FAQs

VSO currently works in over 40 countries, primarily in Africa and Asia.

We'll assess your application and consider:

• whether a local partner is likely to ask for your skills

• your readiness to go to live and work in a developing country.

If we think we have a suit able job for you we will invite you to an assessment day. This will involve a variety of group activities and an individual interview.

If you are successful we will allocate a placement advisor to help you find the right placement. When matching you with a job we'll try to accommodate any personal preferences you may have.

Once we have found a placement you are satisfied with we'll give you training before your departure and after you've arrived in your placement country.

The financial package for volunteers includes:

• return flight - to the country in which you’ll be volunteering 

• accommodation - for the duration of your placement

•  a volunteer allowance- to cover cost of living overseas. The allowance will be paid quarterly while you are in placement

• VSO medical and travel insurance cover - for the duration of your placement

• visas and work permits - all arrangements will be made by VSO

• holidays - guaranteed minimum of three weeks per year (not applicable to specialist assignments (1-6 months)).
  

For long-term volunteer jobs (1-2 years) we recruit from:

• UK (covering the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland) 

• the Netherlands (including Germany, Denmark and Belgium) 

• Ireland (including Northern Ireland) 

• Canada (covering the whole of North America)

• Kenya (including Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania)

• Philippines (including Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, The Kingdom of Brunei, New Zealand)

• India

• Australia (including New Zealand)

For specialist assignments (1-6 months), we currently only recruit volunteers who are residents in the European Economic Area.

We strive to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible and our recruitment bases in Philippines, India, Uganda and Kenya promote south-to-south (only southern hemisphere areas) volunteering. But as a charity with limited human and financial resources, we have to give some geographical focus to our work. We believe it enables us to use our limited finances to the greatest effect.

Volunteer jobs (1-2 years)

We have volunteer jobs for skilled and experienced professionals of all backgrounds particularly in education, health and business. These placements are open to volunteers aged between 20 and 75. Standard placements last from 1-2 years, with the majority of placements lasting for two years. You’ll need a professional qualification in your field and generally a minimum of two to five years’ post-qualification experience.

Find out more about volunteer jobs and search for opportunities in your skill area.

Specialist assignments (1-6 months)

We have specialist assignments that are short-term volunteering opportunities. They are aimed at highly experienced professionals who can provide advice at senior levels. Volunteers need extensive professional experience in their field. Specialist assignments can last from 1-6 months.

Find out more about specialist assignments and current opportunities.

Youth programmes

We have two youth volunteering programmes for volunteers aged 18–25.

Global Xchange

The Global Xchange programme is a six-month, team-based exchange programme, which gives young people from different countries a unique opportunity to work together and develop valuable skills. Find out more about Global Xchange.

Youth for Development

Our Youth for Development programme is a one-year overseas programme that provides an opportunity for young people to work with our partners and contribute towards the achievement of our development goals. Find out more about Youth for Development

Long-term volunteer placements last for 1-2 years, with the majority of placements lasting two years. Find out more about volunteer jobs.

Specialist assignments can last from 1-6 months.

Youth programmes

Global Xchange programmes last for six months, with three months spent in the UK/Ireland and three months in the exchange country. Youth for Development programmes last for 10-12 months.

Yes, you can. A number of volunteers choose to volunteer after retirement and we welcome applications from experienced professionals up to the age of 75. Older volunteers are valued by local employers for their patience, self-assurance and resourcefulness, as well as their professional skills.

For most jobs you’ll need to have recent work experience, or have kept up with developments in your skill sector. All volunteers, whatever their age, will be asked for medical information when they apply and will need clearance from our medical unit before they can volunteer.

We do successfully place older volunteers, but the retirement age, visa policies and cultural norms of the countries we work in can sometimes limit the number of opportunities available to you.

Although we’ve worked in over 120 countries in the past, in recent years we’ve reduced the number of countries we have volunteer programmes in. We’re now focusing on over 40 of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia.

Our recent merger with the large Canadian volunteering charity CUSO opens up opportunities for people to volunteer in Latin American countries.

