Volunteering abroad is an exciting way to kickstart your career, develop yourself and improve the lives of others. It can be an important step for early career development and impressive on a resume. Some fields, such as international development, often require that you have volunteer experience before you can be considered for paid employment. In addition to being an important professional experience, it can also be one of the most rewarding, challenging and life-altering journeys you choose to embark on.
The decision to volunteer abroad is one that requires reflection and research. To get you started, we’ll examine the the concept of volunteering abroad, discuss some of the benefits for volunteers and their host organizations and communities and, probably most importantly, help you think through some of your own motivations for embarking on this type of experience and what kind of opportunities they suggest.
What is volunteering abroad?
Volunteering is offering one’s time and skills to help others. The concept of volunteering abroad - in a country other than one’s own - began to flourish in the mid 20th century with the founding of major government-supported organizations for the purpose, such as the Peace Corps in the United States and CUSO in Canada.
More recently, volunteering has come to be understood as a means for learning, contributing and becoming an active citizen. In an increasingly connected world, more and more of us are seeing ourselves as global citizens. We watch events happen in real-time around the globe and want to be a part of them.
Volunteering abroad has also become a powerful and strategic platform for career exploration and development. It provides a vast array of opportunities to test out different sectors and types of work and may help you stand out when applying for competitive jobs or graduate school programs. In certain fields, such as global health or education, you might be be able to gain experience that you wouldn’t have the chance to at home.
Many people are undertaking these kinds of activities with multiple goals in mind. They combine a desire to make a difference, a yearning for adventure and a hope of significant personal development. More and more volunteers are using their experience as a springboard to launch or transition their career. This increasing interest and demand have led to a rise in the number and diversity of options and service providers available.
Today there are literally thousands of opportunities for people of all ages, interests and abilities. You can find pretty much any type of experience you are looking for, lasting from a few days to a few years. From HIV prevention work in South African townships to teaching English in Thailand to eco-tourism in the Amazon, you can likely find an opportunity that speaks to you. In fact, there are so many options out there that navigating the different types of opportunities and making a decision can sometimes be overwhelming.
Career and personal benefits
Volunteering abroad can provide a host of professional and personal benefits. Consider which of these are most important to you.
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Career exploration and development:
You may know exactly what you want to do or still be in the process of figuring it out. Volunteering can help you explore your passions and interests and help determine what kind of career you want. Young people today often face a chicken and egg situation where they can’t secure work without experience and are unable to gain that experience because they can’t get a job. Volunteering abroad, especially for longer durations, can help you gain the critical skills and experience you need to open up early career opportunities. Many employers find this this type of experience attractive and it can help you stand out enough to get an interview and land a job.
You might start out with a short-term project to test the waters in a certain field; or, you may find an opportunity that lets you work on a variety of tasks and projects, explore your interests and figure out what direction you’d like to pursue. Sometimes people will follow up a short-term volunteer experience with a longer, more specialized placement to really focus on building their skills and experience in a particular location or sector. Longer placements also provide a great opportunity to develop your professional network, both at home and abroad, which can assist with future employment prospects. -
Skill development:
Volunteering abroad can also be a great way to build and improve a wide range of skills related to both international and local careers. Depending on your experience, these may include more broad-based professional skills such as project management, program development and facilitation or specific sector-based skills in engineering, IT, health or education.
Specialized placements may allow you to develop and refine technical skills and gain new experiences that you may not have the opportunity to at home. For example, recent health graduates might have the opportunity to use their knowledge to design and facilitate health promotion workshops with marginalized groups. Or a new teacher might have a chance to develop curriculum and gain experience teaching English or even training local teachers. If you have a degree and technical knowledge, but are a little thin on direct or global experience, volunteering can be a great way to take yourself to the next level.
