VOLUNTEERING IN Thailand

Thailand, known as ‘the land of smiles’, is a magnet for travellers from around the world due to its glorious beaches, tropical climate, great food and fascinating culture. From the bustling modern city of Bangkok to the tranquil mountains in the North and the idyllic beaches in the South, Thailand has something to offer everyone including those looking to volunteer in Thailand.

Thailand is an incredibly popular holiday destination for travellers and we are sure you know people who will have visited, but behind the scenes there is a great need for volunteers to work on animal projects, marine conservation initiatives and teaching projects. Pod Volunteer is an award-winning non-profit organisation helping people to volunteer in Thailand for as little as 1 week or as long as 3 months.

We find the best volunteer projects in Thailand for you, help you with all the arrangements and provide lots of support before and during your volunteering time in Thailand!

You can get involved in animal volunteering projects such as dog and cat rescue or elephant care and wildlife rescue at a large animal sanctuary we support. If you want to combine diving and conservation, then we also have a marine conservation volunteering project on the islands, or if working with children is more up your street then we have two teaching volunteer projects where you can make a difference helping primary and high schools. We don’t work with any orphanages or support orphanage volunteering which you can read more about here.

Volunteers are needed all year in Thailand. Climate wise it’s pretty much always tropical and hot (often very hot!) and the rainy season arrives at different times of the year throughout Thailand.

At Pod Volunteer we love travel and we have visited Thailand many times (Alex even lived in Thailand for a few years as an English Teacher and Dive Master!). Here is our insider’s view of our experiences travelling and volunteering in Thailand…

Things we loved: The food – Thai street food is some of the freshest and most diverse on the planet - our favourite dishes are massaman curry, tom yum soup and pad thai! The beaches – hopping between the islands in the south of Thailand is great fun and a fantastic way to see many of the idyllic beaches and crystal clear waters. Temples - Thailand has thousands of Buddhist temples spread all over the country. They are beautiful places to visit and soak up the calm and relaxed atmosphere.

Things we weren’t so sure about! Traffic – the Thais aren’t known for their fantastic driving skills and you will soon learn to look left and right more than a few times before crossing a road. Tiger Temple – unfortunately there are tourist attractions such as Tiger Temple who operate under the guise of helping animals, but use as animals as photo props and dupe many tourists who simply wanting to do something positive.

Below you’ll find a summary of our volunteering projects in Thailand which you can click through to and find out about the volunteer role, location, accommodation and costs, see lots of pictures and read volunteer reviews!