10 Tips for a Successful Volunteer Abroad Experience (Tip #1: Research & Communicate Before Booking)

I mentioned once before that for quite a while I have been meaning to write up a post on volunteering abroad. It just keeps getting pushed to the back burner because I am having trouble putting my thoughts into a cohesive and coherent order.

But I think that I am going to give it a try. 

I was joined by two other volunteers last Friday, and it has been fascinating to witness how they are processing and adjusting to the placement here. It is like seeing and hearing exactly my experiences in the past year being lived by someone else! This has been helpful in figuring out exactly what I wanted to blog about, because by talking with them I find myself passing on some lessons I have learned/am learning about volunteering abroad.

So, here I begin an incomplete (but I hope helpful) list of...

10 Tips for a Successful Volunteer Abroad Experience. 

#1. Research and Communicate Before Booking.

Scour their website for information, read reviews and testimonials (try to find some that are not listed ON the website, as those are likely only to be positive, and may be old and outdated), and email the NGO. directly to ask questions...however make sure you read the website thoroughly first so you can ask specific questions that have not already been answered online.The staff dont have time to repeat answers for everyone, and you will only frustrate them by doing this.

Some sample questions might be:

-How many staff are involved in the organization, and who is on the ground with the volunteers? How long have they worked there? What are their qualifications?
-How many volunteers will they will have during the time frame you want to stay? How long are they staying? Will they be in the same placements or different? Will you be working in a team or individually?
-Are there any current volunteers that you could talk/write to?
-What will the accommodations will be like? Where is the accommodation located and in what sort of area? Is it easy walking distance to shopping/restaurants/etc?
 -Where will you be volunteering specifically? How will you get there? How many hours are you expected to work per day/week?
-What kind of resources are available (ie: for printing, buying, sourcing helpful lesson plans; are materials such as pens/pencils/paper provided?) Are pre-planned lessons provided? How much are you expected to do/provide yourself? What kind of resources are helpful to bring from home?
-How much will the placement cost, and what is and isn't covered? What is the cost breakdown?*

*The last is especially important, because most volunteer organizations will charge a significant sum of money, and you should know where that ends up- don't assume it is a "charitable donation" to your project, because most of it probably isn't. Also, it is extremely unlikely you will get a refund if you arrive and discover that things are not as they seemed on the flashy website. Looking at you, Aldeas de Paz. 

The more questions you ask, the better. Don't accept things at face value, and don't hesitate to probe further if you're not entirely satisfied with the answer. Be specific.

There are a LOT of organizations out there, so you don't have to "settle" for anything- look around until you find a reputable organization that has nothing to hide, good RECENT reviews/testimonials, and is willing to spend the time to explain things to you and help you prepare.

This can be a difficult step because there are so many options and places to go, the choices can be overwhelming! Take your time, ask around, and try not to assume anything- always get clarification. If you do your homework, it is less likely that you will be dissatisfied with the organization you work with and your experience will be more positive.


On A Side Note...

I should mention that paying money to volunteer is not a crazy idea. People often think, "Why would I go work somewhere for free- never mind actually PAY someone to work for them?". It seems like a backwards idea, but give me a moment to make a case for the paid volunteer placement. 

Often volunteers don't realize that they can be costly to the NGO. Running an NGO can be expensive in itself, and in fact, we volunteers can be a bit of a hassle. Its a shocking concept- aren't we descending from our lofty privileged lives to extend a hand to those in NEED out of the goodness of our hearts?! Believe it or not, most volunteers are unlikely to "earn their keep", and we have high standards of living that will be an unusually high expense locally. We require a certain amount of "babysitting" because we often don't know the language and culture, so skilled and trained staff are necessary, and they need to be paid a fair wage. There are a myriad of costs associated with hosting volunteers, so when you look at the fees, remember that they are providing a service to YOU as well. In addition, you are supporting a worthwhile cause...that is, if you've done your homework and are volunteering with a quality NGO. 

Tip #2. to follow at a later date :)