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Volunteer: A Traveller's Guide
Looking for more inspiration and information? Read up on ways to help out in the comprehensive Volunteer Guide ›
i-to-i Volunteer Travel
Volunteer - A Traveller's Guide to Making A difference Around the World
Who offers placements?
Once you have an idea of the kind of work you want to do, how do you find the right volunteer opportunity?
Local charities or NGOs work with sending agencies (limited companies, not-for-profit organisations or registered charities) around the globe who help match the right placement with the right volunteer.
Within this framework there are four main volunteer packages or experiences that you can choose from:
1. Organised Volunteer Programs
With these programs almost everything is arranged for you: your volunteer placement; international flights; board and lodging; travel insurance; visas; orientation courses; in-country support and transport. The cost may be high, but it's all-inclusive (bar pocket money).
Options for the Under-30s
This covers organised volunteer programs catering specifically to the youth market or gap-year student.
Working with Children
Typically, work in this area might include volunteering as a sports coach, a placement in an orphanage or working with street children.
Volunteering Plus
These are organised volunteer programs that offer a 'sandwich' or combined volunteering experience. For instance, you could learn a language for a month, volunteer for another and then undertake some adventurous group travel for a further month or two.
Volunteering Holidays
A good proportion of conservation and wildlife programs fall into this subset because of their short time frames (often one to three weeks). Some organisations cater more to the holiday-maker who wants to do a spot of volunteering (voluntourism).
Emergency and Relief (Skilled Volunteering)
Organisations that recruit skilled volunteers include VSO, ATD Fourth World, Australian Volunteers International (AVI), Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) or Skillshare International. Organisations that provide emergency and relief services include MSF or Médecins du Monde (MdM).
2. Structured and Self-funding Volunteer Programs
Some charities and sending agencies offer a structured volunteer program, but might require you to find your own accommodation or book your own flights - this is reflected in the fee. Much less hand-holding!
On the next rung of the ladder are self-funding volunteering programs. This is where an agency will match you with an overseas placement, but you pay all your own costs, organise all the practical details (eg flights, visas and accommodation) and receive very little additional support.
3. Religious Organisations
Religious organisations operate both types of volunteer experience: organised volunteer programs, and structured and self-funding volunteer programs. The main difference is that much of the work is faith-based and are for periods of one year or more. Religious organisations aren't big on conservation and wildlife programs.
4. Do-It-Yourself Volunteer Placements
If you don't fancy any of these options, you can cut out the middle man and tee up a volunteer placement directly with a grass-roots NGO or locally run program. There are two main ways of doing this: you can organise a placement using one of the many online databases of worldwide volunteering opportunities; or you can arrange a volunteer placement once you arrive in a country.
