From gapyear.com: choosing a volunteer placement So you’re interested in volunteering on your gap year. Maybe you want to work with injured tigers in India, orphaned children in Peru or you want to build a school in the Congo? These are all worthwhile projects and doing any of them could result in the double win of you having an amazing, rewarding time whilst also benefiting the community you’re working in. Just looking for volunteering placements is exciting, but don't get carried away and eagerly sign up for the first project that looks like your dream experience! There are many mistakes you can make when approaching volunteering, and gapyear.com has put together this guide to help you avoid them. We’re not going to tell you what kind of placement you want to do, but we can help you avoid getting ripped off, exploited or booking with the wrong company. So before you dive in at the volunteering deep end, take a few minutes to read our guide on what to consider, what questions to ask, and what important things you should think about before you yourself onto a volunteering placement… Finding the Right Volunteering Organisation The obvious place to start is working out which volunteer companies and placements look most worthwhile, most ethical, most fun and the best value. But how do you work this out? What should you look at first? The initial thing you should be looking out for when browsing placements is how ethical the volunteering organisation appears. Whereas many people will happily hand over their cash to a holiday company and not worry who is behind the organisation, how it runs and where their money is going, choosing a volunteer company should work very differently. But how can you tell a good organisation from a bad one? You obviously can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can gage a lot from first impressions. Look at the pictures and words the organisation uses to tell you about their placements and partners. What do these images tell you about the relationship the organisation has with its developing communities? What words do they use? Does the tone feel patronising? You should maybe be wary of companies that only use pictures of children and rather than young western volunteers working alongside adults from that community, or that generally portray the host communities in a child-like way, like people who need help. Language is also really important. Look for positive, encouraging words describing the placement and community. Be wary of companies that describe the place you’ll be going as a somewhere of ‘poverty and need’, and if any organisation claims you’ll be ‘changing the world’, you should probably move on instantly! How important is the size of the volunteer organisation? There is nothing wrong with big organisations, but bigger isn’t always better. Some of the best volunteer organisations are very small but have excellent, well established relationships with the projects and communities they work with. You shouldn’t necessarily be put off choosing a company you’ve never heard of. Choose your placement based on substance, not reputation. Similarly, it doesn’t matter if the volunteer organisation is a commercial enterprise or a not-for-profit charity organisation. People might argue the latter can claim the moral high ground, but as long as the organisation is run ethically, openly and benefits both volunteer and the community are sent to, you shouldn't be worried about trying to choose a more ‘worthy’ organisation over a commercial one. Does the organisation match your skills to the project? Volunteering should not be about 'having a go' at things you’d never be able to do back home. A developing community in Africa or Asia is not the place to experiment or play at something you’re under-qualified, under-experienced, under-skilled and unprepared to do. If you are interested in teaching, for example, but have no teaching qualifications, below average general English qualifications and no experience in leading, working with or managing children or teenagers, be cautious about a company that seems prepared to put you straight in front of a class. Of course, you may start a project as a classroom assistant and end up as a teacher through merit or circumstance, but being out of your depth from the start is unhealthy. Instead, be more receptive to volunteer companies that look like they want to match people up to an appropriate placement, based on your skills, experience and personality. How does the organisation select its volunteers? Do you feel like the company you are thinking of going with want to get to know you, or are they just interested in your credit card details? If it’s the latter then alarm bells should be ringing in the back of your mind. Good volunteering companies want to send the right people to the right placements. At the very least, they should want to know about your background, your experience, your skills, your personality and your preferences. Some companies may even require an interview with you to make sure you are the right person to send to their projects. It's not essential, but this can be a great indicator that they really care about both you and the placement, and that they don’t want to send someone out to a project that will just want to be back home after a week. How will you be treated before and after the placement? A prepared volunteer is a better volunteer. If a company claim they will offer you training, guidance or will keep in contact with you prior to you heading off, it’s usually a good sign that they are an ethical body, committed to providing quality placements. Similarly, if the organisation say they will be interested in your experience after you return, and may want you to complete surveys, write reports or talk to other potential volunteers after your placement is done, the signs are very positive. If all they want is your money, it doesn’t mean that they’re evil, but it doesn’t give the impression that they care as much about you as they could. Questions for the Volunteering Organisation By this stage you will probably have narrowed your options down to a shortlist of volunteer organisations and their