Offering Free Homestay in Singburi Thailand in Exchange for Short Term ESL Teaching.

Peetim's ESL Homestay offers volunteers lodging, food, laundry, transportation, and Thai culture in exchange for teaching English in her government and private schools.

April is a big month for this ESL homestay, so pack your bags and book your flight. Groupls welcome. Backpackers welcome.

Peetim's homestay is in a village near Singburi, a small town about 2 hours north of Bangkok. Her compound is spacious, safe, clean, quiet, and breezy. There are several bedrooms, bathrooms, and classrooms - and so many refrigerators in so many spots, I lost track. The bedrooms and classrooms have AC. The classrooms have technology. Every room has reliable, fast wifi. There are not too many mosquitoes in the area and Peetim insists they don't carry diseases.

Tesco is 10 minutes in one direction by car, 7-11 and the downtown supermarket are 10 minutes in the other direction by car (down the street from the bus station), a mini Big C convenience store is across the highway several minutes by bike, and several mom-n-pop stores are within walking distance. A motorbike into town is 60 baht roundtrip.

Peetim will teach you how to cook traditional Thai dishes. She grows some of the best papaya and mangoes in Thailand and her neighbor grows absolutely the juiciest pineapples I've ever put in my mouth. She sponsors trips to see such sites as monkeys in a temple and bats in a cave. Peetim's husband has a large mat for teaching muay thai boxing.

You can write your own lessons or Peetim can provide you with curriculum. Student skill level is pretty low, so plan to teach basic vocabulary and simple conversations. Pictures and videos are great. For the younger learners, use plenty of games and songs.

Peetim oversees all the care for her volunteers, from travel to shopping to copying to meals to laundry. For one of my trips to Bangkok, she booked a van by phone the evening before and took me to van stop in her car early the next morning. For the return trip that afternoon, she sent a motorbike taxi to the van station. Her housekeeper doesn't speak English, but Peetim is fluent. She can provide you with an invitation letter to get a volunteer visa for up to 3 months at 2700 baht.

The homestay is free, but many volunteers pay Peetim as much as several thousand baht per month. Suggested rent is 4000 baht for a single and 2000 baht for a dorm. Utilities in Thailand are 1000-3000 baht, depending on AC use. Food in Thailand is 100-300 baht, depending on your diet and appetite. But the best donation is fun and useful ESL lessons for the kids.

There are volunteers coming and going all the time. As we sit around the dinner table, we share experiences and tips about working, touring, and surviving in Thailand.

Singburi has no airport and no train station. There are 2 ways to get to Singburi, by bus and by van.

The buses stop at the bus station downtown. The buses run about every 30 minutes from the Mo Chit bus terminal near the Mo Chit BTS station. Take a taxi from the BTS to the bus terminal. Tickets cost about 120 baht at window 38 or 39 (that window #38 or window #39 inside, not window #38 or window #39 outside). Board the bus on platform 127 or 128. The AC on the bus isn't very strong.

The vans stop a few minutes from Peetim's house. The vans cost about the same as the buses but are a bit faster, depending on traffic. The AC is a lot better. The vans are a bit cramped and don't accommodate more than one carryon bag. The vans run once an hour. The van station in Bangkok is a stone's throw from the BTS station, exit #2 between Victory Monument and Century Mall. Go to counter #12. Neither the vans nor the ticket windows have city names in English letters, so write the name of Singburi in Thai letters just to be safe.

Peetim communicates through Facebook rather than by email. You can call her at 080779479. Her homestay and Facebook website addresses and a couple of Youtube videos are at the addresses below:

https://www.facebook.com/peetimhomestay/
http://www.peetimhomestay.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knV6NCxJA9Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRyVHD3tRA0

If you're going to stay for a while and therefore have a lot of luggage, I recommend shipping most of it. I recommend using Kerry Logistics express mail service. They are all over Thailand and they are fast, reliable, and surprisingly cheap. I paid no more than 80 baht per box. Ship packages to:

Peetim Homestay
45 Moo, 6 Phromburi
Singburi, THAILAND
16160.
080779479