Our volunteers teach novice Buddhist monks, middle school to high school age, at different monastery schools located in the northern city of Chiang Mai. These teaching positions are a great way to learn about Buddhism and contribute in a meaningful way. The schools provide both religious and secular classes, providing secondary education for boys who are unable to afford such opportunities. All the students at four of the schools are novice monks and many, but not all, of the faculty and administration are Buddhist monks. One of the schools has both novice monk students and non-monk students (however the majority are monks) separated by classroom. Many of the novice monks are orphans from the hill tribes, and some of them are learning Thai as a second language and English as a third.

For volunteers who prefer working with older students, limited positions are also available for Teaching Assistants at the International University for Monks. Volunteers assist the professors in the English department with their lessons. Additionally, volunteers assist the students outside the classroom informally, practicing pronunciation, writing, conversation and other assignments and studies. There is the possibility of taking a more active role in planning lessons and writing exams. These additional tasks however, would only be offered to volunteers with experience and/or education in the field of university instruction.

The Asian Elephant is only thriving in Thailand due to the work of a few organizations, and ELI volunteers help with this massive effort at a Thai-run elephant camp in the hills just 45 minutes outside of Chiang Mai. After orientation 2 days of orientation in the city, volunteers live on-site at the camp and assist the hill tribe staff with the bathing and feeding of 60+ elephants Monday through Friday. The camp hosts day visitors from all over the world, so volunteers also assist in educating the visitors and make sure that they are interacting safely with the animals and learning about conservation. The elephant camp is lively and has a very large staff - it’s almost a community of its own. The typical length of stay is 2-6 weeks. Volunteers must be between 18 and 60 years old.

“I'd repeat my stay in a heartbeat! …The elephant camp is truly saving the Asian elephants which are diminishing at astounding rates. I spent a month with these magnificent creatures and continue to be in awe of them…On a daily basis, I rode elephants to the river for their bath, I cleaned up after them, I rode them into the dense jungle, helped the staff cut corn or grass to feed them. When I was not working with the elephants, I taught English at the public school. The students were so happy to see me and so filled with enthusiasm to learn! My normal one hour lesson often turned into two hours, with other classes asking if they could participate. The staff at the elephant camp was terrific. The kitchen staff had coffee ready for me each morning...along with a freshly prepared breakfast of my choosing. It just took my leaving my comfort zone to get to know them and before long different mahouts asked me if I'd want to work with their elephant. Their orientation was outstanding, and the follow-up support they provided was great. I loved every minute of my stay at the elephant camp....a month was just not enough for me...and if I could go back and spend a year I would. In fact, I just might!”

-Allen T., 2009 Elephant Camp Volunteer

"The people were so friendly... and the elephants were amazing creatures to spend time with... Try and do absolutely everything possible at the elephant camp at least once. Take the time to be extra friendly to the camp staff and it will be rewarding for you!"

- Tia, 2010 Elephant Camp Volunteer

"It was an adventure from day one. We had just arrived, signed in, put our stuff in our room and right away we were helping to take the elephants for a bath in the river. An amazing experience – we get off the bus, and in no time we’re leading elephants to the river!" Read the entire article here.

-Korey, 2011 Elephant Camp Volunteer

ELI volunteers work with a few children's homes based in and around Chiang Mai. All the children at the homes range in age from 6 – 16.  The orphanages are run by a few local families, and in general do not have much money.

These orphanages would have a hard time functioning without volunteers. The children arrive back from school around 4pm. Upon the arrival of the children back to the orphanage, volunteers spend time with them: Help cook, help clean, play sports, games, arts and crafts, help them with their homework, etc. Volunteers usually eat dinner with the kidstoo. Volunteers usually head back to the volunteer house at around 8:30pm, bed time. This is the general schedule for Mondays – Fridays.

This is an ideal program for upbeat volunteers interested in mentoring some of the poorest members of Thai society.

