Volunteer

Volunteer in Bangalore, India and get as much out as you put in!

This project will see you working with women in community development projects. You'll really get to know the locals and help them to help themselves. Your work on the women's empowerment project will be challenging and varied, but also fun!

As a volunteer, you will have a skills assessment before being assigned to a placement that matches your skills and interests. You will complete another soft skills assessment during your placement, and a further one at the end, as well as a personalised action plan. This means that you will not just be helping others while you volunteer, you will be improving your skills and be in a better place to apply for a promotion or a new job when you return!

You can also opt into personal development sessions during your placement if you wish, to give you even more help and support.

Volunteering in India is an unforgettable experience. You'll be working with other volunteers and local people to bring about real change in the community where you'll be based. India is an amazing country but it has a lot of people who are disadvantaged, particularly women and children, and you can help them through volunteering - working directly with them on projects that are sustainable and responsible.

A career break teaching English with a difference!

This special Homestay programme means you will immerse yourself in Chinese cultural life, while tutoring a child. Because this is a home tutoring placement, it is unusual in that it mainly takes place in Chinese school holidays (although term-time placements are also available).

You will be required to tutor for 15 hours per week, after school and/or at weekends. If your placement is in term time, you will tutor for only 5 hours per week and spend the other 10 hours in language and cultural volunteering.

You will get to know your host family (who is carefully screened) and fellow participants, and have time to travel and explore the region.

You must be fluent in English but do not need a degree or TEFL qualification. You will get food, accommodation and a monthly allowance. Placements are for 1, 2 or 3 months.

This is a very rare opportunity to teach English on a one-to-one basis, and to have an immersive experience where you will really get to understand China in a unique way.

Raleigh is looking for expedition medics to join sustainable development programmes in Borneo and Costa Rica & Nicaragua next January. Volunteer managers and medics are needed to run expeditions, so if you're a qualified doctor, paramedic or nurse, this could be for you!

The programmes where you'll be working focus on providing safe access to water, protecting vulnerable environments and building more resilient communities, all whilst developing the skills and confidence of young people.

As an expedition medic you will:

• Also be required to act as a project manager and draw upon your medical skills when necessary
• Support a group of around 12 - 14 international young volunteers ensuring they complete an effective and impactful project
• React and manage any medical emergencies if necessary
• Look after the general health of all volunteers
• Deliver first aid training at the beginning of the expedition
• Support the project sites with any medical advice if necessary from the expedition office 
• Encourage and motivate the young volunteers to effectively deliver the aims of the project
• Facilitate the personal development of the group

As a volunteer, you will:

• Gain and develop expedition medicine skills and experience
• Learn and develop new skills such as leadership and project management
• Gain experience in an expedition environment
• Learn and develop knowledge of international sustainable development
• Learn new skills to develop or change your career
• Gain and develop experience working with young people in a challenging environment
• Experience living in a completely new and exciting environment

You must have at least 2 years post-qualification experience, and medical skills that are transferable to remote static environments. Your living expenses are covered, but for additional costs, you are encouraged to fundraise, and Raleigh will help you with this.

Click here to apply for this amazing career break.

As a volunteer on a teaching placement in Peru, you will work with secondary schools in and around the Sacred Valley. You may find that you teach any ages from all five secondary school year groups. With worksheets and teaching resources available in the Projects Aroad office in the town of Urubamba, you will be well supported. You'll also be able to see a full history of what has been taught previously in your schools and tips from past volunteers.

The team in Peru organise monthly network meetings with the teachers, and weekly workshops for all teaching volunteers. These meetings will provide you with a greater insight into the educational system in Peru and the background of the placement where you’re working. During the workshops you will receive practical advice and suggestions regarding lesson plans and activities to carry out at your teaching placement.

During the long Peruvian school holidays from January to March, you can attend a dedicated teacher training programme. This is carried out by volunteers under the close supervision of Peru Director, Tim DeWinter, and a teaching supervisor. You will prepare interactive lessons for small groups of local teachers that are divided up according to their level of English language knowledge. It is worth noting that most Peruvian teachers will have a very basic level of English.

Outside of volunteering hours, you are free to do as you wish – often free time is used to travel visiting local attractions and landmarks.

This is a fantastic career break opportunity that really gets you involved with the local community and get out as much as you put in - or maybe even more!

As a volunteer in medicine, you'll be based in Cape Coast, in the central region of Ghana. You will work in a bustling city hospital, helping patients with a wide range of illnesses.

The hospitals provide an excellent backdrop for learning and improving your medicine and healthcare skills. You will experience different approaches to medicine and treatments. You will find yourself coming into contact with conditions that you wouldn't normally see in Europe and North America, such as malaria and typhoid, on an almost daily basis.

When you first arrive at the hospital you will discuss your work schedule with the Projects Abroad coordinator and the placement supervisor who will be a member of the hospital staff. Most volunteers choose to spend time in a variety of different departments within the hospital, including accident and emergency, paediatrics, maternity, pharmacy, physiotherapy and surgery.

You will also take part in regular medical outreach work which can involve treating village children with minor wounds or illnesses, or paying a visit to an orphanage.

If you’re a qualified doctor or nurse, you can take a more hands-on role within the hospital.

When you're not volunteering, you can use your free time to explore the local area, go on a day trip, or simply relax.

This is a great opportunity for a career breaker to really get involved in helping people in Ghana and gain experience that you can't get at home.

Just like children throughout the world, Sri Lankan children are fascinated by computers and eager to learn how to use them. Teaching such a useful skill is invaluable, both to individuals and the communities they live in.

When the young people develop a better understanding of computers, job opportunities open to them, which would not previously have been available. With IT skills, children also find themselves in a position where they can benefit from all that the worldwide web has to offer.

Volunteers are needed to help teach very basic computer programmes like Word and Excel, however, if you are also able to develop databases and assist with any maintenance work your help will be much appreciated. This IT project is suited to volunteers of all abilities; you don't need to be a computer whizz to be helpful.

Volunteers may work in an IT centre set up by Projects Abroad in Panadura. Children come from miles around to take classes there - English and Sinhala are taught, as well as IT.

Teaching IT is also available in some schools along the south west coast, in Panadura and Negombo. Volunteers working at these schools have the option of teaching a variety of subjects in addition to IT.

Your free time is yours to use as you wish - many volunteers travel in the local area to see the sites.

This career break is perfect for you if you want to teach something a bit different, love a challenge and want to benefit the lives of kids - not just now, but in the future as well.