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Are you confident in yourself?
Volunteering abroad is not easy. It requires people to abandon their creature comforts, cultural norms, and often their language, and travel a long way to live and work in conditions that can be primitive, difficult, or emotionally draining. At first, volunteers may feel isolated upon arriving in a foreign city or village knowing no one - especially when another language is widely used. This is why it's crucial for those considering a volunteer abroad position to clarify their personal reasons for doing so.
Many people travel because they are dissatisfied with the state of their personal lives. It's important to recognize, however, that an international volunteer position likely will not address these problems; in fact, it might amplify them. If you have major troubles at home - with your relationships, your finances, your school or work - those problems will not disappear once you are out of the country. Chances are they will follow you, and may even get worse when you add the strain of cultural and environmental adjustments.
Most people have an active social circle at home. They spend time every day with family, friends, roommates, classmates, colleagues and neighbors. When abroad, international volunteers enter situations where everyone is a stranger. They might be placed in an isolated rural village or a nature preserve far from the nearest town or city. Can you handle spending time alone, or making a new circle of friends? It's not easy, but it's rewarding: quite often, this bonding experience produces lifelong international friendships that will be cherished.
Are you flexible and patient?
Volunteering abroad provides incredible potential for learning valuable lessons: new languages, new cultures, new job skills, a new way of living. But flexibility and patience are the keys to a successful experience. For instance, developing countries are not nearly as rigorous as Western countries in adhering to schedules and watching the clock. NGOs, international nonprofits and volunteer organizations are almost always under-staffed. Your itinerary will not be as smooth and well organized as a holiday tour or a vacation cruise. Things may seem disorganized at times. You may have to establish your own work routine. You may also encounter corruption and waste, and recognize that foreign government officials and local administrators often work in ways that don't make sense to you. In these instances, you have to accept the culture and the program, and offer your services within those parameters.
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What will I do?
Volunteer projects are as varied as you might imagine. Generally, international volunteer experiences fall into four main arenas:
- Community Development - these placements contribute to the health, education, and/or well-being of an entire community. Projects might include building a school or clinic, constructing a water treatment facility, cleaning up streets or outdoor settings, or planting trees.
- Education - these placements are aimed at improving educational
 for underserved children, adults, or both. Projects can include working as a teacher or teaching assistant in a local school or adult education program.
- Eco-Environmental Work - these projects focus on preserving and restoring natural resources and wildlife habitats. Placements might involve working in wildlife reserves or national parks; monitoring, researching and supporting endangered or threatened species; or working with reforestation and conservation projects.
- Social Welfare - these programs support and improve the lives and futures of social classes such as underprivileged children, the elderly and disabled, and impoverished women. Projects may involve caring for children in an orphanage or street kids' program; helping a women's cooperative, or assisting in a hospital or hospice.
How do I get started?
Think about what type of projects interest you the most, and what causes and issues you feel passionate about. Determine what activities you enjoy and what kind of work you'd be willing to do for no salary. Do you want to develop skills to launch you into a future profession or a career change? List those desired skills, and search for projects that will give you impressive real-world experience for your resume.
Think about the main benefits you want to get from your volunteer program: Do you want to learn or improve your mastery of a foreign language, visit a certain continent or country, or learn about a specific culture? Do you want to spend your  time in an environment where you can pursue favorite hobbies, or take up new ones? Before you start looking for volunteer programs, decide your primary goals for your international experience. Then, be as flexible as possible about your secondary goals. If you're too rigid about everything your "ideal" volunteer placement absolutely must offer, you may never find a program that meets all your requirements. But if you allow some leeway, you open yourself up to new and rewarding possibilities that you would not have considered otherwise.
When looking for volunteer work, do your research. VolunteerAbroad.com is the ideal place to start, as it is one of the largest directories on the Internet for volunteer placements. Here you will find small, local co-ops and grassroots organizations listed side-by-side with the larger and better-known volunteer groups. If you have questions about the quality of a program, ask for references and testimonials from previous participants.
If you are serious about volunteering abroad, be assured that it is one of the most rewarding and enriching personal experiences you will embark upon in your life. Volunteering overseas has changed millions of lives for the better - not just the lives of people served by such programs, but those of the volunteers as well. Volunteering abroad could be the best gift you ever give yourself!
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