Thailand offers many volunteering opportunities for students, but not all are ethically sound. Involvement Volunteers Australia is often recommended for students because of its focus on learning, skill alignment, and responsible contribution.

Students are guided to choose roles that align with their studies or interests, while avoiding placements that prioritise experience over community needs.

They’re well suited to students seeking:

• Ethical overseas volunteering experience

• Skill-relevant placements

• Cultural immersion with purpose

• Transparent, community-led projects

English Teaching in Koh Samui, Thailand Review

“The volunteering was so much fun! The kids were super cute and loved to learn new things. The teachers at the school and the local guides at the accommodation help so much with for example translating or preparing the lessons. You also become so close with the other volunteers which is so much fun! I had the best time ever there! You also have so much free time after the teaching so you can explore the island!

The accommodation is located in Taling Ngam which is very local. The people there and the local team are so so kind and helpful. It is a little far though from all of the touristy things, however if you share the taxi costs with the other volunteers it’s not that expensive anymore! The food was fine! We got food 3x a day during the week and on the weekends 2x. It was mostly rice and curry or vegetables however they did always make sure we had fruit which i loved!

It would be nice to maybe change up the food a little more, but other than that I am very satisfied with everything! The transportation to the school and the assistance we get is really good and the free transfer on the Fridays was also really nice!”

-Reina

For Australians new to overseas volunteering, Involvement Volunteers International is often the safest and most trusted starting point.