VOLUNTEER ABROAD

Where is the best place to volunteer abroad?

There are so many exciting international places to experience, that it can be overwhelming to choose just one. You might be sitting on the question of ‘Where should I go to volunteer?’ for quite a while. We can’t decide for you, but we’d love to hear about the locations you’re excited about so that we can help to match you up with a location that perfectly matches your preferences. Our Enrollment Managers are always ready to chat to you about exciting locations and projects.

We have sustainable development projects in operation that allow you to volunteer in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, including South and Central America, or Australasia. With GVI you can volunteer in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Greece, India, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Seychelles, South Africa, Thailand, and Fiji. You can also join a volunteering program in Tanzania and Zambia. 

Some volunteers want to know ‘Which are the safest countries?’ and are concerned about the dangers of volunteering abroad. The truth is that while international travel always carries some risk, GVI doesn’t operate in countries where we know the risks are too high. After all, senior members of our own management team, including our CEO, are stationed in these countries. We have incredibly comprehensive operational safety guidelines that have ensured us a status as a British Standards 8848 compliant organisation.

Volunteer Abroad Programs

Conservation

Wildlife Conservation

All our animal volunteering programs are wildlife conservation programs and are aligned to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #15, Life on Land. These programs allow participants to volunteer with animals, but on most of them we don’t support or encourage volunteers to interact directly with wild animals. 

You can choose to participate in one of our wildlife conservation programs on Curieuse island in Seychelles; Giannitsochori, a small Mediterranean beach town in Greece; Jalova, a remote research base in Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park; a private nature and wildlife reserve in South Africa’s Limpopo province; a small town in Thailand’s Southern Phang Nga province or a small village North of the Thai city, Chiang Mai.

The conservation value of animal rescue, orphanage, rehabilitation, and sanctuary volunteering abroad projects is questionable. Creating a captive, unnatural environment for wild animals is not ideal and only required in some very specific circumstances, such as the critical endangerment of a species and the complete destruction of their natural habitat. For this reason, GVI tends to mostly avoid these types of conservation projects. These types of programs also carry too high a safety risk for our volunteers. You can learn more about our stance on animal handling and captivity here and our health and safety operational guidelines here.

If you’re looking for animal care or welfare work, we offer programs that allow you to volunteer with elephants and volunteer with turtles. Our endangered Asian elephant forest integration project is based in a small Karen culture village in the hills above Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Here we work with local mahouts to help integrate the elephants back into the wild and support the community with developing alternate sources of income. On the elephant program, touching is only allowed during health checks and local mahouts guide the process for safety reasons. If you’d like to learn more about how to volunteer with elephants ethically you can read our article on the topic.

Our endangered green sea turtle nursery project is based in the Phang Nga province in Southern Thailand. Here our volunteers work at a local turtle nursery supported by the Thailand government. Volunteers help the nursery with raising endangered baby sea turtles to a size where they can fend for themselves and are more likely to survive in the wild. Volunteers on the turtle program are only allowed to touch the turtles when cleaning them to prevent illness or applying a medicinal ointment to prevent infections. 

We also offer sea turtle volunteering programs in Costa Rica, Greece, and Seychelles. On all these programs, volunteers only touch turtles when collecting data from nesting mother sea turtles or assisting baby sea turtles that are struggling to find their way toward the ocean.

For those looking to live with lions or volunteer with lion cubs, we would advise against any programs that offer hands-on work with lions. Not only is this a dangerous living and work situation both for experienced professionals and unskilled volunteers, but lions raised in captivity are unlikely to have mastered the skills necessary for survival in the wild. An alternative program that has proven conservation value is our South African big cat volunteer program. On this program volunteers help to track the movements and behaviour of lions and other predators like leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas in the private nature and wildlife reserve where we operate. Volunteers can also get involved in some of our other wildlife conservation projects in South Africa where they can support the conservation of rhinos, elephants, hyenas, cheetahs, and other species. 

