One of the main points that we always touch when considering the pros and cons of working or volunteering abroad is the idea of culture shock (link relates to Eastern Europe issues). Imagine that you are in a new country where you:

• Don’t speak the language
• Don’t have access to a network of friends or family
• Can’t get home to see your family frequently

This means, you are likely going to run into some odd situations. For example, in Chile (and other South American countries) you have to weigh and pay for your food and bread at different sections around the supermarket, before you checkout. This might seem like a minor detail, but imagine that you are new in town and just want to get some groceries, and when you go to pay, everyone is yelling and pointing…this can be disheartening to say the least. This is culture shock.

Often it is the little norms that you might not know, or the nuances of everyday life that can keep people from adjusting fully to a new culture or country, rather than the bigger things that one might expect. You might get used to being the tallest or blondest person in the room before you get used to how taxis work, or what proper subway etiquette is…all of these things take a lot of negotiation, and most of all, a willingness to make mistakes.

To avoid culture shock, you need to have an open-ness about looking silly, or sounding silly from the beginning. Focus on learning how to perform daily tasks, or get from point A to point B before you try to master these things. Learn how to ask questions, and how to really listen to the answers. Culture shock can be just as good as it is challenging, as long as you keep an open mind.

The continent of Africa is one of the most diverse in the world, with dozens of countries making up the the giant land mass.

The region also has a strong relationship with the United States in the form of missions and relief – the ongoing rebellions and fighting in many countries in Africa have left millions of its citizens in refugee camps, a large number of which are controlled by the United Nations or large relief groups.

Because of these large national relief organizations, there are many nonprofit jobs in Africa related to missions and refugee camps, and international volunteers are generally needed in some other, under-served areas. A popular way for international volunteers to become involved in service in Africa is through community development initiatives for parts of Africa that are politically stable, but are looking for more community and economic development to boost their economies and improve the lives of Africans.

There are many ways to become involved in community development projects in Africa for free as a volunteer. The term “community development” can mean many things to many people – in this post I will focus on volunteer opportunities in Africa that have an effect on the local communities in which they are located, either  through children, business or the environment.

Network for Community Development is a health care organization based in Uganda that is committed to improving health care services and materials delivery. They also sponsor a school-based program for volunteers to help teach young children about health care practices that can keep them well. There is a fee for volunteering, which covers primarily room and board (about $150/week). They are generally looking for health professionals with experience as nurses, psychiatric nursing, or pharmaceutical distribution.

Path to Africa is a volunteer placement organization in Tanzania whose mission is to connect international volunteers with volunteer projects in rural parts of Tanzania, which otherwise have limited access to basic amenities. Projects generally focus on children’s service and teaching. Path to Africa provides airport pick-up, visa assistance and ongoing support on the ground in Tanzania (they will even take you shopping for supplies your first day!). Due to the independent nature of the projects in Tanzania, Path to Africa provides a central location for volunteers to come together and get to know one another. The organization started as  a hostel in Moshi called Hostel Hoff where volunteers can stay their first night, or on any nights off. There is a cost for staying at the hostel, but not for volunteer placements.

Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa is based in Ghana, and runs a large number of projects related to community development for international volunteers. The Africa Business Development Projects looks for volunteers with some business experience to assist local business in Ghana with marketing and financial tasks, teaching some local business leaders techniques to make their businesses more efficient. Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa charges a small fee (about $100/week) for room and board in their volunteer house. They do require that you purchase for your volunteer stay (which is a good idea anyway) and ask for a minimum of 1 months stay in Accra.

International Work Camps Morocco gives international volunteers in Norther Africa the opportunity to work in work camps in Marrakech with orphans in need or extra support. Volunteers can teach, play and just hangout with the children as part of the volunteer experience. The only fee to volunteer is for housing; volunteers can choose a homestay, apartment or hostel, which will cause the price to vary.

These are just come of the free and low cost overseas volunteer opportunities that are available to international volunteers in Africa. There are many other ways to help out in Africa, so make sure that you keep searching until you find the appropriate project for you. Also keep in mind that if you find a great project that does charge for volunteering, make sure that you ask where the fee goes. Sometimes it goes as a donation to the organization, or for some volunteer support services. Don’t write-off a volunteer experience just because it charges a fee, just make sure that your money, and your time, are going to the right place.

