Would You Like To Make A Difference To The World Without Spending Lots Of Money On Expensive Fees?

What is volunteer abroad

Why should I volunteer abroad? What are the benefits of volunteering abroad?

You have no doubt seen a great deal of information about volunteering abroad online and in the media. Perhaps you have friends who have volunteered abroad and you have seen photos or posts from their projects and you are now exploring the possibility of volunteering abroad yourself. You’re probably wondering exactly what the appeal is and why you should volunteer abroad.

Volunteering abroad may seem time consuming and expensive and it’s perfectly natural to ask yourself why exactly you should be bother investing your resources into a volunteer abroad project. In this article we will give you some of the many reasons why you should volunteer abroad.

1. You’ll Be giving Something Back

Living in a developed country gives you access to countless opportunities and luxuries that are simply unavailable to millions around the world. You undoubtedly have had access to good education which will allow you to pursue whatever career you wish. Your opportunities can become useful to others when you volunteer abroad as you will have the opportunity to use the opportunities you have had to benefit those who have not had similar benefits in life.

2. You’ll Have Unique Opportunities of Cultural Immersion

Vacation and travel are great ways to see the word and learn about other countries. However, when you take part in volunteer abroad, you will be living with a local family and truly immersing yourself in the culture. You will not be observing from the outside as you would be with typical vacations but you will actually become a part of the local community, even if only for a short time. Living with a host family allows you to live like a local and when working on your project, you will no doubt be working alongside locals.

3. You will use Your Skills to Benefit Others

Your life experiences and education will have given you certain skills. Usually these skills allow you to find work and benefit from this work. Volunteering abroad gives you the chance to use these skills to help others in any number of ways. Perhaps you have a knack for photography that could be taught to kids who wouldn’t usually have access to photography classes. Maybe you’re a whiz in the kitchen and you could prepare delicious meals for children in an orphanage. Everybody has something to offer.

4. You’ll Feel a Sense of Achievement

When volunteering, you will no doubt be working on a great project, perhaps teaching or building a school. Whatever your project is, when it is complete you will be able to see the results of your work. There can be no greater feeling than knowing you have contributed to making some small part of the world better, even in the smallest way.

5. You’ll Experience Personal Growth

Volunteering abroad will undoubtedly find you living in situations that are completely new to you. You’ll be in a new country, living with people from a different culture to your own and working on a new and interesting project. Whilst it may seem difficult at first, feeling out of your comfort zone is the best way to grow and develop as a person.

6. You will Stand out from the Crowd

Volunteering abroad is something that not everybody has the opportunity to do. This experience will look great on your resume when applying or work or school. Employers know the skills required to work on a volunteer abroad project and most will see these skills and this experience has a benefit for their organisation.

7. You have the opportunity to learn a foreign language

As you will be living with a local family, you will be immersed in a new language. You will also likely have to use the local language to get around to eat and many other days to day activities. A new language gives you a unique access to a different culture and also looks great on your resume. Especially as you may have the opportunity to learn languages beyond the standard European languages.