Volunteering Projects in Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand, covering an area of 514,000 square kilometres, lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, roughly equidistant between India and China. It shares borders with Myanmar to the west and north, Lao P.D.R. to the north and northeast, Cambodia to the east and Malaysia to the south. Thailand has a population of about 60 million. Ethnic Thais form the majority, though the area has historically been a migratory crossroads, and thus strains of Mon, Khmer, Burmese, Lao, Malay, Indian and most strongly, Chinese stock produce a degree of ethnic diversity. Integration is such, however, that culturally and socially there is enormous unity. For more information  we suggest you purchase the Lonely Planet’s guide to Thailand.

In Thailand there are three seasons: hot, rainy, and cool. For the Europeans that arrive in Thailand there seems to be only one season: a hot season. During the night the temperature only drops a few degrees and the humidity during the day and night is over 70%.

Volunteers in the Wildlife Rescue Centre may participate in the following activities:

• Preparing and giving out food to all animals
• Maintaining enclosures and building enrichments
• Daily cleaning of enclosures

Volunteers in the Elephant Refuge program have the opportunityto participate in the following activities:

• cleaning elephant enclosures
• feeding and watering the elephants 
• harvesting food for the elephants
• walking some of the elephants in to the forest at night and collecting them in the morning
• bathing the elephants in a lake
• maintaining the elephant refuge

You work a six-day week on varied jobs during the day. Daily jobs start at 6.30am and end at 5.00 pm. You will have breaks during the day, the length of which will depend on the number of volunteers at the centre. All jobs are rostered and are put on a board in the volunteer house in the evening. Where possible, jobs are rotated as fairly as possible so that volunteers have as much variety as possible. On your days off (not necessarily on the weekends) you can go sightseeing or visit other parts of Thailand. Many people choose to relax on the beaches of the nearby resorts of Cha-am or Hua Hin. You can arrange your days off with the volunteer coordinator and we are very flexible in allowing people to take their days off. However, we must make sure that there are always enough volunteers at the project to carry out all the daily tasks. The atmosphere at the center is informal and relaxed and by mutual agreement many things are possible. The project is developing quickly however and therefore the work that has to be done is changing all the time. You will be scheduled where you are most needed and where your skills can be used to the maximum advantage. Please understand that it is not the idyllic and easy holiday that some people expect. The work can be physically demanding in very high temperatures and humidity, however the rewards of helping in the conservation of this country outweigh any of the momentary hardships.

From Bangkok it is possible to travel by bus, train, or taxi. As the location of our wildlife project is not known to everyone it is best to have one of the staff pick you up from either bus or train station in Cha-am. The bus journey from Bangkok lasts between 2 and 4 hours. The project also has contacts with a friendly taxi driver who can meet you at Bangkok International Airport and take you to the project site. A taxi-transfer like this will cost 2200 Baht (approx. 50 EUR), to be paid directly to the driver. To arrange a taxi-transfer, you will need to contact your volunteer coordinator by e-mail, at least two weeks before your scheduled arrival and provide her with your date and time of arrival, as well as your flight number.

Accommodation is in simple bungalows at the center, with rooms for one to three people. Most rooms have their own European style toilet (non-flush) and cold water shower. There is a large communal volunteer house with seating and a large kitchen. You must have a positive attitude towards working and living in a group and take on the responsibilities that this holds. Your stay at the center will be rather primitive. Volunteers are expected to help with housekeeping duties and to keep the communal living areas clean at all times. Lunch and dinner is prepared by a Thai cook. She provides mainly Thai food, and although Thai food is usually spicy the cook knows how to please everybody’s taste. For vegetarians special arrangements can be made.

Each GVN program has different criteria depending on our partner's requirements. Every application is reviewed to ensure that the minimum requirements (as set out on the program page) are met. Next we look to see what skills or experience you have that relate specifically to the program. We are also interested in any previous volunteer experience you may have (either local or international), travel experience, and your particular interest in the program.

After reviewing your application, should we require any further information from you, we will email you to request this.

