Free Homestays In Thailand For Volunteer English T

[vienna]

Free Homestays in Thailand for Volunteer English Teachers

Come and Help Thai Homestay Host Families

I’ve been asked by Thai families hosting homestays for help on improving their English-speaking abilities. I’m inviting you to provide short-term instruction in Thailand in exchange for free accommodation in their homes as a homestay guest.

Farm families have turned to eco-tourism homestays to supplement their incomes and to meet new friends. But since they are rural people, they are shy about their ability to speak English. Without language skills they have to rely on outsiders who don’t always understand their village history or its customs and culture. The families feel more comfortable if they can talk with their guests directly, and most guests feel the same way; that it enhances the experience if they don’t have to communicate through an intermediary.

This is where you can help.

As I am involved in placing foreign visitors in homestays (and as the idea is still fairly new in Thailand), I have agreed to help them out by seeking volunteers to stay in their homes to expose the host families and their children to the English language and to people from different cultures. For a minimum of one week and a maximum of a month or more, visitors to these homestay villages will have the experience of a lifetime. In return accommodation and meals will be provided free of charge by the host village for the duration of their stay. They prefer teachers who can speak some Thai. Each village needs one teacher at a time and all villages are in the Chiang Mai area. I personally think that these villages have some of Thailand’s most stunning scenery and the people are lovely.

You would have to arrange your own transportation to the village but I can provide directions. If necessary, I can coordinate with the hosts (no charge) to meet you somewhere between Chiang Mai town and the villages. Your help will change the lives of many.

Interested? Please call or write to me (e-mail is best) for further information and work out a schedule for you.

Piyawee Ruenjinda

645/44 Petchburi Road

Bangkok 10400

[email protected]

02 653 9712

01 450 5340

[kenkannif]

Are you a 'proper' company?

And you do realise in theory these 'volunteers' should have a work permit???

[vienna]

Thank you very much for your comment.

When I posted the message, I was thinking of teachers in international schools who already have a work permit. I will make sure I ask this question to those who are interested. I posted this message on behalf of villagers not a company only because I feel the urge to help them.

Your comment is very useful, thank you again.

[kenkannif]

And thank you for being so cool about it.

FYI: Work permits are job, location and employer specific (basically) so even if they did have a WP it wouldn't cover them to do what you're suggesting.

[chownah]

In another topic we discussed what percentage of teachers actually had work permits and most estimates were that less than 50%.....and it was generally agreed that teaching without a permit is a widely occurring phenomenon and without much risk....it is exceedingly rare that anyone has ever had a problem with this....but the law does require it so there is at least a theoretic problem even if in reality it is virtually non-existent. At any rate, the OP is introducing people and is not offering employment, it is the homestay people who are offering employment....on the other hand after the westerners are introduced to the homestay people and they are friends then what's to keep a friend from asking a friend to visit for a week?

[kenkannif]

^ Agreed, but if you're going to 'help' people it's best to go in with your eyes open.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

It all sounds a bit iffy to me too Ken.

[Ijustwannateach]

To be fair, although what Ken says is technically correct, this law is one that gets kinda selectively enforced depending on how annoyed the gov't is- and I can't see them hassling folks about this kind of volunteer work (although TIT and who knows, etc., etc.). It sounds like a lovely opportunity for a village getaway for those who haven't had other reasons to experience one.

It's also a sign of how the gov't needs to liberalise those laws. Presumably the permit is designed to protect local jobs and make sure taxes are paid, but for non-political, non-missionary volunteer work bordering on tourism that could not possibly be done by a Thai, it seems just silly to require a work permit.

"Steven"

[mijan246]

To be fair, although what Ken says is technically correct, this law is one that gets kinda selectively enforced depending on how annoyed the gov't is- and I can't see them hassling folks about this kind of volunteer work (although TIT and who knows, etc., etc.).  It sounds like a lovely opportunity for a village getaway for those who haven't had other reasons to experience one.

