Description:
Placement Information:
VSO recruits and places over 1,200 skilled professionals to placements in 34 countries every year.
VSO Canada, as part of an international federation, recruits more than 100 Long-term Volunteers from Canada and the US to share their skills. Long-term Volunteers bring their professional expertise, problem-solving skills, commitment and adaptability to support a diverse range of partners overseas including educational institutions, governments and non-profit community-based organizations.
Volunteers return to North America equipped with invaluable professional experience, a wealth of memories, and a whole new perspective on life.
Long-term volunteers are eligible for the following benefits:
* Assistance with approved travel costs to a VSO assessment day (Candidates must cover the first $100 of the most cost-effective travel expenses and all accommodation costs)
* A comprehensive training and support program
* Travel and accommodation costs associated with pre-departure training
* Return airfare and visa/permit (this includes a return flight in the case of a family emergency)
* Pre-departure allowance of up to CDN $650
* Coverage for required vaccinations and comprehensive health insurance
* Accommodation while overseas
* A modest living allowance, which varies depending on the country where you are working
* In-service grant of approximately CDN $700 mid-way through your placement and quarterly allowances of $300 to a North American bank account
* Resettlement grant of approximately CDN $3,800 to help you resettle (pro-rated according to length of service)
Highlights:
'I knew I needed direct experience of development if I was going to do my job really well,' recalls Meredith, who returned to the UK in June 2007 after nearly two years in Bangladesh. 'VSO appealed to me because of its emphasis on living and working in a community. That was really important in my decision to apply.' - Meredith Alexander, returned VSO volunteer (India)
'VSO provided me with a number of training courses prior to my departure. Some of these were compulsory and were for volunteers from all disciplines and others were more professionally focussed (e.g. Health and Development, organisational development). I found all of the training useful, as while the compulsory courses gave an insight into some of the cultural and personal issues I might be dealing with in a placement, the professionally focussed courses gave me tools and techniques to use in my job and offered a more in-depth insight into the challenges I was going to face.' - Rebecca Dove, returned VSO volunteer (Cambodia)
'I decided to volunteer because I am personally committed to building a fairer world and believe that volunteering is a positive force that can fight global poverty and disadvantage. I decided to volunteer specifically with VSO because of VSO's amazing reputation. As an organization, VSO ensures that its volunteers can actually promote global development and will only place volunteers where they will add value or where a need for certain skills have been demonstrated.' - Kate Press, overseas volunteer (Sierra Leone)
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
Program Length: 7 months to 2 years
Age Range: 21 and up
Language Requirements:
While the common working language of the VSO International Federation is English, some Long Term placements have specific language requirements (English and French) based on the working language of the employer or common language used in the community.
In these cases level of competence needed is rated on a scale of 1 to 5. When applying to VSO you will be asked to rate your own competencies in English and French according to the VSO Language Scale. This ensures we find the best match possible for you and for your skills.
Important! Read Carefully before continuing
VSO takes very seriously its responsibilities to both volunteers and overseas partners. In order to ensure that we are recruiting the most suitable volunteers for our placements, we require that you complete a number of steps when applying to volunteer with VSO.
Before applying,application, you should be asking yourself the following questions:
- Do I have the commitment that is needed to be a volunteer?
- Is it the right time for me to be going overseas for two years?
- Do my professional and personal motivations for volunteering match the vision and mandate of VSO?
- Is VSO the type of organization I'd like to be involved with?
Minimum Education: Bachelors
Languages:
English
and French
Cost in US$: None
Salary / Pay: VSO can facilitate volunteers who want to go overseas with their partner. However, the accompanying partner must cover their own travel costs, all other pre-departure expenses (with the exception of health insurance, recommended vaccinations and pre-departure training, which VSO will pay) and overseas living costs.
VSO also accepts applications from couples where both partners want to volunteer. Please be aware that suitable opportunities for two people at a time are more limited, so it may not be possible to arrange volunteer placements in the same location. In cases where we are unable to place two volunteers together, we encourage flexibility where one partner will volunteer while the second will be the accompanying partner.
Additional consideration must be given to local laws and culture, as these may affect our ability to place a volunteer with their partner.
Accompanying partners are not permitted to go overseas with youth volunteers due to the terms and conditions of the program and its limited financial resources.
Experience Required: yes
Most VSO placements require at least two years' experience in a profession or field. In registration-based sectors such as Health Care or Education this experience is post-registration.
Typical Volunteer Projects:
agriculture,
AIDS,
community development,
community health,
community organizing,
conflict resolution,
conservation,
counseling,
curriculum planning,
democracy training,
disability issues,
eco-tourism,
economic development,
education,
elections,
English teaching,
environment,
global warming,
grassroots organization,
health care,
health education,
hospital,
housing,
human rights,
income-generation,
indigenous issues,
infrastructure planning,
journalism,
managerial consulting,
marketing,
media work,
micro-enterprise,
microcredit,
minority groups,
natural resources,
nursing,
organizational development,
orphans,
peace,
primary education,
professional services,
public education,
secondary education,
small business development,
social services, social work,
strategic planning,
teaching,
tourism,
volunteer management,
volunteering,
youth
and youth development
Typical Volunteer: A "typical volunteer" with VSO has several years' experience in their field, and sometimes 10 to 20 years; experience. Their committed to sharing their skills in a development context for 2 years, they're flexible and adaptable to changing environments and situations, they're sensitive to the needs of their colleagues and partners, and they value and respect the importance of diversity.
Age Range: 21 and up
This Program is open to
American
and Canadian
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Couples and Individuals.
Typical Living Arrangements:
Apartment/Flat,
Group living
and Independent living
Participants Travel to Bangladesh
Independently
Typically Participants Work
Independently
Application Process Involves:
- In-Person Interview Required
- Letters of Reference
- Online Application plus Application Assessment
- Phone Interview
- Physical Exam/Health Records
- Resume
- Transcript
Typically The Application Process Time Is 4 Weeks
Post Services Include:
- Alumni Network
- Exit DebriefingAbroad
- Re-Entry Debriefing at Home
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Canada's Mission Statement: VSO is an international development agency that works through volunteers. We promote volunteering to fight global poverty, by supporting people to share skills, creativity and learning with communities around the world. Through personal commitment and practical action, volunteers help build a fairer world.
VSO Canada contributes to VSO's vision, purpose and values by recruiting, training and matching volunteers from North America to placements that meet the requests of our overseas partners.
VSO volunteers work in partnership with people in more than 30 developing countries, contributing to development goals in Education, HIV and AIDS, Disability, Health and Social Well-being, Secure Livelihoods and Participation and Governance. VSO Canada also contributes to innovative volunteering initiatives such as Youth Volunteering, National Volunteering and Business Partnerships.
Year Founded: 1958