NGO Project Coordinator
It is in the province of Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, in an elephant reserve, that the training to work with wild animals takes place. Each animal has been rescued from tourist activities and placed in this reserve where it is cared for, fed and studied. The elephants of the reserve are in semi-freedom, so they have the opportunity to evolve and develop in a natural environment without suffering the consequences of exploitation.
We work in collaboration with a local structure and the help of local carers who look after these elephants often traumatized by past mistreatment. It is in this context and with these specialists that the participants follow a complete training, both theoretical and practical, in an international environment.
During the training program to work with wild animals, you will have an immersive experience with the elephants at the sanctuary, and will be able to discover the unique culture of the traditional Thai community.
The training allows you to gain work experience in three different areas:
You will thus contribute to the development of the local community, particularly through workshops with children at the local school and with mahouts to facilitate learning English. The second aspect of this contribution to community development is supporting the efforts already made by locals to reduce their financial dependence on tourism activities involving elephants.
As for the biodiversity program, it includes the study and identification of reptiles, insects, mammals, and birds in the Chiang Mai region. You will be introduced to various techniques for collecting such data, as well as health checks to be carried out with the elephants at the sanctuary.
Like all our training programs to work with animals abroad, this project in Thailand provides comprehensive learning while contributing to the preservation of local wildlife.
This professional training program is part of the so-called “career” projects. In addition to the mission you carry out on-site, it offers you real guidance, and allows you to access the position of project coordinator within 6 months. Here you combine theoretical training with practical learning, with online modules to complete after the end of the mission. At the end of the program, you will obtain an internationally recognized certification issued by the University of Richmond, in the United States.
Guidance is therefore provided before, during, and after the project. During the mission, you will also have to complete a remote project: you will have to solve a problem with other partner organizations in marine conservation, environment, animal protection… A coach will follow and support you to help you best solve these problems, and at the end of the project you will have access to a job portal for NGO offers, for which you will be eligible thanks to your training to work with wild animals.
The remote projects included in the professional training will be carried out AFTER completing the mission in the field.
If your training lasts from 4 to 11 weeks, you will work on a remote project for a period of 4 weeks after completing the mission in the field.
If your training lasts 12 weeks or more, you will work on 2 remote projects for a period of 8 weeks after completing the mission in the field.
For more information on the job guarantee conditions, click on the link:
Take a closer look at all the specific features of this training program as a career program!
A rotation is set up among participants, between the different aspects of the program to work with wild animals, so that they are involved in all the missions and can develop their skills as much as possible, in order to benefit from the most comprehensive training possible.
This is a real professional experience, where each participant’s contribution has both a positive and lasting impact on the region and the local community. Participants will also have various leadership responsibilities and will be monitored daily by a mentor who will assess their progress. They have access to exclusive international team management training.
After training alongside wild animals, you will have the opportunity to start your career in NGOs thanks to access to the job portal as well as the partner organizations of the center that recruit for projects around the world.
More than half of the new recruits of the partner organization trained with RealStep, thanks to the training to work with wild animals or other NGO projects.
You will contribute to the development of the local community, notably through workshops with children in the local school and mahouts to facilitate the learning of English. The second aspect of this contribution to community development is the contribution to efforts already being made by locals to reduce their financial dependence on elephant tourism activities.
As for the biodiversity program, it includes the study as well as the identification of reptiles, insects, mammals and birds in the Chiang Mai region. You will be introduced to different techniques for collecting such data, as well as the health checks to be conducted on the elephants in the refuge.
Like all of our training courses to work with animals abroad , this project in Thailand allows you to benefit from a complete learning while contributing to the preservation of local fauna.
This vocational training program is part of the so-called “career” projects. In addition to the mission that you carry out on site, it allows you to benefit from real support, and to access the position of project coordinator in 6 months. Here you combine theoretical training with practical learning, with online modules to be completed after the end of the mission. At the end of the program, you obtain an international certification recognized and issued by the University of Richmond, in the United States.
The accompaniment is therefore present upstream, on site but also downstream of the project. During the course of the mission, you will also have a remote project to carry out: you will have to solve a problem with other partner organizations in marine conservation, environment, animal protection... A coach will follow you and support you to help you in the best possible way in the resolution of these problems, and at the end of the project you will have access to a platform of job offers in NGOs, for which you will be eligible thanks to your training to work with wild animals.
Remote projects included in professional training will be carried out AFTER having carried out the mission in the field.
If your training lasts 4-11 weeks, you will work on a remote project for a period of 4 weeks after completing the field assignment.
If your training lasts 12 weeks or more, you will work on 2 remote projects for a duration of 8 weeks after completing the field mission.
For more information on the employment guarantee conditions, click on the link:
Conditions on the job guarantee
Take a closer look at all the specificities of this training as a career program !
Participants rotate between the different parts of the program to work with wildlife, so that they are involved in all the missions and can develop their skills to the best of their ability, to benefit from the most complete training. It is a real professional experience, where everyone's contribution has a positive and lasting impact on the region and the local community. Participants will also have different leadership responsibilities, and will be monitored daily by a mentor who will assess their progress. They have access to an exclusive team management training program that is internationally recognized.
After training alongside wild animals, you will have the opportunity to start your career in an NGO thanks to the access to job offers (job portal) as well as to the partner organizations of the center which recruit on projects based all over the world. More than half of the partner organization's new recruits have trained with RealStep, through training to work with wildlife or on other NGO projects.
Our partner organisation sits on the United Nations International Commission on Sustainable Tourism. All their initiatives and development projects are led by experts.
Our local partner is a worldwide training organization. They provide training to work with wild animals, in humanitarian work, for the protection of the environment, for the preservation of animals and for the improvement of living conditions in general.
Our local partner is a worldwide training organization. They provide training to work with wild animals, in humanitarian work, for the protection of the environment, for the preservation of animals and for the improvement of living conditions in general.
This program is available for up to 24 weeks, Please contact us for rates and availability.
| Duration | Fees to be paid upon registration |
|---|---|
| 24 Weeks | 10595€ |
Housing is allocated by local NGOs, not by Freepackers - the descriptions are there to give you an idea of the type of accommodation, as it is very likely that conditions will vary on site depending on the number of volunteers, weather conditions, availability, etc. Each volunteer will be accommodated according to the stated conditions, but it is possible that the accommodation may not match the description or images shown on this site word for word, for example, in the case of annexed housing, renovations, relocations, etc.
The first 3 months, meals are included and the following 3 months, they are at the expense of the participants.
You will have breakfast at base camp before the morning treks, and lunch and dinner are usually meals prepared at home and provided by individual host families. The food is simple but nutritious, mostly vegetarian, with optional fish or meat available once or twice a week. During the first week, a team member usually eats with each participant in their host family to help them integrate into the family.
WiFi is usually available at the Root Cafe in the village, but be aware that power outages and storms can make this unreliable. We advise you to buy a local SIM card upon arrival to enjoy a stable connection.
The camp is located in the mountains and despite the heat and humidity of the day, the temperatures are cool at night, especially from November to February. Don't forget to take warm jackets and rain jackets, especially during the months of August to September (rainy season).
To consult our extra excursions and activities, click here.
Please contact the embassy or immigration website of the country you wish to enter.
You can find all ressources on the World Organization Website, in the Travel Advice section A vaccine vial.
You can subscribe your travel insurance online with our partner Chapka, with whom you get a 5% discount with this link. Non-EU interns can compare insureance options by