You will also likely be able to practice and improve (whether you plan to or not!) important soft skills, such as flexibility, adaptability, teamwork, patience and communication, all of which are key to success in a professional context. In today’s global economy, strong intercultural awareness, communication and experience are also increasingly valued by all types of employers. -
Language acquisition:
Being immersed in a foreign culture with non-native English speakers is one of the quickest ways to learn a new language, which can be a very valuable asset. Work in international organizations such as the UN, IMF or World Bank often requires fluency in English as well as French, Spanish or other languages. Similarly, in certain sectors such as international development, knowledge of multiple languages is becoming essential. In Canada, many positions, especially with the federal government, require bilingualism in English and French. Large global companies also look for language skills and proficiency may provide you with opportunities to work in global offices or manage projects in other countries. -
Service learning:
Many study abroad and language programs have begun to offer a volunteering component in addition to their core offering. This might consist of a day or two helping out with a distinct project, like painting a community centre, or a more carefully structured set of activities that complements and builds on your learning outcomes and services the needs of the community you are living in. Contributing while learning can result in a richer experience and connection with the people and community you are living in and may help you further develop skills and put your learning into action. -
Meaningful cultural experience:
In addition to the sheer adventure of packing up and heading to a new place, living and volunteering in a foreign country is a wonderful way to learn about a culture in a deeper way and go beyond the experience of an average tourist. Working alongside locals will allow you to gain new perspectives, skills and context, make friends and build solidarity. -
Personal development:
Venturing outside of your comfort zone will help you learn about yourself and grow and develop as a person. Your experience may even inspire you to reassess your priorities in life and come home with new interests, passions and directions.
Impacts to host communities
In addition to the professional and personal benefits listed above, volunteering abroad in an ethical and sustainable way can of course offer a number of potential benefits to the host organization and/or community. Volunteers with specialized skills can assist with knowledge transfer and build capacity of local counterparts. Working with and living alongside community members often leads to increased intercultural awareness and communication for both parties, which can encourage inspiration, solidarity and new perspectives.
The recent surge in the number of international volunteers has spurred research into the impact and sustainability of volunteer abroad activities. Some argue that many opportunities primarily benefit international volunteers, sometimes at the expense of local organizations and communities. In extreme cases, volunteer presence and work may actually cause harm to the communities in which volunteers operate. Research has shown that there are some types of volunteering that you might consider avoiding all together.
This increasing critical reflection by service providers and volunteers has sparked a shift in the language and design of many volunteer opportunities, moving away from the idea of foreigners ‘helping the poor and needy’ to a focus on reciprocity, mutual learning and sharing and working together to solve problems. Reputable organizations and programs should have this approach reflected in their program design and marketing materials.
Unfortunately, not all volunteer experiences are created equal, and it is extremely important to do comprehensive research before you choose an opportunity. In the How To Choose section we’ll provide in-depth guidance on the right questions to ask and some tools to help you find an opportunity that aligns with your motivations and expectations. Here are some key considerations to always keep in the back of your mind during your research and selection process:
- Sustainability: Is this work sustainable? Who will continue it after you are gone? Is there community ownership? Is there an appreciation of existing community knowledge?
- Organizational resources: What does the local organization need to invest to support you? Are these resources being diverted away from local staff or projects?
- Impact on local economies: Are volunteers taking away local jobs? Are they skilled enough to do the work or will it need to be fixed? Are there incentives for keeping the status quo (e.g. orphanages kept in squalid conditions) to attract volunteers and the influx of funds that accompany them?
The type of contribution you can make to a community will generally depend on the duration of your stay and type of work you are engaged in. Choosing the right type of experience will help maximize your impact and taking the time to reflect on your motivations and expectations will ensure that you have a realistic sense of what you can accomplish for yourself before you get on the plane.
Is volunteering abroad right for me?
Now that you have a bit more context about volunteering abroad, you can start to determine if this is the right career choice for you. Take some time to think and write down the motivations that are driving your desire to volunteer in a foreign country. You might consider the following:
- Why am I doing this?
- What do I have to offer?
- What am I looking to gain?
- Have I volunteered in my own country? What is it about volunteering in a new place that is appealing?
- What experience do I have interacting with other cultures?
- How will this experience impact or improve my future career prospects?
Motivations to volunteer are diverse. To set yourself up for success it is critical to do some personal reflection before you make the decision to go, in order to ensure that volunteering is right for you. For some help with this, including important questions to ask yourself, check out our ‘Am I ready to volunteer abroad?’ quiz. If you think you’re up for the challenge, the next step is to explore the different types of programs available.
It’s important to remember that this type of experience may not be for everyone. You may decide you are not interested or able to travel to a foreign country to volunteer, or it might just not be the right time in your life. If you are interested in working on global issues and developing your international competencies, but have decided not to travel, there is still a lot you can do from home to build your skills and experience.
