Voluntary Work outside Ireland this summer

T

Tayto

Guest
Dear all,

I am a 36 year old woman with 13 years of work behind me and have decided it's time to pack it in and do something a bit more challenging and rewarding. While I decide exactly what I want to do with my life I would like to spend a couple of months (flexible) doing some volunteer work overseas. I have tried all the usual suspects (Trocaire, Concern etc) but they are either looking for people with a trade or not recruiting at all. Ideally I'd like to help out on some sort of building project but am willing do do anything. There are many organisations out there, but I am wary of any that would make a profit from volunteer work and it seems many of them do. If anyone could recommend a group or knows of any individual projects going on this summer I'd be very happy to hear from you.

Many thanks, T
 
Re: Voluntary Work

I'm sure that this topic was discussed in the past on AAM. If the threads still exist then you should be able to find them using the search.
 
Re: Voluntary Work

Thanks all,

Yes I did a search and have read previous posts. I should have specified that I am looking to work outside Ireland, preferably in Africa where I have spent some time. I would be very interested to hear from people who have first hand experience with any agencies/projects. In the meantime I'll keep searching.

Thanks again, Tayto
 
Re: Voluntary Work

What qualifications do you have? Some countries employ civil servants to help train their people in modern work practices so they are not just looking for carpenters.
 
Re: Voluntary Work

Purple said:
Some countries employ civil servants to help train their people in modern work practices
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who did a double-take here? ;)
 
I don't know if teaching english is your thing, but you could go teach in china (lots of poor regions in the west crying out for native english speakers). The pay is so low (but more than enough to get by) that its almost voluntary. Work load is normally 16 teaching hrs a week (12 real hours).

must be similar opportunities in Africa/S America though they might actually require qualifications.
 
Thanks everyone, some interesting suggestions there. Unfortunately my background is in advertising - not the most practical of skills! Will follow up on all.

Cheers, T
 
the mailing list with charity job has a volunteer section.
[broken link removed]
also
http://www.idealist.org/
http://www.unv.org/volunteers/unvvacs/index.htm
[broken link removed]
This link is mainly for social workers but i saw a project for uganda where you pay for your costs only
[broken link removed]

Besides that you could try contacting smaller charities ?

For volunteering in south america a lot of language schools also provide an option to volunteer for a charity
very easy to organise on your arrival for example in Ecuador and bolivia
 
Hi Tayto,

Your position is very common - APSO (the Agency for Personal Service Overseas) was dismantled by the Irish government a few years ago, and hasn't been replaced by anything comparable. Development work is ever more professionalised, with NGOs recruiting professionals with years of field experience, or brand new masters graduates with degrees in Development and so on. The space for ornery volunteers who want to learn, and also make a real contribution is shrinking. As a number of people posting have pointed out, none of us wants to do work that's putting some local out of a job.

Your first stop should be comhlamh - www.comhlamh.org: give them a call and ask to chat to someone about options. They've recently published a book on the subject.
Be clear on how long you want to commit for: the better agencies require a commitment of about 2 years. If you're up for that, go for the Voluntary Mission Movement (I have a friend in Guatemala with them, and she assures me it's not a bit "Holy Joe") (I can't find their URL but details are: Address: Senior House, All Hallows College, Grace Park Road, Drumcondra, Dublin, Co. Dublin
Phone: 01837 6565
Fax: 01836 7112
Email: vmmeurgo@iol.ie
Website: http://www.iol.ie/~vmmeurgo

Or Voluntary Service Overseas www.vso.org who are professional and reliable.

It's a tough one, but good luck with it! I'll be interested to hear how you get on.
 
I spent 2 years working with APSO in Tanzania a few years back and I would strongly recommend doing it from my experience.

As someone else said APSO is now DCI and doesnt place many people direct anymore. I would recommend Comhlamh as a first point of contact and then the other links.

Advertising may not be directly applicable but I am sure you have strong business skills, and these skills are in demand e.g. microfinance projects.

Best of luck with it.
 
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