cambodia - opinions please!?

I've decided to do the BUNAC volunteer program in cambodia for 3 months and hope to book and put my deposit down soon.
Does anyone have any experience with BUNAC - especially their programme in cambodia?
Would anyone else be interested in doing this ?!
Any general tips/ comments about volunteering to teach english in cambodia??
thanks ! :biggrin:

xxx

anyone...? :bebored:

I went to cambodia on holiday with family a few years back - it was AMAZING.

We travel to all sorts of places in Asia so im saying this from experience, but it really is great - the temples are awesome, the locals really are friendly and volunteering there really would feel worthwhile because it is a place which really could use the help, but isnt beyond all repair by any means.

Definately go! If you have any questions add me to MSN [email protected]

Reply 3

cheerios

wow thats two very different opinions!...
i was also wondering if anyone had tried to save around 2000 pounds and how long it took them to do it...
im not sure if im being unrealistic about earning this in 2 months.
any other advice or opinions welcome
x

Reply 4

Sarahl89

well im raising 3450 and have been working since september 2006 for it, tho i only work weekends as im in college.

i suppose its possible if you work like everyday and spend no money =S. depends what your job is though.

i work in a pub & could get 1200 pounds from working a shift a day for 2 months.

ive never been to cambodia but some friends have and had the most amazing time :smile:

good luck!

Reply 5

Feef

Raising that amount's possible - before I went off travelling I was working both for Wetherspoons and an agency, which meant some days could easily be 15 hours long. Depending on where the agency sent me, I could end up getting about 85 pounds a day - though I couldn't do this every day, obviously. Horrendous at the time, but the trip more than made up for it :smile:

Another totally positive vote for Cambodia here. I could imagine it being a bit overwhelming had I not gone to Thailand first, but it really is an amazing country, and as said above, they really could do with the help in a lot of places. I fully intend to go back (hopefully this summer) and spend a bit more time heading to out of the way areas - we rented out motorbikes last time, which was brilliant for freedom, but a lot of the roads we didn't really fancy trying as fairly inexperienced riders.

The people were the friendliest I met, the Buddhist new year celebrations were unbelievably good fun, and it really is a beautiful place. I went a few years back, remember the south coast being the best place I'd ever been for relaxing (again, riding off to find some empty beaches), though it is developing rapidly in to a popular resort area. I also read about Sihanoukville market burning down the other day, that made me sad :frown:

The country has a lot of problems, but much respect to anyone willing to help them out - the character of the people, considering the atrocities of their recent past, was really quite overwhelming.

Sorry, I could rave on all day about the place, definitely the best time I've ever had while travelling :smile:

Reply 6

strawberry_sunshine

yeh i really fancy cambodia this summer. & going on a project sounds the best way to do this. & bunac seem repuatble. how long are you going for? do you plan to go backpacking afterwards?

Reply 7

pandora7

was just there last October and it was soooooooo amazing. whereabouts in cambodia are you heading? i would say Siem Reap < Phnom Penh. obviously, there are the temples and tourist street in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh is slightly more underdeveloped than SR (if that's possible :s-smilie:

) but it is better, i think. alcohol is cheaper and they have 'happy pizza' lol. there's also S-21 prison and killing fields which had a profound effect on me, i'd say but that's mainly cause we got the only survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime to give us the tour. needless to say, it was a highlight. will definitely go back there someday :P

Reply 8

pandora7

Also, whilst we were there, we did a one day volunteering job at Savong School to teach children english. it was sooooo cool. they were just happy to see tourists and you'd be surprised how intelligent and eager these kids are to learn. pm me if you want to know more :smile:

Reply 9

pandora7

p.s. (the last one, i promise!) one of the volunteered teachers (a local) asked me what this certain word meant (can't remember it now), and i was a bit unsure so i looked it up in the dictioanry we had brought along and turned out there was no such word. so i looked into this exercise book he used as a guide to teach and it made absolutely no sense. it saddens me that he's teaching them the wrong thing ( :s-smilie:

) and i think for the country to progress it needs more external volunteers to teach english to them kids. so totally support your decision to go!

Reply 10

cheerios

yeh i really fancy cambodia this summer. & going on a project sounds the best way to do this. & bunac seem repuatble. how long are you going for? do you plan to go backpacking afterwards?

Hi - am thinking about going with the company for 2 months now as it will be cheaper and yes i would love to backpack for a bit afterwards - if only for a couple of weeks. you should definately look into it - the scheme looks really flexible and the country looks amazing. i have been to thiland before but wanted to volunteer somewhere more remote. have a look on the website!

was just there last October and it was soooooooo amazing. whereabouts in cambodia are you heading? i would say Siem Reap < Phnom Penh.

wow - will def. pm you closer to the time as im sure i will have 101 questions, yes i think the programe is near phnom penh

thanks everyone for your support and advice - i hope i can go!
am applying to get a grant off a trust fund from my school which supports students on gap year , so hopefully i can get some money to cover what i wont earn in time.
has anyone gone down this route before , and if so, how much money wereyou given?
thanks again

Reply 11

ponta08

Cambodia is a beautiful country! The roads are terrible but the beaches are up there with the best in the world!!!

The Ankor temples are stunning!

Reply 12

Mellow99

I am thinking about going to Cambodia in May, after travelling Australia, as it looks like such a fantastic country, with amazing sites and great people despite the fairly brutal recent history...