It's also a sign of how the gov't needs to liberalise those laws.  Presumably the permit is designed to protect local jobs and make sure taxes are paid, but for non-political, non-missionary volunteer work bordering on tourism that could not possibly be done by a Thai, it seems just silly to require a work permit.

"Steven"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Steven you may not be able to see the Gov't hassling folks and think it "silly to require a work permit" but I think you need to take off your Rose coloured glasses this is a business (DECBMTP Limited)

KK & Dr P Take a scroll through Free Classifieds" Homestay Reviewers Needed

Weekend work offer

The following is some of the correspondence from this company - I think vienna is being less than honest in the response and may have maintained "the cool" to obtain free "Teach English Services" for the end benefit of DECBMTP Limited

Dear xxxx,

Thank you so much for your interest in our offer, it is very much appreciated. I have asked my colleague in Thailand Khun Piyawee Ruenjinda to help coordinate this for me so if you could copy our correspondence and send to her at [email protected] and copy me in at [email protected] so she can correspond with you on my behalf.

Warm regards,

Chris Bland

Dear Khun xxxxx,

I would like to thank for your interest in our offer. Khun Chris and I are working on the placements and all the preparations, We should contact you again within next week. Finally, there are limited places available so please, please, don't be disappointed if we cannot place you in the end.

With best wishes,

Piyawee

Piyawee Ruenjinda

DECBMTP Limited

645/44 Petchburi Road, Bangkok 10400

Tel: 02 653 9712, Fax: 02 653 8973

Mobile: 01 450 5340

[email protected]

DECBMTP Ltd.

Host Reviewer Brief - September 2005

Company introduction:

We are a new UK travel operator wanting to enable UK clients to book short visits (averaging 2 nights) with families in Thailand as part of their 2-3 week holiday. Clients will be able to choose their hosts from a website which will present basic host information alongside comments from previous guests (possibly yours) and photographs of the house, host and surrounding area.

We have chosen a select few families to offer to our clients from launch based on our understanding of the quality of experience our clients will get from visiting them as guests. It is our aim to offer as rich a variety as possible in terms of 'host experiences' in order to reflect a little of the extraordinary variety of lifestyles that exist in Thailand today.

Although we have visited each of these hosts in person to secure their agreement to work with us, we have not been able to stay with all of them. Therefore we need you to visit our host as though you were one of clients on holiday. We very much hope you will enjoy your stay and participate in the host family activities as much as you feel comfortable. However, we would also like you to be observant so that we can 'debrief' you afterwards about the experience.

NB: Please be aware that you will staying in our hosts' guest rooms which, although clean and tidy, may vary in comfort levels in comparison with Western accommodation standards.

Host Review:

We are interested in the following questions about your experience with the host family:

- did you enjoy your stay?

- were the hosts hospitable?

- did they include you enough in family life?

- what (activities) did you do with them while you were there?

- did you visit any local places of interest?

- what was the food like?

- what was the atmosphere like in the family?

- what was the highlight of your stay?

- what would you be worried about for other guests visiting?

- was the accommodation clean and tidy?

- was the accommodation comfortable?

- were the hosts willing to communicate (despite any lack of language skills)?

- were there any noteworthy or unusual features to the house or family life that you observed?

- what was the local area like? (neighbours, shops, walks etc)

- if you were telling your friend to choose this host over another what would you say about it?

- what story from your stay with the host family would you be most likely to tell your friends?

Photography Brief:

We would like to have a copy of any photos you take during your stay and your permission to use them. In particular, we would appreciate it if you could take photos of the hosts, the house and any activities you do there or locally and of the local area (the local market, temple, scenery etc). Please take as many photos as you can but ensure that they are taken at high-quality (resolution) so that we can reduce them afterwards if necessary and, finally, please confirm that you are willing to burn your photos to a CDRom and send them (within 5 working days of your visit) via registered post to:

Piyawee Ruenjinda

645/44 Petchburi Road

Bangkok 10400

Thank You!

Chris Bland

Director

DECBMTP Ltd.

5, 38 Elvaston Place

London SW7 5NW

[kenkannif]

Any money changing hands mate???