If you’ve neen reading this blog, hopefully you’ve gotten some really useful information about volunteering abroad.

We’ve covered visas, volunteer organizations, resume tips…and of course there is more to come! There will always be some little things, little pieces of advice, that doesn’t necessarily fall into any category or section. That’s what this post is for! I’ve spoken to some of my veteran volunteer friends to come up with the top 5 things that people always forget to tell you before you volunteer abroad. These are the unlikely, random and interesting pieces of advice that you can only really get from someone who has volunteered abroad in the past. I hope that you find it useful!

1) Write things down. It may seem like everyone who goes anywhere has a blog or twitter account, and I’m not necessarily advocating for you to turn yourself into a novelist or master writer just to document your trip. However, keeping a journal, or even just writing captions for your photos (remember to take photos) will help you not only think of things to share with your friends and family when you get home, but will help you remember not only what you did, but how you felt. What most people remark about the volunteer abroad experience is that they

2) Buy good pants. And a good backpack. This is definitely a more random piece of advice, but we live and learn. Volunteers are often called to do unexpected things for their jobs – these could involve mud, dust, children, animals, floors, cars…pretty much anything. The easiest way to be prepared for anything your international volunteer organization might throw at you? With a good pair of pants. I’m not kidding. Head out to an outdoor store or army navy store (or any other place that sells durable clothing) and invest in a solid pair of pants, in a versatile color. You’ll thank me later. The other big investment you should make is your backpack (or messenger bags, or whatever is comfortable for you), which you will mot likely use both on a daily basis and for weekend trips. You’ll want a bag that can handle both of those tasks, is comfortable to carry, waterproof and…probably good looking. Don’t be afraid to take some time and research the best items to buy for your trip, especially for things that you will use everyday. Which brings me to….

3) Pack light! This could seem counterintuitive, since you’ll be leaving home for a while and will probably want as many comforts with you as possible. But you’d be surprised at how many people tell me that they just used the same stuff over and over again. Remember those pants that you bought? They should be durable enough to wear a few times a week. Bring basics. Plan to buy some souvenirs and pick things us while you are overseas. The only exception might be personal items (like medicines, or a particular kind of toothpaste) which could potentially be more expensive (especially if it has to be imported) in your host country. My other big piece of packing advice is to start early. Make a list of what you feel are your essentials. Take everything that you want to bring with you and lay it out on your bed, or wherever you are packing. Then take out half of the stuff, which you probably don’t need. Look at the items you have left, and take out half again, this time of stuff you think you need but that you can definitely live without. Pack the rest. I promise, not having that specific pair of jeans is going to see very trivial once you start your volunteer job.

4) Make a budget. For everything. I already mentioned “budgeting” in terms of packing, but it is also beneficial to do this in other areas, including money and time.

As an international volunteer, you absolutely must be flexible with your work and free time in order to experience as much as possible. But to help you keep your sanity, you should do this within some sort of plan that makes sense for you. So you have a set amount of money to spend while you are abroad. Make sure that you account for it down to the day ($X for weekend travel, Y number of trips, $Z for souvenirs, $XX for food), and make sure to budget for emergencies (they happen) and extras (that weekend trip that wasn’t in the plan that you just can’t pass up). Check in on your finances weekly and stay on schedule. Do this with your time as well. Figure out in advance how much time you want to spend out of town, at work, sleeping, exploring and keep track. This will help you to manage work commitments with leisure activities, and it is just as easy as writing things down (see #1) and making sure you aren’t going over your allotted time for any one activity.

5) Never assume. Most people that are leaving for a big trip abroad are going to daydream about where they are going, what they will be doing and will read up on their host country and organization. These are all great, natural things to do. But one thing that you’ll want to avoid is turning those daydreams into assumptions about the work you are going to do and the people that you are going to meet. When you show up on your first day of work, you’ll want to ask questions and be ready for things to be different than you imagined – they usually are, and this is a good thing. Leaving your assumptions at the door makes you a more flexible volunteer, and will ultimately enrich your experience.

Please feel free to leave your tips for volunteers in the comments!

Today I’m going to briefly highlight one of the “big dogs” of overseas volunteering, Cross Cultural Solutions.

