In Thailand, you can volunteer in two locations:

• Ao Nang, in Southern Thailand, living near beautiful tropical beaches.
• Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, living among a traditional elephant-keeping community.

We offer volunteer and internship programs across a variety of various community development projects focused on: 

• Teaching English.
• Early childhood development.
• Community development.
• Women’s empowerment.
• Health and well-being.

Our volunteer projects are available for all ages, and we offer opportunities for:

• Students taking a gap year.
• Students looking for internships and professional apprenticeships.
• High school groups.
• Teen volunteers. 
• Older adults on a career break.
• Students and families wanting to take a volunteering holiday. 

There’s no better place to find your purpose and follow your passion than among the communities and cultures of Thailand. A trip to Thailand offers you: 

• A tropical climate: If you’re looking for a year-round summer, Southern Thailand is the place for you. 
• History and heritage: Thailand boasts some of the oldest, and most beautifully preserved, ancient temples, including the sacred golden Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple in Chiang Mai, as well the even older Wat Chedi Luang temple, which was built in the early 15th century. 
• Relaxed vibes: Chiang Mai is dotted with traditional stilted houses and surrounded by dense forests, offering breathtaking views and a peaceful retreat. 
• Cultural diversity: Thailand – like most countries – contains a multitude of distinct cultural groups, each with a unique and vibrant cultural heritage, language and perspective. As a volunteer, you’ll have the privilege of living and working within some of these communities. This will give you the chance to learn about Theravada Buddhism – a belief system practised by 90% of the population – and Animism – a belief system predicated on the belief that everything, including inanimate objects, are imbued with a spiritual essence.
• Cuisine: Most of you have surely heard of Pad Thai, the country’s delicious and famous stir-fried noodle dish. But Thai cuisine features an array of dishes for all palates, from traditional noodle soups to Thai red and green curries – including vegetarian, seafood and meat options. Not to mention all sorts of regional delicacies for adventurous eaters. Volunteers in Thailand won’t just eat really well, they’ll also learn how to cook some of these dishes alongside their local community hosts – which is a real treat!

We operate community development volunteer programs across two locations in Thailand.

Volunteer in Thailand: Ao Nang 

Travel to Ao Nang, located between Phuket and Krabi Town, right on the Andaman Sea. As a volunteer, you’ll contribute to health and well-being initiatives within the local community. This unique opportunity allows you to enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful tropical beaches and engage in activities like swimming and snorkelling in Thailand’s crystal-clear turquoise waters.

Volunteer in Thailand: Chiang Mai

In Thailand’s northern mountains, you’ll live and work in a traditional Karen village community, famous for keeping elephants. The elephants live as a semi-wild herd in and around the village. Here, you’ll assist various locally-led community development projects with a focus on education, early childhood development and women’s empowerment.

Conservation programs in Thailand

We also run a variety of conservation programs in Thailand. At our research stations in Ao Nang and Chiang Mai, you’ll work on projects focused on coastal and wildlife conservation, including efforts to protect sea turtles, dugongs, Asian elephants and endangered white-handed gibbons.

Volunteer with children in Thailand

Contribute to a number of UN SDGs in Chiang Mai through volunteer work with children. Located in Huay Pakoot village, volunteers assist local teachers in teaching conversational English to students of all ages, from kindergartens to primary schools and adult classes. After-school activities like art, craft sessions and sports lessons are also part of the program, fostering both fine and gross motor skill development. With feedback from TEFL qualified GVI staff and opportunities to observe experienced teachers, volunteers make a meaningful impact on the community.

Child protection policy

Safety is our number one priority. We take several steps to ensure children remain safe, healthy and protected across all our programs. This is part of our broader mission 

to ensure that ethical best practices are upheld while empowering local communities.

At GVI:

• Our early childhood development programs don’t allow volunteers to work with children in residential care. We don’t support orphanage volunteering and you can read more about our stance and policy here. 
• All our staff and participants are required to complete a police background check before arrival on the program. 
• We regularly review our comprehensive Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy and on-site child protection training is provided once volunteers arrive in their host country. 
• We also protect children from cyber and real-world threats by ensuring that our marketing follows child protection best practices. 

Public health volunteer projects in Thailand 

Make a difference by advancing UN SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being while volunteering in Ao Nang on Thailand’s southwestern coast. With its stunning beaches and natural beauty, Ao Nang provides a unique setting to learn and implement holistic health approaches. You’ll play a key role in improving community well-being through practical and impactful initiatives.

Volunteer teaching in Thailand 

From our community hub in Chiang Mai, volunteers work alongside our local partners to enhance English language skills. This could include teaching at local schools, organising summer camps and leading workshops. Our after-school programs create a supportive and engaging learning environment, and adult classes benefit both local residents and elephant mahouts. Volunteers also have the opportunity to collaborate on additional projects such as healthcare workshops, environmental education and early childhood development, all shaped by the community’s evolving needs.

