Finding Volunteer Work Abroad Michelle Hunscher’s advice for students seeking their own opportunities

• Home
»
• Magazine Archives » Abroad View Spring 2008

Looking for an inexpensive and worthwhile experience volunteering internationally? You may want to follow in Michelle Hunscher’s footsteps and organize your own experience as an alternative to an organized program.

After her first year at Dartmouth College, Hunscher took a year off to volunteer with Ayni, an NGO in northern Peru. She worked with a group of volunteers who taught English and implemented educational and community development projects in a rural village. Here are her tips on how to arrange your own volunteer abroad experience:

Why find your own program?

Cost: Most volunteer abroad programs are expensive and many charge a steep fee for placing you at a volunteer organization. You can save money by working directly with the organization for which you’ll volunteer, finding cheap student flight deals, and renting out a room with a local family.

Diversity of opportunities: Finding your own placement also opens up a wider world of community organizations. Many organizations that don’t have ties with international volunteer programs are smaller and allow you to take on more of a leadership role.  They also enable you to be more creative in designing your own projects. 

How do you find your own program?

Search online: Start surfing the web for NGOs that are looking for volunteers. VolunteerAbroad.com and Idealist.org have extensive listings of NGOs that are looking for volunteers. Ask for names of good organizations on discussion forums for expatriates in your country of choice or on the Lonely Planet discussion forum.

At your college or university: Seek out contacts through professors and graduate students in your department. Many have gone abroad and partnered with NGOs and can put you in contact with a reputable organization. While you’re there, don’t forget to see if you can set up an independent study and get credit for your work abroad. 

Persistence is key: When contacting programs, be persistent! Many of the smaller NGOs are understaffed and overworked. Calling by phone is a quicker and more personal way of getting in touch; a random e-mail may just get overlooked. When you call, introduce yourself, let them know why you are interested in their organization, and tell them what you can bring to their project. Sell yourself, but at the same time, find out if this organization fits your needs.

What should I do once I've found an organization?

Before you go: Be very clear with your host organization about your needs and expectations. Ask them what they expect of you, and explain the types of work you are willing to do. Find out ahead of time if they will help you locate housing or provide any other support. Ask if they’ve hosted foreign volunteers in the past (if they have, make sure you contact them—they will be an excellent resource!).

While you’re there: When you find an organization and arrange your volunteer placement, treat that commitment just as you would a job offer—being a volunteer means committing to working hard.

Can I handle this? Doing this on your own takes strong language skills, persistence and independence. Adjusting to another culture is challenging; it takes courage and patience. Keep in mind that if you pick a small organization, it may offer less hand-holding and less structure, and you may need to find out ways to adjust on your own. 

Hunscher says her experience was life-changing and left her feeling more confident and connected to the rest of the world. When she transferred to the University of Michigan, she changed majors to Latin American and Caribbean Studies with a focus on the social sciences and the Andean region. She is now planning to go to graduate school for a degree in international development, and she hopes to start her own non-profit organization to promote grassroots development projects in the Andean region.