This large volunteer placement organization is going to pop up again and again through any search for “overseas volunteering” or “volunteer abroad” that you might type into your search engine. They cover five continents (North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe) and for the past 15 years, more than 25,000 volunteers have participated in their programs.

WHO are they?

Cross Cultural Solutions is a large US-based volunteer placement organization, providing volunteer services in 12 countries around the world. Cross Cultural Solutions volunteers complete both short and long-term projects, and the large number of volunteers that the program attracts provide a constant stream of volunteers to help with the community with a sustainable workforce.

WHAT do they want you to do?

Volunteer placements through Cross Cultural Solutions focus primarily on care-giving, health care, teaching and community development. Their community development placements give those with some professional experience the opportunity to apply them to real-world problems, helping to design and implement women’s empowerment programs, creating websites for local organizations and small businesses or even teaching simple office skills to young workers.

WHEN might you go?

Because CCS provides both short and long-term (1 week to 12 weeks), they accept applications year round. However, they main focus appears to be alternative spring, summer and winter breaks for college students and “career breaks” for graduates. Groups also have the option of booking trips through Cross Cultural solutions. Check the CCS website for a list of start dates for the different volunteer work types and locations.

WHY are they awesome?

Cross Cultural Solutions prides itself on their in-country support for volunteers. In fact, that’s where the majority of your volunteer fees are going. They have staff on the ground throughout the year, working with local NGOs to make sure that the volunteer placement process is smooth and doesn’t cause any problems for the organization. They are also committed to keeping volunteers safe, and becoming embedded in the communities with which they work.

HOW can you apply?

The application is available online on the Cross Cultural Solutions website, but keep in mind that to enroll you must pay a non-refundable deposit of ~$275.

If you have personal experience with CCS and would like to share your thoughts about the program, please feel free to leave a comment!

Just like our last post spotlighting free and low cost volunteering opportunities in Latin America, this week we will focus on volunteering in Asia.

Many of the work and volunteer study abroad experiences in the Far East focus on teaching and tutoring English, but there are many other ways that you can lend a hand to local organizations. This post will focus on opportunities working with children, but keep an eye out for subsequent post about the environment, human rights, and much more.

Free and low cost volunteering generally means that the organization for which you are working does not charge a fee, or that fee might be more modest and include things that you would have to pay for anyway, like housing and food. It is important to note that there are very few volunteer abroad experiences that are truly free – that is, they don’t charge a fee to volunteer AND they cover your living expenses or offer a stipend of some sort. In fact, many people who work abroad may not even get those things. Free volunteering means that the money that you spend out of pocket is just for your living expenses, or to make voluntary donations to the organization if you so choose.

Its also important to keep in mind that I don’t necessarily have any first-hand experience with these organizations, and including them here isn’t necessarily an endorsement. If you are looking for more in-depth reviews of work abroad and volunteer abroad programs, please keep an eye out for spotlight posts.

Free and Low-Cost Volunteering with Children in Asia

Impact Abroad places volunteers with various NGOs (non-governmental organizations) throughout China’s Yunnan Province, which boasts a diverse mix of cultures and environments. Yunnan is becoming a go-to destination for many tourists, and a volunteer experience can give you a chance to get an even closer glimpse at its unique cultural diversity. Projects including teaching young children English or simply spending time with children with disabilities and helping with day-to-day tasks. Impact Abroad goes so far as to tailor volunteer experiences to each volunteer, so you can apply at any time (up to two weeks) before you intend to arrive and stay for any amount of time that works best for you. They charge no fee to volunteer, and assist with housing placements with local host families.

Winrock International is a truly unique organization that recruits professionals to volunteer abroad for 2-3 weeks (usually during work vacations) to assist local nonprofits with projects that demand a certain type of expertise. Youth projects include developing leadership programs to give youth living in poverty access to the skills they need to find gainful employment. Volunteers also develop mentoring programs, provide advocacy assistance to combat issues like child labor and human trafficking. Winrock International is one of the “truly free” volunteer organizations, providing round-trip airfare, travel expenses and a living stipend. The programs rotate, so you’ll have to see what type of skills they are looking for at the moment, but you can also fill out an application listing your skills and interests at any time.

Project Why is a small New Dehli-based organization working with the poorest children in India.