It is impossible to write down on one single page the particular details of all the different species you encounter on the center. In general most of the animals are primates; white handed gibbons (Hylobates lar), white-cheeked gibbons (Hylobates leucogenys), agile gibbons (Hylobates agilis), golden-cheeked gibbons (Hylobates gabriellae), pileated gibbons (Hylobates pileatus), long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides), pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina), assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), dusky langurs (Trachypeticus obscurus) and slow loris (Nycticebus coucang). We also house Malayan sun bears (Ursus malayanus), Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) otters, several species of civet and a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris). Please do not come to the centre expecting to be able to pet the animals or that they are in any way ‘tame’. We have a strict ‘hands off’ policy for the safety and well-being of both the animals and the volunteers. Serious diseases can be spread to both the animals and the people through contact. Volunteers must remember that the animals at the centre are wild and therefore unpredictable in their behaviour. The center is still developing; the number and the selection of species in the center may have changed by the time you participate.

No, the program is open to people from all over the world.

You must be 18 years old and above. There is no upper limit, you just have to be in good health.

Volunteers in the Wildlife Rescue Centre can start the program at anytime during the year and can volunteer anywhere from a minimum of 2 weeks to a maximum of 12 weeks.

Volunteers in the Elephant Refuge program can start the program on any Sunday in the month they have applied for and can volunteer anywhere from a minimum of 1 weeks to 12 weeks.

The following vaccinations are considered absolutely necessary:

• DTP (Diphtheria, tetanus & polio)
• Hepatitis A and B

Often, for a tourist visit to Thailand vaccination against Hepatitis A is advised, but not for Hepatitis B. However, Hepatitis B is known to sometimes occur in captive primates and therefore this vaccination is highly recommended. Mention this explicitly to your medical consultant: vaccinations are available that combine Hepatitis A and B. Furthermore our partner in Thailand recommends vaccination against Rabies and Tuberculosis. These vaccinations are optional (at your own risk) because these diseases do occur in Thailand, but so far have not been seen at the rescue center.

The in-country fee covers accommodation and meals. If you arrive early or intend on staying on in Thailand for longer than you are volunteering then you will need to have extra money for this time. Also some money may be required for your days off. Other costs include your flights, visa, shots, travel insurance, departure tax, and any shopping you will do personally.

The reserve is located on temple grounds, and volunteers are expected to respect this by wearing appropriate clothing; shorts should be knee length, and shoulders and midriff should be covered. There is an on-site laundry where your clothes can be washed for a small fee. Due to the nature of the work, it is recommended that volunteers bring lots of old clothes to work in.

The aim of the project is to save wild animals and their habitat from destruction. Their strategy towards achieving this aim involves three complementary tasks:

• Through the education program, encourage local people, tourists, and the international community to appreciate, understand and protect wild animals and their rainforest habitat;
• Assist in and develop new projects involved in the protection, education, captive breeding, rehabilitation, humane housing, and welfare of all wild animals;
• To rehabilitate captive wild animals and release them back into the wild, repopulating forest areas, where they have become rare to extinct.

You do if it is required. Our program guide has links to Thai Embassies through out the world.

As with any overseas travelling, insurance is recommended. The Global Volunteer Network has arranged a comprehensive travel insurance package specially designed for volunteering. It includes excellent medical and accident coverage as well as a ’loss of deposits’ cover which covers fees paid to GVN, airlines etc (up to US$8,000). If you would like to learn more just follow this link: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/insurance/.

Your application fee secures your place on the program (remember this is fully transferable to a later date or different program if you decide not to take part in the program, subject to the terms of service). Your program fee is payable to Global Volunteer Network 8 weeks prior to the 1st of the month you wish to volunteer. Please note that all charges incurred by the payment of the program fee are at the volunteer’s expense, e.g. if a bank transfer incurs a bank fee at the point of origin, that is at the expense of the volunteer. Eighty percent (80%) of your program fee is refundable until one calendar month before the 1st of the month you are due to begin your program. Refer to GVN's legal terms of service for full details.