Volunteering Abroad with Frontier
Why volunteer abroad?
If you already have your heart set on going overseas, whether in your gap year, summer holiday, year out or career break, then volunteering abroad could be the best way for you to see the world while making a real difference. Being a volunteer overseas means that you can experience countries and completely immerse yourself in cultures in a way that travellers and backpackers simply can't. If you're looking for a more meaningful experience than simply partying and sight-seeing (although you can do that too as a volunteer!), you can give something back and have a more productive time overseas. If you want to be challenged both mentally and physically then volunteering abroad is the perfect way to travel.
Volunteering abroad can fit into a flexible schedule, and the commitments you make are up to you, anything from 2 weeks to up to a year or more. Employers value volunteer experience, more so than those who have simply travelled. It shows that you are flexible, patient, and committed. You can even find volunteer work in your intended career, such as in marine or wildlife conservation and research, teaching or community development. This will give you practical hands-on experience quite unlike office internships.
Volunteering requires flexibility, patience, self-starters, and people who genuinely respect the host people and their culture.
Affordable travel
There are actually few travel experiences that are cheaper than volunteering abroad. Most volunteer placement organisations will charge a fee. The fee will typically cover room/board, orientation, and the program itself. Fundraising is a good way to pay for a volunteer excursion abroad. You can be sponsored by family and friends to take part in a sport or adrenalin activity, or you can apply for small grants from local trusts or charities. One of the best sources of donations are local community groups tied to the region you are going to, in exchange for a presenation on your return. Many students ask "Why do I have to pay to go work overseas?" Unless you are a doctor or engineer or you are planning to spend a full year or two volunteering and thus have tangible skills to offer, there is probably a fee to be paid. For example, perhaps you are going to work on a community development project building a school, the volunteer organization has to pay for building supplies, arrange the logistics of the program, provide homestays in the local village, create brochures and market their program. If the only objective was to build the school they would be better served hiring local craftsmen at a low cost and complete the project in a short time. The goal of the organization is more likely to be centered around providing a cultural experience for you and for the local volunteers and letting you see life in the village. Or, in some cases volunteers provide a cost-effective source of man-power, so if you are working on a conservation project, more comprehensive surveys can be completed than if only a few biologists were working on the project. That is one of the strengths Frontier holds as a conservation research organisation - the capability to produce some of the world's most comprehensive data sets through the work of their volunteers. However, unless you are an experienced biologist yourself, the organisation charges a fee to cover the cost of scientific equipment, professional staff, and the training that is involved to ensure that all volunteers can contribute productively to the scientific program.
What does volunteering abroad involve?
Most volunteer placements are based in developing countries, so before you go you should do some research. The last thing the volunteer organization and the locals need is someone complaining about the food. Think about how much or how little you need in the way of modern comforts to be happy, and whether living in basic conditions is for you.
Culture shock may be one of the most difficult aspects of your volunteer experience. There may be things that confound your sense of logic or challenge your sense of justice, however, remember you are the visitor. No solitary volunteer can change centuries of tradition or culture. You must determine if you are flexible enough to respect the local culture before you go.
At times you may feel isolated, particularly when you arrive in a village knowing no one. Are you comfortable with yourself? Many western students don't know much about themselves. You may surround yourself with like-minded individuals all day everyday. But many volunteers are placed in an isolated situation like a wildlife reserve or a small rural village, some placements have many or only a few other volunteers. Your social life will be entirely up to you. Also, many students travel because they are dissatisfied with the state of their life at home - this is the wrong reason to travel overseas. If you have problems at home they may be more apparent with the additional cultural and adjustment issues.
You may learn a new language, a new culture, a new way of life. Flexibility and patience are key to having a satisfying experience. Developing countries in particular are pretty relaxed about time. Schedules are ignored or appointments begin later than arranged. NGO's, international non-profits and volunteer organizations are almost always understaffed, and your itinerary may not be as smooth and well organized as a professional tour/travel company. Things may seem disorganized at times, and you may have to initiate your day to day itinerary. You have to be prepared to accept the conditions of working as a volunteer.
What can you do?
Frontier offers a host of opportunities for volunteering abroad. Frontier have projects in many tropical developing countries around the world: Africa, south east Asia, Indo-Pacific, Central and South America, and even Australia and New Zealand. Activities fall broadly into several categories: wildlife conservation (both marine and terrestrial), wildlife rehabilitation, community development and welfare, teaching, language courses, expedition management, and ethical adventure and eco-tourism trails. There are even opportunities to gain a whole range of qualifications to consolidate your volunteer experience: BTEC Advanced Diploma in Tropical Habitat Conservation, BTEC Advanced Certificate in Expedition Management or Tropical Habitat Conservation, PADI diving qualifications up to Divemaster, TEFL training and certificate, FGASA Game Ranger/Field Guide Level 1. Think about where you would like to go, what activity you would like to do, and if you want to obtain a qualification to make your time away more meaningful for your CV. You should be able to find something perfect for you!