Global Nomadic
Programs and Reviews
Global Nomadic distinguishes itself from traditional 'gap-year' and voluntary placement organizations by offering reasonably priced programs without taking commission.
We cater to a wide range of fields - from medicine and education, to veterinary science and journalism and more - matching you with reputable, worthwhile organisations around the world.
Global Nomadic personally visits all volunteer sites to ensure a quality experience for volunteers. You will receive support before, during and after your placement. Visit the Global Nomadic website for more information.
Programs Abroad
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Reviews
90%Overall
Rating
100%Overall
Rating
As a Chinese volunteer, it was really an excellent opportunity to stay with foreigners for a long time. Personally thinking, it practised my English skills a lot. In addtion, staff were kind and friendsly to us and they even gave me chance to introduce Chinese culture to foreign volunteers.
Critical Feedback:
Every day, I seemed had some time which I did not have work to do, therefore, I hope besides taking care of pandas, I might be able to have chance to learn other things, such as taking research with local people or being trained to be a tour guide.
40%Overall
Rating
My placement was great. I'll have to start with that. However, what did Global Nomadic have to do with it? I looked on their website, saw an NGO management position I was interested in, and then e-mailed Global Nomadic. I got three e-mails in total from them, which mostly answered basic questions I had. Then I had to pay $400. Then I never heard back from them.
The organization that they hooked me up with was in contact, but I mostly had to do everything on my own.
Global Nomadic did not help with arranging flights, information on the country, information on the organization, in country info etc.
I basically paid $400 for three e-mails and one brief phone conversation.
What purpose do they serve again?
Their fees should be lowered to $100 per placement.
Global Nomadic's Response to Kendra:
I am glad to hear that you had a great time at the placement. We go to great lengths to ensure that all of our programmes are worthwhile and with reputable organisations. We have personally visited all projects to make sure they meet our high standards.
As explained on our website, we work with local partners, to help them find suitable interns and volunteers at no cost to themselves. We need to charge a placement fee to the participant to help cover our costs for promoting the projects and providing our complete service. Our fees are carefully worked out so that we can provide a high quality of service, and make sure that all of our projects offer a great experience to you, whilst allowing you to give something back to the project.
Some projects prefer for us to take the lead and organise everything for the trip, other projects (such as this one in Bali) prefer to handle the majority of the arrival information. That is why in this case Kendra may have felt that we did not have much input. I am sorry that we gave this impression and we will do out best to make sure that all future participants do not experience the same issues. We do not want unhappy clients, and I am happy to offer a free placement to Kendra at any point in the future to make up for it.
100%Overall
Rating
Anyone interested in the veterinary profession or just wanting to experience animal care in another country would greatly benefit from this program. My days consisted of working in the hospital in the mornings followed by sightseeing most afternoons and dinner at night. The people were very friendly and enjoyed helping me learn veterinary techniques and even helped to improve my Spanish. They encouraged me to keep practicing things I was having trouble with and by my second day I was feeling very comfortable giving injections and hooking up I.V.s I was taken sightseeing all around Panama including an amazing dinner overlooking the canal. I had lots of free time at night and had lots of fun visiting the city with friends I made at the hospital. All the meals were provided for me and I spent less than $20 during the week. The home cooked meals were great and I probably ate better there than when I am at home. Overall it was one of the best experiences of my life and I plan on going back in the near future.
100%Overall
Rating
I have been sitting here for ten whole minutes trying to think of a clever/interesting way of starting out this review and it has reached the point where my brain hates me, so I'm just going to dive right in. Plain and simply, go overseas. And not only that, go overseas with Global Nomadic.
The entire process leading up to my trip could easily have been ten times more stressful than it actually was (and the stress I did encounter was more or less due to the fact that I am scared of everything - including needles, which you need A LOT of if you choose to go to Africa). You will be matched up with two correspondents at Global Nomadic - one to help you figure everything out before you go, and one actually in the country you are travelling to to assist you with things (cultural orientation, setting you up with a host family, etc.) directly related to the country and project you are working on. Both of these people maintain excellent contact with you, and you never feel like you are totally on your own. Being a first time traveler, this definitely made the process less stressful for me.
My stay in Ghana was the hardest and most amazing thing I have ever done. I lived with a host family, and although it was a far cry from the way I'm used to living in North America, it was much nicer living conditions than I was anticipating. The volunteer association I was placed with was called "Trashy Bags", and although it wasn't clearly outlined what my work would be, I didn't mind it too much as it allowed me to be pretty innovative and creative in how I spent my time.