If the jungles of Costa Rica seem more appealing than the savannahs of South Africa, why not join our wildlife expedition in Costa Rica where we work in Tortuguero National Park to support the conservation of jaguars and other rainforest species like monkeys and tropical birds. 

Marine Conservation

GVI offers marine biology volunteering programs on the island of Caqalai in Fiji, on the island of Mahe and in the beach town of Puerto Morelos. On all of these programs volunteers will be scuba diving abroad and gaining professional diving certificates endorsed by PADI along the way. All GVI marine conservation volunteers earn the Coral Reef Research Diver PADI Distinctive Specialty, a qualification only offered on GVI marine conservation programs. All GVI marine conservation volunteers can also be confident that they will be contributing to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #14, Life Below Water, as all our marine conservation projects are aligned to the objectives of this goal. GVI marine conservation volunteers will all learn skills and experience that will prove valuable if they choose to go into a career in marine biology, oceanology, or conservation. For volunteers who’d rather snorkel than scuba dive, we offer a seasonal coral research project in Southern Thailand. Minimising marine plastic pollution and learning about the effects of climate change, specifically coral bleaching, are aspects of all our marine conservation volunteering programs abroad. 

Environmental Conservation

In all the locations where we run conservation projects, and many of the locations where we run community projects, we also run environmental conservation volunteer projects. Volunteers can help with environmental restoration efforts by removing plastic pollution and other waste from marine, land, and freshwater environments, helping to eliminate invasive species, and assisting local organisations with planting native trees or introducing other indigenous species. At our wildlife conservation locations, volunteers might also assist local staff with trail maintenance in nature and wildlife reserves in which we operate. Volunteers can also learn about the effects of climate change on specific natural habitats while on any of our conservation programs. 

Community Development

Volunteer with Children

If you’d like to help children abroad, join our volunteer with children or teach English abroad programs. On these programs, we support local educators in helping children reach development milestones, increase literacy and numeracy statistics, and improve on a range of other learning outcomes like computer literacy as well as healthy eating and physical activity. In contributing to these projects, volunteers work to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4, Quality Education.You can join one of our volunteering with children programs in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa and Thailand.

These programs are not short-term childcare volunteering programs, as we don’t offer or endorse these types of programs. We’re not comfortable with the potential risks these short-term international childminding programs carry. If you’re considering this type of program, we encourage you to read up about the ethical questions around these programs. 

Many of those looking to volunteer with children  are looking to join orphanage volunteering programs. Recent research has revealed that volunteering at or donating to orphanages is linked to the exploitation of families, children, and local markets abroad. GVI doesn’t offer, directly support, or endorse orphanage volunteering. Learn more about our stance on orphanage volunteering here.

You also don’t necessarily need to choose volunteer work abroad with children in order to help these young people. Supporting parents in increasing their household income can help children. You can contribute to this goal by joining one of our women’s empowerment volunteer programs.

If you’re looking to work with older adults, unfortunately, we don’t offer any elderly care volunteering programs. 

Teaching

Supporting education is one of the best ways to ensure the developmental growth of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Not only does education increase an individual child’s future ability to earn an income, but it is also linked to greater health. Educating girls specifically supports gender equality within a country. 

We offer teaching abroad volunteer programs in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Laos, Nepal, Peru, South Africa, and Thailand. On most of these programs volunteers support local educators in teaching English abroad, although they might also support the teaching of other subjects. All our volunteer education abroad programs are aligned to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4, Quality Education. 

In Costa Rica, Laos, and Thailand and you can also earn your teaching English as a foreign language, or TEFL, certificate, by joining one of our teaching internships abroad. If you’re looking to learn Spanish while volunteering abroad join our programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru. 

Sports

Playing sports during the primary years encourages students not only to follow an active lifestyle throughout their lives but also teaches valuable social skills that will assist them in their future careers. You can help to support these valuable skills that will last a lifetime by volunteering with GVI as a sports teacher in South Africa and India. Sports you might teach include everything from soccer to American football. Introducing students to sports unique to your country and having them introduce sports unique to their country is a great way to discuss cultural norms and helps you gain experience in intercultural communication. 