[mijan246]

Any money changing hands mate???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Homestay Reviewers Needed

Want to see more of Thailand for FREE? Want to get out at the weekends?

If the answer is YES to the above, you may be just what we are looking for!

We are a new UK travel operator aiming to enable UK holidaymakers to book visits to Thai homestays as a different way to experience the real Thailand. (Homestays are local Thai people's houses where the owner agrees to host visitors for an agreed price.)

We are looking for English speakers to visit our homestays as a 'guest reviewer'. You do not have to speak any Thai. We would particularly welcome applicants living in the North (Chiang Mai; Chiang Rai) and the South (Krabi and Phuket) as well as Bangkok.

We will pay for you to visit a homestay somewhere local to you in Thailand for a weekend (Friday and Saturday night). We need you to take some brief notes and lots of (digital) photos based on our brief and to tell us all about it when you get back. If you like the homestay and would recommend it to people visiting from the UK, your experience may be used to advertise each homestay so they can attract potential bookings.

Your accommodation (including some meals with the family) will be paid for and travel expenses (up to 1500 THB) will be reimbursed to you on receipt of your review.

If you are interested please contact me:

Chris Bland

[email protected]

[Crushdepth]

So am I right in thinking its 'free' for the homestay reviewer / teacher and 'not free' for the homestay family?

Anyone want to come clean on this?

[Artisi]

Sounds like "Dodgie Brothers Inc." and illegal

[vienna]

So am I right in thinking its 'free' for the homestay reviewer / teacher and 'not free' for the homestay family?

Anyone want to come clean on this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It has been a very interesting discussion and the issue becomes more complex than I ever expected. I will update the headman who was the first to make this request how things developed on this forum, I believe he will feel, in Thai we say, "plong".

I would guess that the villagers think they would get "free" lessons from their volunteer English teachers. They plan to receive these teachers as their friends thus it's not their policy to buy special food, pay extra money. The policy is everyone in the house eats the same thing. It's more like barter system to them.

Senior members' response to this ad doesn't sound encouraging at all. May be it's time to "abort" the initiative. What a shame.

[Thetyim]

Vienna, what you are suggesting is a good idea but it is unfortunately illegal unless a work permit is issued.

The chances of the situation turning sour may be small but the villagers will be risking nothing whereas the farang will be risking a fine and maybe deportation. That could mean losing house, job, family and kids.

[Nam Kao]

Sounds weird, hopefully no nigerians involved

[bina]

guys, its not wierd, i did this;

there are lots of these homestay teach english setups, nothing new under the sun:

mine was to volunteer as teacher, live in house (slept in room with mother and daughters ), they were told they would get money from the company person that 'arranges' this, i gave the company my $$$, and the family was supposed to get part of this as a 'fee' for feeding me etc.

in actuality the families didnt get the money until i intervened (since i spoke enough thai to understand that they didnt receive the money promised to them); i had no work pemit and was on tourist visa and was told that that isnt a problem etc etc...

a lot of the homestay families complained that they were promised 'funding' but never received it, and yes, the families do buy extra food (one more mouth to feed, and the 'teacher' is a guest so families do tend to buy more expensive items).

go to the bangkok post 2001 and look up ecotourism

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Sounds weird, hopefully no nigerians involved

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Friendly people Nigerians and generous to a fault. I hear from them very often and they are always trying to help me financially

[mijan246]

Free Homestays in Thailand for Volunteer English Teachers

Come and Help Thai Homestay Host Families

I’ve been asked by Thai families hosting homestays for help on improving their English-speaking abilities. I’m inviting you to provide short-term instruction in Thailand in exchange for free accommodation in their homes as a homestay guest.

Farm families have turned to eco-tourism homestays to supplement their incomes and to meet new friends. But since they are rural people, they are shy about their ability to speak English. Without language skills they have to rely on outsiders who don’t always understand their village history or its customs and culture. The families feel more comfortable if they can talk with their guests directly, and most guests feel the same way; that it enhances the experience if they don’t have to communicate through an intermediary.

This is where you can help.

