Я написал на тайский сайт с просьбой выслать анкету. Привожу текст полученной формы info pack:
Here’s an application and info about our current homestay projects. Please send it back to us as an attachment. If you’re accepted we’ll get back to you soon. Here’s what will happen after that: 1. Pay by credit card through the website and start learning about your placement. 2. Get yourself to Thailand. 3. Meet our staff in Bangkok and Chaiyaphum. 4. Go to your homestay! All of your in-country coordination will be handled by our local staff, who can be reached 24/7 while you’re at your homestay by email or phone. Finally, a great way to learn more about Volunthai is the volunteer blog:
http://www.planetranger.com/volunthai/index.shtmlVOLUNTHAI APPLICATION FORM
NAME:
NATIONALITY AND HOME ADDRESS:
SEX:
AGE:
EMAIL:
DIPLOMAS AND/OR CERTIFICATES, NAME OF SCHOOL:
SPECIAL SKILLS (MUSIC, COMPUTERS, ETC…):
VOLUNTEER/TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
DIETARY PREFERENCES (VEGETARIAN, SPICY, ETC…):
HOW MUCH DO YOU DRINK AND/OR SMOKE?
WHEN WILL YOU ARRIVE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND WHEN WOULD YOU LIKE TO BEGIN VOLUNTEERING?
WOULD YOU PREFER A VERY SMALL AND RURAL SCHOOL, A LARGER SCHOOL IN A TOWN, OR TO LET US CHOOSE FOR YOU?
WOULD YOU PREFER TEACHING IN A PRIMARY (ELEMENTARY) OR SECONDARY (HIGH) SCHOOL?
HOW MANY MONTHS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIGN UP FOR?
SPECIFICALLY, WHERE DID YOU FIND
http://www.volunthai.com? [Google, friend, Lonely Planet, etc…]:
PLEASE WRITE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT WHY YOU WOULD BE A GOOD VOLUNTEER IN RURAL THAILAND AND ATTACH A CURRENT PHOTO (low resolution please) TO SHOW TO YOUR HOSTS:
About teaching and students
After living, traveling and volunteering in Thailand for years, I can say without hesitation that the Northeast is the best place for foreigners to volunteer. The mountains of the North and the islands of the South are fine for vacations, while the Northeast is the poorest and least visited part of the country. The people there are also the friendliest and most hospitable, from my experience. It is very rewarding to go somewhere that hasn’t been over-touristed and lost their appreciation of foreigners already. Most (but not all) of our schools are secondary level, age 12-18, with 500-2500 kids in them, and you will probably see all the students in a month.
Here’s a website where you can download teaching games and ideas:
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/fun_a ... ard_games/.
After a few classes, volunteers understand what they need to do. The level of English in rural Thailand is so low that you won’t be teaching anything too tough, and creating plans to fit your kids is part of the whole experience. There will be teachers around to help you if you ask them to. You will have internet access at school. There are also phones for making/receiving calls. On the weekends you can either relax at home, arrange to meet other volunteers, study Thai culture, or travel with your hosts. See photos of a typical school and homestay, and what to wear at school, on the blog under ‘Michael’s Introduction 4U’.
About living and eating
All of our target schools are in the northeast of Thailand (Isaan). We’ll let you know where your homestay will be a few weeks before you get to Thailand so you can get in touch with your hosts if you like. You need to bring nice clothes to teach in, something like what you’d wear to church or a decent restaurant. T-shirts are not appropriate for the classroom. Around the house you can be more casual, but remember that Thailand is a conservative country. There is nothing you can’t find over here, so don’t bring huge bottles of shampoo or anything. You will see 7-11s! Your hosts will be teachers from the school or people in the community who have volunteered to help. At least one person at your home should speak some English. At school the English teachers will (hopefully) speak some English. You should have your own bedroom, and probably a shared bathroom. There will be activities that you can set up on the weekend like touring, studying language, learning about Buddhism, Thai cooking, etc.
I strongly recommend being flexible in your food requirements. If you require special food that your hosts don’t usually eat, you will be asked to help with the extra costs.
People who happily eat new foods will have it easiest. There are fine, inexpensive hospitals and clinics in every province. I do not recommend taking malaria pills b/c of the side effects, but you can get repellant over here if you need it and your bedroom should have a mosquito net.
About transportation and money
Your donation to Volunthai mainly goes towards the administration of our projects (setting up your placement, paying our Thai staff, advertising, internet costs, etc). A part of your donation goes to your host school if they request it, but the general idea is that they are providing your room and board in exchange for helping their community. You do need to get yourself to/from your homestay (about $15 each way from Bangkok). Ask us if you have any questions about money issues!
Interested in green tourism?
http://www.greenpassport.us It’s free to sign up!
About religion and culture
I trust most of our volunteers want to participate in Buddhist activities. Let us know if that will be a problem for you. We hope your hosts will correct you when you make cultural mistakes, and we hope you will appreciate it if they do. But in practice, Thais will be hesitant to criticize you in any way. Be warned that Thai culture is very complex, and foreigners should at least *try* to follow Thai ways!
