Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Why volunteer?
We think Jon Arnold, of Oyster Worldwide, answers this question rather well:
“Volunteering overseas does not only help you but hopefully it helps others as well. Whether
you are on a traditional gap-year or a career break, there is so much you can achieve by vo-
lunteering overseas.
“You can't expect to eradicate Third World poverty in a three-month volunteer trip but I
really believe people can make a really positive impact on a few people's lives. Whether it
is teaching someone to read or inspiring a group of kids to learn English and further their
own career prospect, you can leave knowing you have helped them. You have changed their
lives.
“Volunteering abroad also makes you more of an interesting person to speak to. If you can
bring examples of your overseas volunteering into your CV, when you had to use team work,
leadership, determination etc, then you will stand out from the crowd and hopefully be in-
vited for interview.
“I speak to lots of people who tell me the stories from their gap-years, even years down
the line. It is the people who have volunteered whilst living and immersing themselves in a
small community that often have the best stories to tell. It is those memories that stick out to
them and not necessarily the fact that they've travelled around and ticked off a tourist spots
from their bucket list.”
There's no denying that the economic situation has also added to the need for volunteers,
with organisations like the UN reporting that it has affected approximately 40% more of the
world's most vulnerable people.
So volunteer help is likely to be even more needed and appreciated. Voluntary work abroad
can also give you wonderful memories and a new perspective on the world.
On an organised voluntary project you often live amongst the local community and tend to
get closer to daily life than you do as an independent traveller. By taking part in an organised
voluntary work project you can learn about a different culture, meet new people and learn
to communicate with people who may not understand your way of life, let alone your lan-
guage.
You will come away with an amazing sense of achievement and (hopefully) pride in what
you have done. Career breakers have also found that a volunteer gap has not only been a sat-
isfying experience but given them new ideas and attitudes too. A structured volunteer place-
ment can also give a new dimension to the skills you can highlight on your CV.
This is particularly important considering the current job market, say Projects Abroad, and
something that many students think about before they choose their volunteer gap-year:
