Volunteering abroad is growing in popularity. Ditching resort lounge chairs and tour buses, people from all walks of life are spending their holidays serving. Altruism is at the heart of peoples’ motivations, as are a range of personal reasons from building professional skills to growing emotionally and having fun. Volunteering overseas also offers a unique opportunity to experience local cultures on a deeper level. No theatre, just real life. It is no surprise then you often hear volunteers saying their experience is as much about making an impact on their host community as on themselves.
However, volunteering abroad requires preparation. From staying safe to being ready for cultural gaps to finding projects that are making a real impact, you have to do your homework. In recent years a cottage industry has popped up to fill the growing demand for people looking to serve abroad. An online search for international volunteering opportunities returns a seemingly overwhelming mountain of information. Where to begin?
Here we offer six tips on navigating your search and getting yourself to the field.
1. Plan the logistics ahead
Not surprisingly, most international volunteering opportunities are in developing countries like Cambodia, Morocco or Peru. To quote from the Wizard of Oz, you’re “not in Kansas any more”. Unless you have done your fair share of international travel, perhaps as a backpacker or Indiana Jones’ sidekick, you can’t just hop on a plane and show up. Figuring out logistics like airport pick-up, housing and meals is one thing in Paris, but another in Lima, Peru or Vang Vieng, Laos. And, most importantly, finding a project that needs you and is committed to making a real development impact is no easy task.
So, do your homework. What kind of service opportunity are you joining? What about food and accommodation? Safety? Project supervision? Other things like pre-departure mentorship and airport pickup, while seemingly small, also become much more important when you land in a strange foreign country after a 15-hour flight or if, God forbid, something goes wrong.
2. Beware of volunteering abroad “for free”
There are excellent international volunteering opportunities that don’t require you to pay. If you’re a US citizen and have two-and-a-half yeas to spare, you can sign up for the Peace Corps. All your expenses will be covered and you’ll even receive a small stipend and benefits—all free to you, courtesy of the US taxpayer. Religious organisations or employers may also sponsor you, and, if you have coveted skills like those of a doctor or disaster relief professional, there may be an aid organisation willing to pay for you to serve abroad. However, even if you can find one of these opportunities, they will offer little flexibility in terms of deciding when and where you go, what you do and for how long you’re off.
On the flip side, there are outfits touting “free” volunteering as a ploy to get you to pay for another of their high-priced services. They lure you with the volunteering and then rope you into paying for other things, for example language or salsa lessons. Or, they’ll promise “free” volunteering but then require you to stay in their overpriced hostel. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
3. High price does not equal high quality
While you should beware of free international volunteering, you do not need to pay a fortune. There are many so-called “voluntarism” organisations that get away charging high prices. Some do so because there are just not that many international volunteering opportunities out there — if there’s more demand than supply, prices are higher.
So, ask yourself what you’re looking to get out of your experience and then match that with the opportunities out there. Then, do your research about each organisation. What is the mission? Is it led by volunteers and development professionals? What are past volunteers saying? And, if it’s a non-profit, check sites like Charity Navigator that rate non-profits and show you how they allocate their money.
4. Volunteers are not tourists
Volunteers and tourists have very different motivations. It’s important you approach your time in the field with the right attitude. As an international volunteer you must take off your culture goggles and operate in conditions that are probably very different from where you’re from.
5. If you can, go for a while
Generally, the longer you go the more impact you’ll make. If you’re working on a conservation or construction project this may not be the case as you can start and finish a small project in very little time. However, if you’re working on a social project, for example teaching English, supporting an NGO or working in a hospital, you’ll become a more valuable volunteer with time. You’ll get further up the learning curve and progressively add more value to your project.
Additionally, staying longer can save you money. If you have the time, the Peace Corps is an economical option. If not, most reputable short-term international volunteering organisations will incentivise you to stay longer by charging you less per day the longer you go.
6. Let yourself grow
Volunteering internationally can be a life-changing experience. You’re stepping out of your comfort zone and into situations you’ve probably never been in before. You’re also looking beyond media headlines and facing realities you may never have known before — it can be invigorating to experience yourself making a difference, but also difficult to face some of the world’s sad realities.
Remember that a big piece of your volunteering experience is about your own growth. You’re going to change in important ways. Your international volunteering experience may even become a pivotal and formative period in your life. So, listen to yourself and engage others. Talk about what you’re feeling and hear what others have to say. Don’t be shy. Like most things in life, the more you share with others the more you’ll benefit yourself.
For more information visit www.ubelong.org and their Facebook page.
