Volunteer at Isara

[PK]

Are you interested in visiting beautiful Thailand and volunteering some of your time by helping with Isara projects?

Isara.org is a charity organization headquartered in Nong Khai, Thailand (near the border of Laos). Isara is focused on education, health, safety, and environmental issues. We create many different charity projects and are open to new ideas for projects. We are in need of native English speakers who are interested in teaching in small rural schools and also our Isara Learning Center in Nong Khai.

How Much?
Isara provides opportunities for volunteers to make a difference for FREE! There is no payment required to help or volunteer teach, but volunteers are expected to pay for their own living expenses and travel arrangements to and from Nong Khai.

Where to Stay?
If a volunteer wants to stay at the Isara Learning Center (ILC) in Nong Khai, Thailand then we will ask that they help pay for rent (no more than $90/mo). If volunteers want to stay some place else then Isara will help them find comfortable living conditions which they can afford (typically apartments are about $100-$150/mo).

How to Get to Nong Khai?
To get to Nong Khai you can either take a 12 hour night train ($17) or tour bus ($15) directly to Nong Khai from Bangkok or you can take a one hour flight to the Udon Thani airport ($50) and then a 45 minute van ride to Nong Khai ($5). If you let us know when you plan to visit Thailand we can provide you with more details on the best ways to get to Nong Khai.

If you would like to volunteer at Isara then please post your questions here or simply contact us directly. We look forward to making a difference with you.
pk

[Nick Lane]

I wish I could, but at this time I just can't leave the states. Maybe in the future I will be able to.

[thartley]

This is a great thread idea!  I was thinking about just this thing the other day..how there should be a thread about how to actually be a volunteer with Isara.  I am on the downward slope of getting everything done and arranged to actually get on the plane to get over there myself, and its been a real learning experience already.  Mostly because I have not done very much (i.e. any) traveling before. 

My horizons have already been expanded and I have not even left home yet.  LOL!

[Ronnyboy]

Sounds like fun. Still in school though. I would really love to help but unfortunatley I can not make it there until next year with the way things work around here. But if I have time I will definetly take a summer off and come and help.

[Cory]

Hello all, I am so interested to volunteering for Isara.org on this summer holiday.

But I am not a native English speaker, am I still eligible to participate? I am an Indonesian. Is there any other position else then teaching English? Perhaps teaching Art class?

Looking Forward to join u! 

[PK]

Thank you for wanting to volunteer, Cory. If you're interested in teaching art we might be able to make some classes for you to teach here at the ILC in Nong Khai, Thailand. Or we can find a local school where you can help in the art classes. How long would you want to stay?

Are you located in Indonesia right now? If you are then we might want to speak with you about doing a project in your home country of Indonesia. Check your messages (the "My Inbox" link at the top-right of each page) and let us know about volunteering or doing a project in Indonesia.

Thanks again. Keep on visiting Isara.org and keep on helping.
pk

[Cory]

Hey, happy to hear from u guys.

Well probably I can spent 1 month in ILC Nong Khai, which is around August 2008. Sorry I can't confirm the date yet, I haven't got my schedule. O ya, I can teach Chinese language as well.

Yeah my home country is Indonesia, but currently I am studying in China, I will be pleased to help with any information related to Indonesia, perhaps China too.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Happy to hear that I can help

Cory

[javiervelez]

Hiya all!
I'm interested in volunteering but I'm short on money. Does anybody have any idea of how much money is needed to make the jump to Thailand? (flying costs, visa, inmmunization) Does anyone knows how much one should have to pay for monthy expenses? (food, laundry, transportation, rent and misc.)  Any idea of how long can a volunteer stay working at Isara? I'm trying to make this project a long term one if I do it because I beleive that integration is a key part in developing a better society. If I could I would join today but you know... money money MONEY!! 
I'm not a native english speaker but speak it well. I live in Puerto Rico and english is part of our teachings from K to college. I'm a frustrated land surveyor who got tired of working measuring land to be devastated and replaced with cement.  So I went on to study education and I have been teaching for 2 years courses of Math, Computers, Typing and Office Administration. I also tutor students from 6th to 2 year college in courses of Math, Spanish, English, Typing and Computers. I have been helping high school student with a review for the college board exam for more than 5 years. I can play the guitar and teach it too, even when I haven't done it before.
If anyone can feed me some info on how can I join Isara, solve the money issue and jump there as quickly as possible, it would help a lot.  I guees I'll need some time to raise some money but any idea or service available on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
Please help me help others.
Javier Velez

[acm11]

HI

I am considering volunteering with Isara for 6 to 12 months. is there anybody who has already worjked there as a volunteer who can tell me a bit more about the area, day to day life at the project centre, and cost of living while there. i am only expecting to live a fairly basic lifestyle.

