place something to remember.”
- Junpei, Volunteer in Thailand
World Endeavors volunteers in Thailand can contribute to the following projects:
Volunteers interested in Childcare Assistance can choose between the following projects:
Hua Hin Childcare
Want to know what it's like to engage in creative learning activities with children? This program located in Hua Hin has it all!
In this program, you will prepare teaching lessons for children, help them with their daily activities and chores and put them down for a nap. You will have plenty of time to relax from lunchtime onwards and enjoy swimming at a local beach. Alternatively, continue interacting with the children in the afternoon alongside the local teachers and staff.
During your time at this childcare program, you will be working with children from age 2.5 to 6 years old at a local children's development centre/kindergarten located in Hua Hin. Many children’s care development centres and kindergartens in Hua Hin are facing a teacher shortage problem. In some placements, there are up to 30 children in a classroom, which makes it difficult for just one teacher to give each individual child as much attention as they deserve.
You will play an important role assisting local teachers and providing them a helping hand in the classroom. To help young children learn, practice their English and enjoy their introduction to basic educational concepts, you will be using your creative skills through songs, dances, games, and repetition exercises.
Many local Thai teachers are not fluent in English, so your help is appreciated and the children will enjoy the chance to start practicing English at an early age. It is important that children see how foreigners speak and understand English through listening to various accents, and, as a result, this increases children's overall learning experience as well as their confidence in speaking to foreigners in general.
Before participants go to the placement, they will work with local coordinators and review the teaching lessons, materials and activities for that day to ensure continuous lesson plans for children.
Hua Hin Childcare and Teaching
Our Childcare and Teaching program offers a half day working with younger children in the morning, and afternoons spent teaching primary or secondary students. In the morning, you will leave the center between 8 and 9 to work at local child development centres or kindergartens with students from ages 2.5 to 6 years old. You'll get a chance to work as a teacher's assistant, playing games, singing songs, teaching simple English lessons and engaging in other creative learning activities with the younger children for 2-3 hours until 11:30.
In the afternoon, you will be teaching English in local primary or secondary schools with students between 6 to 12 years old. Expect to teach for 2-3 hours, from about 1:00 to 3:30pm.
Our teaching structure requires participants to work alongside local teachers and coordinators. We have prepared teaching lessons together with each school based on their curriculum to ensure continuous lesson plans for students.
Before participants attend the local school, they will work with coordinators and review the teaching lessons, materials and activities for that day. Because many of the schools are open to new concepts and approaches to teaching, participants may be able to share their new ideas and teaching strategies that might complement the local Thai teaching methods or style.
As for the teaching style, usually when teaching at the school, participants will be the ones who teach the children, but the local teacher will also be in the room to supervise and help them out when needed.
Our teaching program serves a dual purpose: of course, it is meant to help children in rural Thailand to have a chance to speak more English and practice. Secondly, it will give you an insight into the Thai education system, as well as a good chance to develop friendships with students and teachers.
Please take note of the long holidays (mid-March till mid-May and October) as well as public holidays. During such times, primary and secondary schools will be closed. In the afternoon session, you can join special classes and English camps that are regularly requested by the local community.
Community Construction
There are many families in Thailand that live under poor housing conditions and many of its local community areas and facilities such as temples, hospitals or schools still need a lot of improvement.
To address this concern, this program aims at participants to help improve the living standards of these local people in need by providing support in much needed construction and renovation work by creating proper sanitation facilities, make housing safer places to live and ensuring communities have greater authority over their own development initiatives.
Participants will be asked to engage in tasks ranging from light work such as cleaning the area, mixing cement and painting to harder tasks such as building up walls (plastering) and repairing roofing. Participants will be instructed and supervised closely by our coordinator who has ample experience in construction work to make sure that all the processes are safe for them and the housing conditions are also safe for the local people to live.
Deaf Education volunteers in Thailand are typically placed with a boarding school for children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Bangkok. Volunteers teach classrooms of students, work one on one with students, assist with lesson planning, create and collect resources to teach with, and collaborate with teachers on various projects.
Volunteers participating in the Deaf Education project live in Bangkok with a host family, with 2 meals per day provided.
Mangrove Conservation and Environmental Education
Want to know what it's like to participate in an Environmental Conservation effort? Roll up your sleeves and work alongside local farmers at a mangrove nursery.
Your program starts in Hua Hin - a lively fishing town and popular tourist destination. Your role will vary depending on the current need of the tree nursery. Your responsibilities may involve preparing the seed and soil, watering the plants, and planting the mangroves.