As I am involved in placing foreign visitors in homestays (and as the idea is still fairly new in Thailand), I have agreed to help them out by seeking volunteers to stay in their homes to expose the host families and their children to the English language and to people from different cultures. For a minimum of one week and a maximum of a month or more, visitors to these homestay villages will have the experience of a lifetime. In return accommodation and meals will be provided free of charge by the host village for the duration of their stay. They prefer teachers who can speak some Thai. Each village needs one teacher at a time and all villages are in the Chiang Mai area. I personally think that these villages have some of Thailand’s most stunning scenery and the people are lovely.

You would have to arrange your own transportation to the village but I can provide directions. If necessary, I can coordinate with the hosts (no charge) to meet you somewhere between Chiang Mai town and the villages. Your help will change the lives of many.

Interested? Please call or write to me (e-mail is best) for further information and work out a schedule for you.

Piyawee Ruenjinda

645/44 Petchburi Road

Bangkok 10400

[email protected]

02 653 9712

01 450 5340

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bina what you have described seems to be different this is not a "Farang" paying for homestay this company is developing the homestay concept (good on them) and hopefully the host families will receive payment, but their add is asking "Teachers" to volunteer their services - still no major problem (except it is illegal) and there is no mention of recompence for the family whilst the "English Teacher" enjoys their hospitality and I assume it would be explained as "you (the family) provide the food & lodging then we (DECBMTP Limited) will provide a teacher to help with your English - still no major problem if all the cards are put on the table.

When you read the OP this is not the perception conveyed it appears as though vienna

(Piyawee Ruenjinda

DECBMTP Limited

645/44 Petchburi Road, Bangkok 10400

is a kind soul helping the Thai families from rural areas improve their "lot in life". In reality she/he is using the services of TV & "Volunteer Teachers" as a building block for their intended venture into the Homestay Business.

KK said in his post make sure if you volunteer for this do it with your eyes open and I echo the sentiment.

?????????????

Edited September 14, 2005 by mijan246

[bina]

We are a new UK travel operator wanting to enable UK clients to book short visits (averaging 2 nights) with families in Thailand as part of their 2-3 week holiday. Clients will be able to choose their hosts from a website which will present basic host information alongside comments from previous guests (possibly yours) and photographs of the house, host and surrounding area.

We have chosen a select few families to offer to our clients from launch based on our understanding of the quality of experience our clients will get from visiting them as guests. It is our aim to offer as rich a variety as possible in terms of 'host experiences' in order to reflect a little of the extraordinary variety of lifestyles that exist in Thailand today.

Although we have visited each of these hosts in person to secure their agreement to work with us, we have not been able to stay with all of them. Therefore we need you to visit our host as though you were one of clients on holiday. We very much hope you will enjoy your stay and participate in the host family activities as much as you feel comfortable. However, we would also like you to be observant so that we can 'debrief' you afterwards about the experience.

mijan, u should reread the first few posts: they are looking to open a business; they want a person to come, free of charge, the family learns english and the person 'scouts' out the place so to speak, before preparing the family for becoming a real, home stay type place... in the end, the family will never make as much as the company, just like any tourist type thing....

and if u think the family will learn english from someone staying two days, no way...

if it was a cooperative and they were running the business themselves thats one thing, but in this case it seems it a company based thing...

[mijan246]

Bina please the two posts:

1. Free classified forum - Homestay Reviewers Needed

2. Teaching in Thailand - Free Homestays In Thailand For Volunteer English Teachers

If you still believe it is I who has the bull by the horns would love to read your reckoning.

[Thetyim]

Bina,

You are jumping to conclusions.

The hosts have asked for help with their English so that they can become better hosts. The reviewers are completely separate and are business based, the teachers are not.

Why is it a problem for you if the tour operator earns more than the hosts ? Do you think that someone living in SW7 London can live on the same wage as a thai living on a remote hilltop ?

[Thetyim]

and if u think the family will learn english from someone staying two days, no way...

You have read it wrong.

Only the reviewers are for 2 days

The teaching is for 1-4 weeks

[sriracha john]

....and at the end of the day, it IS illegal for the foreigner... who as Thetyim points out, has FAR greater repercussions...

