Work with monks and local community members in Laos teaching English
Program Overview
The beautiful ancient city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World heritage site, is situated in northern central Laos. Teach English in this idyllic setting, at the meeting of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers, famous for its Buddhist temples and monasteries.
Many young men in Laos will choose to become monks so that they can access education and escape poverty. Temples do provide inexpensive education although teachers are often stretched beyond capacity making it hard to provide all students with the attention they deserve.
Volunteering on this project you will teach English to these students, improving the quality of their education. This will enable them to access more opportunities and bring a higher quality of life for their families.
Life on the Program
You will work with a wide variety of students teaching both practical and conversational English across different levels. The challenging but rewarding role will provide a unique insight into the Laotian culture.
You will work on the project Monday to Friday, weekends providing an opportunity to relax and explore.
You will live in Luang Prabang where South east Asian architecture and French colonial mansions collide to create a beautiful and unique setting. Accommodation is in a centrally located guesthouse with electricity and private bathroom.
Receiving a weekly food budget you can sample the local cuisine whilst exploring your new home and mingling with locals.
Program Details
Many students in Laos have a strong desire to learn English which can create more employment opportunities improving their economic situation. This increased demand for English lessons and a severe lack of teachers has made classes extremely overcrowded resulting in a deterioration of quality.
By providing enthusiastic volunteers to focus on delivering high quality English lessons we aim to improve the quality of current English programs. Working alongside local teachers our efforts will reduce class sizes thus providing a higher level of education for individual students.
Volunteer Testimonials
In August 2011, I spent four truly incredible and adventurous weeks on GVI’s ‘Teaching English to Buddhist Novice Monks and Local Communities’ program in Luang Prabang, Laos. Just like everyone...
In August 2011, I spent four truly incredible and adventurous weeks on GVI’s ‘Teaching English to Buddhist Novice Monks and Local Communities’ program in Luang Prabang, Laos. Just like everyone else, I felt unprepared and very nervous about the task of teaching an actual class- but just after a few days I felt comfortable enough to teach by myself. I was fortunate enough to have a more experienced volunteer with me for the first two weeks, and in some classes we were also working with a Lao teacher. Even though I am currently studying English and French at Uni to become a teacher, I would not have expected teaching to be so much fun! The students were simply amazing- they were motivated, funny and working quite hard. Even though I couldn’t always get them to do their homework, they participated well in all of the lessons, and they always turned out more lively and funny than I had expected. Of all the wonderful memories I made in Laos, teaching was simply the best.
What I most recommend is to just go with whatever comes your way- planning is really not needed and often things go very differently from what you expected. Exactly this is what made this trip the best experience I’ve ever made- it was exciting and surprising, and I did and saw things I would never have thought I would or could!
I am a science teacher and have done various Earthwatch projects and have been a TREC teacher and a Teacher at Sea. I was looking for something a little different as a volunteer experience and was...
I am a science teacher and have done various Earthwatch projects and have been a TREC teacher and a Teacher at Sea. I was looking for something a little different as a volunteer experience and was surfing the net and found the GVI Laos trip, which looked very interesting.
Personally, I feel that I am giving back and making a huge difference in some young peoples lives and hopefully helping them break out of a cycle of poverty. Professionally, I think whenever you teach in areas outside your comfort zone it makes you a better teacher and some of the skills learned in Laos I am bringing back to the classroom in the US. I also bring back to my classroom stories of experiences from other countries to give them a perspective of what it is like in other places.
A growing number of volunteers are now coming from retired people or those having a career break . These are individuals who have more time, often a number of different experiences in the...
A growing number of volunteers are now coming from retired people or those having a career break . These are individuals who have more time, often a number of different experiences in the workplace. They see opportunities through GVI to use these in different ways to help local communities in different countries. My partner Tricia and I, are such a couple. We started off on a GVI building project in Peru, and this year moved to teaching English to Monks and Novices in Laos. We enjoyed it so much we are returning next year. Why? Well, quite simply we really enjoyed it and we were inspired by the local project leader and the high level of motivation of the students. Resources were often basic but the whole project was well planned by GVI. We worked with a great group of other volunteers and the accommodation was good. We both felt that our combined contributions were making a real difference to students’ progress in speaking English. We also learned a lot about Laos culture and cuisine. After taking a cookery course while working in Luang Prabang I have now expanded my range of Asia dishes, but I miss my Beer Laos to go with them!
I could not leave a class without every passing student say “thank you very much, see you tomorrow” on a daily basis. Things don’t always go the way you plan here, but that is the epitome of Lao culture. As a teacher, you are seen with great respect by the community. The second you tell someone you are an English Teacher, they bombard you with questions.
I can only speak for myself when I say that this was a great experience. But I honestly believe that this is a chance worth taking.
Beautiful jungle foliage reaches up from the numerous gardens and from both river sides. Colourful blossoms and rich fragrances. Coconut palms and bananas......But, probably, the most memorable aspect is the hundreds of saffron robed novice Buddhist monks to be seen wherever you look. Teaching them is such a pleasure. Typical of Lao people, they are humble and mild mannered and learning English is so important to them. Being amongst them, teaching them; just being here is a wonderful calming experience. None of us want to leave.
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Program Details
Build Your Program
What's Included
- Pre-departure support and discounted services
- 24-hour emergency phone
- Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
- Arrival orientation
- Long term experienced staff
- Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
- All meals (unless otherwise stated in field manuals)
- Welcome meeting
- Location orientation
- All necessary project training by experienced staff
- All necessary project equipment and materials
- 24-hour in-country support
- The rare opportunity to work closely with novice monks in a temple school
- Orientation on teaching methods and techniques, language, culture and religion
- Airport pick-up and transfer
- Guesthouse accommodation in the ancient city Luang Prabang
- Learning about Lao culture, history, food, religion and language
- A guided tour of Luang Prabang to show you the sights and point out the best restaurants, internet cafe’s, banks, etc.
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Medical and travel insurance
- Visa costs
- Personal kit
- Additional drinks and gratuities
- Extra local excursions
- International and domestic airport taxes
