Teach English & Live Like a local in Chaing mai, Thailand...

Egypt

5

My stay at banbondoi was so good, you live in nature, you eat clean food and you enjoy nature . The work is not hard I taught online English classes to Thai students from all ages and you can enjoy the rest of your day, also there is a cute bar in the place you can enjoy hanging out at, they also have cooking classes for volunteers which was so fun and lovely

12 mesi fa

Cile

5

El voluntariado fue una experiencia fantástica. Las clases online eran sencillas y dejaban mucho tiempo para descansar y disfrutar del entorno. La gente del homestay y los alrededores eran muy amables, y compartir con los otros voluntarios creó un ambiente muy especial. Además, hay un bar justo al lado al que se puede ir :)

12 mesi fa

Italia

3

The accommodation was basic, with almost no bathroom privacy and open-air sinks. The surroundings were truly beautiful and offered meaningful space to reconnect with nature, which I appreciated. However, the meals provided were often insufficient, and the workload felt disproportionately heavy, making the exchange feel unbalanced. At the same time, I'm glad I was able to deliver exceptional lessons and meet new students each day. I truly hope the host can take this feedback with kindness and use it to create a more comfortable and supportive experience for future volunteers.

21 giorni fa

Paweena ha risposto

Thank you for your feedback. For clarity, our agreement allows up to 6 classes per day, 5 days a week. During your stay from 13 November to 7 December (25 days), we assigned you around 65 classes in total. However, the number of classes you actually taught was lower due to student cancellations and occasional Microsoft Teams issues. This means your actual workload averaged approximately 2.6 classes per day, which is well below the agreed maximum. We appreciate your comments .

Estonia

2

The homestay isn't in Chiang Mai centre, it's in Mae Wang. You are completely in nature as the entire homestay (apart from the dorms) are outdoors. There's a treadmill, some weights, a yoga mat, and a bar next door with live music! However the schedule is given the morning of and is constantly updated, can be up to 6 classes, anytime between 2.30-10.10pm. They are flexible: if you want a certain a day off or later classes. And Ploy is kind and helpful! If you arrive in the week you have to work on the weekend since it's 5 days of work a week. And there's limited guidance on the teaching.

22 giorni fa

Paweena ha risposto

We feel that giving us only two stars is quite unfair. After reading your review, we still cannot clearly identify any major issues or understand what specific areas we should improve.
However, we still sincerely appreciate the time you spent helping us.

Germania

2

The experience itself was good: easy classes, lots of free time, nice homestay, fresh food, kind staff & many volunteers to connect with. During our stay a volunteer caused a dangerous incident. While the organizers weren't responsible for his actions, the response was poor: no emergency contact, unclear communication, no structured follow-up, and no check-ins with those affected. Important information wasn't shared, leaving a volunteer exposed to further risk. Only after we reached out did we receive explanations. Teaching was valuable, but the handling of the situation left us feeling unsafe

circa 1 mese fa

Paweena ha risposto

I would like to clarify that the true cause of the incident came from the group of volunteers who went out together to a bar, consumed alcohol, and as a result, some people were no longer able to control their behavior.I feel it is unfair that this situation is being used as the main issue in your review to suggest that we did not handle things well. I kindly ask you to consider the real origin of the problem and what truly caused the situation.

Brasile

4

As a volunteer you will be teaching online Thai people in a shared space with lots of volunteers. It was a nice experience and the meals provided are very good. There are no much locals around besides the staff (they are very friendly) and the place is 1 hour from Chiang Mai by public transport. If you would like to know more details feel free to contact me!

circa 1 mese fa

Paweena ha risposto

Thank you for your review and for sharing your experience. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed teaching, the shared volunteer space, and the meals. Our staff always try to make everyone feel welcome, even though the homestay is a bit outside the city.

It was great hosting you, and we truly appreciate your help.
If anyone needs more information, feel free to contact us anytime.

Polonia

4

The experience of teaching students and meeting other volunteers was really great! We had a lot of freedom outside of lessons and it was really chill. I must say however, during my stay arose one specific situation involving another volunteer, which we (as volunteers) needed to resolve mostly ourselves and which notably affected us. I think it should've been handled better by the organisators, but we discussed it together and I hope safety measures will be taken after that🤞 Other than that, I liked my time here and I think it's a cool place to volunteer :)

circa 1 mese fa

Paweena ha risposto

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and honest review! 🌿 We’re delighted you enjoyed teaching and connecting with other volunteers, and that you appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and freedom outside of lessons. We truly value your feedback regarding the situation during your stay—your concerns are important, and we’re already taking steps to strengthen our safety measures. Thank you for helping us improve. You’ll always be warmly welcomed back anytime! 💛

—Paweena, Pingpong & the Brainstorm

Regno Unito

4

I had a nice experience, especially with the other volunteers and teaching was very wholesome when I had repeat students. The area is small and there's not much to do, so a renting a motorcycle or getting taxis are necessary. But it's a safe area with friendly locals, and weekly cooking classes were fun. The facilities could use improvement (thin beds, no door locks, limited hot water or free access to the washing machine). I also didn't get a formal welcome upon arrival. However, the admin, cleaners and cooks were always flexible and friendly, one cook even invited me to a local market!

circa 1 mese fa

Paweena ha risposto

We’re truly happy you enjoyed teaching and connecting with other volunteers, and we’re grateful for your kind words about our friendly team. Since our homestay runs like a family home rather than a hotel, we don’t have a front desk—our staff personally welcomes guests, shows them around, and supports them throughout their stay.

For the facilities: the rooms do have locks, but guests hold the responsibility to use them. Our washing machine is coin-operated so volunteers can use it as needed.

Argentina

4

It was a very nice experience. I enjoyed my time here and met people from many different countries. If you want to interact with locals, you'll have to do it on your own (go for a walk and be curious). The food was good and the place is very pretty. I'd love to go back!

3 mesi fa

Paweena ha risposto

Thank you so much for your kind review! 🌿 We’re so glad you enjoyed the beautiful setting, tasty meals, and the chance to meet volunteers from around the world. Your note about connecting with locals is very helpful for future guests. It was wonderful having your positive spirit with us, and you’ll always be warmly welcomed back to Brainstorm Homestay whenever you visit Thailand again! 💛

—Paweena & the Brainstorm Team

Canada

4

I enjoyed my stay here, the staff were very friendly and helpful. I was the only volunteer for the majority of my stay which was lonely from time to time but this experience would be very fun with more people. The main draw back was the meals, they were not bad but they were uninspired to say the least.

3 mesi fa

Paweena ha risposto

Thank you so much for sharing your honest review! 🌿 We’re glad you enjoyed the friendly and helpful team and the overall experience. We truly appreciate your feedback about the meals and will use it to improve and add more variety. We also hope next time you’ll have more volunteer company for extra fun. You’ll always be warmly welcomed back to Brainstorm Homestay whenever you visit Thailand again! 💛

—Paweena & the Brainstorm Team

Candidarsi Ora