Once not a very popular option, volunteering abroad has grown by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years. Why? Well, for starters, volunteering abroad is a great way to really experience an authentic immersion experience. If you are looking to gain language skills, see the inner workings of a community, AND stretch your vacation dollars, volunteering abroad is the way to go.
Of course, don’t expect fancy dinners and luxurious accommodations. Room and board can range from a private room with bathroom to a tent or sleeping bag in a cabin, depending upon what you sign up for. Many volunteer positions require a certain level of language proficiency, so be sure to check. Many of the better organizations include at least two weeks of language classes prior to volunteering.
Volunteer placements vary from professional-level positions to construction, education, environmental, ESL, health, social work, and many more. You can volunteer to plant trees in Nepal, collect turtle eggs in Costa Rica, teach English in China, or help in an orphanage in Tanzania. Neat, right? How many other people spend their vacations doing something that will actually help a local organization or population, learn a language, AND get to travel the world?
As far as dollars and cents go, volunteering abroad can save you a bundle versus studying abroad in a classroom-only program. For example, six weeks of classes while living in a homestay costs about a thousand dollars more than six weeks of full-time volunteering (including two weeks of classes and a homestay). Also, your language skills will certainly grow exponentially when you are in real-life situations, speaking the language while volunteering.
Volunteering abroad can also be an excellent way to boost your resume. In these tough economic times, many are jobless and having a tough time finding work. Standing out by having a foreign volunteering experience listed on your resume is a great way to stand out!
Some excellent organizations to check out that offer volunteer positions abroad are Enforex and AmeriSpan Study Abroad. Enforex offers volunteer programs in Latin America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. AmeriSpan offers volunteer programs in many locations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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