Twenty minutes from the volunteer house, down a dirt road that winds through picturesque rice patties, is the Single Women’s Home in the San Kamphaeng District. This center provides a haven for unwed pregnant girls from the local hill tribes. Many of these girls have been the victims of abuse, and some of them are having their second or third child on their own. The girls are given pre-natal and post-natal care, computer classes, Thai and English (they learn Thai as a second language and English as a third) in the hopes of breaking the cycle of poverty.

Volunteers can teach classes and work in daycare as their mothers attend class. For those who would like to do more physical work, volunteers can assist the hill tribe girls with the sprawling organic garden that encompasses the dorms. Garden projects are on-going throughout the seasons, so fresh vegetables are available year round. Lastly, volunteers with some experience in construction can assist with the new bamboo buildings. The home can never meet the need for their programs, so they are in the process of expanding in order to house more women at any given time. All structures are constructed of bamboo to emulate the housing in the hill tribes to make the women feel at home. It’s a truly beautiful property and a great organization for volunteers who are interested in hill tribe culture and ready to roll up their sleeves.

The hospitals in Thailand are known the world over for their advanced and professional care.  Students who intend to pursue a career in medicine can now learn about the medical system, tropical diseases and public health issues in the region.  Students shadow doctors and assist staff 5-7 hours a day Monday through Friday, and successful interns are often invited to observe in the OR.  This program is open to junior and senior pre-meds, nursing and medical students.  Fourth year medical students and above are typically put into rounds.  Evenings and weekends are free time.  For more about the daily life in this internship, see Nancy's Photo Journal.

Here a previous intern describes her experience:

"I am a physical therapy student, and all I have been doing at the hospital is PT. They really paid attention to what I said. I'm mostly in the rehabilitation ward. I spent one day in out-patient. They worry about me getting bored, but I don't feel that way at all. The PT's are incredibly nice and seem very willing to learn from me as well as take the time to show me many things, even though they are incredibly busy. The patients are great, and I think part of the reason I like being in the same department every day is because I've gotten to know them a bit even though they don't speak any English. Most of them seem to love having me around, and they usually just ask me for help without words. I'm going to be very sad to leave them...They also have continuing education every Friday, which the director has asked me to attend. I also find that good. I think the fact that it's a learning hospital and that the director of the PT program specifically has a 5 year plan to make the program more internationally based has produced very good results. I also think staying in the same department is a good idea because you get to know the people so they care a bit more about helping you than if you were just in and out in a couple of days."

   -Rachel, October 2010

Dental Internship:
Many westerners elect to have dental work in Thailand because of the quality of care, so interns with this program have a chance to learn on modern equipment and work with highly skilled dentists. Program hours are Monday-Friday, 5-7 hours a day. The dental clinic is located at the hospital, so medical and dental interns commute together.  This placement is open to serious pre-dental juniors and seniors and dental students.  Interns are assigned to a supervising Thai dentist to shadow and assist as needed.  Typical procedures include bridges, crowns, and extractions.

The minimum time commitment for health internships is 2 weeks. No second language required.

 This is a rare opportunity to intern with the top English language magazine in Chiang Mai! Chiang Mai is a fashionable Thai city, so this internship is a great fit for someone who is interested in lifestyle writing, event reporting, culture and interest pieces. Hours fluctuate based on assignment. Students who are at least rising juniors, majoring in journalism or communication are welcome to apply.

Interns in the project work with the Thai and foreign, native English speaking staff in one or many of the following areas:

*Editorial
*Marketing
*Web Design
*Photography
*Print and design
*Multi media

The minimum time commitment is 4 weeks. No second language required, but a writing sample in English will be requested and you will want to bring your own laptop.

"I had a lot of opportunities, received a lot of great feedback, and a lot of encouragement. My boss, an amazing woman, was very welcoming and took me under her wing, so to speak. She helped with my writing, allowed me to shadow her interviews and became somewhat of a mentor. They were very open at Citylife, and let me do as much as I wanted, giving me opportunities I would never have had in the western press. In my second month, I was even allowed to take my own pictures [which were published.] Thanks to the internship, if you Google my name, you can see my work. I now have a portfolio – not very big, but it’s an important start."

-Stacey, Journalism Intern 2011

(Read the entire interview with Stacey and some of the articles she had published in Thailand here.)