How to Choose the Best Volunteer Abroad Program for Students
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Are you a student who’s tired of classroom lessons, and wish to gain some first-hand work experience while volunteering abroad? Well, then we’re here to help you – so that you can embark on a learning journey, and make a difference.
As per the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR), 14.3% of the global population volunteered abroad in 2022, of which 6.5% were high school and college students. To say the least, volunteering abroad as a student will not only give you a chance to help the underprivileged people in your host country, but it’ll also provide you with incredible opportunities to work alongside professionals, learn about the local culture and social issues of the country, and meet people from different parts of the world.
Apart from that, you’ll also earn some extra academic credits after completing your volunteering program with Volunteering Solutions. This will surely boost your CV/ resume, and help you to stand ahead of your peers.
No matter whether you are looking for an alternative break volunteering program or a mission trip abroad, Volunteering Solutions has a wide range of meaningful and affordable programs for students across 25+ destinations.
If you are thinking about how to choose the best volunteering program abroad for students, then this article will answer all your questions.
Step 1: Chalk out a realistic budget for your volunteer trip abroad
As they say, “There’s nothing as a free lunch in this world”, and even something like volunteering comes with a minimal cost. But before you ask us ‘Why should I pay to volunteer abroad?’, let me tell you that the fee you’ll pay to volunteer as a student will also cover your accommodation, meals, project placement, in-country transportation as well as 24*7 support from our local team. Apart from that, a portion of the money will also go towards the project, leading to an improvement in the overall conditions.
So, when you decide to travel abroad for a service trip and volunteer for a meaningful cause, it’s important to have a budget. Apart from the program fee, you’ll also need money to purchase flight tickets, get a visa and travel insurance, as well as some extra funds to explore the new destinations that you’re visiting.
You can chalk out a rough budget, and start saving for your volunteer trip, or you can also fundraise to cover the extra costs.
Remember that every penny you spend during this trip will be valuable, and in the long run, it’ll also bring you joy and satisfaction.
Step 2: Choose a destination that fits your budget
It’s time to pick the destination once you’ve chalked out the budget. We know that the ‘world is your oyster’ and you probably have your travel bucketlist ready with you – but make sure to choose a destination that fits your budget.
Volunteering in Asia and Africa is comparatively more affordable for student volunteers, and over the years, we have hosted a maximum number of teen volunteers in countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.
Truth be told, no matter which volunteering destination you travel to, you’ll end up having a meaningful experience while spending time with the locals, contributing effectively towards the volunteer program.
Step 3: Find the best program in your preferred destination, that suits your tastes and preferences
As mentioned earlier, Volunteering Solutions has a wide range of teen volunteering opportunities available in every country around the world. These programs are available throughout the year, and you can choose the volunteering duration as per your convenience. From teaching young monks in the quaint town of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand to helping underprivileged women in India and volunteering for conversation programs in South Africa – you can choose the program that suits your interests.
Some of the most popular teen volunteering programs are listed below:
Environment and Wildlife Conservation Programs:
If you love to spend time amidst nature and wish to volunteer alongside professional conservationists, then this would be your chance to gain some first-hand work experience.
Medical and Healthcare Volunteer Programs:
These programs are specially curated for pre-med, medical, and nursing students looking for a medical mission trip abroad. You’ll be working with doctors and nurses, at a hospital or healthcare clinic, shadowing and assisting them. It’ll be an incredible opportunity for you to implement your theoretical learnings into practice.
Childcare and Teaching Volunteer Programs:
For those who love to spend time with children, the teaching and childcare programs would be the best. And to volunteer abroad as a teacher with Volunteering Solutions, you won’t even need previous experience or TEFL Certification. You just need to be motivated enough to shower the underprivileged kids with love and support them to learn basic English and Maths. You can also think of interactive games and activity-based lessons.
Community Development Volunteering Programs:
This is one of the most popular programs chosen by students for group volunteering. You can help in the overall development of the community, by renovating houses and building schools. There have been times when volunteers made libraries in underprivileged schools, to implement reading habits amongst the students. Other than that, you can also work for food waste management, women empowerment, organize healthcare awareness drives, etc.
Step 4: Figure out how long you wish to volunteer for
Now that you have chosen your destination and picked a program that would like to volunteer for, it’s also important (and crucial) to decide how long you wish to stay abroad and volunteer. While the minimum duration to volunteer is one week, you can choose to travel and volunteer for up to 6 months.
Short-term volunteering programs: Mostly, students prefer to volunteer during their alternative breaks. Thus, our team has curated a bunch of one-week and two-week special volunteering programs, which have a perfect mix of volunteer work and traveling.
Long-term volunteering programs: These would mainly suit gap year students, or someone keen to take a break for a month or two, and who wants to travel slowly while sinking into the culture of a country, and volunteering there.
No matter how much time you decide to spend, know that while it might seem like a small step, you can actually end up making a big difference while volunteering abroad.
Step 5: Connect with past volunteers
We believe it’s extremely important to clear all doubts about volunteering before you finally embark on your journey. Even though our Program Advisors are always available to answer all your questions, you can also connect with our past volunteers to learn about their experiences. They will be able to give you honest feedback about the programs as well as help you plan your journey in a meaningful way.
To connect with our Program Advisors, you can simply write to us at [email protected] and we shall get back to you.
FAQs:
1. Can I volunteer solo as a student?
Of course, you can. We host hundreds of solo student volunteers every year across various destinations, and our in-country team is available 24*7 to support you.
2. Can we get customized programs for student group volunteering?
Volunteering Solutions can offer customized programs for student groups with a minimum number of 5 volunteers in a group. If you have any specific requirements or want us to curate a program that would suit the interests of all the members of your group, we’ll be happy to do it.
3. When can I volunteer abroad as a student?
As a high school, college, or university student, you can make the most of your alternative spring break or summer break to join an international volunteer program. This will help you to make the most of your break while traveling to a new country, meeting new people, and gaining some valuable work experience that will make a difference to the underprivileged communities.
4. Why is it important to volunteer abroad as a student?
As a student, you have ample scope to learn from your teachers, in a classroom setting. But when you actually step out of your comfort zone and embrace the bigger world, you’ll realize that there’s much more to learn, that our textbooks often fail to teach us. Being a student volunteer abroad, you’ll be spending time away from home, in a new country, with a bunch of people who probably don’t speak your language. You might experience a culture shock, but eventually, it’ll help you to learn about the place, its people, its lifestyle and its history. It also helps you to sharpen your skills, as well as gain new ones.
Hence, it’s important to join a service trip as a student and volunteer for a meaningful cause.
5. Will I have free time to explore the country during my volunteer trip?
Most of the volunteer work happens on weekdays (Monday to Friday) and your weekend will be free to explore the country. You can take day trips to nearby areas, or indulge in doing something that has been on your bucket list. Also, the evenings on weekdays are usually light, so once you finish your work, you can go and check out the local markets, or chill with your fellow volunteers.
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