They have a variety of projects that place volunteers with children either teaching them English, computer skills, or simply helping with the day-today tasks of children with special needs. Volunteers are expected to commit to stays of a few weeks, but not other specific skills are required.

The International Humanity Foundation has four locations, including one in Thailand and four centers in Indonesia (Jakarta, Bali, Aceh, and Medan) where volunteers assist teachers through IHF’s TEP (The Education Program). Children living in poverty are identified by the IHF and volunteers participate with them in informal educational programs. These programs are often the schooling to which poor children have access, since most schools charge tuition to attend. IHF coordinates sponsorship for school through donations, with volunteers staying connected with families to ensure that the funds are being used for education. The IHF charges a small monthly fee to volunteers.

These are just a few of the free and low cost volunteer programs in Asia. Check back for more volunteer opportunities in other areas and locations!

Inspired by a recent New York Times article “Advice on Using Your Credit Card While Traveling Abroad“, I thought I’d take a break from volunteer abroad or work abroad-specific posts and focus on some things about living abroad that are a little more general – like how to make sure your credit cards don’t get frozen.

I’m sure this has happened to you (as it has to me): You are out-of-town buying souvenirs and going out o eat and then the next thing you know, the credit card company has become convinced that your card is stolen and you can’t use it.

While it’s great to know that credit card companies are looking out for us (which is something you don’t read about every day), it can be frustrating to lose the use of a credit card, especially when you are in a foreign country and trying to settle in. Even if the company is aware that you are going to be living in another country, weekend trips to neighboring cities could also spark suspicion.

While it could seem like a hassle, the best way to avoid any credit or bank card issues is to call your banks and credit card issuers and give them the dates that you plan on traveling abroad. That way, when the red flags go up as you are buying toothpaste in London, there will be a note on your account telling the, not to automatically freeze you out of your account. You might still get phone calls asking you if your card has been stolen, and asking you verify charges, but at least you won’t lose your purchasing power.

One thing I learned from the article that anyone going abroad should be aware of are the different types of credit cards that are accepted in Europe and Asia. Newer cards in these areas use a different technology (which always requires a PIN) than we do here in the U.S., and you could have trouble using your card once you get there. This is especially important if you are planning to work or volunteer abroad for a short-term job or project and won’t be transferring your money to a local bank.

So what do we do about all of this? After calling your bank and/or credit card company to tell them that you will be out of the country for a while, you should add these credit card issues to your list of things to ask your host organization (or better yet, your host family if you have one). They are the ones who have the most up-to-date knowledge of any credit card issues that might exist for expats living and working abroad.

Let’s say you’ve had a great volunteer abroad experience, helping people, cleaning up communities and encouraging development.

The experience is no doubt formative, and worthwhile in and of itself. You’re back in the States and ready to tackle the job market with your new skill set and passion.

How do you translate your volunteer abroad experience into a job?

This can be tricky, since there are many tasks and roles that you may have played with your overseas volunteer organization that may not translate exactly into a resume format for an office or 9-to-5 job. Here are some tips to help you boost your resume with a volunteer experience, beyond simply impressing your potential boss with a trip abroad!

1) Read the job description carefully.

The best resumes and cover letters are those which explicitly address the roles and responsibilities of the position; the goal of the resume is to show why you are right for a certain job (not just any job). But there are many qualities that all employers are looking for, and skills that can translate across many careers. For example, many jobs require someone who can “multi-task.” As a volunteer with a nonprofit organization, you were no doubt pulled in many directions during your experience and have developed the ability to juggle many tasks. It may not seem obvious if you are applying for a job in the business world, but you would be surprise at how many of these types of skills are attractive to employers.

2) Think about the big picture.

Employers want to see high impact on a resume. Whether that means and increase in sales, services or clean-up efforts. You want to present yourself as someone who has made a difference somehow. As an international volunteer, you often find yourself doing somewhat menial or repetitive tasks to meet the needs of your organization. Is it really appropriate to put “cleaned the bathroom” on your resume?

Not exactly, but what you can do is take a step back from your tasks, and think about your role. Did you free up time for the higher ups at your organization to do their jobs, thus increasing the number of people receiving services? Were you able to use a new idea to make certain systems (however trivial they might seem to you) more efficient? Were you able to shadow any of the organization leaders, and learn more about what they do on an individual level? These are the kinds of things that employers love to see.

