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Gap Year Opportunities
The MRVR sets up gap placements for pre- or post-university students to work in the local schools teaching English and generally offering the benefit of their talents in sports, arts or other areas of expertise. Please contact
Africa Asia Venture Gap Programme
(http://www.aventure.co.uk)
This programme offers a fuller package for gap students including trekking and outdoor pursuits based at the MRVR and a diving course in the south of Thailand. For more details please contact Richard Venning () - Regional Director Asia, Africa and Asia Venture
The MRV ‘Independent’ Gap Programme
Quite a number of young people having visited with their schools or heard about us from other Gap students, have spent time here teaching English in the local schools since 2005. Most have come for a period of three months prior to starting university, but some have come after university. The schools welcome anyone who has good English and good communication skills to come and give the benefit of their time and effort to the local school children.
About the schools
There are 38 schools in the Mae Ai District. Most of the schools have a distinct cultural mix of hill tribes, Shan, Karen and Chinese ethnic groups as well as Thai. This makes for an interesting experience for volunteers in the schools. For many of the children Thai is not their first language, they learn it when they come to school, so learning English in addition is quite a challenge for them. The schools receive minimal government funding and in most cases are very understaffed so any support for both schools and students is gratefully received. In particular, teachers with responsibility for teaching English have limited training and in some cases their spoken English is limited making their task of teaching the language difficult. They are always asking for support for their students. The staff in all the schools are incredibly dedicated and the schools are happy, bustling places to be. No Gap volunteer to date has left their school without a great feeling of fondness for the people and gratitude for the welcome and care they receive. In most cases we place individual gap volunteers in Thaton School or Ban Rom Thai School which is just over the bridge.
It is recommended, for the benefit of the school, that volunteers undertake a two month placement. Please note that the schools have their long holiday mid- March to mid-May and another holiday for two weeks in second half of October. There are often public holidays scattered through the year as well when the schools are out but these often involve some kind of celebration to which volunteers are always invited and will be part of your overall experience!
For information about arrangements, costs, visas, medical issues etc...........
Contact Rosie Massingham -
The MRV ‘Summer’ Gap Programme
We are also offering opportunities for Year 11 to Year 13 students to make good use of their time over the summer holiday. We have had a vibrant ‘gap year’ programme running for several years aimed at school leavers and post-graduates who stay with us for 3 months, but would now like to offer a similar condensed programme for senior school students over the long summer holidays.
This one month programme has been devised to give opportunities for students to experience a different culture, develop leadership skills, teach English and enjoy physical challenges which include an expedition in the north of Thailand. There is also the possibility of a diving course on the island of Koh Tao, IF there are sufficient numbers.
Add to your C.A.S., make the personal statement in your university application more impressive, have more to talk about at interview, build up your confidence for the wider challenges that lie ahead, and at the same time make a valuable contribution to the education of young people in this ethnically diverse and fascinating part of Thailand.
For more detailed information about the programme and an application form, contact Rosie Massingham -