Hi , just a few questions if anyone has any information on these run projects from the Thai end, I have two weeks put aside for this out of my five weeks in Thailand in Sept/Oct , the attached site is available to me, but the cost of £350 strikes me as the company organising it making a killing on it, as Ive been to this part of Thailand before and know the price of things, I would rather pay a cheaper price and spend the extra contributing to the community I stay in.
Cannot post site link as this site wont let me , but if interested go to website of GoDifferently and see the link for "Karen Hilltribe Homestay"
So any help would be appreciated as I am keen to give back something to Thailand as it has given so much to me .
Thanks
Fugazi
ResponsibleTravel , teaching English in Thailand
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Oh, dear. I think this is in the wrong place. But I'm sure the mods can move it somewhere else.
However, you should not be paying any company to 'let' you teach in Thailand for free. If you want to do voluntary stuff, then go to an area where you'd like to spend some time. Find a nice guest house. Rent a bicycle or a motorbike and find the nearest school - shouldn't be difficult. Walk in and tell them that you'd like to give free English lessons. They will bite your hand off. It'll cost you far less than this other rip-off company.
I get really annoyed with so-called 'do-gooder' businesses who are basically making a killing out of other people's goodwill.
VS
However, you should not be paying any company to 'let' you teach in Thailand for free. If you want to do voluntary stuff, then go to an area where you'd like to spend some time. Find a nice guest house. Rent a bicycle or a motorbike and find the nearest school - shouldn't be difficult. Walk in and tell them that you'd like to give free English lessons. They will bite your hand off. It'll cost you far less than this other rip-off company.
I get really annoyed with so-called 'do-gooder' businesses who are basically making a killing out of other people's goodwill.
VS
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
Make sure they have a work permit arranged for you if you do take them up on their offer. If they do then that's why they are charging you that amount to work for them and they're probably not ripping you off.
If no WP then they're an illegal set-up.
Even if you work for no salary in Thailand you still need a WP, for obvious reasons.
Is this like a training thing for you ? or voluntary work you want to do for the locals ? If so good on yer.
SJ
If no WP then they're an illegal set-up.
Even if you work for no salary in Thailand you still need a WP, for obvious reasons.
Is this like a training thing for you ? or voluntary work you want to do for the locals ? If so good on yer.
SJ
Just looked at their website. Read their 'disclaimer' section, here's part of it:
They are middle men, they have no responsibility at all for your trip or what happens when you get here.
Forget em mate.
SJ
They are selling you someone else's holiday, probably some two-bob company in Thailand that will not provide you with the work permit you need under law.At responsibletravel.com We do not endeavour to sell these holidays direct to you, it is our belief that this is best done by the people who design and operate these holidays.
Because of the service we provide and how we provide it, it is important for you to understand the limitations of our liability.
We do not act as an agent for operators and accommodation owners in the sense that we do not take your money on their behalf.
Your contract will be with them and them only and they are fully liable for every aspect of their holiday product that you buy, according to their own terms and conditions.
responsibletravel.com do not accept any liability for, or warrant the quality and standard of any of the holidays that you are sold by our holiday providers.
They are middle men, they have no responsibility at all for your trip or what happens when you get here.
Forget em mate.
SJ
If this is the web link of the company they seem to be on the face of it a legit looking company. Try link below as they have a number of holidays advertised in the same mould.
http://www.responsibletravel.com/search ... Duration=0
I know that if you go there on your own steam that it could probably be done cheaper, but for someone who has not been before that could be a daunting task.
It does explain clearly in the disclaimer section what happens with your booking. To me this is a fairly normal practice when booking online holidays.
http://www.responsibletravel.com/Copy/Copy101916.htm
I have used Asia Rooms and Sawadee to book holidays and if there is a problem with your holiday booking, the responsibility lays with the booking agent, not the hotel where you are staying or the website where you make the original contact from.
What I imagine happens is that any holiday that is booked via that site, goes through the holiday providing company and all that responsibltravel get is a commission for that holiday being booked from their site.
I have run websites where that sort of thing happens, it is a good source for other income to your business.
My advice is that if you were to book, pay via a credit card, that way if there is a problem you can take it up with the credit card provider and if it is a blatant scam you can get the transaction reversed.
Also I would look through all the holidays on that site in that category, find from local Thai websites contact details etc of local schools and offer your services that way.
You obviously know your way around LOS, so it should not be a problem to organise travel and accomodation.
But as has been mentioned before, make sure you get a work permit as even if you are only volunteering you still need one and from what I can see they are not providing one.
Good luck.
http://www.responsibletravel.com/search ... Duration=0
I know that if you go there on your own steam that it could probably be done cheaper, but for someone who has not been before that could be a daunting task.
It does explain clearly in the disclaimer section what happens with your booking. To me this is a fairly normal practice when booking online holidays.
http://www.responsibletravel.com/Copy/Copy101916.htm
I have used Asia Rooms and Sawadee to book holidays and if there is a problem with your holiday booking, the responsibility lays with the booking agent, not the hotel where you are staying or the website where you make the original contact from.
