Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects

Fieldwork is around 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. On teaching projects you can expect to spend at least an hour a day working with children, with time also given to lesson preparation and support tasks. Days can be busy and schedules change, so flexibility helps. Weekends are usually free for rest or travel.

The programs run from Monday to Friday every week. The day is split into morning sessions, a break back at the hotel during the heat of the middle of the day, then afternoon / evening sessions. Morning sessions include an informal morning class at Wat Damnak pagoda supporting women and monks English learning, novice monks English classes, teaching industry language to a women's sewing program at the Wat, or supporting English classes in a rural primary school. Afternoon and evening sessions can include supporting English lessons at Wat Damnak Education Centre for community members, teaching an evening English class to monks at Wat An Kau Sa, and supporting English lessons in a foundation primary school in a rural area (different from the morning). An option exists to support Sunday programs to rural girls boarding in Siem Reap to obtain an education.

Accommodation is in shared single-gender dormitory rooms (one room of four, one of three and two of two) with en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning, a fridge and a hairdryer. There is running water and Western-style flush toilets, bedding and towels are provided, and there is a swimming pool on site. Private rooms with double beds can be booked for an additional US$15 per night. Facilities may be more basic than you are used to, so it helps to travel with an open mind.

It runs year-round education and community programmes in Siem Reap, Cambodia: children's learning and development sessions, adult English classes, gender-equality workshops with girls and women, and health, nutrition and sustainability activities. All projects are locally led and shaped by partner priorities.

You need a valid passport with at least six months' validity from your arrival date. Most participants obtain a Tourist Visa (T Visa) or Business Visa (E Visa); these can be arranged before arrival via the official Cambodian government website, which takes a minimum of three business days. Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical and evacuation costs is compulsory.

Staff are trained in emergency protocols and are qualified first aiders, and every location has a comprehensive first-aid kit. Health and safety briefings are given on arrival. There are several medical clinics in Siem Reap, including a 24/7 clinic a short tuk-tuk ride from the accommodation and a hospital about 5 km away. Only bottled or filtered water should be used.

Participants typically spend around USD 40 per week on things like a mobile SIM, snacks and local outings while on base. Weekend excursions cost more and vary with the season. Carrying an emergency card approved for international use is recommended for unexpected costs. There are weekend opportunities to travel further afield - to Phnom Penh and the Cambodian Islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samlouen.

The first community hub in Cambodia opened in 2018 in Kampong Cham, on the Mekong River, beginning with English workshops at a local university partner and later expanding into healthcare and women's empowerment work. In 2022 the work moved to Siem Reap, including a partnership with a local pagoda to teach English to Buddhist monks. It currently supports English language learning in a group of primary schools, two Wats, a communiuty education program, and an NGO run by monks.

Alongside its education and community work, the network tracks environmental activity such as site clean-ups, plastic waste collected and environmental workshops, and it monitors the carbon footprint of its operations. On average each participant generates about 46 kg of CO2 emissions per week during their stay, and the network works to reduce its environmental impact. The social enterprise hotel aims to be plastic free, has an onsite hydroponic garden for vegetable production, and uses non chemical environmentally friendly mosquito control measures.

Your main role is to support the local class teacher as a native English-speaking role model and to run enrichment activities; independent teaching is not required. Everyone completes a background check and child-protection and safeguarding training, with clear guidance on interacting with children and how to report concerns, before any work begins. Responsible-technology, photography and gift-giving policies apply, and free-time conduct is expected to reflect the same respect for local laws and customs.

Yes. The Impact Network Foundation works with one partner organisation in Cambodia: Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects, based in Siem Reap. You apply to it directly through this site.

The NGO in the Impact Network in Cambodia is Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects, an independent community development organisation working in Siem Reap, in north-west Cambodia. It is one of eight NGOs in the network, and the network is deliberately small — every organisation in it is locally run rather than a field office of an international charity.

Yes — Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects works in Siem Reap, in north-west Cambodia. Its work is education and community development work.

Education and community development work. Education and community learning with novice monks, children, women and other underserved groups — several distinct programmes rather than a single classroom placement.

Placements run to fixed start dates set by the project, so the dates are published in advance rather than chosen by you.

Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects is an independent, locally run organisation. The Impact Network Foundation does not operate it, staff it or direct its work — the Foundation exists to connect volunteers to organisations like it and to publish what they achieve.

Apply on the Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects page on this site. Every applicant then has a short one-to-one call before a place is confirmed, so you can ask anything and the organisation can check the placement is a good fit.