Teach English on an Island

Volunteers focus on improving speaking and listening skills and building the children’s confidence to communicate in English. Volunteers design lessons which are fun and include lots of interaction. Lessons may vary depending on age and ability but may include:

• Interactive learning games
• Arts and crafts
• Listening or conversation practice
• Games - the children love karaoke!

Volunteers teach at a primary school, with children aged 4 – 12 years old. You may teach on your own or with another volunteer.

Teaching experience is not a requirement, we simply ask that volunteers are enthusiastic and imaginative and willing to learn as you teach. You can choose to do a TEFL Course before you go which you may find helpful for gathering resources and building your own confidence in Teaching English.

Working days and hours

A normal week will involve around 2 hours of English lessons per day from Monday to Friday. The school day starts at 8.30am and finishes at 3.30pm.

During the school day volunteers only need to be at school for their lessons. When you are not teaching you can plan and prepare for your lessons, this will take 1 – 2 hours per day.

Other volunteers

There are usually between 2-4 volunteers, with a maximum of 6.

Child protection

Pod is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the well being of children and vulnerable adults - please see our Child and Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy.

All volunteers are required to have a criminal records check, which we will arrange with you.

Start dates

2016: 5 Nov
2017: 7 Jan, 27 May, 22 Jul, 4 Nov

Volunteer reviews

Read about volunteer experiences and challenges in our Thailand Teach English on an Island reviews.

The children on Koh Phangan do not have the chance to meet and learn English from international English speakers and so volunteers help them to develop their listening and speaking skills. They also help to build their confidence, by making learning English fun and interactive.

Volunteers teach in local government schools where the majority of children are from low income families. Additional lessons provide a unique opportunity for children to excel at English.

Koh Phangan has rapidly developed over the past few years and many of the jobs on the island now relate to tourism. As English is important is the main tourist language in Thailand, English language skills open to doors to better jobs or access to further education. The project provides volunteers that help local children build their confidence in conversational English.

The project is based on the island of Koh Phangan in southern Thailand. Volunteers stay in a beautiful beachside resort in Sri Thanu, on the north-west coast of the island.

Each room has a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. The rooms have electricity and the resort has WiFi. There is a restaurant at the accommodation that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The resort also has a TV area, space to relax, and is close to other shops and bars.

Volunteers use their free time to explore the island’s beautiful beaches and landmarks. The main town, Thong Sala has an excellent night market and lots of bars, restaurants and cafes. Koh Phangan is in an excellent location to explore the nearby islands of Koh Tao and Koh Samui.

Before you go:

• Carefully selected and vetted volunteer project
• Support from our friendly and highly experienced Pod UK team
• Single point of contact - Ellie is your dedicated placement manager
• In-depth Volunteering Guide on your volunteering placement
• Travel information - visa, health and safety advice
• Help arranging criminal record checks
• Discounted online TEFL course
• Access to specialist travel insurance at exclusive rates
• Recommended travel agency for flights and tours
• Access to special deals and resources
• Fundraising guide and support
• Financial protection for monies paid to Pod

On your placement:

• Teaching volunteering placement
• Transfer Koh Phangan ferry port
• Accommodation - your own room in a beautiful beach resort!
• Daily transport on teaching days (where required)
• Induction to your school, timetable and syllabus
• Thai language and culture training
• Budget for teaching resources
• Activities: Koh Phangan island tour, night food market visit
• Pod polo t-shirt
• Thai SIM card for your mobile phone
• Onsite support from local team
• Support from Pod UK office by phone and email
• 24/7 emergency back up
• Incident Management and Emergency Response Plans

On your return:

• Contact from your placement manager
• Feedback scheme
• Volunteering certificate (on request)
• References (on request)
• Member of the Pod community

Not included: Flights, travel insurance, visa, criminal records check, food. Budgeting guidance is provided in our Volunteering Guide which we will email you when you apply.

Pod Volunteer is run as a non-profit organisation. Fee levels are set to match costs and any surplus monies are distributed to the projects we work with via the Pod Charity.