Conversations With Foreigners Cambodia

Volunteering at CWF was such a rewarding experience.

I was a bit nervous as it was my first time volunteering and traveling to Asia, but the staff at CWF were all so friendly and welcoming and made me feel at home.

The orientation and teaching training workshops are perfect for first time or new teachers and help get your confidence up before you start!

You only teach about 4 hours a day so you can lead a pretty relaxed lifestyle :) there is plenty to see and do in PP and other cities to explore on the weekends.

I lived in the volunteer house and it was pretty bare bones, but if you are on a budget it's a good option as you have your meals included.

The students at CWF are really motivated which makes it fun!! All in all an incredible experience.

On March 31 this year I finished up what was quite a full on professional job and decided to take a career break.
Rather than having no plans at all which can only lead to prematurely wondering what is next, I purposely planned a voluntary stint starting two months after finishing up to give a 'little back'.
The country choice was very easy after visiting Cambodia three years ago and seeing first hand the devastation left by the Khmer Rouge coupled with the friendliness of the Cambodian people.
Teaching was a new challenge and the students and CWF staff make it extremely rewarding. The optional workshops are great to build the skills as are the course guides and it is very apparent that CWF is a 100 per cent legitimate NGO in Cambodia, which unfortunately is not always the case.
Staying at the volunteer house is a very low cost option, however, if you are not on a tight budget, living independently as I am doing is great. My 2 bedroom apartment is just 400m from the school and 200m from Phnom Penh Sports Club which is perfect for me and weekly living expenes inc $90 rent is around usd$200 including eating out each night.
I run and swim at the sports club each day (membership usd150 for 3 months) and I am now fitter and slimmer than I was 20 years ago.
CWF staff support is 5 star in all aspects.
For those contemplating a new life/career direction as I have CWF has my highest recommendation. And for those travelling the world on a budget, 3 months teaching at CWF and staying at the volunteer house is the perfect diversion for your trip.

Whether you are a 'gap year' new college grad, or a first-time TESOL teacher getting your wings, or even a seasoned teacher who wants to hone your blended classroom skills in pre-differentiated cohorts, CWF Phnom Penh is the place for you!

CWF's business model assists Cambodian young adults and working adults to improve their ESL conversational skills, while applying their tuition to support a Cambodian Rural Development Team mission, and also to keep volunteer-teacher shared housing costs to a minimum. We have teachers in their 20's to their 70's.

You'll teach in the early mornings and evenings, with your days off to wander Phnom Penh and lesson plan to CWFs ESL curriculum, or share notes with CWF's ESL-experienced Dean. Delicious Khmer meals are provided as part of the housing fees. Weekends, you can leave your school gear at the teacher-house, and go trekking by bus, train or plane around Cambodia, supported by CWF's concierge staff. Best of all are your Khmer students and their smiles!

If the spinning wheel of life in the 'disruptor' West has worn you down to a frazzle, if last month seems like just yesterday, well, that wheel rolls gently here in Cambodia. There is time for laughs, good food, long walks and dream-time. You can't Koh Rong, lol.

Chum reap leah and lei hei!

CWF is the best volunteer program that I can imagine. After teaching English in Korea as a paid position, I was expecting more of the same. I was so wrong, teaching at CWF is amazing. First of all, the curriculum is fantastic and it feels really good to believe in what you are teaching. It's completely conversational so students do a lot of practicing and role-play, and they have so much fun with it. Also, CWF does a great job separating students into proficiency levels which helps the classes learn at the same speed. The staff at CWF is so incredible, they are friendly, funny, and so supportive. If there is anything you need, CWF will help you with it. I asked for a headlamp so I could ride my bike at night and within 24hours they had 4 headlamps for the volunteers.

As a current volunteer teacher, I would HIGHLY recommend CWF! The staff is amazing, so kind, hardworking and helpful; the students are true gems to teach; the teaching cirriculum is incredibly well-done; and the organization is ethical, one I truly support. With CWF, it's like I'm helping twice: first by assisting students with improving their English, and second by allowing student tuitions to go towards supporting CRDT. And because CWF is so transparent with the financial breakdown of volunteering, it's easy to see how your efforts are helping! Here are some of the ways I've had an incredible experience with CWF:

The curriculum is terrific--the lessons are geared towards real-life scenarios that students will actually be using. And the conversational teaching style is great at allowing students to practice and really absorb the material. I love standing behind a teaching model that I truly support and believe to be very successful.

I also appreciate the level of support I'm given with teaching, starting with the orientation and continuing on throughout the semester. There are weekly workshops and one-on-one meetings where any questions I have are quickly and expertly addressed, in turn making my classes better and my teaching skills stronger. At the same time I never feel like it's "too much" direction, and workshops are optional so if something doesn't apply or I'm busy, it's no problem to not attend.

My husband and I live independently and were given lots of help with finding an apartment (and we LOVE where we live!!) Again, we feel really supported if we ever need anything- even something as simple as a new lightbulb or bike lock! CWF has been so helpful, in this and every thing we've ever needed, honestly going above and beyond to make sure we are happy and doing well.

I couldn't be happier to have chosen to volunteer with CWF. It is such a wonderful organization, on EVERY level!