I'm thinking about going 2 weeks... and it'll be my first real taste of travelling Asia, so i'm expecting it to be pretty overwhelming! My friend is working out there as a volunteer for several months for "Sage" I believe, and he's not paying to do so, unlike so many others. I guess I think it's a bit dubious paying some western company thousands of pounds for the "privilege" of them finding you a placement.... gota make sure they're reputable, I guess :smile:

Cambodia's gona be boiling hot and humid in May, right? Any advice for someone travelling then people? I'm thinking Siem Reap/Angkor first, then Phnom Penh and work my way down to the south coast... probably spend 2 weeks there or so, not that long. I should have said volunteer friend to help me out n accompany me around, but i've heard backpacking's quite big to Cambodia now, so meeting people should be fine, I presume? I am meant to be going to Nepal afterwards, and I guess I am kinda considering missing Cambodia, and flying straight into Nepal in early May so I can focus 6 weeks there and miss out the Cambodian humidity (i don't wana miss out on seeing my friend/the AMAZING country, though :s-smilie:

).

Wow this has been a long post, but i'd appreciate if anyone had any feedback n ideas! Any more suggestions about good location in Cambodia? I've heard Bokor is cooler and a good visit...? In regards to motorbikes, do you need a license? Not an expert on them by any means, but I wouldn't mind giving it a go on better roads..... or do you guys not recommend for a novice?

Reply 13

Feef

Regarding bikes, when I was there - no need for a license, experience, helmet (!) anything like that, just hand over $4 (scooter) or $7 (250cc dirt bike) and off you go. They'll hold on to your passport to make sure they get it back in once piece, and to ensure you pay for any damages you cause. I've heard this has changed on and off (as is the way in cambodia), there was a brief period where they required an international driving license of some sort. I can't imagine that being impossible to get round with a few dollars, check with a guesthouse when you get there.

That was the case in Sihanoukville anyway - we rented them there, and used them to get around the south coast/up the occasional mountain. It can be a little intimidating for a beginner, but the new NH4 in that area is a brilliant road, the sort of which may hopefully one day reach Siam Reap and beyond (especially to Poi pet..). I'd thoroughly recommend it for the freedom, most of my best travelling stories come from that period :smile:

Siam Reap > PP > South coast was the route we took too, though a guy I was with detoured to Battambang in the process. You wont have any trouble at all meeting people, it's a pretty standard backpacker route round that bit of the world now, with little ghettos of cheap guesthouses accommodating people from around the world. I met a little travelling "family" in Phnom Penh, a few days before my birthday - A canadia, an australian, 2 british girls, a finnish guy, 2 swedish guys and a danish girl. We met up with each other on and off over the next 2 months, catching up where possible, was brilliant, and I've met many of them again since coming home.

I was there in April, which was fairly roasting - no real specific tips, make use of the shade, drink plenty, save your partying for nighttime and enjoy the sea. And, if in Phnom Penh, don't swim in the lake. Really. A Finnish friend of mine figured it'd be a good idea the night he arrived in PP, thoroughly regretted it when he saw it in the light the next morning...

Feel free to PM me about any particular aspects - as I said, it's a while since I've been, but I plan to head back this year.

Reply 14

stewe

I met some people with Bunac teaching English in a monastry to kids and the monks while I was in Cambodia (siem reap), and they seemed to be really enjoying it. It seemed like a pretty good company, and they got to go to an orphanage as well and even had the opportunity to become monks/nuns for the day!

I thought Cambodia was a pretty awesome country actually - the temples are amazing, not just in Angkor but elsewhere too, the beaces are beautiful and some are almost completely deserted - they're just as good as the Thai beaches. I also went to a national park which was previously Khmer Rouge territory and there was this huge old abandoned hotel at the top of the hill it was really amazing. Phnom Penh is a bit gross I thought and everyone there seemed really miserable but it's worth a visit to S 21/ Killing fields/ Silver Pagoda etc, and you're probably gonna have to pass through it to get to other places anyway. But it's not really a good idea to stray far off the beaten track because there are still mines in a lot of places. There are a lot of tourists around siem reap and the beach though, so you can expect to be harassed by the locals there quite a lot.

It's definitely worth a visit, and people there really do need help, it's very poor.

Reply 15

limechateaux

Cambodia is a really awesome country, in fact, besides Tibet (yes, I know, it's not a country but still) it is my favourite one.

The people there are REALLY friendly even though they are poor and have suffered a lot, they still really like visitors and tourists, and even though some may be pushy to sell their things to you, especially at touristy places, it is just because they really do not have that much money. So they do need your help! :smile:

Cambodia is also quite cheap, for hotels, food, etc, and these hotels/restaurants are still good. Also, I found there's quite a European atmosphere, with so many gap year people, volunteers, backpackers etc. :smile:

Oh, and place-wise, Siem Reap is the best place to visit, but Phnom Penh is also really nice.

Reply 16

t_ucd

I just found their website today and I'm seriously thinking about it too! I can't find anything about dates on their website though - do you know if you can just pick whenever suits you or are there set dates for when the programmes start?

Reply 17

missygeorgia

cheerios

xxx

Hey, I did a search through the forums and came across this thread; did you decide to do the placement in the end? Because I'm considering it and any feedback would be great :]