Regards,
anna

[Ginafish]

Anna, that's great news! Currently, thartley is in Thailand, Sean recently got back and M3Rl1N served a while there also. Those volunteers are on Isara.org regularly, but none are online at this moment.

Meanwhile, view this page for more information:
http://www.isara.org/content/view/307/167/

*sidenote: the new volunteer page is looking good!

[acm11]

Thanks for your quick reply

Shall look forward to hearing from some of the volunteers.

I am an australian who has been living in europe for past 18 months (currently living in Ireland)

Would also be interested in knowing what preparation i can do before leaving.

Also what materials are needed at the centre as may be able to do some fundraising before i attend.

Some photos and a summary of the history and background of the area and the centre and its students and the aims and philosophy would be good (could be emailed to me) as material for me to use in fundraising.

Thanks
Anna

[KitKat]

Anna, welcome to Isara.      I'm excited to hear you'd like to volunteer with Isara.   As Ginafish said, there are several volunteers that can help you.
I've made two trips to visit my son PK, webmaster,  and was there during  the renovation of the learning center.   My being a part of Isara has been one of the most  valuable and rewarding experiences of my life.       I'm looking forward to hearing more about your plans to volunteer with Isara. 



Webmaster, the new volunteer page looks amazing!!   

[M3R1IN]

acm11 and javiervelez you can send me an e-mail on Isara any time you want and I will answer any questions you have.

[Sean]

Here is a kind of progression from my experience (though certainly not conclusive)
http://www.isara.org/foru...r-sean/msg24656/#msg24656

As well as tons of pictures from my time in Nong Khai here.
http://www.seanisara.smugmug.com

Feel free to ask me anything.

[M3R1IN]

I actually have time to answer some questions now...
Basically it cost about $900 CAD for me to fly to Thailand... I went with China Air... EVA air is sometimes cheaper than China Air but I found their aircraft to be old feeling and the seats small so... China Air had more up to date aircraft but they were a little skimpy on providing drinking water during the flight... I connect to my Trans-pacific flight through either Seattle or LAX because flights from Canada are more expensive......Anyways I dislike LAX and it causes me a headache every time I connect through there so now I use Seattle or San Diego or San Francisco if I can..
-Remember if you want to save money on flights and you are willing to take more connections the flight will most likely be cheaper...
Suvarnabhumi (sooh-wahn-ah-phoom) airport in Bangkok is brand new and very nice and modern and hopefully the Sky train link is completed to the airport by now or you can take a cab to Bangkok because the airport is kind of out of the way from the hotels and stuff in Bangkok...
When youre in Bangkok youre never that far from someone who speaks decent english.
Domestic flights from Bangkok Don Muang airport to other centers in Thailand are cheap...$60 or less... I fly with Thai airlines even though its the most expensive they arent very "anal" about how much luggage you bring along... the cheaper domestic airlines are really stingy about your baggage weight and I found that when I used them and brought too much luggage the extra baggage fees put them at par with Thai anyways so i just use Thai... much less headache that way and a nicer airline..
You can also take a nice V.I.P. air conditioned bus or first or second class train to the other centers in Thailand...
The bus and train take a long time to get to Nongkhai though from bangkok....roughly 12-14 hours even though the distance is only 550km... that kind of irks me personally because I am used to traveling that distance in 5 hours by car or 7 hours if I take a greyhound bus...and the full day it takes out of my trip is not worth the $30-40 I save by not flying..... flights are usually only 1 hour or slightly more to get around Thailand....

