Internship

Community Powered. Change Inspired.

Community Development Internship in Cambodia

Gain valuable teaching experience while contributing to sustainable development projects.

Durations: 2 - 12 weeks
Fieldwork hours40 hrs of fieldwork per week
Participant ratio1:6 staff to participant ratio
8 participant reviews
GVI experiencesIncludes GVI Experiences
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Travel flexibility, because life happens! Modify your booking, even up to 48 hours before departure. T&Cs apply.

Program information

This is an excellent opportunity to experience the unique culture of Cambodia and gain valuable community development experience. Get involved in teaching English and running women’s empowerment workshops. Our internship aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.

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Program overview

Travel to Cambodia, famed for its magnificent landscapes and rich cultural history, where you will be living in the city of Siem Reap. Here you will work alongside other like-minded participants and learn about the day to day running of the project and receive teacher and community training from staff and older interns. Your days will be split between various community projects, which will depend on the needs of the community at the time. We have partnered with local partner organisations to assist us in addressing existing issues within this community.

This internship is geared towards helping interns gain invaluable teaching and community development experience. After successfully completing their internship, selected participants could be given the opportunity to work for GVI and continue their journey with us. Positions can be paid or unpaid. All our internships will help you develop personally and professionally, grow your leadership skills, and allow you to develop a variety of key soft and hard skills that will put you a step ahead of the rest. Our highly experienced field staff will help you gain and improve vital skill sets to improve your future job prospects.

Highlights

Reach professional competency
Reach professional competency
Develop key industry skills by working on a range of sustainable development initiatives that combine local contexts with global perspectives.
Find joy in Cambodia
Find joy in Cambodia
Experience the electric atmosphere, vibrant streets and historic sights of Cambodia’s cultural heart: Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat.
Get hands-on experience
Get hands-on experience
Contribute to ongoing community development efforts and initiate project ideas that will make a lasting impact.
Join locally-led initiatives
Join locally-led initiatives
Partner with social impact projects that are owned and led by local organisations who guide initiatives according to community priorities.
Grow and develop yourself
Grow and develop yourself
Receive training, guidance and mentoring to develop professionally and grow personally. Leave with recognised qualifications and in-demand skills.
Use your skills for good
Use your skills for good
Your unique expertise, skills and interests are matched to relevant community projects that address specific challenges.
Contribute to enduring impact
Contribute to enduring impact
Empower ongoing local community development projects on the ground that are led by inspiring local NGOs to make a lasting, systemic change.
Get immersed in the community
Get immersed in the community
Don’t just travel like a tourist. Become part of the local community and culture to experience a unique way of living – authentically.

Is this program for me?

This internship is specifically useful for someone who has or is actively studying the below subject areas at school, university or college, or has an interest in these subject areas.

  • Education
  • Liberal arts
  • English
  • History
  • Communication
  • Development studies
  • Gender studies
  • Peace and conflict studies
  • Law
  • Political science
  • Public health
  • Nursing
  • Social work
  • Psychology

Activities

Some of the example typical activities you could participate in on this program.

Receive expert training
Receive expert training
Get expert training in social development: planning and evaluating community projects, including objectives, procedures and best practices.
Community workshops
Community workshops
Teach English literacy classes to community members. Lead awareness workshops on various topics including women’s empowerment and education.
Leadership training
Leadership training
Learn how to plan and set team goals, create supportive team environments, and reflect on your own leadership style.
Leadership responsibilities
Leadership responsibilities
Take on responsibilities such as conducting community needs analysis, creating pre-and-post workshop surveys, and coordinating workshop sessions.
Personal project
Personal project
Work on an individual project or one of GVI’s existing projects. This could include research into gender equality or local English literacy rates.
Mentorship
Mentorship
Meet weekly in a small group with other interns and an experienced mentor to receive project guidance and feedback on your leadership.

Skills

  • Community development
  • Community empowerment
  • Cross-cultural communication
  • International sustainable development
  • Social issues
  • Youth engagement

Partners

Some of the partners we work with on base.

Banteay Srei

Program details

 
Included in your program, at no extra cost.

Make the most of our unique programs with these exclusively curated local adventure and wellness experiences.

Offered once a month, expand your adventure with GVI Experiences. These are just some of the activities offered on your program!
Learn to cook traditional Cambodian dishes
Learn to cook traditional Cambodian dishes
Visit the Lotus Textile Farm by tuk-tuk
Visit the Lotus Textile Farm by tuk-tuk
Join a blessing ceremony with monks
Join a blessing ceremony with monks
Watch Phare, Cambodia's internationally renowned circus
Watch Phare, Cambodia's internationally renowned circus
Visit one of Siem Reap's floating villages
Visit one of Siem Reap's floating villages
Attend a pottery class
Attend a pottery class
Learn how HeroRATs detect landmines
Learn how HeroRATs detect landmines
Experience a traditional massage treatment
Experience a traditional massage treatment
Connect with our alumni
Want to connect with some of our past participants about their adventures? Get in touch with hundreds of friendly ambassadors all over the world who would be more than happy to answer any questions.
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8 reviews

Erin Chalmers

26 Sept 2024
Helena, Theary and Lon were all so welcoming and professional. Countless opportunities to engage with the local community and experience Cambodian culture. Nothing short of an incredible experience.

Lauren Adams

27 Jun 2024
GVI Cambodia is a great place to volunteer. I had a great time teaching English to various students: monks, women, children. The staff at the base are super friendly and lovely to work with. Siem Reap is also a super fun city to live in and explore. I definitely recommend GVI Cambodia, especially for 6+ weeks to get the full experience!

Claudia St Aubyn Grainger

24 May 2024
Utterly inspirational and incredible. I learnt so much from the staff and my students. I would recommend this base to anyone and everyone. I feel as though I have made an impact and everyone here has had a huge impact on me. I’m beyond grateful to have been able to help with this project.

Henrietta Mackenzie

24 May 2024
The last 4 weeks have been some of the most impactful of my life. The people that I have met and the experiences I have had will stay with me forever. GVI’s focus on sustainability makes the work we are doing even more inspiring as it is clear that the Khmer people and their communities are at the centre of the projects. I took part in five different initiatives at the Siem reap base and each of them was amazing in a different way. Teaching English to younger students here was so motivating as their determination to learn was so clear. But working with and teaching English to women that are working and studying was my highlight. Being able to talk to them about their lives and recognise everything we have in common was so much fun. I will miss playing uno every morning with such a great group of ladies!

Maya Louis

29 Apr 2024
The best part is the people you work with. You get to know about each of their individual lives and learning something new every day. Doing an internship allows you to participate to the maximum and really be able to involve yourself with the local community.

Veronica Harrold

19 Jan 2024
GVI in Siem Reap is a well organised operation with a number of significant community links. There is scope for volunteers to work within their area of expertise. I really liked how there was a focus on sustainability and therefore ongoing connections with different community groups depending on the need.

Genevieve Grace Lydia Palmer

22 Jul 2023
The only negative aspect of my trip with GVI in Cambodia was that I couldn’t stay longer- one month went by like 1 minute and I could have stayed forever.

Ewen Rivallain

28 Apr 2023
Fantastic programme with wonderful staff, I felt very much at ease with the team and with the NGOs we collaborate with. I believe GVI is making a positive difference in Siem Reap.However, I signed up to the Community Development Internship Programme, but I was never contacted by a remote internship support coordinator as promised. I would therefore like to know why there is considerable extra cost as an intern, given I was not provided with any extra support or guidance.

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