About visa requirements
You have several choices for your visa. The first is to prepare nothing and get a 30-day tourist visa on arrival at the Bangkok airport for free. If you’ll be here longer than that, we can explain to you how to do a ‘visa run’ to the nearest border crossing for 2 more weeks. Or you can apply for a 60-day tourist visa at the nearest Thai embassy/consulate in your home country. This will take a little time and cost about $50, but will save you a border run. Then there’s the volunteer visa, which we can help you get if you’re joining us for 2-3 months or more, but takes some time and costs more. We work closely with the Thai government, and all agree that using a tourist visa for 1-2 months saves everyone a lot of time and paperwork!
Homestays:
In May 2005 we began a new project that involves thirty target schools. These are schools that we have worked with before and have chosen based on several factors (underprivileged students, friendly teachers, involved director, rural location, suitable homestay, etc). Most of them are in Korat, Chaiyaphum, Si Saket, or Khon Kaen Province. After you get yourself to Thailand you’ll meet us in Bangkok and Chaiyaphum and we’ll give you your workbook and directions to get to your homestay by first class bus. Once at your homestay, you will teach in the classroom 3-4 hours per day and have the weekends off to relax or travel with your hosts. Any extracurricular activities you want to organize are encouraged. Past volunteers have created after-school English clubs, soccer teams, music lessons, studied Thai cooking, sat with monks, etc… If your homestay doesn’t feel right, let us know and we’ll help!
Former volunteers can be contacted though the Volunthai blog:
http://www.planetranger.com/volunthai/index.shtmlTHINGS TO PREPARE/BRING:
1. Some photos of your home life/country to share with your students and hosts.
2. A mobile phone if you want one. You can get a new SIM card over here cheaply.
3. Research ESL (teaching English as a second language) and Thai culture/language on the internet. A Google search is a good way to start. I found iteslj.org for teaching and 1stopchiangmai.com, khonkaen.com, and asiatours.net for Thai culture/etiquette.
4. Nice clothes to teach in. Bring some with you, and be prepared to get some more over here if need be. As a teacher, you’ll need to dress up, and the better you look, the more everyone will respect you. Dress to impress: appearance is everything in rural Thailand! Boys should wear trousers and button-down shirts, girls a long dress and a blouse with sleeves. Shoes, not flip flops, for everyone. When I first came to Thailand I brought a bunch of t-shirts and a pair of sneakers, and was surprised to find out that teachers have to dress much nicer than that.
See pics of good and bad teaching clothes on my January 6, 2009, blog entry.
BOOKS: For the touristy side of your travels, I think Carl Parkes' Thailand Handbook (Moon Publications) is the best. For background on Isaan, look for 'Siamese Drama and Other Stories' by Pira Sudham (nominated for Nobel Prize) and 'A Child of the Northeast' by Kampoon Boontawee (winner of SEA Write Award). I hope you can find them at your local library, used book store, or online. A final suggestion, quite easy to find, is ‘Culture Shock Thailand’.
COUPLES: Couples/friends are welcome to join Volunthai together. You can be placed in the same school and with the same hosts, or we can place you at different schools and hosts, but near enough to visit a few times during the month. Just tell us what you prefer. Friends may find separate homestays more enriching, as being alone allows you to spend more time with the locals. A portion of a couple’s fee goes directly to their hosts to cover the extra food provided.
HEALTH: Most volunteers don’t have any major health problems during their homestay. All of our target schools are not far from Western-quality clinics and hospitals. I don’t recommend getting too may shots or pills in advance, but you can get them for peace of mind if you wish. You can also get them here. Your bed will have a mosquito net (let us know if it doesn’t!). Stomach illnesses are best handled by a general antibiotic, which you can get over here easily.
THAI CULTURE:
-always wai when someone wai’s you, wai teachers and directors first (the wai is the Thai ‘handshake’, a slight bow with hands pressed together below your chin). It is used for ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, and ‘excuse me’
-don’t touch an adult’s head
-don’t gesture with your feet or step over food, books, or people
-after eating, tidy your plate and put your fork and spoon together
-clothes should be clean and changed every day
-no plastic sandals (they’re for the bathroom) and no bare feet outside
-always shower upon waking and before sleeping (Thais are very clean!)
-never seem angry or bothered; try to go with the flow
THE THREE PILLARS OF THAI CULTURE:
Three of the most important parts of Thai culture are mai bpen rai, nah rahk, and sanook. Remember them, because they influence almost every aspect of your homestay experience. Mai bpen rai means ‘no problem’ or ‘never mind’. It permeates the Thai mentality, and explains how they don’t get worked up over small difficulties. When things confuse or bother you in Thailand, don’t get upset. Just smile and say mai bpen rai. Nah rahk means ‘lovely’. Thais like things that are nah rahk, like babies (and foreigners who smile and bathe frequently). It doesn’t matter if you’re fat or skinny, tall or short, light or dark skinned, if you are nah rahk Thais will like you. Sanook is the idea that anything worth doing is worth enjoying. If you like to joke, laugh, and have fun, then you are a sanook person and Thais will enjoy having you around. The opposite of sanook is ‘seereeut’, which comes from the English word ‘serious’. Serious is a bad word in Thai, and they use it to describe an un-sanook person or event. Be nah rahk and sanook, not seereeut!!!