Business

Applying theoretical business knowledge and skills while volunteering abroad, might not be the obvious choice. But business volunteering, and in particular microfinance volunteering, is growing in popularity. The reason for this is that one of the biggest drivers of social change is business growth. In fact, the first United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is No Poverty. 

These include our projects in Cambodia’s city of Siem Reap, famous for its proximity to Angkor Wat; Costa Rica’s Pacific beach town of Quepos, only a short drive away from Manuel Antonio National Park; Fiji’s Dawasamu District on its main island of Viti Levu, Ghana’s small town of Kokrobite, only about hour from the capital of Accra; India’s historic city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala; Laos’ former capital and UNESCO heritage site of Luang Prabang; Nepal’s lakeside city of Pokhara, surrounded by the Annapurna mountain ranges and Peru’s town of Cusco, the former Incan stronghold and the first stop for many international visitors planning to trek to Machu Picchu.

Volunteers contributing toward these projects might teach English to adults looking to improve their ability to engage with international visitors. This helps them to access greater employment opportunities and assists them in building or growing their own businesses. Volunteers might also assist local community members with adding to hospitality activities offered by community. Some of these might include setting up cultural tours or homestay style accommodation facilities. In all our locations, we ensure that the environmental and cultural impact of international tourism is always discussed and that measures are put in place to sustainably manage any tourism efforts we support. You can learn more about our our responsible travel policy here.

While we don’t offer any programs that specifically allow participants to volunteer with refugees abroad, volunteers might have the opportunity to assist economic refugees forming a part of the communities we support in Quepos, Costa Rica, and Cape Town, South Africa. 

Our women’s empowerment volunteers will also be helping to directly support local business growth. GVI women’s empowerment volunteers assist women with developing additional vocational skills like being able to complete administrative work on a computer and with improving professional skills like creating a great resume and impressing during a job interview. Depending on the needs of the women in the community volunteers might also assist them with creating their own small business plans and solving micro business challenges. 

Construction

All GVI construction programs are closely tied to local community development objectives. The goals of all GVI construction projects are aligned to United Nation Sustainable Goal, #3, Health and Well-being, #4, Quality Education, and #6, Clean Water and Sanitation.

Volunteers on our construction volunteering programs abroad won’t be building houses but will rather be helping to renovate, repair, or build structures at local schools. All construction materials used on the project are included in the program fee. On-site training for all construction volunteers is also included, and the specific construction project volunteers will complete is overseen by local experts. 

While we don’t yet run specific volunteering programs for engineers, the experience that engineering students, and others in the construction profession, are welcome on this program. We also don’t yet run any sustainable agriculture volunteering programs, but volunteers working on our community development projects might get the chance to install or maintain community gardens.  

Women’s Empowerment

Research in international development suggests that women’s empowerment can lead to many other benefits for the country. The income of the nation increases and health statistics of both mothers and children improve. GVI allows volunteers to support gender equality initiatives in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Fiji, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, and Thailand.All GVI women’s empowerment programs are aligned to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5, Gender Equality. On these programs volunteers support women and girls in  increasing their access to education, growing their income, discussing gender norms they find restrictive, and developing greater health for themselves, their children and communities. Gender equality workshops might also be held with the greater community, including boys and men. 

GVI doesn’t yet offer volunteering programs specifically designed for law students. However, for those law students specifically interested in gender equality, our women’s empowerment volunteering programs might be both an enlightening and satisfying choice. On these programs, law students might get a chance to learn about the different social norms that govern women’s lives in other countries and learn what women are doing to take further advantage of their rights. 

Global Health

If you are looking for healthcare related volunteer programs that allow you to ethically volunteer abroad without a medical degree, we suggest our health promotion volunteering programs allowing you to gain experience in global public health, international development, and education. On these programs volunteers support preventative health education by teaching lessons at local schools or running workshops with adults in the community. All GVI health promotion volunteer programs are aligned to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3, Good Health and Well-being. 

