International Volunteering
Are you thinking about volunteering internationally? Do you need to make a change in your life and don’t know what to do? Do you feel the need to help others, but don’t know where to start? Do you want to live a unique and unrepeatable personal experience? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you are in the right place. International volunteering is an experience that will mark you forever. Keep in mind that you will get to know another country, another culture, another climate, another food, in short, another way of life. You will also share the experience with other volunteers in your same situation with whom you will exchange points of view, experiences, materials, eating utensils or toiletries… In short, you will share your life with other volunteers as Company voluntariado internacional
What types of volunteering abroad are there?
Within the category of international volunteering, we can find different subcategories, depending on the types of volunteering that exist. Here are the most important ones.
Volunteering with animals
Volunteering with animals is aimed at the conservation and care of different animal species.
Volunteering with children
Volunteering with children is another type of volunteering in great demand, perfect for professionals who are going to work with children and are looking for a stimulating and refreshing experience before starting their professional career.
Medical volunteering
The type of professional profiles that can access these volunteer programs is very limited. They are health professionals, both medical and nursing. Medical volunteering is designed for areas with very specific needs, such as vaccination campaigns.
Teaching Volunteers
Teaching volunteering is designed for profiles with a degree related to teaching, such as teacher training or early childhood education. This volunteering also involves working with children, so the volunteer must be clear that this is an area that he or she enjoys.
What should you know before volunteering internationally?
The first step you should take when volunteering is to choose the destination where you want to do it. This will determine whether you need certain documents or not, so the first thing to do is to choose the destination so that you know what to expect. Even so, in general, it is necessary that you have your passport in order, and with a validity of six months at the time you are going to return. That is, if your passport currently expires in eight months, but you are going to volunteer for more than a month and a half, you will need to renew it. In addition, you should consider the following aspects before choosing a volunteer assignment.
The climate. It is essential that you know what the climate of your destination is like. This importance lies in the need to choose the clothes to wear. In an international volunteering, it is usual to wear little and comfortable clothes, but choosing between long or short pants, or t-shirts or sweatshirts, will depend on the weather at the time you go. In addition, you should also know if it is a destination where the weather is changeable, so that you can bring clothes of all kinds.
Time spent volunteering. The duration of volunteering can vary depending on a number of factors. You will be able to choose the one that best suits your needs. Depending on your budget and your availability, you can choose one international volunteer program or another. Check out the different options on our website.
Earn and stay strong. International volunteering is based on helping causes or people in need. This means that you will probably encounter complicated situations, which will make you feel sad or frustrated for not being able to solve all the problems. You must be psychologically prepared for this and, above all, think that you are doing your bit to change this. You will be responsible for creating a better world, as a volunteer for this type of problematic causes. Take it as a personal learning experience. Make the most of everything you do. Learn to appreciate what you have, to practice customs from other cultures, to be patient, and you may even learn words in other languages! This is the most valuable thing you will take away from your volunteer experience. It is essential that, although your main objective is to help, you go with the mentality that it is possible that you will not achieve everything you set out to do… in certain destinations reaching your goals is very complicated.
Get to know the culture. Before traveling to your destination country, it is a good idea to learn about the customs and culture of your destination as a volunteer. This will help you to understand them better, and to take some of your learned adaptation with you. In addition, this experience will enrich you personally. It will be a great way to make the start of your experience easier and less difficult for you to adapt to your stay in your host country.