Hi,
I am currently living and working as an English Teacher in Shanghai... I'll leave here in October to do 6 weeks traveling of china before doing Tibet and Nepal...
Then I will need to start working again. I am a keen diver and hiker and would love to get some work... not necessarily paid- more "you put a roof over my head and let me qualify and I'll hulk kit around etc as a repayment." kind of deal.... I will be going to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Borneo.... does anyone know of the ideal place to do this kind of work? or has anyone had a similar set up? if all else fails I can revert back to teaching but I'd rather do something a bit different.....
annamurton
1
anonymous
Lots of people would like to work there and lots of Thais etc would like to earn a living.
Some people reckon that even by volunteering (or working for a bed) you will be denying a local of a possible job. Locals tend not to be able to cruise around other countries either unlike us lucky ones.
So you will probably end up teaching English.
2
lajetee
Have you tried wwoof? http://www.wwoof.org/
It stands for World Workers on Organic Farms. You register in a specific country and then earn your keep by helping homeowners with whatever domestic chores or farming they need done. I hear there is a pretty well established network of wwoofers in New Zealand... plus, it's safe to hitchhike there.
3
tedkarma
In high season there is a pretty good selection of diving jobs in places like Phuket. You aren't taking a job away form a local as obviously, just for safety's sake, you need to speak decent when teaching people how to dive.
There are also lots of English teaching jobs to keep you busy off season.
5
anonymous
I am suprised Ted that as an expat you have come out with this rubbish. I have met Thais on many Islands who speak more than decent English. Perhaps you should get away from your cocooned life on Phuket now and again and see some of the rest of the region!
I still think it is wrong that dive operators should employ foreigners for nothing when they have a huge pool of local labour to choose from. How would people feel going to Nepal and being led around by some foreigner college drop out or modern day hippy? I would want a Sherpa and I see no difference with diving in Thailand.
People that work in Thailand and other developing countries doing jobs that locals could do are only helping the greedy operators and not the folk that have to live there and can't jump on a plane whenever they want.
6
garywipika
WM ................................very judgemental aren't we......................................
7
alexander_vi
#5,
So is that the latest pronouncement from PC-land, that it is unethical to work outside your own country because it "robs" the locals of a job? Does this apply only to a middle income country like Thailand? You call Thailand a "developing" country but it isn't. With a GDP per capita of $9100, it is solidly middle income. Is it wrong too to go work in a poor country too? We should kick out all those NGOs working in sub Saharan Africa, which may not be a bad thing. Is it okay if we go to, say, Serbia? How about Oman? I think you belong in the "responsible travel" branch. That's where the left wing extremists hang out and think up all the latest in PC-thought.
9
everbrite
Of the countries that you mention, your best bet long term is probably Malaysia where it is easiest to get a visa for longer stays. It is no longer easy to do this in Thailand. It is harder to make regular monthly visa runs.
Since the countries you intend to visa are all SEAsia, I would suggest asking this question on the appropriate branches there.
Ruth
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