One thing I simultaneously liked and didn't like about this program was that I went completely by myself - it wasn't with a group, so I didn't have friends immediately which made it a bit harder to get used to being away from home. However, when I began at "Trashy Bags" I was pleasantly surprised to see three interns already there through another organization, and these people quickly adopted me as one of their own. I became and continue to be great friends with these people, so although I hated being alone at first, I came to see that had I not come alone I never would have bonded with these people and there is no way I would have wanted to miss out on that opportunity.
I did find that Global Nomadic was a bit pricey. Going overseas is going to be costly whichever organization you go with, but compared to some of the people I met over there, I did find that Global Nomadic was one of the more expensive of the bunch.
Long story short, GO.
Alumni Interviews
Staff Interview
Meet Jeremy Freedman Sharma - Global Nomadic Founder and Director
GO: Tell us a little about Global Nomadic and your role at the company.
Jeremy: Global Nomadic was founded in 2009 to help young professionals find the experience they need to further their career or find meaningful experiences.
Global Nomadic provide placements and experiences in a range of different fields, from medicine and education, to veterinary science and journalism and many more - matching you with reputable, worthwhile organisations around the world.
GO: How did you get involved in the volunteer industry?
Jeremy: After having travelled widely and participated in many volunteer projects around the world, I realized I could help others find these great projects. I selected various projects to visit to ensure they are reputable, and offer what they say they do.
GO: What makes Global Nomadic unique?
Jeremy: We work directly with projects all over the world, and will put you directly in contact with them. We are here to offer full pre-departure support and make sure you have everything you need from start to finish. we are on hand to help at every step of the way. We add no commission to any project, instead we ask for a placement fee to cover our costs.
GO: How do you ensure your programs are sustainable and mutually beneficial for you, the community, and the volunteers?
Jeremy: We only select the best projects that we find, that are run by well-intentioned serious individuals We would not support any project which did not our strict guidelines and are not environmentally or socially beneficial.
GO: What does the future hold for Global Nomadic?
Jeremy: We look to increase the number of projects we work with, travelling at least once a year to visit existing partners and find out new ones. We also wish to offer our experiences more to groups, whether from schools, universities or friends.
I loved my time in Tanzania as I got to meet and live with so many amazing people. The volunteer house that we lived in was so fun and much cleaner and nicer than I expected. We also had an incredible cook that prepared all of our meals. It was great to live with a lot of other young volunteers all traveling for the same reasons. There was a security guard on staff 24/7 which was nice, and as long as you followed the few simple rules (like don't walk by yourself and always take cabs at night) it is a completely safe environment.
Working in the hospital was such an eyeopening experience. At first, it was a little difficult to figure out where you can benefit the most, but after getting acquainted with the staff and asking around, it is easy to feel that you are being helpful. I was working in the lab at Tengeru Hospital helping with malaria and HIV tests as well as keeping track of the patient records. The staff at the hospital were so friendly and willing to teach all of the volunteers. Also, every Wednesday there is a huge market in the town of Tengeru that was so much fun to visit after work.
The town of Arusha is also an amazing place and one of the larger cities in Tanzania. I was actually surprised by how many things there were to do in town, including fun places to eat (try the pistachio smoothie at Arusha Cafe), the town museum, Masai market, and a few fun bars with live music at night. One of the best thing to do was meet up with the other volunteers after work at the clock tower and walk around seeing new things. There is so much culture and activity to take in it is impossible to have a boring day in Arusha. Even the days we were tired, it was great to relax on the deck at home or play with the kids on our street (who love jump rope and soccer). We also got to travel while we were there to Zanzibar (absolutely beautiful) and Moshi to see the waterfalls, and some volunteers climbed Kilimanjaro.
Going to Tanzania was truly an incredible experience and I would happily recommend it to anyone looking to try something new and get involved with something they care about. It is an amazing way to travel and meet new people, just remember to go with the flow and be flexible in all aspects of the trip, as every day there is an adventure and not everything will go exactly as planned.
Critical Feedback:
If I had to change one thing about this program, it would be that the staff in Tanzania be more organized and prepared to manage that many volunteers. When things didn't go as planned, I felt at times it was up to us to figure it out with very little support or guidance from the staff in Arusha. The Global Nomadic staff, however, were very good at communicating with us to help resolve our issues and assist the local staff.