TEFL certificate 

You can earn a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate as part of your time on our 6-month professional apprenticeship. 

Interested in becoming a volunteer in Thailand, but still unsure about some of the details? We’ve got you covered.

What kind of volunteer work is available in Thailand? 

 We offer a range of different community development volunteer programs in Thailand. Choose from projects focused on:

• Teaching English
• Health and well-being
• Volunteering with children
• Community development
• Women’s empowerment

Is volunteering ethical? 

Before joining any volunteer program, it’s always good to double check whether the efforts you are supporting are committed to ethical, sustainable development. What standards and best practices have been put in place to make sure you are contributing ethically? 

At GVI, we’ve been committed to the highest level of ethical best practice throughout all levels of our organisation for over 20 years. We live by our ten ethical principles and five human empowerment principles. Our badge of ethics represents our dedication to continuously improving our policies, with the assistance of our ethics officers and external experts in their respective fields. 

GVI doesn’t support orphanage volunteering. For more information, see our stance on orphanage volunteering. We also support ChildSafe, a global child protection initiative, and regularly review our comprehensive Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy. 

You can read about the work we’ve done with the help of volunteers like you in our Impact and Ethics Report. 

Is volunteering in Thailand safe?

Extremely safe. We take every precaution to make sure our participants can live and work safely, no matter where they are in the world. We have trained support staff on hand 24 hours a day to ensure that all participants across all our programs are well taken care of.

Read more about our health and safety protocols. 

GVI is one of the most well respected international sustainable development organisations. Our programs have been featured in various international newspapers and magazines, including The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, Geographical magazine, BBC Wildlife magazine and various international television programs including a six-part series on the Sky Travel channel and a feature on the BBC Holiday program. 

You can speak directly to one of our enrolment officers or alumni, who can answer any and all questions you might have about life in Thailand or life on our community hub.

Does GVI support orphanage volunteering in Thailand? 

No. Read more about our stance against orphanage volunteering and donation. 

Can I volunteer in Thailand on a short- or long-term basis?

We have volunteer opportunities that range anywhere from 1 to 24 weeks, and we can accommodate your specific requirements as needed. Please speak to one of our enrolment officers for more information on how to put your specific application together. 

Are there any prerequisites to volunteering in Thailand? 

No, you don’t need any specific qualifications to join a GVI volunteer program in Thailand. All our programs include health and safety and child and vulnerable adult protection training. 

To join a standard program you must be at least 18 years of age, however we do offer teen volunteering opportunities in Thailand for teens aged 15 to 17. 

All our staff and participants are required to complete a police background check before arrival on the program, and on-site child protection training is provided once they arrive in the host country. We also protect children from cyber and real-world threats by ensuring that our marketing follows child protection best practices.

Can I become a volunteer teacher in Thailand? 

Yes! We offer community development volunteer projects focused on teaching local children and adults. These programs are open to anyone keen to develop their teaching, presentation and cross-cultural communication skills. 

Can I teach English as a foreign language in Thailand? 

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is a specialist certification that isn’t required to join one of our teaching volunteer programs. However, if you’re looking to upskill and earn an additional qualification, you can earn your TEFL certificate while completing our TEFL and teaching English professional apprenticeship in Thailand. 

Is accommodation included? 

Absolutely! Your stay is covered in the program. 

When you volunteer in Ao Nang, you’ll stay in bungalows with amazing views of caves and mountains. Each bungalow comes with a private bathroom and a balcony to enjoy the scenery. You can stay comfortable with fans or air conditioning, and mosquito nets help keep the bugs at bay. With plenty of storage and a desk, you’ll have everything you need for a great stay.

In Chiang Mai, you’ll stay with a local host family in a homestay, where you’ll be welcomed as part of the family. The houses are close to each other, set off from the main road, and usually built in the traditional style on stilts. You’ll have your own room or hut and a private bathroom. The homestays are spread around the village, often just a short walk from our community hub, so you can enjoy the fresh air and village views. There’s cold running water for showers, filtered water for drinking, and shared bathroom facilities. You’ll also help out with base duties like cleaning, which is all part of the experience.

Are accommodation upgrades available?

In Ao Nang, accommodation upgrades are available for an additional fee, subject to availability.

Who will I be volunteering with?

GVI volunteers of all ages come from a vast number of countries around the world and have a diverse range of backgrounds. At each location, our international team of GVI staff are there to guide volunteers throughout their stay. Due to the long-term partnerships GVI has established with local partners in Thailand, and many of our other locations around the world, volunteers work closely with local community members. This gives them insight into the local context and allows them to gain experience in intercultural communication.

What if I have more questions about volunteering in Thailand?

You can meet us and our network of alumni at any event we attend throughout the UK or one of our online events to ask as many questions as you need to! See our Open Day page for more information about our upcoming events.