Be a star and lend a hand on holiday

Volunteering used to be the preserve of the clergy and cash-strapped students. But more and more people are looking for productive ways to spend their time off, from building houses to teaching, writes BRIAN O'CONNELL

WHAT struck many aid organisations after they appealed for help in the aftermath of last month’s earthquake in Haiti was not only the scale of the financial response from ordinary people but also their willingness to give up their day-to-day commitments and offer to volunteer in a challenging environment.

Stories of business executives using their annual leave to help rebuild hospitals, or of busy mothers offering their time during school holidays to assist on the ground, suggested that volunteering overseas is no longer the preserve of the clergy or of cash-strapped students.

This is partly because more people have been looking for meaningful ways to take a break from their everyday routine: some of us – Hollywood stars included – now seem more likely to spend our time off taking a group of Indonesian children through their ABCs, or building schools in impoverished areas, than to be hogging deckchairs.

It may also have something to do with the recession, as the newly unemployed decide to do something useful with their time while the job market is so strained.

“Most of the career-breakers in Ireland tend to be people in their late 20s or 30s, but that is changing,” says Phil Murray, a gap-year specialist. “Some are looking to take a break from education or to renew their career batteries. People get tired and wonder what life is all about. Many are looking for a new direction in life. They might have made a mistake in career choice, and, rather than change immediately, they take time out to reflect.”

One company that has capitalised on the Irish surge is i-to-i, which specialises in adventure and volunteering holidays. Since opening an Irish office eight years ago, it says, it has seen a huge increase in demand for its services. Back in 2002 32 Irish volunteers travelled abroad with i-to-i. By last year that figure had jumped to 450. Activities range from teaching English in Asia to doing conservation work in African wildlife parks.

In the past 12 months, though, the company has had to change focus, as many travellers now expect to be paid to work overseas. “I suppose this is because you have to pay for the volunteering. Because of the Irish economy, there is not as much demand for that,” says i-to-i’s Irish director, Ian O’Sullivan. “So we see a lot of our business has shifted to providing paid jobs in countries such as Japan, South Korea or Ukraine. Travellers might spend six months on a paid sabbatical from work – or, for those who have been made unemployed, they might just want to dip their toes into a different career.”

Salaries for teaching work through i-to-i vary from country to country. The monthly reimbursement in Japan, for example, is €1,800. In China it’s €640, but accommodation is provided. South Korea pays €1,200, and in the Czech Republic you can expect to be paid €650.

“It’s not so much students who are taking up these travel opportunities any more,” says O’Sullivan. “It’s a whole cross section of people trying out these experiences. We do still organise volunteer placements, but the market has definitely shifted. The most popular destination now for paid work is South Korea; for volunteering, I would say South America remains popular.”

Claire O’Dwyer of Sayit, an agency that focuses on low-cost travel, says that while the idea of volunteering overseas appeals to many, the costs can be prohibitive. “We do lots of year-out backpacker-type holidays, but if you are prebooking a volunteering-abroad experience it can work out expensive. A lot of people might go to South America on their way to Australia, or maybe spend a month in Thailand, helping out somewhere.”

O’Dwyer says a typical 14-day volunteer placement in Kenya might cost €900, with flights an extra €700. “That’s pricey for a two week trip,” she says. “While, initially, many people come in here looking to volunteer overseas, they are put off by the price. I do know that people are doing it themselves and picking up bits of volunteering work as they go along. It’s hard to do. I think that if it was made easier for people to volunteer overseas, and the costs were reduced, there would be huge interest, particularly now.”

One option if you’re considering volunteering overseas is to apply to Irish Aid for an internship. Twenty places are offered each year, although many more are supported through partner organisations. Irish Aid’s United Nations Volunteer scheme is for people with a postgraduate degree and a year or two’s work experience; they serve overseas for 12 months, mainly in Irish Aid programme countries.

The organisation says interest in volunteer opportunities has soared over the past few years. In 2008 it supported 27 organisations that facilitated 2,600 short-term volunteers and 180 long-term places, and those organisations received almost 15,000 queries about volunteering overseas. The Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre, on O’Connell Street in Dublin, has noticed a steady increase in interest in the past year also, and more than 400 people attended two information days last year. (The next open day is scheduled for University College Cork next Saturday.)

