Volunteering FAQs

The first step in applying to volunteer with VSO is completing the online registration form. This gives you the opportunity to tell us more about yourself, including relevant skills, experience and qualifications, and is also the first part of your application.

If you have any questions about applying, please call us on 020 8780 7500.

We use the registration form to assess your skills, experience and qualifications so that we can make a decision on whether you would be suited to a VSO role.  This will save you the time in having to fill out a full application in order to get a decision quickly.

You can still fill in the online registration form now so that we have your details on record and can keep in contact with you.  Or you can hold off applying until you are ready to volunteer. The application process can take between 4-9 months, so please factor in this timescale when thinking about volunteering with us.

Generally we recruit volunteers to a recruitment pool based on a general skill area, rather than for specific jobs. We can then match our volunteers to roles where their skills can be most effectively used to achieve sustainable development. Occasionally there are one-off specific roles that can be applied for, these are advertised in the Urgently Needed section.

The various stages of the application process are shown on our application page. First you will need to fill out the online registration form. This allows us to assess:

• whether your skills and experience are needed for our overseas programmes and that you meet the minimum requirements for the roles available
• your readiness to go to live and work in a developing country, which includes being ready to depart within 12 months.

If you meet this criteria we will invite you to make a full applicatoin, with the additional details we require, which you can also complete online.

At this point, if we think we have a suitable role 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 an advisor to help you find the right role. When matching you with a role, we'll try to accommodate any personal preferences you may have.

Once we have found a role you are satisfied with, we'll give you training before your departure and also after you've arrived in the country where you'll be working in.

The financial package for volunteers includes:

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

• accommodation for the duration of your placement

• a volunteer allowance to cover the costs of volunteering. Some is available as a preparation payment before you leave for your placement to help you cover any costs you might incur as you get ready to go overseas. The rest of the allowance will be paid at intervals while you are in placement.

• 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 (3-6 months)).
  

VSO currently works in over 40 countries, primarily in Africa and Asia. We look at each country on an individual basis and assess whether or not our strategic approach would make a real difference to its development. We also focus on countries where it’s practical for us to operate within our areas of competence, and where skills shortages are greatest. By focusing our resources, we can maximise the impact our volunteers can make at all levels, from grass roots to government.

For more information see where we work.

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 (3-6 months), we currently only recruit volunteers who are residents in the European Economic Area.

For our youth programmes, you must be a resident in the UK.

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.

Usually not. We recruit volunteers to a recruitment pool, rather than for specific roles. We then match our volunteers to roles 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.

We work in 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.

Volunteer roles (1-2 years)

We have standard volunteer roles for skilled and experienced professionals of all backgrounds particularly in education, health and business. These roles are open to volunteers aged between 20 and 75. Standard roles are from 1 to 2 years, with the majority of roles being for two years. You’ll usually need a professional qualification in your field and generally a minimum of two to three years’ post-qualification experience.  Volunteers need to be ready to volunteer within the twelve month period in which they apply.

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

Specialist assignments (3-6 months)

We have specialist assignments that are short-term volunteering opportunities. They are ideal for highly experienced professionals who can provide advice at senior levels. Volunteers need extensive professional experience in their field, usually with a minimum of six years' post-qualification experience. Specialist assignments can last from 3-6 months and volunteers need to be prepared to go for the maximum amount of time. 

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 overseas partners, and contribute towards making a sustainable difference to poor and disadvantaged communities. Find out more about Youth for Development

Standard volunteer roles last for 1-2 years, with the majority of roles lasting two years. Find out more about volunteer roles.

Specialist assignments can last from 3-6 months.

Youth programmes

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

Take a look at our volunteer roles section to see what skills we need. We recruit skilled and experienced professionals from a range of backgrounds, including education, health, business, IT, communications, fundraising, marketing, community workers and natural resources.

Demand for skills can vary, so this section has the most up-to-date information about your skills area.

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 for their professional skills.

For most jobs you’ll need to have recent work experience, and be kept up-to-date with developments in your skill area. 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, however the retirement age, visa policies and cultural norms of the countries we work in can sometimes limit the number of opportunities available to you.

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, ongoing 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 role that 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 020 8780 7685.

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

In terms of medical clearance for an overseas role, 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 may need.

Please note that we work in some countries where it is illegal to enter 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 role.

If you would like to discuss this further, you can contact our medical unit in complete confidence on 020 8780 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 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 role. 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, for example, 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 020 8780 7685.

Your health and wellbeing are important to us. We have comprehensive medical insurance and procedures put in place for all of our volunteers. During your placement, you will normally consult local doctors about health problems.

Each of our programme offices has an appointed medical adviser, usually a local doctor or nurse, whom you can consult with (contact details will be provided during your in-country training). You will also receive the VSO 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, we will using the best available emergency services to evacuate you to a hospital with better facilities. This may not be in your placement country. All volunteers are covered for medical repatriation except for medical emergencies resulting from hazardous sports.

Please note: our 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.

We work in 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.

We can place volunteering couples and families in standard volunteer roles (1-2 years) and we do have many couples overseas. However, options can be more limited and it can take more time to find suitable roles.

Due to their shorter length, we currently can't place volunteers with partners to short-term specialist assignments.

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 roles 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 roles 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

We can’t provide financial support for volunteer's partners who are not VSO volunteers, but we do provide health insurance and medical support, and access to some of VSO's training courses.

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’re happy to consider your application.

On your return, you might apply for a job that requires confirmation of good conduct while you were in your placement country. Where appropriate, we will provide a letter stating that, to the best of our knowledge, there are no criminal convictions nor proceedings pending from your time in placement. This is usually accepted.

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 your placement country.

No, unless you work for the NHS and are leaving your job to volunteer.

The UK Government, through VSO, was offering pension support for public sector employees who volunteered with either VSO, International Service (UNAIS), Student Partnership Worldwide, Skillshare International, Progressio and VSO. Unfortunately, due to current government budgetary restrictions, this scheme will no longer be in operation after March 31st 2011. Therefore only volunteers who will be overseas by March 31st 2011 will be eligible for the scheme and its associated benefits.

NHS employees can preserve their membership of the NHS Pensions Scheme while they volunteer, with VSO making small pensions contributions direct to the NHS Pensions Agency while they are away. For more detail see the Department of Health website. 

All other public sector, and private sector, employees are encouraged to speak to their relevant pension scheme to find out how their pension will be affected whilst volunteering overseas. VSO does still offer all other financial benefits (see above).

As a charity, our volunteers play a vital role in raising funds to enable us to improve lives in the poorest communities around the world. We ask volunteers to fundraise £900 with the support of our Community Appeals team. Fundraising is strongly encouraged, and although not compulsory, all funds raised will help VSO to keep overseas programmes in action and support future volunteers. 

You can get involved with VSO  in lots of other ways including campaigning, setting up a local group, fundraising and by making a donation.

Your 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
• what conditions (for example, 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 six 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, which you can check 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, fax numbers or email addresses of our programme offices, as these are reserved for volunteer emergencies only.

If you have any more questions we would love to hear from you. Please email enquiries@vso.org.uk or call us on 020 8780 7500 to speak to one of our advisors.