Volunteering in South East Asia
The countries of South East Asia include some great backpacker favourites, like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Each country has its own attractions and reasons to stay, but across the region there are many opportunities to find voluntary work with conservation, wildlife, communities or children. There is also a massive demand for English speaking teachers, so you could also find yourself a volunteering placement as an English teacher if it is your first language. It is not easy to find paid work in these areas, apart from maybe if you are a fully qualified TEFL teacher, and even then you won't earn a lot.
Which is why you can book yourself onto a volunteering placement with a gap year organisation. They will take care of the placement, paperwork and accomodation. Some offer meet and greets at the airport, and while you will get to live and meet local people, you are also likely to be volunteering with like-minded people, so you won't feel too homesick.
Inspire for example, run a project in Sri Lanka which involves helping out in an orphanage in Kandy, Sri Lanka's second city. If you are interested in international development, working with children, or social care, then this could be a great way to get valuable work experience in a completely different environment to the UK. Sri Lanka is a unique South East Asian destination, with a more developed infrastructure than other countries in the region, but they still value the support of volunteers in institutions like this orphanage.
There are many opportunities to teach English as a foreign language in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. You can either do so with a gap year organisation such as Working Abroad, who offer teaching opportunities on a voluntary basis with some of Thailand's poorest communities in the northeast of the country, or you can get a full TEFL qualification and teach on a paid basis for a longer period of time with a school or college.
Intrax have been organising international volunteer and exchange programmes since 1980, including projects in Thailand working with children, education, health or the environment. Thai projects are based in Chiang Mai, and most last from a minimum of four weeks, but can go on to a maximum of 26 weeks. They also include a useful two week language course to help you get started on your project in Thailand.
South East Asis offers some amazing opportunities to gap year travellers looking for a completely different cultural experience in a beautiful country. Trying to find voluntary jobs by yourself in these countries is going to be very difficult, so let the organisations in this section and in our South East Asia section help you to find your dream volunteering placement.
