Individual Volunteers and Internships

| Vol 3 | July 2008 |

• Mirror has introduced a new waste management system designed to increase recycling, reduce garbage, improve the environment, and make a profit... • Read about the Thai Citizenship Project • in 2005 only 51% of hilltribe children were enrolled in primary school, as opposed to the national enrollment average of 87% • Akha people believe that a spirit lives in their heads, so they wear hats to stop it from escaping. • Visit the Virtual Hilltribe Museum • Find out more about The Mirror Foundation • Learn from the hilltribes • in 1998 only 19% of the total primary school hilltribe students continued on to secondary school

Forum

Individual Volunteers and Internships

We accept volunteers and internships throughout the year.
Many of our jobs will broaden your experience of the world.
We are very happy to accept both short-term and long-term volunteers.

Volunteer work opportunities
Normally volunteering will involve teaching English, but depending on what activities are happening we will try to involve you in other interesting activities also. For example we may have some painting or minor construction work or we may need your help on promoting human rights or anti trafficking projects. Sorry, but you can’t choose exactly what you will do; it will depend on what is available on the day. Here are some examples of what volunteers do while they are here:

Teaching English to staff at Mirror; local people; and schoolchildren (2-3 hours/day and 4 times/week)
(This is an essential job which all volunteers are asked to do.)
Making documents in English
Building websites
Joining various ongoing projects (depending on period e.g. helping with the anti-childbegging campaign project, HIV project and youth development project etc...)
Translating Thai to English
Fund raising
Promotion of handicraft project and eco-tour project
Preparing NGO events

You can join many of our projects utilising your specialities and skills, depending on your period of stay. Please contact us about details
(note: some projects require longer term committment than one or two weeks). Other activities include:

Preparing Thai food with Thai people.(once weekly)
Trekking and home staying in hilltribe villages
Learning about Thai culture, language and people.
Shopping at a shopping mall in city. (once weekly)
Cleaning your dormitory and toilet.

Your volunteer work from Monday to Friday and have weekend off. This gives you the opportunity to sightsee the area independently if you wish.

Requirements

Personal

We need people to be physically healthy and capable of helping us and taking care of themselves.
People that are open to learning about and living within other cultures and can live politely and with consideration in a group situation.
Also people who are relaxed and happy and have good sense of humour are more fun to travel with.
Fluency in English or Thai (A good knowledge of English is very important when teaching, otherwise it confuses Thai students trying to learn the language)
Can stand hot weather
Have your own aims, but understand this is a job of work which you are contributing to us

Financial

Whether a volunteer arrives on time or not, we are still required to book cars, drivers, and tour guides. We also have to arrange food, accommodation and scheduling for their stay. Because of this necessary outlay of funds, we ask for a deposit to cover these fees (plus the admin fees associated with a Paypal payments). The outstanding balance is to be paid upon arrival. The deposit is based on 25% of the first week, plus a $5 admin charge. This comes to a total of $80. Paypal requires a payment in US$, but the balance should be paid in Thai baht.

BEFORE PAYING YOUR DEPOSIT, PLEASE CONTACT US FIRST TO ARRANGE YOUR STAY, AS DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.
Please click here to pay your deposit:

1 week: 10,000 baht (Balance to pay on arrival: ß7,500)
2 weeks: 10,000 baht (Balance to pay on arrival: ß7,500)
3 weeks: 11,000 baht (Balance to pay on arrival: ß8,500)
1 month: 12,000 baht (Balance to pay on arrival: ß9,500)
Add 3,000 baht for every additional week

Unfortunately, due to rising fuel and food prices, we have had to increase our fees for the coming year. If you have not already arranged to volunteer, these fees will apply for all arrivals from January 1, 2009.

Included: meals from Mon to Fri; accommodation fee; pick up fee; transportation fee; elephant ride; trekking fee for hill tribe villages; volunteering support fee; and volunteering arrangement fee. (note: Meals at the weekend are not included). If the length of your stay is different, please contact us for a price.

Materials (*required items)

2 photocopies of your passport* (We keep one for our records)
hat
work gloves
working clothes (some jobs are dirtier than others)
shoes and flip flops
towels*
underwear*
sun protection
sleeping bag
flashlight
toiletry items*
washing powder for clothes*
medicines (for colds, stomach aches, headaches)
plasters
mosquito bite lotion
Anti mosquitoes spray
camera
laptop (we have internet access)
mobile phone (the signal is limited at the Mirror camp, but it can be handy elsewhere. Thai simcards are cheap to buy and much cheaper to use than international roaming)
waterproofs (raincoat for trekking, umbrella etc)
memo pads
small Thai dictionary/phrasebook

Items that are not marked as required are only suggestions to make your life more comfortable. We would be very appreciative if you can donate any goods such as non-used stationery, toys, instruments, old clothes, digital cameras and laptops (if you have any of them). Either new, or in good condition and clean, which are used in projects or passed on to villagers.

(note: You cannot wear clothes like hot pants, camisole and bikinis as it can be VERY offensive to Thai people. Also, please do not bring playing cards)

Other information
We strongly recommend that you have travel insurance before you arrive, because we do not bear the responsibility of sickness or accidents.
We can issue a certification of volunteering/internship when you finish your time with us.

Please read all the information carefully before applying. While we appreciate greatly all offers of help, we cannot afford to spare the time to look after volunteers to the detriment of our projects. Staff at Mirror are very helpful, extremely friendly and approachable, but very very busy. They will go out of their way to help you, so please do not abuse the privilege. The lives of many people depend on our work, which means that volunteers need to be proactive, resourceful, sociable and generally able to help themselves.

For more information , please email mirrorartgroup@yahoo.com.

Mirror Telephone Numbers

053-737-412 (office)
053-737-413 (office)
053-737-425 (office)
053-737-616 (office)

(Thailand IDD: +66)