Teach English to Laotian monks and local community members in Luang Prabang
Program Overview
Teach English in the ancient city of Luang Prabang, where the Nam Khan river meets the mighty Mekong. This protected UNESCO world heritage site and spiritual capital in central north Laos is an astounding blend of modernity and ancient Buddhist culture.
To escape the poverty cycle, many young men in Laos choose to become monks. While the education provided is inexpensive, it is also over crowded, and as a result teachers are often overwhelmed. By volunteering to teach English you will help improve the quality of education that many receive, which in turn will help many students and their families improve their quality of life.
Life on the Program
You will teach both practical and conversational English to students across various levels of ability. As you develop bonds with and get to know your students, you will have the unique opportunity to explore Laotian culture and also forge some lifelong friendships along the way with your fellow volunteers.
In your base town of Luang Prabang, French Colonial mansions fuse with exotic Southeast Asian architecture to create an intriguing city in which to live, in which you will have your own room in a centrally located guesthouse with a private bathroom. You will also receive a weekly food budget that you can use to explore the amazing Lao cuisine, a rare blend of French meets Southeast Asia.
Program Details
English offers many people a way to make a living and improve their overall socio-economic status. However, a severe lack of English teachers has made classes extremely overcrowded and led to the deterioration in the quality of the class that can be delivered.
Our goal is to help deliver a consistent supply of enthusiastic English teachers who are interested in working to help improve the current English language programs. By bringing volunteers in to teach we can supplement the local community’s efforts to provide English language education and help reduce class sizes.
Volunteer Testimonials
In August 2011, I spent four truly incredible and adventurous weeks on GVI’s ‘Teaching English to Buddhist Novice Monks and Local Communities’ program in Luang Prabang, Laos. Just like everyone...
In August 2011, I spent four truly incredible and adventurous weeks on GVI’s ‘Teaching English to Buddhist Novice Monks and Local Communities’ program in Luang Prabang, Laos. Just like everyone else, I felt unprepared and very nervous about the task of teaching an actual class- but just after a few days I felt comfortable enough to teach by myself. I was fortunate enough to have a more experienced volunteer with me for the first two weeks, and in some classes we were also working with a Lao teacher. Even though I am currently studying English and French at Uni to become a teacher, I would not have expected teaching to be so much fun! The students were simply amazing- they were motivated, funny and working quite hard. Even though I couldn’t always get them to do their homework, they participated well in all of the lessons, and they always turned out more lively and funny than I had expected. Of all the wonderful memories I made in Laos, teaching was simply the best.
What I most recommend is to just go with whatever comes your way- planning is really not needed and often things go very differently from what you expected. Exactly this is what made this trip the best experience I’ve ever made- it was exciting and surprising, and I did and saw things I would never have thought I would or could!
A growing number of volunteers are now coming from retired people or those having a career break . These are individuals who have more time, often a number of different experiences in the...
A growing number of volunteers are now coming from retired people or those having a career break . These are individuals who have more time, often a number of different experiences in the workplace. They see opportunities through GVI to use these in different ways to help local communities in different countries. My partner Tricia and I, are such a couple. We started off on a GVI building project in Peru, and this year moved to teaching English to Monks and Novices in Laos. We enjoyed it so much we are returning next year. Why? Well, quite simply we really enjoyed it and we were inspired by the local project leader and the high level of motivation of the students. Resources were often basic but the whole project was well planned by GVI. We worked with a great group of other volunteers and the accommodation was good. We both felt that our combined contributions were making a real difference to students’ progress in speaking English. We also learned a lot about Laos culture and cuisine. After taking a cookery course while working in Luang Prabang I have now expanded my range of Asia dishes, but I miss my Beer Laos to go with them!
I am a science teacher and have done various Earthwatch projects and have been a TREC teacher and a Teacher at Sea. I was looking for something a little different as a volunteer experience and was...
I am a science teacher and have done various Earthwatch projects and have been a TREC teacher and a Teacher at Sea. I was looking for something a little different as a volunteer experience and was surfing the net and found the GVI Laos trip, which looked very interesting.
Personally, I feel that I am giving back and making a huge difference in some young peoples lives and hopefully helping them break out of a cycle of poverty. Professionally, I think whenever you teach in areas outside your comfort zone it makes you a better teacher and some of the skills learned in Laos I am bringing back to the classroom in the US. I also bring back to my classroom stories of experiences from other countries to give them a perspective of what it is like in other places.
Beautiful jungle foliage reaches up from the numerous gardens and from both river sides. Colourful blossoms and rich fragrances. Coconut palms and bananas......But, probably, the most memorable aspect is the hundreds of saffron robed novice Buddhist monks to be seen wherever you look. Teaching them is such a pleasure. Typical of Lao people, they are humble and mild mannered and learning English is so important to them. Being amongst them, teaching them; just being here is a wonderful calming experience. None of us want to leave.
It was an amazing experience. To be able to interact with young novice Buddhist monks and know that you are actually making a positive impact on them seems almost a little surreal at first but then becomes so common place that it takes a moment when one grasps you on the arm and says "You are a very good teacher" to bring home exactly what you are doing.
But that is only a small part of it. The people that I met are what really made the Laos project something that will have a special place in my heart forever.
Latest from the Base...
Program Details
Build Your Program
What's Included
- Pre-departure support and discounted services
- 24-hour emergency phone
- Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
- Arrival orientation
- Long term experienced staff
- Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
- All meals (unless otherwise stated in field manuals)
- Welcome meeting
- Location orientation
- All necessary project training by experienced staff
- All necessary project equipment and materials
- 24-hour in-country support
- The rare opportunity to work closely with novice monks in a temple school
- Orientation on teaching methods and techniques, language, culture and religion
- Airport pick-up and transfer
- Guesthouse accommodation in the ancient city Luang Prabang
- Learning about Lao culture, history, food, religion and language
- A guided tour of Luang Prabang to show you the sights and point out the best restaurants, internet cafe’s, banks, etc.
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Medical and travel insurance
- Visa costs
- Personal kit
- Additional drinks and gratuities
- Extra local excursions
- International and domestic airport taxes
