No two adventures are the same...

Facilities, schools, housing and living conditions all vary from village to village, so whatever we prepare you for, the experience of living with the Karen is likely to be quite different from anything you expect whether you are teaching or installing a water system. This is what makes a KHT volunteer placement slightly more of an adventure into the unknown than many other gap-year, careerbreak and volunteer programs.

Getting there

After flying to Bangkok you will take an internal flight to Chiang Mai. From here, you may take a bus to Khun Yuam where a member of the Thailand-based KHT team will greet you and provide you with a further briefing before taking you to your village and introducing you to your host family.

It takes at least 5 days to travel from the UK to the small town of Khun Yuam in north-west Thailand.

Living arrangements

You will live in a Karen village house. The villages all vary in their levels of development. You will probably sleep on a mat on the floor with a mattress or possibly a wooden bed-frame of some sort. Some of the houses have outhouse-style squatter toilets, some modern-style houses may have indoor toilets. You will eat with the family in the evenings.

You will most likely stay at the home of the village headman which is the social and cultural centre of the village, so expect to see many new faces throughout the day. You can take an active part in the village activities, and the villagers will be as eager to talk with you as you are with them!

Seeing Thailand

If you'd like to see more of Thailand you could do some independent travel before or after your placement (and during the school holidays if you teach over more than one semester).

"Thailand's natural wonders are matched only by its cultural marvels. You could spend years just trekking its highlands, mooching through its national parks, browsing its islands, checking out the temple architecture, traditional crafts and ancient cities in between." - Lonely Planet Thailand, Joe Cummings. There are activities too: white-water rafting, elephant trekking and plenty of night-life in the cities. During your time teaching, your fellow villagers may be able to take you to see the local sights - perhaps some beautiful waterfalls, or a Buddhist temple.