Different career paths within TEFL: Volunteering in Cambodia

Have you ever considered volunteering as a TEFL teacher?  teflhub is running a series of articles and interviews to help you decide if you’d like to take the next step in what must be an incredibly rewarding experience. This is an interview with Conversations with Foreigners (aka Volunteer in Cambodia) which is a voluntary organisation based in Cambodia who run three-month contracts for their teachers.  Mention Cambodia to most people and they automatically conjure up images of the temples of Angkor Wat, but there is a lot more to this fascinating country – the beautiful varied scenery, the mouth-watering food, and an aspect which is mentioned again and again: the wonderful people.      

1              What do you think is the biggest draw for TEFL teachers who volunteer in Cambodia?

The biggest draw is to have another point of view from teaching. An easy answer would be discovering a new culture in South-East Asia (SEA) and also bringing knowledge to students that they might not be able to have without foreign teachers. But the truth is besides all of those are the consequences of this new point of view, about how people handle their studying habits and be able to understand what really matters in education as it does not depend on the religion, wealth or age. Volunteer teachers will learn how to localize their teaching techniques and talk about subjects that matter to the new students. 

2              Is the voluntary position supported by subsidised meals, transport, etc?

No, volunteers have to pay for their own accommodation, food and various costs. But we provide a volunteer house for $725 for 3 months (includes 3meals/day, wifi, support team and many courses and orientation) that makes the costs lower than what you would usually spend.

We provide free air-port pick up, Khmer courses, cooking class, bike, support and orientation.

3              Will a volunteer have to pay anything to be involved with Conversations with Foreigners?

Volunteers have to pay for their own costs: accommodation, food, plane tickets and visa. But we don’t charge any fees.

4              How long are the standard contracts?

3 months. It can be adjusted to 2 months as we are opening a new school with a different model.

5              What would be an average day at work for a volunteer TEFL teacher?

1.5h in the morning, 3h from afternoon to early evening = 4.5hours/day

6              What are the challenges of the position?

To be able to make oneself understandable, which I am sure is not a huge deal as we have workshops, training and also testing before the students get into the school so we can estimate their level and adapt the curriculum we have made ourselves.

7              What do most TEFL teachers describe as the most rewarding aspects of the position?

The possibility to participate in their own way in our project, while they teach it helps Volunteer in Cambodia to channel its help to sustainable projects in many places in Cambodia. They also love the way they interact with the students as they are very eager to talk and learn the language but also learn about their teachers’ culture.

8              How much support do volunteers receive when they are in-country?

We have a team dedicated for support so we will help volunteers to get settled, find accommodation before their arrival if they want to live independently, get a local phone number and buy local equipment depending on their needs. As I said, they will also have Khmer courses to help get by with for their daily lives.

9              What should a TEFL teacher bring with them to Cambodia?

Light clothes, personal equipment such as a laptop. For the visa: some cash (in dollars) for the visa $35, ID photos and the confirmation letter our company provides for the working visa

10           Do volunteers get time to explore the country?

Plenty as they will have the weekends and many vacations days as we have a lot of them during the week.

11           Do volunteers return again and again?

We have some. So far we have very good feedback from them, partly because it is an inexpensive way to live in Cambodia when you volunteer with us. That is why we try to provide good support and do not ask for fees: volunteers already give so much to us and our students.

To find out more about volunteering with the Conversations with Foreigners in Cambodia visit http://www.volunteerincambodia.org/