What I imagine happens is that any holiday that is booked via that site, goes through the holiday providing company and all that responsibltravel get is a commission for that holiday being booked from their site.
I have run websites where that sort of thing happens, it is a good source for other income to your business.
My advice is that if you were to book, pay via a credit card, that way if there is a problem you can take it up with the credit card provider and if it is a blatant scam you can get the transaction reversed.
Also I would look through all the holidays on that site in that category, find from local Thai websites contact details etc of local schools and offer your services that way.
You obviously know your way around LOS, so it should not be a problem to organise travel and accomodation.
But as has been mentioned before, make sure you get a work permit as even if you are only volunteering you still need one and from what I can see they are not providing one.
Good luck.
Always Borrow Money from a Pesimist. "They Never Expect it Back"
Thanks for the comments , I do realise that this company is taking the piss with the amount its asking for whats on offer , although they are not a "cowboy" company , I know some people that have used them in the past.
I was hoping that someone may have a contact for a Thai company who can organise the same, without taking a massive cut out of a £350 fee!.. as I said I would rather spend the money in the community I am based in, and help them out.
SuperJoe , thanks for that, I hadnt even thought about needing a WP for voluntary work , and yes it is totally voluntary for me.
I do have a Thai friend who is a tour guide there, and although Ive explained the concept to him of what im looking for , Im 99% sure he doesnt understand what I need. The phone conversations with Thai is so hard, the visual is a big loss!... must learn more Thai.
Any help is much appreciated.
Fugazi
I was hoping that someone may have a contact for a Thai company who can organise the same, without taking a massive cut out of a £350 fee!.. as I said I would rather spend the money in the community I am based in, and help them out.
SuperJoe , thanks for that, I hadnt even thought about needing a WP for voluntary work , and yes it is totally voluntary for me.
I do have a Thai friend who is a tour guide there, and although Ive explained the concept to him of what im looking for , Im 99% sure he doesnt understand what I need. The phone conversations with Thai is so hard, the visual is a big loss!... must learn more Thai.
Any help is much appreciated.
Fugazi
Fugazi,
Are you doing it for the teaching work experience or just to live with remote people and help them out ?
If the latter you could go up with your girlfriend and do that independently. We've been to my missus' old school and took some stuff for them, had some parties, taught them a bit casually. I don't think how we did it would ever be considered 'working' although maybe under the letter of the law. But it was more casual fun stuff.
If you were on a company organised program, you're more likely to get some 'surprise visit' by authorities checking up and seeing what they can squeeze out of you.
You can live up there for a tenner a day (that includes 8 quid of beer a day
), what you save from the 350 quid you can spend on books, pencils, footballs, games, flip-flops etc. In my wifes village they go to school bare foot 
SJ
Are you doing it for the teaching work experience or just to live with remote people and help them out ?
If the latter you could go up with your girlfriend and do that independently. We've been to my missus' old school and took some stuff for them, had some parties, taught them a bit casually. I don't think how we did it would ever be considered 'working' although maybe under the letter of the law. But it was more casual fun stuff.
If you were on a company organised program, you're more likely to get some 'surprise visit' by authorities checking up and seeing what they can squeeze out of you.
You can live up there for a tenner a day (that includes 8 quid of beer a day
), what you save from the 350 quid you can spend on books, pencils, footballs, games, flip-flops etc. In my wifes village they go to school bare foot SJ
Good idea SJ, several years ago I took a few English classes at the school in my wife's village. It was a thoroughly rewarding experience
Its certainly something I'd like to do again in the extremely unlikely event of us ever going back there again. The headmaster actually came looking for me whenever I was in town, so I must have been doing something right.
Its certainly something I'd like to do again in the extremely unlikely event of us ever going back there again. The headmaster actually came looking for me whenever I was in town, so I must have been doing something right.
Championship Plymouth Argyle 1 - 2 Leeds Utd 
Points 46; Position 23 RELEGATED
Points 46; Position 23 RELEGATED
SuperJoe , no experience in this area , and just totally voluntary, to ease a guilty conscience I guess!!... not for any study gain or renumeration.
I am not a qualified teacher, just liked the idea of offerin one of the only valuables I possess (English) that might in some way help someone out of poverty !
I do like your idea, but as for my girlfriend, perhaps you should look at a thread I have under "Life In Thailand, Opinion & Relationships"
But it does sound like the way I wanna go... and of the course the £8 of drink a day is just a massive selling point!!... seriously tho it would be perfect by sounds of it.
Fugazi
I am not a qualified teacher, just liked the idea of offerin one of the only valuables I possess (English) that might in some way help someone out of poverty !
I do like your idea, but as for my girlfriend, perhaps you should look at a thread I have under "Life In Thailand, Opinion & Relationships"
But it does sound like the way I wanna go... and of the course the £8 of drink a day is just a massive selling point!!... seriously tho it would be perfect by sounds of it.
Fugazi