placements. This is the point where you want to be doing some research and asking questions directly rather than just in your head. But what do you need to ask them? Where does all the money go? If you’ve even had a casual glance at the cost of a volunteer placement, you’ll have noticed they usually cost significant amounts of money. You should care where this money goes once it’s left your bank account. Anyone you choose to volunteer with should have no issues about honestly explaining what it spends your fee on. How much goes on admin cost and overheads? How much is spent on each individual volunteer for transport, food, accommodation and training? How much of it is invested into host communities and projects? These are all vital questions, and you should certainly make sure you find out the answers. But don't be put off a placement just because it seems pricey. The most important question of of all is, of course: is the placement good value? Like anything you buy, a placement could be expensive and poor value, cheap and good value, or vice versa. The price tag is only ever part of what you should consider. Can the organisation tell you what you’ll be doing day-to-day? A good company will be able to tell you what you’ll be doing and how long you’ll be working for. This sounds fairly obvious, but there are plenty of volunteers who have been left tired and unhappy because they’ve had to work more than they were expecting to. Working less can be as equally unsatisfying. Make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for. Does the organisation work with a local partner organisation? An ideal volunteer programme will work with the local community, not enforce itself upon it. Find out who the local partner is. Do they have someone who works on the day-to-day project? That perhaps even manages it? These are important questions not just from an ethical perspective, but a personal one. You’ll have a much more rewarding time feeling like you’re working with the local community rather than working on them. What are the environmental and ethical policies? The best volunteer organisations are committed to necessary, accountable and sustainable projects. Make sure you find out how long a company has worked in the area you might be going to and make sure they have a long-term commitment to the people, project and area. You don’t want to, for example, care for children for six months with no idea on what happens to them after you leave. How much power to local people and partners have? Are they merely workers or do they have influence over the decisions and direction of the project? Try and find out what the context is behind construction projects; the new school, bridge, hospital or whatever else you might be building: Is it needed? What problem will it solve? Who will actually use it? How much are you personally paying for? Make sure you are not taking work away from local people by volunteering. And then there’s the environment. What procedures have the company got in place to protect the local environment? What is the company’s environmental record? What are their achievements, if any? Can the organisation give you precise contact details for your chosen programme? Broadly speaking, there are two main ways for a volunteer organisation to operate. First, they can build a relationship with a host organisation, identify local needs they can meet, arrange placements and projects and then fill the vacancies. Alternatively, they can wait for travellers to sign up (and pay), then find relevant placements. Can you guess which is the better approach? A good company with well-run placements should be able to let you know a long way in advance where you will be going and what you will be doing. If they cannot, or will not, give you these details then be very wary of the quality of the project. Badly arranged placements can be disorganised, leaving both volunteers and local hosts with unsatisfying experiences. What support will you receive? We spoke earlier about training and support before and after the placement, but what about once you’re over there getting on with it? Who’s looking out for you? Are you on your own? While you might feel more independent with no one to fall back on, good organisations will often have a local contact on hand should you run into difficulties. This person is potentially vital. While most placements will pass without a hitch, should you have any issues over how much you’re enjoying the project, what you’re getting out of it or what you’re offering of value, these contacts can be incredibly useful. Needless to say, if you have more serious problems involving healthcare or the legal system, having access to a person on the ground nearby can be invaluable. If a company offers no support, it may be a sign that they are less committed to the safety and wellbeing of their volunteers. Questions for Yourself Volunteer organisations are not the only people you should ask questions of before you sign up for a placement. The most important person to question is, arguably, you. First of all, you need to think about why you really want to do a volunteer placement. If you genuinely want to make a difference somewhere and develop yourself at the same time, it's a brilliant thing to do. If your main motivation is to impress people with your CV or convince everyone that you're a worthy person, you might be getting into this with for the wrong reasons. There are lots of other personal questions you need to ask yourself, too. Are you ready to accept responsibility not only for your own health, safety and development, but that of the people, animals and environment you will be working with? Are you willing to learn and adapt to the working and social culture of your host community? Are you prepared to put others first? Are you ready to be mature, professional and committed to a potentially hard few weeks or months of volunteering? Additionally there are some more work-specific questions to mull over - be sure you are confident the work you are doing matches your aspirations or will teach you new skills you want to learn. For more information and first-hand reports from volunteers gapyear.com.