Your program here as a keen environmentalist will start with a visit to a local Mangrove Ecosystem Learning Centre where you will take part in many discussions regarding Thailand’s deep environmental issues.
In this project, you will work at a local mangrove nursery for 2 hours from 9:30 to 11:30. This placement is the main nursery that produces young mangrove plants for the local community. A local farmer and coordinator will be there to provide knowledge and show participants step-by-step how to collect and sort mangrove pods and provide all the information they need to know about how to plant and care for mangroves.
In addition to meaningful hands-on work to improve the sustainability of the community, such as cleaning up beaches or local communities, creating garbage bins, washing and sorting garbage, you will also be heavily engaged in the learning aspect of researching, planning and educating the local community members and children with regards to the importance of sustainable environmental practices. In order to create awareness and encourage environmental conservation among local people and students, you will be conducting presentations and training sessions on practical topics such as recycling in the home, reducing one’s carbon footprint, how to separate waste properly, broader topics like the effects of climate change and the need for environmental concern. An English-speaking coordinator will be there to support and help you out with any language challenges that may present themselves.
Volunteers interested in Teaching can participate in the following projects:
Karen Tribe Teaching in Hua Hin
You will be staying in one of the most beautiful natural areas of Thailand: Kaeng Krachan National Park. This park is well-known for its abundance in biodiversity and its wide variety of flora and fauna. It truly is a haven for biologists and nature lovers. The Karen Tribe Teaching program takes place in local Karen Hill tribe villages close to the border with Myanmar.
In recent years, the government has placed a continued emphasis on the teaching of the English language. Despite this, English literacy rates in Thailand remain one of the lowest in Asia.
During the Karen Tribe Teaching program, you will assist the school by giving English language lessons to the children, as well as helping out with community enterprise efforts. Some of the locals are preparing banana chip snacks or other items for sale to supplement their incomes.
You are always welcome to arrange extra activities and games for the children, who love to swim in the nearby river. At the end a school day, you may even help walk the kids back to their homes.
Besides the teaching program, there is a lot to see and explore in this beautiful location. As part of the program, we will take you to a local market and an outstanding waterfall, where you will be able to swim!
To experience the full potential of this program it will help to be open-minded, and a nature lover, as well as, willing to assist and understand the needs of the Karen people and culture.
APPLY NOW
Teach and Beach
Give back to the Thai community and spend time with local students as you teach English in schools in and around Hua Hin. And enjoy the beach too!
Teach youngsters in local schools in the morning and have a blast on the beach in the afternoon. This is a chance to do good and feel good at the same time. You will help students to broaden their minds and have a cultural exchange as you teach English and assist local staff with your own creative ideas, songs, games, and other fun activities.
This program consists of working with students in various schools teaching English. We have strong relationships with several child development centers, kindergarten, primary and secondary schools and the age of the students may be anywhere between 2.5 and 18.
Many of the schools are open to new concepts and approaches to teaching. This means that you may be able to share your new ideas and teaching strategies that might complement the local Thai teaching methods or style.
Our teaching program serves a dual purpose: of course, it is meant to help children in rural Thailand to have a chance to speak more English. Secondly, it will give you an insight into the Thai education system, as well as a good chance to develop friendships with students and teachers.
Mornings will be spent at a local school and after lunch you will have the opportunity to explore one of the beaches in Hua Hin.
Hua Hin Childcare and Teaching
Our Childcare and Teaching program offers a half day working with younger children in the morning, and afternoons spent teaching primary or secondary students. In the morning, you will leave the center between 8 and 9 to work at local child development centres or kindergartens with students from ages 2.5 to 6 years old. You'll get a chance to work as a teacher's assistant, playing games, singing songs, teaching simple English lessons and engaging in other creative learning activities with the younger children for 2-3 hours until 11:30.
In the afternoon, you will be teaching English in local primary or secondary schools with students between 6 to 12 years old. Expect to teach for 2-3 hours, from about 1:00 to 3:30pm.
Our teaching structure requires participants to work alongside local teachers and coordinators. We have prepared teaching lessons together with each school based on their curriculum to ensure continuous lesson plans for students.
Before participants attend the local school, they will work with coordinators and review the teaching lessons, materials and activities for that day. Because many of the schools are open to new concepts and approaches to teaching, participants may be able to share their new ideas and teaching strategies that might complement the local Thai teaching methods or style.
As for the teaching style, usually when teaching at the school, participants will be the ones who teach the children, but the local teacher will also be in the room to supervise and help them out when needed.
Our teaching program serves a dual purpose: of course, it is meant to help children in rural Thailand to have a chance to speak more English and practice. Secondly, it will give you an insight into the Thai education system, as well as a good chance to develop friendships with students and teachers.