Both medical and veterinary volunteering programs have come under scrutiny in recent years. The argument is that if a volunteer isn’t qualified to perform a procedure in their own country, they shouldn’t be allowed to perform the procedure in another country. The risk of harm to a patient is too great to ethically justify. 

While there are ethical medical volunteering programs, these are directly linked to reputable higher learning institutions. If you aren’t a qualified medical practitioner yet or aren’t part of a medical training program that certifies you to performing specific procedures it’s best to think twice about the ethics of medical volunteering abroad. 

GVI operates under the principle of primum non nocere, first do no harm. This is why we don’t offer any medical volunteering programs, including nursing, emt or paramedic, dentistry and dental assistant, or specialist work like optometry and audiology. Similarly we also don’t offer veterinary volunteering programs, including veterinary assistant or veterinary nurse volunteering programs. For these same reasons, we also don’t offer pharmacist, psychology, and social work volunteering abroad.

For those asking ‘How do I volunteer abroad without a degree?’ GVI focuses on providing ethical options for those looking for unskilled volunteer work abroad. This allows for a wider access to a greater number of participants. We train volunteers up to the level of performing a certain task that can be performed without any risk of causing harm and without putting strain on local staff. 

Please note that we don’t specialise in disaster relief or humanitarian aid volunteering. Volunteer organisations that offer this type of volunteering aim to provide volunteers for short-term, emergency scenarios. We focus on providing volunteers to support long-term international sustainable development. 

Photography

We are always looking for those with creative skill sets to help us create a greater awareness about the objectives of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the importance of following ethical best practice when communicating complex sustainable development messages. 

At our wildlife conservation locations many of our volunteers can practice their wildlife photography skills, while in our marine conservation locations volunteers practice their underwater photography skills.

On our community development projects volunteers can also gain experience documenting the stories of local charity and NGO workers. In this way you can help spread international awareness of what local people are doing to create sustainable positive change in their country, creating an empowering narrative that both local and global audiences can find inspirational. All our locations offer volunteers plenty of opportunities to perfect their travel photography skills. 

We’re also in the process of creating communications and social media internships as well as specific media internships focused on videography, design, and journalism to be offered at all our locations. For now, those interested can join our Communications Internship in Cambodia. 

Our online writing course is also very popular. It allows budding travel writers to get their work published, gain experience in digital marketing, and learn best practices in sustainable development communications and journalism. Learning about how to speak about critical global issues in a way that is empowering can help you make an impact virtually from anywhere in the world.

Types of Volunteer Abroad Programs 

Teen Programs

GVI offers international volunteering programs specifically designed for teenagers between the ages of 15, 16, and 17. These programs include age-appropriate and impactful volunteer work, guided adventure activities, and interactive presentations that allow teens to learn about international sustainable development topics in a truly engaging way. 

Most GVI under 18s programs run during June, July, and August to fit with the Northern Hemisphere’s summer break. This gives students enough time to travel and fully participate in volunteer activities on the ground. All our teen programs offered during the summer months are exactly two weeks in duration. 

If you’re a teenager and not looking to travel during your summer break, you can also join one of our spring break teen volunteering programs in Mexico or Costa Rica. They run during the Northern Hemisphere spring season, or the months of March, April, and May, and are only one week in duration. 

GVI teen programs are all group programs which means that teens all start the program together and complete all volunteer, travel, and adventure activities together. Activities are all guided by GVI staff. GVI already has an incredibly high staff to participant ratio of one to six, but on most teen programs we ensure that that ratio is usually higher, providing additional support and guidance for teens. Upon completion of a GVI teen volunteer program all teenagers receive the GVI Young Leaders award, a qualification recognised by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

Flights and flight chaperones are not included in the program fee of teen programs but these can be arranged simply by speaking to an Enrollment Manager.

College Students

GVI specialises in offering the best international volunteer programs for college students. If you aren’t convinced that ours are some of the best volunteer abroad programs for young adults available, watch or read some of the glowing reviews submitted by our previous volunteers. 