From gapyear.com: choosing a volunteer placement

So you’re interested in volunteering on your gap year. Maybe you want to work with injured tigers in India, orphaned children in Peru or you want to build a school in the Congo? These are all worthwhile projects and doing any of them could result in the double win of you having an amazing, rewarding time whilst also benefiting the community you’re working in. Just looking for volunteering placements is exciting, but don't get carried away and eagerly sign up for the first project that looks like your dream experience!

There are many mistakes you can make when approaching volunteering, and gapyear.com has put together this guide to help you avoid them. We’re not going to tell you what kind of placement you want to do, but we can help you avoid getting ripped off, exploited or booking with the wrong company. So before you dive in at the volunteering deep end, take a few minutes to read our guide on what to consider, what questions to ask, and what important things you should think about before you yourself onto a volunteering placement…

Finding the Right Volunteering Organisation

The obvious place to start is working out which volunteer companies and placements look most worthwhile, most ethical, most fun and the best value. But how do you work this out?

What should you look at first?
The initial thing you should be looking out for when browsing placements is how ethical the volunteering organisation appears. Whereas many people will happily hand over their cash to a holiday company and not worry who is behind the organisation, how it runs and where their money is going, choosing a volunteer company should work very differently.

But how can you tell a good organisation from a bad one? You obviously can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can gage a lot from first impressions. Look at the pictures and words the organisation uses to tell you about their placements and partners. What do these images tell you about the relationship the organisation has with its developing communities? What words do they use? Does the tone feel patronising? You should maybe be wary of companies that only use pictures of children and rather than young western volunteers working alongside adults from that community, or that generally portray the host communities in a child-like way, like people who need help.

Language is also really important. Look for positive, encouraging words describing the placement and community. Be wary of companies that describe the place you’ll be going as a somewhere of ‘poverty and need’, and if any organisation claims you’ll be ‘changing the world’, you should probably move on instantly!

How important is the size of the volunteer organisation? There is nothing wrong with big organisations, but bigger isn’t always better. Some of the best volunteer organisations are very small but have excellent, well established relationships with the projects and communities they work with. You shouldn’t necessarily be put off choosing a company you’ve never heard of. Choose your placement based on substance, not reputation.

Similarly, it doesn’t matter if the volunteer organisation is a commercial enterprise or a not-for-profit charity organisation. People might argue the latter can claim the moral high ground, but as long as the organisation is run ethically, openly and benefits both volunteer and the community are sent to, you shouldn't be worried about trying to choose a more ‘worthy’ organisation over a commercial one.

Does the organisation match your skills to the project?
Volunteering should not be about 'having a go' at things you’d never be able to do back home. A developing community in Africa or Asia is not the place to experiment or play at something you’re under-qualified, under-experienced, under-skilled and unprepared to do.

If you are interested in teaching, for example, but have no teaching qualifications, below average general English qualifications and no experience in leading, working with or managing children or teenagers, be cautious about a company that seems prepared to put you straight in front of a class. Of course, you may start a project as a classroom assistant and end up as a teacher through merit or circumstance, but being out of your depth from the start is unhealthy.

Instead, be more receptive to volunteer companies that look like they want to match people up to an appropriate placement, based on your skills, experience and personality.

How does the organisation select its volunteers?
Do you feel like the company you are thinking of going with want to get to know you, or are they just interested in your credit card details? If it’s the latter then alarm bells should be ringing in the back of your mind. Good volunteering companies want to send the right people to the right placements. At the very least, they should want to know about your background, your experience, your skills, your personality and your preferences.

Some companies may even require an interview with you to make sure you are the right person to send to their projects. It's not essential, but this can be a great indicator that they really care about both you and the placement, and that they don’t want to send someone out to a project that will just want to be back home after a week.

How will you be treated before and after the placement?
A prepared volunteer is a better volunteer. If a company claim they will offer you training, guidance or will keep in contact with you prior to you heading off, it’s usually a good sign that they are an ethical body, committed to providing quality placements. Similarly, if the organisation say they will be interested in your experience after you return, and may want you to complete surveys, write reports or talk to other potential volunteers after your placement is done, the signs are very positive. If all they want is your money, it doesn’t mean that they’re evil, but it doesn’t give the impression that they care as much about you as they could.

Questions for the Volunteering Organisation

By this stage you will probably have narrowed your options down to a shortlist of volunteer organisations and their placements. This is the point where you want to be doing some research and asking questions directly rather than just in your head. But what do you need to ask them?

