Overseas Volunteering
How to become an overseas volunteer? It is really very simple, you volunteer. I came to the Caribbean in 1986 as a a volunteer and have been here ever since, and volunteering can be dome by anyone. Becoming a volunteer is easy, staying a volunteer and providing useful services can be a lot more challenging.
To become a volunteer, you merely need to be willing. All skills are needed by someone somewhere. At present they need strong backs for digging out both Chile and Haiti as well as people to help distribute food and even care for children. Special skills required? Time and a willingness to work in both poor and rugged conditions. Of course the more training you get, the more options you have and the better the conditions.
How do you find out about overseas volunteer positions? Just like anything else in this day and age, use the Internet. Go on-line and do a search for available positions. There are millions of volunteer jobs available all around the world, some with governments such as the Peace Corps, some with religious organizations and some just for disaster relief. I knew one lady that found none she liked, so set up her own and then got funding from churches!
You can either try jobs that have the skills you already possess or you can try jobs in specific countries. Both options are available and by doing it that way you narrow down the options. You can also find the area and type of volunteer position you are interested in and it will tell you the qualifications needed. Those qualifications are guidelines, not law and frequently flexible, this means apply if you are interested and think you can do the job.
To improve your chances of getting the volunteer job you want read up on the country and its people. Try and learn a bit of the language. This will help you more fully understand what you are getting into, be better able to answer the interviewer's questions, and help you fit in once you get the position!
This is important because becoming an overseas volunteer may be easy, but remaining an overseas volunteer and being successful isn't! This is especially true for long term projects. It takes hard work and dedication!
