FAQs

Volunteer Jobs (1-2 years)

Specialist Assignments (1-6 months)

Youth Programmes

Volunteer Jobs

Specialist Assignments

Youth Programmes

• The European Economic Area (The EU, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland)
• The US and Canada
• Kenya and Uganda (Kenyan and Ugandan nationals only)
• Philippines (Filipino nationals only)
• India (Indian nationals only)

Volunteer jobs (1-2 years)

Specialist Assignments (1-6 months)

Couples where both partners are volunteers

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

Volunteers with dependent children

Yes, you can. A number of volunteers choose to do VSO 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 if necessary 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.

Financial Support

VSO volunteers receive travel costs such as flights, health insurance and a Volunteering Allowance whilst overseas. The Volunteering Allowance covers local day-to-day living expenses, as well as costs incurred in the home country such as preparation costs, pension and National Insurance contributions. 

Personal Support

Professional Support

For a Volunteer Job (1-2 years):

For a Specialist Assignment (1-6 months)

For Youth Programmes

The Application process

For more information on how to apply for all three volunteer programmes, please go to the How to apply section.

When we receive your application form (for Volunteer Jobs) or CV (for Specialist Assignments) we’ll assess:

• 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 there may be suitable jobs for you with VSO, we’ll take up personal and professional references and invite you to an assessment day. We’ll get back to you about your application within 5 days (for Specialist Assignments) and 4 weeks (for Volunteer jobs) of receipt.

The Assessment process

The assessment day includes a variety of group activities and an individual interview. These elements enable us to look for the qualities you’ll need to meet the challenge of living and working overseas:

• self-assurance
• flexibility and adaptability
• a flair for solving problems
• ability to work in a team
• sensitivity to the needs of others
• a desire to learn and help others learn
• a positive and realistic commitment to volunteering.

We’ll ask you to give examples of times and situations where you’ve used these qualities. Over 70% of candidates are successful. So we’re not looking for super-humans!

The Matching process

If your assessment is successful you’ll be allocated a VSO placement advisor. They’ll be your main point of contact with VSO until you go overseas. Their job is to help you find the right opportunity and work with you through the administrative process.

If a suitable job is available, things may move quite quickly at this stage. But, you may have to wait until the anticipated request for your skills arrives, in which case it will take longer. Your departure and job will be conditional on medical clearance from VSO and criminal records checks.

In matching you with a job, we’ll try to accommodate any personal preferences you may have. A successful match often depends on flexibility from all sides. The number of jobs for which you might be considered will depend on:

• your qualifications and experience
• the number of requests for your skills that VSO receives
• the number of volunteers with skills similar to yours.

If your placement advisor is able to match you with a job they will show you a job description. Before accepting a job you’ll be able to:

• ask your placement advisor about anything that is unclear or concerns you
• think about your personal and professional learning needs in relation to the job
• use a VSO information or learning centre to look at briefing material
• talk to former volunteers.

We won’t expect you to accept a job unless you’re happy with it.

Preparation for your placement

We’re committed to helping you prepare as fully as possible for your role. Training takes place both before your departure and after your arrival in country. Pre-departure training covers everything from an introduction to working in international development to ensuring your health and safety while away. In the UK it’s held over several weekends at VSO’s training centre in Birmingham.

You’ll fly out in a group, with other volunteers who are starting jobs in the same country. When you arrive, you’ll have some language and cultural awareness training before you start your job. This can last from a few days to three months, depending on the importance of the local language in your role.

Our financial package for volunteers includes:

• salary – a modest living allowance paid by your employer
• return flight - to the country in which you’ll be volunteering
• accommodation – will be provided by your local employer
• medical and travel insurance cover - for the duration of your employment
• national insurance contributions – will be made by VSO on your behalf
• pension contributions – although it's not always possible to contribute to your pension scheme while you're away, VSO offer a measure of compensation, calculated at £40 per month
• visas and work permits – all arrangements will be made by VSO
• grants – paid to you before, during and after your time overseas
• holidays – guaranteed minimum of 3 weeks per year (not applicable to Specialist Assignments (1-6 months)

It is not usually possible for you to contribute to a pension scheme during your time as a volunteer. As a measure of compensation, VSO offers a Pension Contribution Payment (PCP). The PCP is calculated at £40 for each completed month of your placement and you become eligible if you work a minimum of three months in your placement.

On your return, you might apply for a job that requires confirmation of good conduct while you were in your placement country. Where appropriate, Returned Volunteer (RV) Programmes will provide a letter stating that, to the best of VSO’s knowledge, there are no criminal convictions or proceedings pending from your time in placement. This is usually accepted. However some organisations, particularly those that work with children, insist on a letter from the local police in a volunteer’s placement country. Furthermore, some embassies require a letter from the police before issuing a residency visa. It can be practically impossible to obtain this document once you have returned home. If you think you might need this document at some point in the future, do try to obtain it from the local police before you leave.

Being HIV positive need not be a barrier to volunteering with VSO.

In terms of medical clearance for an overseas placement, we would aim to assess individuals living with HIV in the same way as other chronic medical conditions. We would want to ensure that you go to volunteer in an area which would not pose high risks to your health, and where good medical facilities are available for any follow up checks or treatment you might need.

Please note that we work in some countries where it is illegal to enter and/or stay in the country if you are HIV positive. In some countries there may also be a stigma against people with HIV. You’ll need to consider the implications of this when deciding to accept a volunteer job.

If you would like to discuss this further, you can contact our medical unit in complete confidence on +44 (0)208 780 7685.

We’re committed to investigating every possible option to enable disabled people 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. He or she 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 to prevent this.

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 disability further you can contact our medical unit in complete confidence on +44 (0)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 and 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 (0)208 780 7685.

Your health and well-being 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 evacuate you to a hospital with better facilities. This may not be to 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.

You can get involved with VSO in a variety of other ways.

For an organisation to make a request to employ a VSO volunteer, the organisation must contact our office in the relevant country and make a proposal in writing.

The letter should state what you need a VSO volunteer to do, how it will contribute to long-term development in your area, and what conditions (eg. accommodation) you can offer a volunteer. Our programme staff will then visit you to draw up a detailed job description and to gather the required information in full. It usually takes a minimum of 6 months between receipt of your request and the arrival of your volunteer.

Please note that we can only send volunteers to organisations in countries where we already have a programme. For an up-to-date list of the countries we currently work in, click here.

If you would like to request a volunteer, please call us on 020 8780 7500 for the address of the relevant Programme Office.

We are unable to provide contact telephone and fax numbers or email addresses of our programme offices, as these are reserved for volunteer emergencies only.