Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kermo]

I've got a few months a year that I haven't figured out what to do with yet. I could travel, visit or stick around to try to make some money, but it recently occurred to me that there are other ways to experience new places.

Googling "volunteering overseas" brings up heaps of links, some promising experiences like "caring for baby animals in Africa." I had a friend who did this, and actually it's pretty tempting.

I'm hoping that volunteering will give me a chance to work on some new skills, experience a country *in community* and not as a drifter or tourist, and offer more safety than wandering through unfamiliar territory (this is especially a concern for female travellers.)

Have you had any experiences like this? What would you suggest?

[i_teach_esl]

one day i'd love to do volunteer work in africa. i heard good things about ifesh.org. hey thanks for putting up this post, kermo, a seed is now planted in my brain.

[simpleminds]

Hey, I've been thinking of doing a volunteering hol too. Caring for baby animals in an African country? Wow.

I read somewhere many of the companies/organisations/programs aren't doing much for the locals. For example, a Brit was told to survey a section of coral reef. Whe she returned to Britian, she met somebody who did the same survey on that very patch of coral reef. Another Brit (a bloke) worked in Cambodia for a while, feeding the kids and what not. From Monday to Friday. Who knows what the kiddies ate on the weekends.

Also, some 'volunteer' places pay you. You stay in a plush hotel, (for free) while you're feeding the poor from Monday to Friday. The locals cotton on quick and end up resenting you.

I wish I'd kept that NS article.

[huffdaddy]

[kermo]

[Mashimaro]

Just go for a holiday put your feet up and drink cocktails on a beach somewhere.. then go home and help out your local community.

You get your exoticism through your holiday and your feelings of helping or whatever in your own country.

That's if your of the belief that charity begins at home.

[OiGirl]

For short-term opportunities, Habitat for Humanity has world-wide projects through their "Global Village." They have been doing a lot of tsunami reconstruction work in the Asia-Pacific.

http://www.habitat.org/ap/

Some upcoming:

Bangladesh
Jessore
1 Dec 06
31 Dec 06

Fiji
1 Dec 06
15 Dec 06

India
Kanyakumari
1 Dec 06
31 Dec 06

India
DR site
1 Dec 06
31 Dec 06

Indonesia
Yogyakarta
1 Jan 07
31 Jan 07

Indonesia
Bandung
1 Feb 07
28 Feb 07

Indonesia
Yogyakarta
1 Mar 07
31 Mar 07

Indonesia
Bandung
1 Jun 07
30 Jun 07

Indonesia
Yogyakarta
1 Jul 07
30 Jul 07

Papua New Guinea
17 Dec 06
31 Dec 06

Philippines
1 Dec 06
31 Dec 06

Sri Lanka
Matale
1 Dec 06
31 Dec 06

[kermo]

[Mashimaro]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I volunteered with a missionary training organization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in '92. I lived in Hawaii where I worked as a data clerk for three months. They take volunteers on short term periods to work with the faculty and administration.

It will only suit you if you are a churchgoer, and it's not exactly high adventure, but it was easy to join up with and it's tame, if that's what you'd like. Having teaching experience and some faculty with children would be certainly appreciated.

Ken:>

[xtchr]

[here_for-_now]

check www.idealist.org

[i_teach_esl]

ah, if you speak french, you could be an esl teacher in several countries in africa! uh, that is, if you want to go on esl-ing...

[huffdaddy]

In terms of experiencing a country, I'd suggest that you:

Go to a country where you speak the language
Live with a host family

You might want to look into finding a small grassroots organization that needs grant writing assistance. You could then spend a month or two every year on site, learning about the organization. And then spend your free time here writing grants for them.