International Volunteer

You cannot walk passed it, everywhere you go people are talking about the biggest football event that happens every four years. This year the World Cup is organised in South Africa and there are a lot of opportunities to do volunteer work in South Africa.

First of all you have the opportunity to experience the excitement of FIFA 2010 South Africa by volunteering for the FIFA itself. There are many volunteer opportunities available in major World Cup cities as Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town,…But there are some rules to take into account. First of all you have to be over 18 years old to participate, furthermore volunteers must reside in the host city where they will be working and you have to agree of course to the stipulated code of conduct before volunteering.

But there are also other opportunities given. Thanks to projects abroad for instance, you can work as a sports coach in South Africa. You will be giving children the opportunity to participate in sports, allows them to learn important lessons in working as a team, anger management and prioritizing a healthy lifestyle. The only thing you need to have is a real passion for sports and the drive to lead a group of children while executing a sports session.

Of course you can also volunteer for other projects like animals volunteer work. With Projects Abroad, you can choose your date of departure and the duration. This way you can make sure that you are volunteering in South Africa during the World Cup.

You are a dynamic person that is eager to give something back. But you are still not convinced that volunteer work abroad is the right thing to do for you and you are searching for that last ‘push’ that tells you why you should volunteer abroad. Well, the following text is a guide through the positive aspects of working voluntarily. Maybe this is just what you need to make up your mind.

First of all there is the fact that during the financial crisis, there is a hard competition on the job market. Adding on your CV that you worked as a volunteer, can just be the tipping point in your advantage. It shows that you are dynamic, adventurous, generous and that you have a good morality. It can be a way of standing out from your competitors.

Another advantage is that during the volunteer program, you meet new people from all around the world with different points of view and different qualities. You will be able to learn a lot from them and you expand your international professional network which is very important in the modern world we live in considering the expanding globalisation.

Furthermore, it gives you a feeling of self-satisfaction, you are helping a local community in need and become a part of their culture and daily life, you see things that no one else will ever see, you learn new skills, do things that you never thought you were capable of doing and you will learn much about yourself.

In conclusion, working as a volunteer enriches both your personal and professional life in a way you could never imagine.

‘Voluntour’ trips give the opportunity to people in feeling satisfied by offering them volunteer vacations all over the world. There are hundreds of trips where people can go to be part of a community and experience a different culture but still having the feeling of a vacation.

These trips are usually traditional travel trips combined with volunteer working. You can participate for 3 weeks or longer and choose activities like teaching English, help the healthcare services, work in a wildlife conservation,…The trips are really getting to win popularity and more people take their children with them.

Currently 10% of gap adventures are voluntour trips. travelers are getting more and more interested in the matter and there is a big rise of new possibilities for these trips in 2010. We all want to give something back, and the voluntour trips are just a great opportunity in doing so.
If you are interested in going on a voluntour trip, maybe you can contact Globalvolunteers.org, Amizade.org, Volunteersforpeace.org or Projectsabroad.org. And feel good about your vacation.

When you volunteer abroad what do you expect? Do you expect a strict compliance of your itinerary? Do you assume to dramatically change everything in a day? Do you anticipate to-do something 24/7? What are your thoughts as you pack your bags going to your volunteer destination across the seas?

Volunteer Abroad is an adventure in its entirely. Every day is a fun challenge for us. Even the daily events in volunteer international are an enjoyable test of choice and personality. Other volunteers described their experiences like a mind blowing scene in a cinema but mine was just a simple volunteer event that I recorded on a diary and shared here with you.

Costa Rica is famous for its volunteer programs with saving the endangered turtles. The experience itself is so rare yet most volunteers went home with a happy smile and lots of pictures to show friends way back home. Some loves children and went to grab volunteer opportunities like teaching kids to speak English or taking care of babies.

My overseas volunteer experience is nothing so colorful but I had fun. I went half across the world to paint the walls of the kindergarten classroom in Costa Rica. I knew painting is a passion so I went to scout for an agency that could give me volunteer abroad opportunities doing something what I like.

Yes, my first volunteer international experience is painting pictures that would catch the attention of the children. So before embarking on a 7 day trek for Costa Rica, I spent time doing research and asking the expert opinions of teachers in our district about the effects of colors so that I could use just the perfect shade that helps facilitates learning. I also ask their opinions on what pictures to draw, I actually showed them the design of the painting I will do in Costa Rica. After taking care of all that- I packed my bags and flew to Costa Rica.

After 2 weeks of travel (of course I spent time touring in Costa Rica) I went home smiling and satisfied with my international volunteer- I did not expect anything but I feel good about the whole experience.