So from Bangkok you take a domestic flight to Udon Thani because Nongkhai doesnt have an airport... Udon Thani is only 60km from Nongkhai....when you land in Udon Thani(simply called Udon by the locals) you collect your luggage and then walk out into the terminal and there will be some booths saying "Airport Limousine" or something to that effect... anyways i think its 120 or 150 baht ($4-5) to go to Nongkhai and the trip takes roughly 40-50 minutes...
The "limo" is really a 12 person mini-bus that has Air conditioning ... the drivers dont speak a lot of english though but to get to Isara just  say " L.A. Bicycle soi mee chai"  theres a bicycle shop next door to Isara and they usually know what you are talking about...
If that doesnt work ask to go to Mut mee guesthouse and then call PK from there to pick you up... its only like 3 or 4 blocks from Isara..
Ok so the Learning Center has a spare bedroom that you can stay in if you want and PK only asks that you pay a small stipend to contrubite to the maintenance and electricity costs....thats what I did and it kept my costs down....
If you cant stand the noise of vehicles at night you may want to rent an apartment and PK can arrange that for you... I think it only costs about $100 per month for rent there but I cant remember really... you also have to pay for electricity, water, and phone/internet if you choose to get that in your apartment.,,, i dont know what that costs
Food is very cheap in Thailand... especially if you like Thai food you can eat for 30-45 baht per meal which is roughly $1-1.50/meal.... you will pay 2-2.5 times as much for western food.
Theres a large supermarket called Tesco Lotus which is aThai branch of the British supermarket chain Tesco where you can get your groceries and pretty much everything else you need... its much like walmart  i guess but not as impersonal and hollow...um... TheTesco is in a mall complex that has various shops and a theatre.... although it doesnt have any movies in English...There is a KFC and a western style pizza place called the pizza company which is good when you have to get your fill of that type of food...Dee Dee restaurant is kind of a mix between chinese food and Thai food and it is one of my favorite places to eat there... Theres also mut mee guesthouse for homecooked meals and it is very good indeed...The pantawee hotel has a half-decent 24hr restaurant that is ok but expensive... nobbys restaurant/bar is good for germanic and scandinavian style foods...Theres also a place I only found my last few weeks in Nongkhai its called the outback and it is run by some australian guys and it is absolutley excellent western food for the price... i havent had such good halibut in a long time.. they have a big screen TV and english movies playing and theyre really friendly...
The food stalls on Prajak road are interesting to eat at if you can figure out how to order in Thai.... I like "pad thai gkai" (chicken pad thai)... keep a look out for the Roti stands because roti are so delicious they will make you euphoric when you eat them... the thais call them "loti" but thats because of the "R"and "L" reversal sound in thai...anyways... if Ming is around ask her to take you to places to eat because she will do that.....
As far as places to hang out....theres a little lounge along the river front called "warm up" it used to be called "surreal" but it changed ownership between my first and second visit.... but it caters to both thais and Westerners and it has a nice patio on the river so its a nice place to relax if you want to.
The Indo-China market is not too far from Isara and it is a huge market that is half indoors and half outdoors and it has all sorts of stuff to buy... theres also a market about a block and a half from Isaraif you head west of the ILC and turn right down the street with the 7-11..., then theres a weekend market that PK can direct you to.
Theres also a large park that I cant remember what its name is but thats where we do trash clean ups and stuff and it is a good place to go running or whatever...
The Statue garden called Salakeoku is a must see in Nongkhai as well as Wat Pho chai...ask PK if he will take you fishing for those big nasty spiny fish.. he will know what you are talking about.
Basically all your needs are cheap in Nongkhai once you get there as compared to the Western world.
you can also rent a moped for about $100 a month i think... or you can just mooch off of PK and borrow his when he is not using it.
I think that If you stay at the ILC you can get by with $300/month but if you have an apartment and moped it could go between $450 and $500/month.

I hope that answers some questions about costs and such.

For supplies that the ILC needs....i would say pretty much everything related to teaching elementary school aged kids... but PLEASE do not bring stuff with you from the west it is not worth it... the supplies are so cheap in Thailand that money is all that is needed to get that kind of stuff... buying books and supplies in the west for absurd prices is a total waste....believe me I made that mistake the first time.

Oh yeah if you stay at the ILC there is a kitchen there that I slapped together while living there it is a fridge and freezer, toaster, microwave, cookware, dishes, and 2 hotplates to cook on... the white hotplate is an induction cooker  so please dont place any empty pots on it or it will turn the metal red hot in about 20 seconds and can destroy the pot or pan... the other hotplate is a standard resistor style heating element and is better for cooking things on while the white one is best for boiling liquids and cooking pasta and things like that....

