Volunteer Abroad - International Volunteer HQ

How to choose your volunteer abroad program

IVHQ volunteers often ask us “What’s the best program?” or “Which program should I choose between this one and that one?”

Surprisingly, these questions aren’t as easy to answer as you’d expect. All of our programs are designed and quality controlled to ensure volunteers are provided with the best possible experience while volunteering abroad, making it virtually impossible for the IVHQ team to recommend one program over another!

So how do you decide?

Try asking yourself the following three questions…

“Do I want to volunteer indoors or outdoors?”

Whichever continent you’re looking at, you will find a range of both indoor and outdoor based work - from Teaching in Tanzania to Building homes in Favelas in Brazil. When browsing through the range of IVHQ projects, consider whether or not you’re someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty or putting up with the odd blister and keep an eye out for a project that jumps out at you. Remember to bear in mind that some of our outdoor projects require more intensive physical work than others, but if you’re someone who likes to see the results of your hard work - you’re bound to find a project like Outdoor Work in Thailand highly rewarding!

“Do I have any particular skills or training that I would like to share with my host community?”

Sports enthusiasts tend to gravitate towards our Sports projects, as do our musicians towards our Music program and those in the medical field tend to get involved in our Medical placements to help broaden their outlook on medicine. We also have Computer Training options for IT enthusiasts and Surf programs for those who wouldn’t mind a bit of time at the beach. Not surprisingly, our Orphanage Work and Teaching projects are always popular, particularly among those with childcare experience or a passion for educating those in real need. From building projects to volunteering with animals, there really is an IVHQ project to suit everyone - you just need to pick what’s right for you!

“Which country is best suited to me?”

If you’re set on Teaching, you’ll find you can teach in any one of the 18 different countries in which IVHQ offers volunteering programs, so you’ll need to decide which country is best for you. Where do you have a burning desire to travel to? Can you see yourself volunteering in that country? Naturally, it’s tricky to visualise yourself in a country you’ve never traveled to, so the best option is to see what past IVHQ volunteers have experienced through the thousands of photos, videos, conversations and testimonials available to you on the IVHQ website, YouTube channel, Facebook page and Facebook group. Videos like the one below, created by Tanner Flitter (Street Children Work, Ecuador), are extremely helpful in giving future IVHQ volunteers an overview of our programs. Plus, networking with past volunteers in our Facebook group can offer further insight into the country and culture you’re interested in.

Enjoy choosing your program and we look forward to have you volunteering abroad with IVHQ!