Volunteer Work with or without own contribution?

• All projects and jobs in which you are not only contributing by your physical efforts but also pay all costs that are related to you. If you are able to get extra funding for the projects, the circumstances and the survival chance of the project can be improved, and then you might be delivering the best contribution you can.
• Within this type of volunteer work you have subdivision between short, mid-long and long-term projects:
• They can vary from a few weeks till for e.g. 9 months and also the costs can vary from a little compensation for the food and accommodation to a substantial contribution for the project.
• Expeditions or research like wildlife projects are meant for applicants with little time and experience. The contribution of the applicant is also usually the financing of the projects or expeditions.

Volunteer Work without Own Contribution

• Voluntary work consisting of projects and jobs without the need of making a contribution of your own. In some cases room and board is included. Sometimes there’s a room available for a small fee. This kind of work can be found under ‘Paid work’. In general the projects which can be found in this category are more of a ‘serious’ nature like assisting in a guesthouse, language course institute, travel agency etc. Please note that in some cases where you don’t have to make an own contribution but do need to pay for room and board, it will be more expensive than voluntary work with an own contribution.

Volunteer Work with Salary

• Do you have working experience which is needed abroad and are you available for a minimum of 1-3 years? In that case there are some possibilities with organizations that can arrange work abroad. Most possibilities are in forestry, technical and medical work. In most cases it will be (project) management related work in which you can put your knowledge into practice. In order to prevent disappointment you should be aware of the fact that the demand for these kinds of jobs easily exceed the available openings. As a result of this, the selection process is thorough, so you will need at least two years working experience in the field you are applying for. It is hard to state something about the salary. In some cases you will get a reasonable salary and all expenses paid. In other cases only some expenses will be paid and will you be required to do some fund raising yourself before you leave.