Volunteer Teaching: Laos is a volunteer placement in Luang Prabang, from $437 a week per person with a $350 deposit. You teach English to children aged 10 to 15 at local schools, using games, songs and crafts to make the lessons stick. Stays run 1-12 weeks and suit travellers aged 18-38, flying into Luang Prabang. Start dates run from 18 October 2026.
Teach English to village children at local schools in Luang Prabang.
Luang Prabang
Laos
1 stop
You will be met at Luang Prabang's airport during the regular pick-up time and taken to the volunteer accommodation. The rest of the day is yours to settle in, unpack and get over the journey, and dinner is a chance to meet the volunteers you will be teaching alongside.
Your first full day starts with the introduction meeting: house rules, health and safety advice and the paperwork. Then comes Lao culture, from the do's and don'ts and the dress code to a first lesson in the language. After a guided walk around the compound and the nearby shops (and help with a local SIM card if you want one), you meet the local coordinators for a project briefing and visit the school you will be teaching at. Dinner is followed by a trip to Luang Prabang's night market.
These are your teaching days. After breakfast you head to class, teaching English to children aged 10 to 15 for three to four hours a day, with lunch in between. Games, songs and crafts are all fair game, and the local teachers will help you pitch each lesson at the right level. Free time in the afternoon is for planning tomorrow's lessons, and evenings are dinner with the other volunteers.
Breakfast, and then the weekend is yours. If you are staying on, Luang Prabang's temples, the morning alms giving, the waterfalls outside town and the Mekong are all close by. If this was your last week, checkout is at noon.
Luang Prabang sits where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong in northern Laos, a small, unhurried town of temples, saffron-robed monks and morning markets. Beyond its centre are the villages, and their schools are where you will spend your weeks.
You teach English to children aged 10 to 15, in classes of around 15 to 20, for three to four hours a day. The aim is better English, but how you get there is up to you. Games, songs, crafts and a bit of creativity go a long way with a class this age, and the lessons that work best rarely feel like lessons. You work alongside the local teachers and adapt to what each class needs, whether that is speaking practice, reading or getting the first sentences down on paper.
For the students, a few weeks with a native or confident English speaker is a window onto other places and other ways of thinking, and it can change what they picture for themselves. For you, it is real classroom experience, and a way into Lao life that a visitor passing through never gets. Expect the children to teach you plenty in return.
You arrive on a Sunday, and Monday is your orientation: house rules, health and safety, the do's and don'ts of Lao culture, a first go at the language and a visit to the school you will be teaching at. The evening ends at the night market.
Come with an open mind and realistic expectations. Life on a volunteer project is simpler and slower than at home: shared rooms, basic facilities, heat and humidity, and a culture with its own customs. Everyone feels a little out of place at first, and that is normal.
Before you travel, read the programme information we send you. When you arrive, the local team introduces you to the project, the house rules and local customs, and they are there to talk to if you feel homesick or unsure. Most volunteers find the first few days are the hardest, and the rest flies by.
We should always be healthy and maintain our fitness. However, it depends on the project you choose and you should always be ready to work.
Nothing formal. Pack modest, practical clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. On teaching and kindergarten projects, wear neat, casual clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. On construction and conservation projects, wear hard-wearing clothes and closed shoes you do not mind ruining, plus a hat and light long sleeves for the sun. Vest tops and short shorts are not allowed while you are working.
Away from the project, dress with respect for local customs, especially in villages and at religious sites. Your coordinator will tell you about any local rules when you arrive.
Your arrival transfer is included. You will be met at the airport and taken to your accommodation, so there is nothing to arrange for the journey in.
The departure transfer at the end, from your accommodation back to the airport, is not included. You can add it as an optional extra in your account, or make your own way.
Once you have booked your flights, log in to your account and add them under Flight Details so we know when you are landing.
Of course! We encourage everyone to talk over our social networks. You can find a list of them at the bottom of this page. If you’ve joined a tour, we will send you an invite to a dedicated Facebook group made for your tour a few weeks before it starts. Your tour guide and a tour manager will also be in the group to answer any questions you may have. You can also join the General Discussion Board on Facebook!
This program has no minimum or maximum age.
Under 18s can join with signed parental consent. Anyone over 65 needs medical clearance before travelling.
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