3) Don’t rest on the word “volunteer”.

It is generally accepted that having volunteer experience will help you get a job, show your altruism and commitment to the community. But once the majority of people starting packing their resumes with anything resembling a volunteer experience, it isn’t enough to list that you were a volunteer. In fact, it may be more beneficial to you to think of what your title would be if it weren’t volunteer. Common roles for volunteers are Project Manager, Program Coordinator, Facilitator, etc. Think of a title (and check with your supervisor) that accurately describes your volunteer experience and use that on your resume in addition to the volunteer title. That way, a prospective employer can see quickly that you had a serious role within your organization, which will help you to stand out from the crowd.

Writing a winning resume can be a challenge, especially for newcomers to the job market. A volunteer experience abroad can only serve to enhance a resume, as long as you think beyond yourself and put yourself in your potential employers shoes as you include the experience.

It’s probably not a surprise that I have some mixed feelings about paying to volunteer abroad.

On the one hand, most organizations abroad who really, desperately need volunteers simply can’t afford to pay for things like airline tickets and room and board. Paying to volunteer in these situations is simply a part of the reality of working with small non-profit organizations.

Alternatively, there are volunteer placement organizations, which charge fees above and beyond the travel and room and board that you would have to pay for on your own anyway. But in return for these fees, you have access to support staff on the ground, which offers piece of mind, especially if your volunteer abroad job is your first time traveling.

If you have access to airline tickets, or are willing to pay for them, there are a number of options for low-cost and free volunteer opportunities abroad. The most important thing is to not only know where to look, but to know the signs to look for that indicate whether or not certain work abroad opportunities are legitimate.

To save you a little bit of trouble, here are just a few low-to-no cost volunteer opportunities abroad to get you started on your search. Today we will focus on Latin America, but subsequent posts will reach out to other regions:
AMA Torres del Paine (Chile): For the rustic and outdoorsy types, AMA Torres del Paine is a completely no cost volunteer opportunity in one of the most breathtaking natural landscapes in the world. Torres del Paine, nestle in Chile’s Patagonia region, features kilometers of trails and wildlife that are visited by tens of thousands of tourists each year. AMA environmental conservation volunteers typically work for 11 days to 2 months, and can do anything from fundraising and marketing to maintaining trails and working on education programs. The program has no fee, and room and board (i.e. camping) are included.

New Era Galapagos (Ecuador): The Galapagos Islands are some of the most interesting and mysterious communities in the world. New Era Galapagos depends on it’s environmental volunteers to engage the local community in efforts to preserve this area. Volunteers might teach English as a foreign language, or educate local community members about the importance of environmental preservation. There is no fee to volunteer with New Era Galapagos, but volunteers typically stay with local families who charge a modest rent (~$400/month).

Madidi Travel (Peru): The ever-popular eco-tourism movement is especially active in Madidi, one of the more bio-diverse areas on the planet. Volunteers with Madidi travel can participate in virtually any aspect of Madidi’s work, from marketing, to cooking, to actively protecting the delicate flora and fauna in the area. Volunteers must stay for a minimum of one month, and the average cost of room and board is about $300.

These are just a few low-cost environmental volunteer opportunities in Latin America. Keep checking the blog for more ways to volunteer overseas for free in Africa, Asia, Europe and beyond!

**All web pages have both Spanish and English versions, so if you are taken to the Spanish language page, just look for the American or UK flag icon to switch to English.

The New York Times Magazine featured a really interesting article this past weekend about careers and 20-somethings.

The gist is this: The decade of your 20s was once seen as the beginning of adulthood — job, marriage and all the things that came with being a grown up.

However, today’s 20-somethings, according to the article, aren’t exactly embracing this notion of growing up. Instead, they are lingering in transition, moving back home in record numbers, going back to school or pursuing unpaid internships rather than getting a full-time job.

There’s no doubt that the economic recession has played a part in these trends, but according to the article, there is something deeper going on. The five traditional milestones of adulthood, which according to the article, are completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married and  having a child, are being met later and later, or not at all — irrespective of the economic downturn.

