Make an impact and enjoy a great social scene

I had an incredible time volunteering for 4 weeks at a climate change research institute in Hanoi, Vietnam. I spent a long time working out which company I wanted to go through so if you're hmm-ing and haa-ing I'd say PMGY are a really good choice because:

1. They offer a greater variety of good quality work placements - not just childcare or teaching. And the partner organisations are expecting you so your time is put to good use.

2. You're guaranteed to make friends - in Hanoi everyone stays in a house together (about 30 people mostly 18-25 yr olds) so it's really social. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and inclusive and you get to know everyone really well because you eat all your meals together and organise weekend trips in large groups. Don't worry if you're volunteering by yourself - most people are!

3. It's cheap. You get food and accommodation paid for (at a fair price) but the real value comes in the fact that you've got a ready made group of people to make your time so much more enjoyable.

In terms of my actual experience. I was staying in Hanoi, which is a great place if you want to experience life in a quickly expanding Asian city. There's loads of bars and restaurants so plenty to keep you occupied in the evenings and it's particularly well located for weekend trips (e.g. Halong Bay, Sapa, Phong Nha, Ba Be, Ninh Binh).

At AMDI (the climate research institute I was based at) I spent most of the time helping them with reports. I learnt a lot about the effects of climate change in Vietnam and what's being done to try and adapt to these problems. It was quite specific but I'd recommend it if you're thinking about working in the environmental sector. The people in the office were incredibly welcoming, always chatting to me and inviting me to stuff outside of work. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful team.

Overall I had an incredible experience and it was just so easy to organise because PMGY did it all for me. I especially loved being in a house with like minded people from all over the world all doing different placements.