Where does all the money go?
If you’ve even had a casual glance at the cost of a volunteer placement, you’ll have noticed they usually cost significant amounts of money. You should care where this money goes once it’s left your bank account. Anyone you choose to volunteer with should have no issues about honestly explaining what it spends your fee on. How much goes on admin cost and overheads? How much is spent on each individual volunteer for transport, food, accommodation and training? How much of it is invested into host communities and projects? These are all vital questions, and you should certainly make sure you find out the answers.

But don't be put off a placement just because it seems pricey. The most important question of of all is, of course: is the placement good value? Like anything you buy, a placement could be expensive and poor value, cheap and good value, or vice versa. The price tag is only ever part of what you should consider.

Can the organisation tell you what you’ll be doing day-to-day?
A good company will be able to tell you what you’ll be doing and how long you’ll be working for. This sounds fairly obvious, but there are plenty of volunteers who have been left tired and unhappy because they’ve had to work more than they were expecting to. Working less can be as equally unsatisfying. Make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.

Does the organisation work with a local partner organisation?
An ideal volunteer programme will work with the local community, not enforce itself upon it. Find out who the local partner is. Do they have someone who works on the day-to-day project? That perhaps even manages it? These are important questions not just from an ethical perspective, but a personal one. You’ll have a much more rewarding time feeling like you’re working with the local community rather than working on them.

What are the environmental and ethical policies?
The best volunteer organisations are committed to necessary, accountable and sustainable projects. Make sure you find out how long a company has worked in the area you might be going to and make sure they have a long-term commitment to the people, project and area. You don’t want to, for example, care for children for six months with no idea on what happens to them after you leave.

How much power to local people and partners have? Are they merely workers or do they have influence over the decisions and direction of the project?
Try and find out what the context is behind construction projects; the new school, bridge, hospital or whatever else you might be building: Is it needed? What problem will it solve? Who will actually use it? How much are you personally paying for? Make sure you are not taking work away from local people by volunteering.

And then there’s the environment. What procedures have the company got in place to protect the local environment? What is the company’s environmental record? What are their achievements, if any?

Can the organisation give you precise contact details for your chosen programme?
Broadly speaking, there are two main ways for a volunteer organisation to operate. First, they can build a relationship with a host organisation, identify local needs they can meet, arrange placements and projects and then fill the vacancies. Alternatively, they can wait for travellers to sign up (and pay), then find relevant placements. Can you guess which is the better approach?

A good company with well-run placements should be able to let you know a long way in advance where you will be going and what you will be doing. If they cannot, or will not, give you these details then be very wary of the quality of the project. Badly arranged placements can be disorganised, leaving both volunteers and local hosts with unsatisfying experiences.

What support will you receive?
We spoke earlier about training and support before and after the placement, but what about once you’re over there getting on with it? Who’s looking out for you? Are you on your own? While you might feel more independent with no one to fall back on, good organisations will often have a local contact on hand should you run into difficulties.

This person is potentially vital. While most placements will pass without a hitch, should you have any issues over how much you’re enjoying the project, what you’re getting out of it or what you’re offering of value, these contacts can be incredibly useful. Needless to say, if you have more serious problems involving healthcare or the legal system, having access to a person on the ground nearby can be invaluable. If a company offers no support, it may be a sign that they are less committed to the safety and wellbeing of their volunteers.

Questions for Yourself

Volunteer organisations are not the only people you should ask questions of before you sign up for a placement. The most important person to question is, arguably, you.

First of all, you need to think about why you really want to do a volunteer placement. If you genuinely want to make a difference somewhere and develop yourself at the same time, it's a brilliant thing to do. If your main motivation is to impress people with your CV or convince everyone that you're a worthy person, you might be getting into this with for the wrong reasons.

There are lots of other personal questions you need to ask yourself, too. Are you ready to accept responsibility not only for your own health, safety and development, but that of the people, animals and environment you will be working with? Are you willing to learn and adapt to the working and social culture of your host community? Are you prepared to put others first? Are you ready to be mature, professional and committed to a potentially hard few weeks or months of volunteering?

Additionally there are some more work-specific questions to mull over - be sure you are confident the work you are doing matches your aspirations or will teach you new skills you want to learn.

For more information and first-hand reports from volunteers gapyear.com.