Phnom Penh was once considered the most beautiful of all cities in French Indo-China, and much of this colonial charm has survived the violent decades the country and its people have witnessed and experienced since independence.

As the capital, Phnom Penh is the political and commercial centre of the country, and the city is home to over one million people. Although from a sightseeing perspective, Cambodia's major draw is the ancient capital of Angkor Wat to the northwest of the country, Phnom Penh also has plenty to offer the culture-vulture including the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the excellent National Museum.

There is also the legacy left by the country's French colonial masters in the form of beautiful (if somewhat dilapidated) public buildings and private villas, plus a wide selection of hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars.

Eating

Phnom Penh offers the discerning diner plenty of choice at range of prices to suit pretty much any pocket. Small, travellers' cafes abound, in and outside of guesthouses, and most serve decent - if a little predictable - travellers' fare.

Street eating is a favourite pastime for many locals and visitors, and again the variety of dishes on offer around town is wide-ranging - and prices are dirt-cheap.

Bars & Nightlife

Phnom Penh is also home to large and rising number of venues catering to a mixed crowd of men and women, expatriates, tourists and locals, old and young alike. The quality of pubs and bars in Phnom Penh varies widely, from cheap and cheerful backpacker bars to super-sophisticated nightclubs that would be right at home in many capital cites around the world. Most visitors to the city should be able to find at least one venue that suits their particular taste!

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You, as a volunteer, will take home more than new skills and unforgettable memories. You will be called upon to use your talents in many ways. You will also gain the personal satisfaction of knowing you were instrumental in bringing about positive change for the benefit of these unfortunate Cambodian children. You won’t just be helping these children but also future generations to come because children are, indeed, the future.

Our volunteer placements are based in and around Phnom Penh, the vibrant and charming capital city. Whilst many areas of the city are booming, with a beautiful riverfront and lively nightlife, it is hard to escape the poverty and the fact that many Cambodians are still struggling to survive. Our volunteer projects which help to fund education for orphanages and street-children can help to give some Cambodian children a brighter future. Furthermore, with the country becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination the desire to learn English has never been greater and volunteers will be put to good use in the classrooms of the capital.

Your Placement

Experience life in Cambodia while volunteering your time to teach conversational English in Phnom Penh. Living as part of a group of international volunteers in Phnom Penh, you'll be part of a new centre providing affordable conversational English courses for local students to raise money for a local organisation working to improve livelihoods with rural communities.

The Volunteer in Cambodia website recruits volunteers to teach at Conversations with Foreigners (CWF), a local conversational English-language centre in Phnom Penh, forming a unique model of learning and cultural exchange to raise money for the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT), a local non-government organisation (LNGO) working to improve livelihoods with rural communities.

The difference

In many volunteer programs, you are working directly with the poorest people. When volunteering with us at CWF, you are not. Your students can at least afford money to study - more fortunate than many. Instead, you are contributing to the long-term sustainability of CRDT - Cambodian experts experienced in rural development - to work to improve livelihoods with rural communities. Rural communities make up 80% of Cambodia's population.

We believe this model of volunteer program is more sustainable for rural communities and Cambodia.

As part of your experience as a volunteer, you will have the opportunity for other volunteer work in your spare time and at the end of your teaching commitment. We seek to cooperate closely with local organisation's requiring volunteers. Also, as volunteers with CWF, you will have the opportunity to visit and learn from CRDT and the communities they work with.

The other difference is that many volunteer programs will charge you over and above the cost of providing the opportunity. This includes private companies as well as non-profit organisations raising money for their work. In contrast, we aim to break even by volunteers covering their own costs so that all profit raised from the centre goes to CRDT. While the cost is affordable, we are experienced in providing a safe and secure environment for international volunteers.

Allowance
You will receive a monthly allowance of $100 USD. This will be sufficient to cover your basic costs. You should however, bring some more funds to subsidise your expenditure, social life and any activities that you might want to peruse!

Duties
Teaching conversational English to Cambodian children, orphans, their families and assisting local English teachers; lesson planning, Activities etc

Working Hours
You can expect to work approximately 4-5 hours a day between 7.00am- 12.00am or 4.00pm - 9.00pm, Monday to Friday. Additional time will be spent lesson planning. An average working week is around 40 hours with only 24 hours actual teaching.

Resources
Some teaching materials will be provided by WTS however volunteers may want to bring additional materials such as simple reading books, postcards, photos, games etc.

Food
We recommend that you acquire a taste for the local cuisine. You will receive a living allowance of 100 USD Per Month to cover your basic living costs. Some Meals will be provided on campus and a cook will visit the volunteer house each day to provide breakfast and dinner.

Travel & Health Insurance
Travel & Health insurance is not so much an optional extra as an integral part of any program. Our Insurance Policies cover the obvious problems, such as a stolen wallet or purse, an accident or an illness. They also provide compensation for delays and cancellation, for damaged or lost luggage, and even a telephone help line for emergencies. The cost of your insurance is included in your program. Once we have confirmed your placement we will finalize your travel insurance documents and forward them to you by email around one month before your departure.

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Shared accommodation in the volunteer house not too far from the school is included in your program package. You will share with 2-6 other volunteers in this semi furnished town house. Your coordinator will allocate suitable accommodation for you depending on availability and location. We will endeavour to arrange private accommodation for you but this may not always be possible - please be flexible.

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