Laundry in Thailand is different than in the west... for the life of me I cannot find a laundromat with clothes dryers there only with washing machines ... clothes are hung to dry...
If you want to do your own laundry by hand you can but it takes a long time.. there is a washing room at the ILC where you can do that as the room has a drain in the floor...be sure not to hang your clothing on anything that ants can get to because the large fire ants like to hide in them and they bite hard and lets just say that if they happen to hide in your underwear things can get nasty...
I usually paid someone to do my laundry over there because it is time saving and it helps the locals make money... almost any guesthouse on rimkong road offers laundry service and you should shop around to get a good price... not that its particularly expensive by western standards anyways...ask ming how to say "no bleach" in Thai because I had a $100 shirt wrecked because they used bleach on it.... also make sure your pockets are empty because they wont check them for stuff before washing... I accidentally had my passport destroyed on my first trip to Thailand and had to make an emergency trip to the Canadian consulate in Bangkok to get a replacement and now my government is less than pleased with me about my passport.
Pharmacies or Chemists whatever they call them in your part of the world are cheap in thailand so long as you dont get brand name drugs but rather the generic equivalent and most do not require a prescription...
If by chance you should need to go to the hospital... Wattana hospital is a very good hospital for foreigners they have fast service and Western trained english speaking doctors and very well trained staff and nurses.. they will definitley treat you right..
Make sure you get your immunizations for hepatitis A and B, Cholera, diptheria,Tetnis, Dengue fever, yellow fever, and maybe japanese encephalitis if your docotor thinks its necessary....as far as malaria is concerned... I dont take the pills for it because they can cause severe depression as a side effect and I learned that on my first trip and stopped taking them 2 weeks into it... Malaria isnt common in Thailand anyways and just wear bug repellent if out in the early morning or evening...
Outside of Bangkok, tap water is not potable... and even in Bangkok its best to be safe and drink bottled water...
The water is safe to bathe or shower in but dont use it to brush your teeth in.

Thailand has a culture unlike anything you will have experienced in the west...the philosophical and theological differences are quite different... but pretty much all in a good way...
Make sure you get yourself a good Travel guide like Frommers or something with a good cultural section....and speak to someone about the taboos and etiquette of thai culture.... PK can give you an in depth course on these dos and donts.

Nongkhai is in the "Isan" region of thaland and is heavily influenced by Laotian and to a lesser degree Cambodian influences... many of the people in this region are not pure thai but have ancestry from Laos or Cambodia... they are a more relaxed "country" type folk with a slightly different dialect than "bangkok thai".... I like Isan people because theyre even more laid back than most Thais.  Dont expect things to go like clockwork over there either.. Thais are too relaxed about stuff to worry about timetables and schedules stuff will take longer to get done than you expect and its best to just go with the flow than get upset or worked up about it.
Thais are very friendly people and are very generous they enjoy talking to foreigners and practicing what ever english they know...they may be somewhat xenophobic of foreigners from time to time but thats because of the many foreigners who come over there to abuse the good will of the Thais and use the sex trade and what not... Be an example of what a proper foreigner is... dont get upset or show your negative emotions outwardly... treat people with respect and observe the local customs and Thais will be very impressed to see a foreigner acting so well.  Please do not get drunk in public or smoke in front of your pupils at the ILC this is very looked down on in Thai culture...also public displays of affection are a taboo.
If you get a chance to teach the monks they have some amazing philosophical views that can be most mind expanding.... many monks speak very good english.... I always enjoyed teaching monks.
Dont even think about using illicit drugs in Thailand they are completely unacceptable and the criminal penalties are extreme for posession and if you are distributing them the penalties can be as severe as capital punishment.
Also the royal family in Thailand is held in extremely high esteem, never make any negative comments about the royal family... i found it best to just not talk about the royal family unless it was something very good to say and the thais knew it was good...In england, Canada, Australia and other commonwealth countries we are used to criticising the british royal family but this is not the case in Thailand...The Thai King is a wonderful monarch and has led his people through some very difficult situations with grace and peace... they are truly lucky to have such a benevolent monarch.

I think thats quite a bit of stuff about Thailand but if you have any more questions just send me an e-mail

[acm11]

Thanks alot for your contribution. very astute some of which i was aware of having several thai friends in australia. But appreciate your detail and willingness to outline issues of importance. i am an australian but have been living in europe for past 18 months. Currently resident i ireland but wishing to do some volunteer work on way home to australia. Hopefully selling my car here will give me enough money to spend six months volunteering in thailand.

Appreciate your detailed information. Am hoping to do some fundraising before i leave ireland. when asking about materials i can bring was more thinking about english text books and work sheets than stationery. however if these are readily available in thailand shall consider raising money instead.

Ceratainly will purchase lonely planet guide as first step aside from being an australian run guide book i have found them to be best as far as local information and credibility.

Just one other thing i think important as i have been offered position in several other projects in south east asia. Do you think tis project makes a long term difference in local communitiy and both the outcomes for the community and the individuals including both children and adults who benefit from the program. And can you justify ths? iThis is an import issue to me as in order to raise funds for the projects and provide my own time it is important to me that the project is contributing to the goals of the community and to long term benefits.

Anyway welcome your thoughts on these issues

No liklihood of me using illicit drugs or pre judging royal family regardless of my thoughts on english royal family though understand these comments might be necessary for less worldly wise and less travelled individuals.