Students can join a GVI program all year round, selecting a time that best suits their schedule. Many students choose to travel and volunteer during their summer break, since this gives them the opportunity to complete not only short-term but long-term programs too. Volunteer programs extend from week long volunteer opportunities abroad to six months programs. One or two month options are a popular choice. Spring break volunteer abroad programs in Mexico and Costa Rica are also available for college students. These programs run during the months of March, April, and May. Many of our volunteer projects are also operational during the winter break which means that students are welcome to join a volunteer program during the holiday season. 

While GVI programs aren’t accredited, college and university students who complete a GVI volunteer or internship program can also apply for academic credit through their academic institution.

Gap Year

Many young adults choose to volunteer abroad during their gap year. Some gap year students choose to volunteer abroad for a year but many only choose to do so for part of their gap year. Most choose between one month and six month volunteering programs. The great thing about a gap year is that students can choose a program from a list with a wider range of focuses and durations. This allows them to make a greater impact and gain a deeper understanding of international development issues at play in the local context. They will also get to develop a wider range of skills and earn more experience applying these skills to real-world challenges. For those looking for a further employability boost, consider joining one of our gap year internships. 

Career Break

Working adults who are looking to make an impact during their vacation or annual leave days can join any of our volunteer holiday programs abroad. Not only will you be contributing toward long-term sustainable development goals but on the weekends and in the evenings you can also experience the sights and sounds of a new environment and culture. Those you are feeling uninspired by their current job or career can also use this opportunity to explore a new avenue as well as gain skills and experiences that can help them transition towards something more in align with their interests. 

Older Adults

Much of our volunteer work abroad is accessible to seniors. All that is required is that you are physically fit and keen to make a meaningful impact. We’re of the opinion that the work experience of those over 40 and 50 can be especially valuable to an international sustainable development project. For retirees, these programs can be a great opportunity to make a contribution on an international level using their accumulation of a variety of specialised skills. The only requirement many seniors volunteers request is an accommodation upgrade, which can easily be provided at most of our locations.

Family

GVI also offers volunteering holidays abroad where all members of the family can volunteer together.  Whether you are looking to volunteer as a couple, volunteer with your child, or with senior members of your family, our family volunteering programs are designed for all members of an intergenerational family. Christmas volunteering is an especially popular option for families volunteering abroad. The only rule is that children must be at least 14 years of age. For each adult member of the family joining a GVI family volunteering program, any member under the age of 18 joining the program will receive 25% off their program fee. 

Group Programs

We also offer group volunteering programs. These are perfect for organisations looking to arrange high school trips abroad, university programs abroad or corporate volunteering abroad. Organisations like local clubs and community groups are also welcome to book a group volunteering program with us.

GVI doesn’t have any specific religious affiliations, which means we don’t offer any specific programs catered to Jewish, Christian, or Islamic faiths. We also don’t offer mission trips abroad. Persons of all faiths are welcome on our any of our volunteering programs, so if your group would like to arrange a custom volunteer abroad program, please get in touch and we will get back to you with a quote and a range of ideas to inspire your group members.

Funding Your Volunteer Abroad Program

How Can I Volunteer Abroad For Free?

If you’re considering a free volunteer program, we’d recommend that you read our article, ‘Why Pay to Volunteer Abroad.’ Free volunteer abroad programs don’t follow ethical best practices in international sustainable development. They are unlikely to be legitimate volunteer abroad programs, which is why we don’t offer or endorse them. If, after reading our article, you’re still asking ‘Why do I have to pay to volunteer abroad?’, feel free to contact us for a chat.

Can I Get Paid For Volunteer Work Abroad?

We don’t offer paid volunteer work abroad for students or adults. For us, this goes against what it means to volunteer. The definition of volunteering is a helpful activity for which you don’t need to be directly compensated. This being said, the training and work experience provided on all our volunteer abroad programs will put you in a better position to secure employment in the future. 

Do You Offer Cheap Volunteer Abroad Programs?

Be wary of any volunteer abroad organisation that offers cheap volunteer programs. It’s unlikely that they follow ethical best practices or appropriate health and safety protocols. Before you pay to volunteer abroad always be sure to ask about the specific services that the volunteer abroad organisation will be providing. Are there reviews that show that this organisation will provide the quality of services promised? 