[bina]

i stand corrected if i undertood wrong, but i am very cynical when it comes to people "helping"

i work in the tourist industry and knwo that someone 'helping' doesnt always mean helping it means using....

if both parties really benefit, ok, but having lived in the middle east for so long, i've learned that ponds run deep and muddy and often what looks like a healthy helping endeavor is actually a tip of a larger muddier murkier set up (i mean business set up not something really illegal or whatever)

of course the company set up makes more, but then it should be said that this is a company specializing in whatever it is etc etc etc

i dont believe in charity but i dont believe in couching things in fuzzy terms either

business is good, but call it business

i wasnt a gap year do gooder, i was slightly offended by the situation that i was in when i was 'helping' out with english and living in a house.. i would rather have paid them directly and known fully what the terms were and that either the money or the english was really of help (probably the money )rather then feeling rather parasitic and used by the company (they get the big $$, the family got a few satang, and i got a good intimate view of thai village life)

good luck to those doing this if this is indeed a quality endeavor (not sarcasticlly said)

\bina

[bkkbound04]

they way i understood the post...

they want peeps to travel to chiang mai to to the villages(i presume the long neck tribes etc?)

to teach english and get the thai's used to interacting with ferang....

the way i understand chiang mai....

the hill tribes are tourist attractions, they interact with ferang so some peeps must get by with the language..

sending teachers up there may have helped 20 years ago but now they are well known attractions

where are these villages and what do they have to offer ferang that a village in ayutthya etc wouldn't

please don't take offense at the post...i know i'm missing part of the thread

any1 care to explain more?

[sriracha john]

Nice post, Bina...

and to reiterate your "good luck to those doing this", good luck on not being caught working without permission.

I have done lots of volunteer work here previously and would have enjoyed doing it to this day, but sadly, no more. It's not worth the risk.

If they really want people here to assist, then they need to change the laws first and make it legal.

Don't put the cart before the horse... it's less efficient and the horse can get hurt.

[Crushdepth]

It has been a very interesting discussion and the issue becomes more complex than I ever expected. I will update the headman who was the first to make this request how things developed on this forum, I believe he will feel, in Thai we say, "plong".

I would guess that the villagers think they would get "free" lessons from their volunteer English teachers. They plan to receive these teachers as their friends thus it's not their policy to buy special food, pay extra money. The policy is everyone in the house eats the same thing. It's more like barter system to them.

Senior members' response to this ad doesn't sound encouraging at all. May be it's time to "abort" the initiative. What a shame.

You would guess? May I suggest that you find out. Is this a legitimate set up or are the home stay families being exploited by this company? Sorry to sound cynical, but I've been here a bit too long to take this kind of thing at face value. I'd like to know whether the company is funding the reviewers out of their own pocket, or whether the villagers are paying the company for some sort of 'marketing' services that, if successful, the company will control?

I am not nocking the home stay idea at all (my office is working with a couple of villages involved in it), but I think you need to clarify your original post in light of the email correspondence posted below it.

[PeaceBlondie]

I taught English in govt. secondary schools near Chiang Mai for almost two years, 2003-2005. Kids from the provincial capitals can learn a little English after 50 or so classroom hours, under a diligent teacher, etc. Beyond the city centers, the level of English is pitifully meager, even among English teachers in the primary schools. The Thai ajarns are earnest, but untrained.

Life in a remote village is the most isolated experience you can have with other human beings; a prison would have more community. My friend came to a provincial capital and stayed with a local family for months; it was incredibly isolating. And, you have to eat their food; there is no Western food. I'd literally starve.

Actually, I responded to a one-week offer from a legit NGO to go to the border and teach. It was such a mess - very little communication, no directions, live at the guy's home, get there without assistance, off in the edge of the Burmese border (yeah, Long-Necks), etc. I cancelled because there was no communication before I even left CMai.

In situations like this, Thais can be totally, completely, absolutely unorganized. It's a recipe for disaster, and -- honestly, now -- how much English will be learnt?