November 7th, 2007

Volunteer Opportunities Overseas

Volunteering

Opening the door of opportunity...

¨Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...I have just this minute got in through the door, when the phone rang. It was the headmaster from the school, offering me the position....I am sure that it was my time volunteering in Brazil that swung it¨...

The above is an excerpt from an email, received from Samantha in London.

Samantha spent a couple of months volunteering in Brazil, her chosen Brazil project focused on disadvantaged children. She had graduated the previous summer, and was so unsure of what to do with her life.

Her volunteer placement destined her direction.

Upon her return to south London, it was, all- systems-go; phone calls, letters of application, more phone calls, and even more letters of application.. Perseverance ¨paid off¨ when she secured a post as a teaching assistant in one of the toughest inner-city schools in London. In her own words,

 ¨I am sure that it was my time volunteering in Brazil that swung it¨

Of course, there are many good reasons to volunteer, and enhancing your resume is just one of them. Some may say that resume enhancement is one of the least noble motivators for volunteering - wrong - wrong - wrong - before a volunteering placement overseas can be considered a success, all stakeholders must benefit.

Volunteering abroad is a great way to help yourself, as well as helping others. You maybe midway through a college or university course, may even have graduated.

 Perhaps you are bored with your current job, even ¨burnt-out¨ from it. Or your current situation may lack the intellectual challenge which you yearn for. Lets put it another way.

 If you would rather go to the dentist than go to work - I guess its time to move on.

The right kind of volunteering work, especially, international volunteer work (but any volunteer work is good) will provide you with excellent opportunities to learn new skills, to improve and diversify existing skills, to gain new perspectives. You may even find the personal fulfillment and satisfaction you deserve.

It is worth noting that potential employers will recognize that you are a self-starter, motivated by the task in hand and not by financial reward (you can always ask for the raise later). That you are open to new perspectives, new ideas, that you have also kinda gone out of your way to gain new experiences to help yourself , in addition to helping others, and in an unfamiliar milieu to boot. Volunteering certainly adds to your credibility, both personally and professionally. 

Let’s summarize the main benefits of resume enhancement!

• Opportunities to learn new skills
• To improve and diversify existing skills
• Gaining new perspectives
• An indication that you are a self-starter
• Demonstrating that financial reward is not your main motivator
• Enhances your credibility

Whatever you may do, wherever you may go, remember! A Volunteering Programme is not only about helping others - it’s about helping yourself too.

This article was written by Alan Thomas of Volunteer Brazil. You may contact him through the volunteer Brazil website; here: http://www.volunteerbrazil.com

Or by email: alan@volunteerbrazil.com

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