GVI doesn’t specialise in offering inexpensive volunteer abroad programs, but rather focuses on guaranteeing volunteers that they will reliably make a positive lasting impact, with no risk of causing harm, and that volunteers are secure and supported throughout their journey. We also ensure that volunteers leave their program with skills, experience, and often qualifications, that will help them in their future career. We’ve always been very transparent about our finances. To learn more, see our ‘Where does your money go?’ chart. We’re more than happy to answer questions if you’d like to talk about how we structure our finances for maximum positive impact for our local partners on the ground. 

If you’re still on the lookout for low cost volunteer abroad programs, our most affordable volunteer abroad programs are Volunteer with Elephants In Thailand and Volunteer with Buddhist Novice Monks in Laos programs.

I Want To Volunteer Abroad But Can’t Afford It

Funding your volunteer abroad program doesn’t necessarily have to be incredibly challenging. Take a look to see if we have any scholarships available at the moment. We’ve also made raising funds for volunteering abroad easier by creating our own fundraising platform. Simply apply to set up our own GVI fundraising page and start raising money to volunteer abroad. This will allow your friends and loved ones to sponsor your volunteer work abroad. Find ways to fundraise for volunteering abroad by reading our article on fundraising ideas.

If you’re a citizen of the United States of America, you can qualify for a tax deduction on your program fee. There might also be other government funding available for you to use to volunteer abroad. Many governments make travel grants available specifically for students volunteering abroad. You can learn more by visiting or contacting your college or university’s international education office. There might also be private organisations that offer scholarships for volunteering abroad. 

What’s Included In A GVI Volunteer Abroad Program?

Our volunteer work abroad programs include in-country travel and accommodation required to complete project work. Three meals per day and all the necessary training and equipment needed to complete the volunteer work effectively are also included in the program fee. GVI teen programs also include chaperoned adventure activities for the duration of their program.

GVI programs don’t automatically include flights, but you can book a flight with well-priced airfare through Student Universe. Travel or medical insurance for volunteering abroad is not included but we can offer an excellent insurance package for you designed specifically for our international volunteers by our partner, CISI. In case you need a visa, we don’t cover visa costs, but do offer visa advice and support through our personal travel consultation service.

Why GVI?

GVI has gained a reputation as one of the top international volunteering organisations over the past two decades. Established in 1998, the long list of awards we’ve received from leading organisations in our sector and the stellar reviews delivered by the overwhelming majority of our volunteers, has helped us build a name for ourselves over the years as one of the best international volunteering organisations.

Both individual volunteers and volunteer organisations respect us because of our commitment to real, meaningful, and lasting impact on international sustainable development challenges. We’re committed to applying the latest ethical best practices, informed by external experts, in all our operations, and all our projects around the world are aligned to one or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Our outstanding support and safety services have also won us awards both from our colleagues in the field and praise from our volunteers. Our operational health and safety standards ensure that we are compliant with British Standards 8848, a set of best practice guidelines for adventure tour providers outside the United Kingdom. Each volunteer is also assigned a personal travel Support Coordinator to help them get everything in order, including their packing list, before setting off on their volunteer trip abroad.

In addition, the quality of training, work experience, and qualifications provided on our volunteering programs ensures that the experience not only looks good on both college applications and resumes, but that these skills are actually valuable in the workplace.

We identify as a social enterprise and use the resources provided by our volunteers and interns to support local sustainable development initiatives. This means that we aren’t a charity or non-profit organisation, but we do partner with local organisations that might be charities or nonprofits. For example, in Mexico, our volunteers work to support Save the Children. We also raise funds for our local partners through our UK-registered charity, the GVI Trust. Volunteers might be involved in specific fundraising activities with our charity during their time on the program. 

Not operating as a charity or government-funded allows us more freedom to find the most optimal ways to contribute to international sustainable development goals in the shortest possible time frame. We’re more than happy to discuss our organisational structure at any time. Simply contact us for a chat.