Please take note of the long holidays (mid-March till mid-May and October) as well as public holidays. During such times, primary and secondary schools will be closed. In the afternoon session, you can join special classes and English camps that are regularly requested by the local community.
Volunteers share their passion for sports while making a difference in the lives of local youth.
Be part of a program where you will be helping with the conservation of Hua Hin’s natural surroundings planting mangroves and cleaning the beach.
Based in the seaside town of Hua Hin, our program offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in Thai culture through a variety of different cultural activities and sightseeing in the morning and free time in the afternoons to fully enjoy the gorgeous beach surroundings.
This program is filled with cultural activities that will show you authentic Thailand. During the program, you’ll get a chance to explore several famous sights around Hua Hin, followed by Thai customs, language, cooking and Muay Thai lessons. Buddhism will play a big part with a visit to Buddhist temples (‘Wat’ in Thai) to learn about Thai Buddhism. Moreover, there are also visits scheduled to several local markets where you can witness the local Thai lifestyle and taste scrumptious food, delicacies and other products.
Everybody enjoys the beautiful and tropical beaches that Thailand has to offer. Local people will educate you about the flora and fauna surrounding the beaches in Hua Hin, and what the people undertake to protect and conserve them. You will be expected to play your part in helping with the conservation of Hua Hin’s natural surroundings.
Every day, we will take you to a different beach where you will be able to sit back, relax and unwind amidst white sand and crystal-clear blue waters.
CULTURE AND BEACH WEEK SCHEDULE
- Monday: Excursion to Hin Lek Fai viewpoint, visit to a nearby Buddhist temple, afternoon at Hua Hin Beach, welcome party with a Thai traditional dance performance
- Tuesday: Almsgiving/bring food to the monks, explore Khao Takiab Temple, introduction to Buddhist rituals, free time at Sai Noi Beach
- Wednesday: Visit to the Artist Village, see the Hua Hin train station, trip to the market to buy fresh food for the cooking class, Thai cooking class, free time at Sea Pine Beach, Thai language lessons
- Thursday: Excursion to Pranburi Forest Park known for its mangrove plantations to do some beach clean-up, followed by free time at Pranburi Beach
- Friday: Thai language classes, Muay Thai lesson, trekking up to Khao Kalok Hill, free time at Khao Kalok Beach
Volunteers stay in a shared volunteer house and stay in shared rooms by gender. Three meals a day on weekdays (two on weekends) are included during your stay. Food will be simple home style meals prepared by locals, which are typical to the region, based on whatever fresh fruits and vegetables are in season at the time. You can expect lots of rice and noodles, vegetables, and occasionally some meat will be provided as well.
Our center is located in the hilly countryside of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, amidst green surroundings. The accommodation has spacious rooms, a common area with a refrigerator, hammocks and a large commmunal swimming pool where volunteers can relax after the day at their projects.
The World Endeavors Volunteer in Thailand program is flexible in duration and can be tailored to last between 1 to 12 weeks. If you have the time, we recommend a stay of at least 4 weeks. Admissions are rolling, and World Endeavors volunteers can choose when they would like to start their program. Due to holidays, traditional vacation schedules, and seasonal work availability, there might be better times than others to volunteer at a specific location or in a specific project. Please note, some projects are not available for a duration of less than 4 weeks. For more information, please contact World Endeavors.
When you are ready to start planning your volunteer trip to Thailand, contact us. Our experienced advisors will help you sort through any timing considerations unique to your destination or your volunteer project.
Please wait until after you are accepted into the program and you have received the confirmed arrival and departure dates before you book your flight.
| Program Name | First Week | Each Additional Week |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer In Thailand | $2,085 | $300 |
INCLUDED FEATURES
- Program Advisor: dedicated, experienced, and accessible for one-on-one guidance
- Local Onsite Coordinator with 24/7 availability; pre and post arrival orientation
- Visa guidance and support
- Comprehensive travel medical insurance
- Travel Protection with 24/7 Emergency Travel Assistance
- Re-entry Support
- Airport reception
- Shared, single gender rooms in volunteer house
- 3 meals per weekday and 2 meals per weekend provided
OTHER BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
- Round-trip transportation to Thailand
- Visa expenses
- Optional trips and excursions
- Personal expenses
Congratulations on your decision to embark on a life-changing experience abroad! We look forward to working with you to make your trip a memorable, meaningful one. We can accommodate applications received 4 weeks prior to the intended start date up to a year in advance. If your intended start date is less than 4 weeks away, contact World Endeavors for more information.