Prospective volunteers need to bear in mind that, despite their best intentions, they’re unlikely to change the world through a three-month placement. One of the keys to a rewarding experience is a sense of perspective.

Volunteers should be very conscious of the need to follow best practice and consider carefully their reasons for offering their services, according to Peter Power, the Minister of State for Overseas Development. “Volunteering is not a decision to be taken lightly,” he says. “People should volunteer in full knowledge of what to expect, firstly, and in full knowledge of what they can contribute. There is a right way and a wrong way to volunteer.”

Travel agencies that can help you

Zambia

Travel4Change is an Irish tour operator that offers a mix of volunteering and tourism in Zambia, where it is building a school for orphans and developing its community support structure. As well as 10 per cent of the cost of your trip going to the project, you spend three days of your holiday helping locals to build Loyando Open Orphanage Community School. The trip also takes in Victoria Falls, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, an elephant safari and bungee jumping or abseiling. With flights, accommodation, meals and activities, you’ll pay €3,500 for two weeks. You can go on May 16th-29th, August 15th-28th or November 7th-20th.

01-8530100, info@travel4change.ie, travel4change.ie

South Africa

Sayit Travel offers places for volunteers who want to spend between one and eight weeks working with endangered wildlife in Thornhill, near Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Activities include feeding and caring for animals, helping to maintain the reserve, monitoring game and helping to show visitors around the park. The placement costs €923 for the first week and €350 for each week thereafter.

Flights are an extra €390, including taxes.

1850-487283, sayit.ie

South Korea

According to i-to-i, teaching English in South Korea, to students from the age of three upwards, could earn you 2,100,000 won (€1,300) a month. Accommodation is a private bedroom in fully furnished, rent-free shared accommodation. The school will reimburse you for your flights after you fulfill your 12-month contract. You can apply without charge once you complete a 100-hour online course (€399) or 120-hour combined course (reduced from €699 to €499 until tomorrow).

058-40050, teflcourses.com

Want to volunteer? Here's who to contact to get started

Haven in Haiti

Haven is looking for 250 volunteers to help build houses – and rebuild communities – in Haiti for its next Build It week, which starts on April 25th. Volunteers must raise at least €4,000, take a week off work and be fit enough for manual labour in a tropical climate. They work alongside Haven’s Haitian workforce and meet the people they are building houses for. Construction skills are desirable but not essential. Volunteers range in age from 18 to 70; anyone over 55 must provide a medical certificate to say they are fit to travel.

01-4333930, havenpartnership.com

Hope in India

The Hope Foundation, an Irish charity that works with street children and their families in Kolkata, sends up to 50 volunteers a year to the city. Hope is looking in particular for people with skills in teaching English as a foreign language, primary teaching, sport, public relations and marketing, and statutory child protection. Volunteers are asked to commit to at least four weeks. Shorter periods will be considered, however. Fundraising requirements depend on the length of placements. Volunteers must also pay for their own flights, vaccinations and visas.

021-4292990, hopefoundation.ie

VSO

Voluntary Service Overseas is an international development charity that places professionals in some of the world’s poorest countries. Volunteering, which generally requires a commitment of one or two years, involves helping communities to develop. A teacher would not just teach a class, for example, but also help train local teachers. Other volunteers might end up working as education managers in Kenya or developing business plans for community co-ops in Cambodia. VSO recruits a wide range of professionals from education, health and business. VSO covers volunteers’ costs, including flights and accommodation, and volunteers are paid a local wage, to cover the cost of living in the country.

01-8147070, vso.ie

Serve in Africa

Serve, an organisation committed to tackling poverty in the developing world, will place 80 volunteers, generally aged between 20 and 40, in six countries in Africa, Asia and South America this summer. Its projects run for between four and eight weeks. Some specialist professions are sought, but application is open to all. Volunteers pay for their flights and contribute towards the projects they will be working on. The recruitment process begins each November, with interviews in December, leaving plenty of time to raise money – and to attend three training days between January and June.

021-4975576, info@serve.ie, serve.ie