In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had, by the time they reached 30, passed all five milestones. Among 30-year-olds in 2000, according to data from the United States Census Bureau, fewer than half of the women and one-third of the men had done so.

Are you a 20-something struggling to get your foothold in the career world? Do you find yourself desiring adventure, opportunity and excitement over predictability, certainty and responsibility. Sure, 20 somethings in the 1950s were holding down full-time jobs by their early 20s — but they also worked in the same cubicle for 50 years just to get their pension and a gold watch.

If you want to see the world, experience different cultures, make a difference in someone else’s life today — while you are still young — the JobMonkey can be an excellent resource.

From Lauren’s blog posts about volunteering and studying abroad, to our website’s sections on overseas volunteerism and work abroad jobs, let us help you jump start a lifelong career that suits your interests and passions. Yes, even in your 20s!

Amigos de las Americas is an international volunteer organization for high school students that really speaks to me, not only because they do volunteer work in Latin America, but because they have a truly awesome website. But is that reason enough to spotlight Amigos as a great organization with which to volunteer abroad? Probably not, but they have many other great things to offer.

WHO are they?

Amigos de las Americas (Amigos) is an international non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas whose mission is to “build partnerships to empower young leaders, advance community development and strengthen multicultural understanding in the Americas”. To date, more than 200,000 teenage volunteers have performed community service activities in locations throughout North and South America, primarily (but not exclusively) related to healthcare.

WHAT do they want you to do?

Volunteers with Amigos participate in summer-long volunteer community service trips in places like Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Paraguay. Project types range from community nutrition, sports, the arts and environmental health. Volunteers work directly with partner agencies to become embedded in the communities. An example project: In San Juan, Dominican Republic volunteers assist a local community-based initiative summer camp focusing on sports and leadership. The volunteers promote leadership and team building with 5-12 year-old campers for the summer.

WHERE might you go?

Amigos has long-standing relationships with community organizations in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Paraguay. Volunteers apply directly to projects in one of these locations.

WHEN can you go?

Amigos sponsors a summer-long (~ 8 Week) volunteer experience.

WHY are they awesome?

Amigos recognizes that the transformative experience of volunteering abroad is a two-way street, and that many volunteers actually get more out of it than the children and communities they serve. They embrace this, and emphasize leadership and community building for their volunteers in conjunction with the actual volunteer activities. While I typically prefer a three-month volunteer experience (especially when working with children), Amigos stands out for its relationship-building with the community organizations on the ground in host countries and communities; Amigos strives to immerse volunteers within these communities for the short time they are volunteering abroad.

Need another reason why Amigos is great? You can receive college credit for your service experience! Depending on the project, this can be for Spanish language, Latin American studies or Public Health or many others.

HOW can you apply?

This volunteer experience is for young people, namely high school-age students who have taken at least two years of Spanish. There are actually types volunteer types: Correspondent Volunteers come from across the country and train at the central office in Houston. For these volunteers, there is a fee, but it includes round-trip airfare, room and board and insurance (that’s really not bad for $4,600). Chapter Volunteers sigh up through their local chapters (most are located in major cities, a complete list can be found on the Amigos website), are trained locally and fees may vary. It is best to contact your local chapter for more information, as the website is geared towards Correspondent Volunteers. They do encourage people who have access to local chapters to apply through those, each chapter also maintains its own website which contains more specific information.

The application is available online, and you can start and stop through out the process. They start the recruitment process for summer in the winter of the previous year. You should also be aware that when you apply you should be ready with a $1,000 deposit for your application fee. This implies to me that Amigos isn’t particularly selective with their applicants, but they do have great results from the young people who have gone through the program.

My overall impression of this organization is positive. While many international volunteer organizations have popped up to help (mostly privileged) students pad their resumes and college applications with community service, Amigos has a a great reputation and has been around for along time relative to the rest of the international volunteer movement. They do strive to get the most out of their volunteers in the short time they are abroad, and the range of projects should appeal to most high school students.

Have you worked or volunteered with Amigos de las Americas? Do you have anything to add?

This is the first in a weekly series of spotlights. Some will focus on organizations and businesses, others on locations and cities, and occasionally people who have lived and worked abroad and can offer advice. We hope that you find them as you learn more about work abroad and volunteer overseas jobs.