Itinerary
Day 1 (Friday) Arrive at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (airport code BKK) and say Sawasdee to Thailand. After clearing customs and immigration, you’ll be met by our local team and we’ll transfer to Ayutthaya, a journey of a little over an hour. Regular shuttles will go throughout the day between 7am and 7pm. Check in to your hotel room, freshen up and then make the most of any time you have before dinner to explore the ancient and beautiful former capital of Thailand. Ayutthaya is renowned for its temple ruins and historical sites and is a really lovely place. Your day is free until a group dinner at the hotel.
During the weekend, you’ll get to know your fellow interns and make some travel buddies! You’ll get meals included in the hotel where you’ll be staying plus you’ll get a taste of traditional Thai cooking when you head out to a Thai restaurant. During the day, you’ll be covering a whole range of topics to prepare you for your teaching experience. Don’t worry if you’ve never taught before, the majority of your fellow interns will be in the same boat! Day 2 (Saturday) Today we’ll have a general orientation to Thailand, with both morning and afternoon sessions at the hotel designed to prepare you to integrate smoothly into your school community. Tea/coffee and a buffet lunch are provided to keep your batteries charged and then, once we’re done, we’ll head off for a short sightseeing tour in Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening we’ll have our group dinner on board a teak rice barge while cruising around Ayutthaya Island. Day 3 (Sunday) After breakfast, we’ll head off to Kanchanaburi Province, your home for the next few weeks. We’ll stay tonight at a hotel in Kanchanaburi town, with a local orientation afternoon to show you all the important spots in the area. After breakfast on Monday it’s time to get into it. Our team will accompany you to your assigned school where you’ll be warmly welcomed into the school community. You’ll be introduced to the team of dedicated teachers and of course the children. Your School All of our partner schools are based in the small towns and villages in Kanchanaburi Province, generally no more than a few kms from the next school and intern, and between 5 and 30 mins from our coordinator. We always place at least two interns together in the same school, occasionally 3 or 4 in the larger schools. Our partner schools have English Language interns all year round, that’s important as it provides them with continuity for most of the academic year. Staff, parents and the children will all love having you there as part of their community !! Local support is provided throughout your internship. A member of our team will make regular visits to school and will be on hand in case of any individual problem or emergency. You may be teaching in either a primary or a secondary school – if you have a strong preference, can request a specific age group during your application and we will do our best to accommodate this. You’ll find out which school you’ve been placed in during the orientation weekend. Full days are worked Monday to Thursday, and on Friday you finish at lunchtime. The day starts bright and early at 7.30am, with assembly at 8.00 and classes commencing at 8.30. 4.00pm is home time, with an hour’s lunch from 11.30. Expect 2-4 hours teaching daily (syllabus provided) with the rest of your time spent lesson planning, creating resources, attending meetings with other teachers, etc. Teaching materials are provided by the school but we do recommend taking some of your own if possible. It’s often a good idea to bring things about yourself, your friends/family and your home to help introduce yourself to the class. You’ll always have a Thai teacher with you in class, helpful to manage the students’ excitement levels, though you’ll find your students incredibly respectful and well behaved. Dress Code It’s important to be well-presented when you’re teaching in Thailand and the requirement is fairly formal – shirt and tie and long pants for the boys, knee-length skirt/dress and covered shoulders for the girls. You don’t need to wear any specific colour but it’s advisable to find clothing that’s loose-fitting due to the humid climate. Any tattoos will need to be covered and visible piercings should be removed, if possible, but stud earrings are fine. Weekends Spend your free time as you please, your weekends and evenings are yours to enjoy. Most partner schools are within 30-40 minutes of Kanchanaburi town so it’ll be easy to just hop on a bus to meet your fellow interns at the weekend! Whilst you’re welcome to stay in your school accommodation at weekends, most interns like to make the most of the time off to explore. Remember, you knock off at 1.30pm on Friday so every weekend is a nice long one !
A shared taxi or train into Bangkok takes you 1½ to 2½ hours – in the city you’ll find so much to do and see, from the famous Grand Palace to the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, countless temples, the weekend market of Chatuchak, amazing nightlife and shopping. Be sure to hop on the “river bus”, the Chao Phraya Express, to experience Bangkok from the water. There’s plenty to discover in Kanchanaburi province including lakes, forests and waterfalls that are well worth exploring in your spare time. Erawan Falls is an absolute must ! In the bustling town there’s an abundance of restaurants, bars, cafes, shopping centres and markets to check out too. Your last days On your final Friday, we’ll collect you from your school and we’ll come together in Kanchanaburi town for a big farewell dinner and night out. On Saturday the group will be transferred into Bangkok city. Hotel accommodation (with breakfast) is included on both Friday and Saturday nights – if flying home Sunday or on to further travel adventures, just jump on the BTS Skytrain which whisks you off to the airport. |
Accommodation
Hotel accommodation is provided at the start and end of your internship experience. During the internship itself you’ll be staying on the school campus in accommodation provided by the school. You’ll be placed with at least one other intern and you’ll be given a bike to get around on so there’s plenty of opportunity to socialise and get to know your local community! Be prepared that the accommodation will be very basic and won’t have hot water but the lovely hot and humid weather will make it easier to have cool showers! Plus, the wifi from the school is normally strong enough to reach the houses so you’ll be able to connect with friends and family in your free time! In terms of cooking, all houses have a fridge and some have kettles, microwaves and toasters, etc. Lunches are provided by the school and eating out is very cheap so you probably won’t be self-catering dinners much at all. Even if you’re based outside of town, you’ll still have access to plenty of food stalls and markets, as well as convenience stores and small restaurants to give you multiple options for places to eat ! |
