Oyster Worldwide

I spent four months volunteering as a teacher in Nepal with Oyster and had an amazing time. The support and advice that I received from Oyster before the trip prepared me very well for the experience, and Basant, the in-country representative, was extremely friendly and approachable, and able to deal with any problems if they arose. I stayed with a lovely Nepalese family, who welcomed me into the community and made me feel like their own daughter, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being completely immersed in a very different culture. The teaching itself was well-organised, and a very rewarding experience. Going with a group of other Oyster volunteers from the UK was brilliant as it gave me a group of friends to explore Kathmandu and the rest of the country with at the weekends and in the school holidays. I made friends for life, and unforgettable memories - a highly recommendable programme!

This programme was really tough but so rewarding. The training is really fun and you get to meet loads of people - most of my group was from the UK, Germany and Denmark. When I got to my job I learnt so much about cattle and improved my horse riding skills no end. Be prepared, it's hot, dusty and the hours are long- the food is basic and the cattle can be rough and sometimes dangerous! I got to save all my wages because there was nothing to spend them on. It was a great way to allow me to travel to Sydney, Alice Springs and go diving in the Great Barrier reef afterwards.The only problem was that I didn't want to leave- i'm coming back next year to visit my employers.

I spent three months volunteering at the bear sanctuary in Romania. The location and the work is done there is amazing, and truly inspiring. It was incredible to be so close to the bears on a daily basis, and to help directly in their welfare. We learned all about their backgrounds and how the sanctuary is working to protect bears in Eastern Europe. Romania itself is a stunning country, and it was great to be able to explore the mountains, the cities and the villages at the weekends. Oyster were fantastic and offered great support. I would not hesitate to recommend them.