Work/volunteering/red cross aboad help?

Question

basically id love to volunteer in africa or peru but every site demands a rip off fee off £1000 in some cases [admin charge?? ha]. now considering some dont pay for the flight and a visa costs £50 im not gonna get ripped off for volunteering, id happily pay my visa and flight but i expect accomadation and food sorted for me, so could anyone give me a good place to check out. also id like a casual job in spain for the winter [i know its hard] or a job in canada, as i say im not prepared to get ripped off and im not a student, any help please??

Answer 1

The bad part of volunteerism is you have to pay for almost all the expenses.

Answer 2

Well, not all volunteer work camps ask for a fee, most european ones run for two weeks between March and October and charge no fee. There are usually age restrictions though. Keep looking on Internet.

Spain is not that hard a place to get a job if you are British-which I gather from your use of pound sterling. Speaking English is highly viewed in jobs in tourism and the coast is busy throughout the year. If you are under 26 you can always do an EVS (European Voluntary Service) project there for 6 to 9 months and they cover accommodation, food, language classes a bit of pocket money and part of your trip cost. Again you´ll find information on the Internet or through your local Youth Council or whatever.

Answer 3

I think the 'volunteer industry' is just patronising nonsense. The last thing the 3rd World needs is a lot of unqualified gits arriving to donate their surplus graces to the natives. At another level, it gives a pretendy career of driving around in 4x4's to the unemployable sons and daughters of the UK middle classes. If I were an African leader, I would take any French doctor, Irish nurse, and German or Scots engineer who wanted to come and kick the rest of the Oxfam, Christian Aid, Save the Children,etc., rubbish clear over the border.

Answer 4

We are sick and tired of hearing about volunteer where trade is the best to discuss.

Answer 5

Agree with fraginal. Try finding local volunteer ops if you don't want to shell out some dough. Volunteering isn't about one's willingness to help. What are your qualifications? Everything isn't about heart when you volunteer international. Unless you have some skill that they desperately need with the experience to boot, you won't get any sponsorship.