Having a strong regional presence and concentration in a selection of developing countries rather than all of them makes our work is more efficient. We look at each country on a case-by-case basis and assess whether or not VSO’s strategic approach would make a real difference to its development.

Usually not. We recruit volunteers to a pool, rather than for specific jobs. We then match our volunteers to placements where their skills can be most effectively used to achieve sustainable development. We do of course take your preferences into consideration but we ask volunteers to be as flexible as possible.

VSO works in those areas where security risks are unlikely. In this way we hope that our volunteers will have the best prospect of contributing to sustainable development.

You will not be asked to work in any area where there is immediate danger from war, civil unrest or natural disaster.

Generally we recruit volunteers to a pool, rather than for specific jobs. We then match our volunteers to placements where their skills can be most effectively used to achieve sustainable development.

Placing volunteers with dependents can be difficult.  Even where it is possible, taking children to a placement can present many additional practical difficulties.  Education and childcare are often expensive overseas.  Access to medical facilities can be limited and the quality of healthcare is not comparable to that available for children in a developed country.

If you feel that you have considered all the implications of taking children to a placement, we will consider your application.

Couples where both partners are volunteers

If you and your partner work in similar fields such as education or medicine, the chances of finding two placements in the same location are increased. However, it can be more difficult to place a couple with very different skills in the same region or even the same country. In this case, matching you both to suitable placements could take a very long time. Your prospects of going overseas are much better if one of you goes as a volunteer and the other as a non-volunteering partner.

Couples where a volunteer is accompanied by a non-volunteering partner

VSO is unable to provide any financial or insurance/medical support for partners and dependents of a volunteer.

There are a few other financial and practical implications to consider before you decide to apply:

• In many countries, it is difficult for non-volunteering partners to obtain a visa, especially if you are not married.

• Paid work opportunities for non-volunteering partners are often non-existent.

• Due to limited resources, accommodation may be suitable only for one person (the volunteer).

• National laws and/or cultural norms can make it difficult to place unmarried or same-sex couples.
  

We’re committed to investigating every possible option to enable people with a disability to volunteer.

We ask you to tell us about your disability on your application form. When you apply, a VSO placement adviser and our medical unit will work closely with you. They will identify jobs that would be suitable for you before you come to assessment.

Some of the environments we work in are challenging. It may be difficult for us to match your professional and personal circumstances with a volunteer job. We'll make every effort to consider all possibilities and think flexibly.
You can request volunteering information in a range of different formats, eg Braille, large print, and audiocassette. A reader and writer service is available. Sign language interpreters can be provided.

To discuss your situation further you can contact our medical unit in complete confidence on +44 20 8780 7685.

Having a current or previous health problem does not automatically mean that you cannot be considered as a potential volunteer. However, overseas VSO posts may be in challenging environments, with limited local medical facilities. It is important that you’re in good physical and mental health when you apply to VSO. Any chronic medical condition should be well controlled, such that you would not require frequent on-going medical attention while overseas.

We would encourage you to consider the implications of volunteering overseas on your health. If you have a significant medical condition, you should be prepared that there may be some difficulty in finding an overseas placement which we feel would not adversely affect your health, and which can provide an appropriate level of medical support. Unfortunately, in some cases, your options for working overseas with VSO may be limited because of health issues.

If you would like to discuss this further, you can contact our medical unit in complete confidence on +44 20 8780 7685.

Your health and wellbeing are important to VSO. VSO has comprehensive medical insurance and procedures put in place for all its volunteers. During your placement, you will normally consult local doctors about health problems. Each VSO programme office has an appointed medical adviser, usually a local doctor or nurse, whom you can consult (contact details will be provided during your in-country training). You will also receive the programme office’s emergency contacts and medical emergency procedures, together with a list of recommended doctors, clinics, dentists and pharmacies in your region.

If a decision is made to evacuate you for medical reasons, VSO can call on the best available emergency services to get you to a hospital with better facilities. This may not be in your recruitment country. All volunteers are covered for medical repatriation, except for medical emergencies resulting from hazardous sports.

Please note: VSO’s medical insurance policy requires you to have medical clearance from our medical advisers and to take the preventative measures we advise, for example against malaria.