50 hrs of fieldwork per week
1:6 staff to participant ratio
Includes GVI Experiences
Train for a purpose-led career in conservation through hands-on fieldwork and a professional placement in coastal Thailand. Based in Trang, you’ll contribute to marine ecosystem monitoring and habitat restoration – from coral and seagrass surveys to mangrove mapping. Over 24 weeks, you’ll gain practical experience and receive career coaching while helping protect one of Southeast Asia’s most biodiverse coastal regions.
In Trang, Thailand, where limestone cliffs rise over coral-fringed shores and seagrass meadows stretch beneath the waves, you’ll take your first steps toward a career in conservation.
This 24-week apprenticeship begins with three months of field-based training in marine and coastal ecosystem monitoring. You’ll collect data on coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves and support environmental education initiatives alongside local conservation partners. Then, you’ll put your training into practice through a guaranteed 12-week work placement with GVI or a local partner organisation.
Throughout the program, you’ll build essential career skills in project planning, impact measurement, intercultural communication, and ethical engagement. With support from experienced mentors, you’ll graduate ready to step into an impact-driven role in the conservation field.
When you’re not working, you’ll live just steps from the Andaman Sea, in a quiet coastal village surrounded by tropical biodiversity, where evenings might include a cooking class or a kayaking trip.
This program supports UN SDG #13, Climate Action, UN SDG #14, Life Below Water, and UN SDG #15, Life on Land, and is designed for those who want their work to protect the planet – not just observe it.
This internship is specifically useful for someone who has or is actively studying the below subject areas at school, university or college, or has an interest in these subject areas.
Some of the example typical activities you could participate in on this program.
Some of the partners we work with on base.
Located in the scenic province of Trang, our hub offers easy access to vibrant towns and breathtaking beaches. In fact, our accommodation is situated just 100 metres from the beachfront!
Trang Province, located in southern Thailand, offers a wealth of natural beauty with sparkling coastlines, turquoise waters, limestone cliffs and lush forests. You can enjoy a multitude of activities as you soak up the laid-back lifestyle of this community. For a fun night out, explore local restaurants, night markets, and cosy bars. For more adventurous day trips, you can take advantage of Trang’s scenic coastline with outdoor activities like island hopping, snorkelling, or exploring hidden caves.
As a volunteer in Thailand, you’ll have the chance to see incredible species like turtles, dugongs (rare sightings), a variety of tropical fish, gibbons, woodpeckers, hornbills and more.
An accommodation upgrade is available at an extra charge, depending on availability.
We want you to make the most of the chance to live in – and contribute towards – the most diverse and unique wildernesses and communities on earth. Introducing GVI Experiences – immersive adventure, cultural and wellness activities exclusive to GVI that have been specially designed in collaboration with our local partners to support and stimulate sustainable economic development.
Enhance your impact. Expand your adventure. Explore your world.
By joining a GVI program, you not only contribute to preserving unique ecosystems but also get the chance to explore the surrounding area or venture further to see what else the region has to offer on weekends.
Our field staff are a great source of advice on local travel options. Many participants choose to travel before or after their experience, solidifying friendships made on the program.
Engaging with a new context teaches global awareness, adaptability and critical thinking – skills highly valued in today’s world. Cultural immersion is encouraged, and there are many activities to enjoy during your free time or before and after your program. Please note, these suggestions aren’t included in the program fee and are at your own expense.
Explore the picturesque waterfalls of Khao Yai in central Thailand. Here you can spot unique Thai wildlife like gibbons.
Travel to the city complex ruins of Ayutthaya to learn more about Thailand’s heritage. This spectacular, but now abandoned city used to be the medieval capital of Siam.
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
Program Manager and Conservation Coordinator
Meet Eve, our Program Manager and Conservation Coordinator in Phang Nga, Thailand. She was born in the United Kingdom but has since lived and wor ...
When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.
As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals.
We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our team or representative will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile.
This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.
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All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the UN SDGs. Then once you arrive on base, you’ll learn about the specific goals we have in this particular location, our various objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to be an active global citizen after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
GVI Trang Long-term Objectives:
1. Promote sea turtle habitat conservation.
2. Provide long-term and consistent data to conservation partners.
3. Increase public awareness of environmental issues and importance of environmental protection.
4. Assist with local marine and coastal waste management efforts.
5. Educate and train participants on biodiversity, survey techniques and marine conservation.
A GVI program is an investment in your career. No matter which you choose, you will be working toward improving your employability by mastering new social skills, gaining further technical expertise and earning qualifications in many cases. Most of our staff are, in fact, GVI Alumni, and we have helped many of our Alumni discover, move toward, and earn their own personal dream jobs. Each program includes introductory workshops, ongoing presentations, as well as on-the-ground professional support provided by our very own trained staff members. In addition, our training programs are critical for helping us to ensure the long-term impact of our sustainable development projects around the world.
Learn about the importance of child and vulnerable adult protection best practices and how to apply them while on project.
Introduction to the history and evolution of sustainable development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and how these related to your project work.
Learn about our country locations and further opportunities available to you during or after your program.
Thai lessons
Project objectives and procedures
Intro to coastal conservation
Species identification
Survey techniques and equipment
Data collection and entry
Local area and hub orientation
Hub projects, partners and objectives
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Role of the volunteer and making an ethical impact
Language and culture
Health and safety, including risk assessments and emergency action plans
Learn about our empowerment principles.
An introduction to different survey techniques and best practice guidelines for surveys; introduction to different types of data and how to record information via a datasheet.
Learn about biodiversity and how biodiversity is measured, and classifying different species and how to identify species that indicate the health of the habitat.
Learn about issues with plastic and measures that can be taken to help reduce plastic consumption.
Learn about what a coral reef is, its importance, how it is formed, how this ecosystem works.
Career paths in social and environmental impact are not as well-established as in other fields. That’s why we’ll provide our interns who have successfully completed their program with our Careers in Sustainable Development course. In this course, you’ll learn about current and emerging opportunities in a range of sectors, allowing you to make the best decision about your future.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all internships. Full course details can be found here.
If you have a passion for wildlife conservation then this course will provide you with the foundational skills and understanding needed to achieve your conservation-related goals. You’ll learn about the various methods of wildlife monitoring, as well as exploring the delicate balance involved in terrestrial ecosystem management. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
Leadership is a critical skill set for anyone looking to make an impact or drive sustainable development. Develop your own leadership style and learn how to set achievable objectives, give effective feedback and manage conflict successfully. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at £295, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
Make the most of our unique programs with these exclusively curated local adventure and wellness experiences.