Maybe you could give me a brief sumarry of why i should choose this program to volunteer my time with as oppose to other projects i have considered.

I fully appreciate unique method of raising funds and contributing 100 percnet to projects but not only do i want to ensure project i devote my time to benefits local community individually and collectively but in order to raise funds for the project i need to believe in it and its outcomes.

regards,
Anna

[M3R1IN]

Anna I would like you to tell me which other organizations you are considering working with as I am familiar with about a dozen different ones in Thailand and I can tell you the pros and cons of many of them as well as how theyre staffed and managed... but I dont want to put any criticisms on the forum because i dont think that would be appropriate...
Of course I support Isara whole heartedly and I would be willing to share the more in depth personal reasons why I support Isara in a private e-mail as well.
Thanks for your interest
As far as english texts and worksheet master copies and stuff like that.. I am sure that would be helpful for your teaching in Thailand.... good lesson guides and things like that are kind of hard to come by in Thailand as much of it is self-study and a lot of it is translated from Thai and is not geared for a native english speaker to teach from....
Stationary and other supplies are all available in many places in Thailand that are cheap by western standards but rather expensive for Thais so If you do some fundraising for supplies that would probably be the best application for it... unless PK says otherwise but I think he will agree with me.

[Steffi]

Good morning,

I just quickly want to introduce as I will be volunteering with Isara this coming October - with the flight and all booked PK urged me to use this forum ;-).

I currently do live in Singapore and have been travelling a bit around Southeast Asia. I was always impressed with the good volunteer work many people do out there. And finally I do have the time and cash to do a little bit of volunteering myself.

Isara appealed to me as it seemed quite informal, small and not overmanaged. I will see when I get there and hope to be of help even though I am there for only two weeks and am not a native English speaker.

A question to the ex-volunteers: How did you prepare for the lessons? Did you develop your own material?

Steffi

[Sean]

Hey Steffi,

Thats great that you are coming to volunteer.  I promise you'll love it.

And let me say, for a non-native english speaker you're certainly excellent at typing it.

As far as lesson plans go, your right it's very informal.  Its totally up to you, and I think everyone has/finds their own style.  I always tried to make it fun and usually would try to teach new vocab words and then use them in a game later on.  Candy is king.  I always taught the children, but let me tell you, when I did play bingo for candy with the adults I think they were even more into it than the kids!

If you can't come up with anything PK will always be able to think of something. 

[M3R1IN]

I took a TESL course a few years ago and I had a lot of pre-made lessons and worksheets that were nice to have when I had to throw something together quickly... I used the internet a lot to get lesson Ideas and any kind of worksheets I could get...
The first time I was in Thailand I had to make up a lot of my won material and I used my tried and true lesson plans as well..
Yeah, PK is the man for teaching ideas he can always think of something quickly.
Hangman, Bingo tongue twisters anything fun and silly works great for kids and adults alike...
I also used to teach about Western holidays like halloween and christmas mythology and stuff like that.

[Steffi]

Thanks for the quick tips. I browsed around in the web and found loads, the stuff there will get me through the two weeks, that's for sure.

[mepaglet]

Hi,
I sent a message a few days ago about desiring to volunteer at Isara, but never heard anything back....A bit puzzled, 'cause I was pretty psyched when I ran across your website.  Are you not looking for new volunteers at this point???
James/mepaglet

[PK]

Hi James. We're definitely interested. Unfortunately I'm in Laos right now and unable to use the Internet except in scattered amounts. I'll be back in Nong Khai later this afternoon and will reply to your e-mail then.

We appreciate your interest in helping. Thank you.
pk

[mepaglet]

SUPER!
I have the time (6 mos - 1 year), and a real desire to help in Thailand, as the country has given so much to me over the years!
I really look forward to finding out if Isara is the right vehicle for me to help!!!!
Cheers,
James

[hillscott]

Thanks for all of the information posted here so far. It is extremely helpful.
In doing some prep work for my trip I came across a few questions.

Have any of the previous volunteers had experience with travelers insurance? If so, have you actually used it? Recommendations? 

Also, for the trip from BKK (Bangkok) to Udon Thani, did you book the flight after you got there, or in advance? I have some friends of a friend that I may want to meet up with in Bangkok, and I'm thinking of booking a flight from BKK to Udon Thani for a day or two after I have arrived. Is it safe to say there will be plenty of flights out if I'm booking a day or two in advance?

Any recommendations on sights to see in Thailand?

Thanks!
--hillscott