Thumbnail

Global Nomadic

Why choose Global Nomadic?

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.

Reviews

Default avatar
Kath
4/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Book direct with Green Lion if possible

Read More
What would you improve about this program?
Green Lion should find out what their agents are telling volunteers as the lack of communication prior to joining made me feel very apprehensive in the days leading up to my arrival in Samraong - I've volunteered abroad as a teacher every year for the last 15 years and have not had such a negative experience with an agent before.
We should also be told that we'd need to cycle to school on main roads, I wouldn't have chosen this project had I known.
Default avatar
John
2/5
No, I don't recommend this program

False Advertising!

Read More
Default avatar
Elizabeth
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

One of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my life.

Read More
What would you improve about this program?
-More communication, updates, and support between Global Nomadic and Interns. I found that after the initial placement, I hadn't heard from them until the end of my 10-week internship. With so little contact, it's hard to write a review specifically for the company.

-Ensure Interns speak at least basic Spanish for this program to make it easier for the projects and people they work for, and easier on themselves. A lot were overwhelmed by the language barrier because they were led to believe they didn't require any Spanish. This makes it hard for the intern to have a fulfilling experience if they can't communicate or understand co-workers during their placement.

- Invest in resources for Comms interns; a camera, microphone, a tripod (nobody's going to pack on in their suitcase) - anything like that, because if an Intern comes without (I knew several who did) they are left twiddling their thumbs (of course, they're at fault for not bringing their own). Higher priority: Microphone (for interviews) and tripod. For the most part, people will bring their cameras and laptops. If this is not feasible, at least triple check with them to bring their own stuff before departure!

Default avatar
McKenna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Elephant journey

Read More
What would you improve about this program?
The only thing I would change is perhaps a better estimate of how much money to bring considering I brought way too much.
Default avatar
Jimmy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Don't Use Global Nomadic

I went through Global Nomadic to become a volunteer at the a local nonprofit...this was unecessary as GN did nothing to support my stay and I could of just went through the volunteer organization's website! Save some bucks and forget GN! I LOVED MY TIME OTHERWISE!

What would you improve about this program?
If I didn't have to pay Global Nomadic things would of been better.
Response from Global Nomadic

I am glad that you had a good experience with this amazing organisation that we support (at no cost to themselves). We spend a lot of time, effort and resources finding, vetting and visiting each project we work with. I am glad that our efforts helped you to find and work with this organisation, and that this organisation benefited from your participation, not to mention from us helping them to find good interns and support their work.

Programs

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Birgit Podelsky

Birgit Podelsky is an Estonian traveller. She graduated from a British university with a Film studies degree and is currently working in TV distribution in Toronto, Canada. She participated in the Global Nomadic journalsim careership in Mongolia in October of 2013.
Thumbnail

Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with Global Nomadic in Mongolia?

The decision to volunteer for Global Nomadic came out of the blue as is the case with most major ideas in my life. Well actually I had been daydreaming of going to a far away country for a bit. And as my background is in media I hoped to incorporate some career enhancement into my traveling daydream. And the first thing that popped up while Googling 'Journalism internship' was the Global Nomadic option.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

My day-to-day life during weekdays was split between my host family and work at the TV station. I lived with a sweet family. Two older parents and a girl my age. They gave me a separate bedroom and a queen size bed. Them three, on the other hand, slept on the living room floor. Without mattresses, just sheets. Mongolian hospitality is something else I tell you.

I would wake up and we would have breakfast together. They were very curious about my cornflakes and soy milk and laughed that I eat strange. That was while drinking fermented horse milk themselves. I lived close to the TV station and walked to work every morning. I would tag along with the news crew when they went filming.

Once me and the family were watching TV in the evening and we spotted my bright colorful clothes among the professional looking journalists and politicians that were filming a press conference. I also did quite a lot of research. I wrote my own stories and filmed them on the streets of UB with my fellow intern from Texas.

I almost scheduled an interview with the mayor of Ulaanbaatar as I was writing a story about traffic issues. Even though it got cancelled I felt privileged for a tiny moment. Therefore the work experience part was quite interesting.

What made this volunteer abroad experience unique and special?

Apart from work experience I took time every weekend to explore the adventurous side of Mongolia. We often went for road trips with the co-ordinator. Mongolians like to off-road a lot, they also don't believe in seat belts. So I often found myself driving on the backseat of a speeding car jumping up and down to the rhythm of some Mongolian pop song.

While looking out the car window I could see mountain tops covered with silky sand and tribe drawings. Cows and camels were walking around and beautifully dressed herders would follow them. It was just so picturesque at every footstep.

Was it difficult to navigate around language barriers?

The language barriers were definitely more evident than I had imagined. Even though Ulaanbaatar has a lot of foreign investors and businessmen living in the city, the local people still have a hard time learning the sufficient level of english. People in UB mostly talk in numbers.

They carry a calculator around them. If you are not local, the calculator shows higher figures. That's all the english they need and it works well.

How has this experience impacted your future? (Personally, professionally, etc)

The trip had somewhat of an affect to my career pursuit. I applied for a job over the internet while I was in Mongolia. I sent a resume in, but did not think I would get a reply. But they called and I had an interview straight after arriving back to Toronto.

I had slept for 3 hours before the interview due to a major jet lag. I can't even remember what I said exactly. But I guess a month among such peaceful people and camels had a relaxing effect, cause I miraculously got the job. I washed my horse smelling clothes and started an office job a few days later.

All in all the trip was amazing and I recommend this program to anyone.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Tell us a little about Global Nomadic and your role at the company.

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.

How did you get involved in the volunteer industry?

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.

What makes Global Nomadic unique?

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.

How do you ensure your programs are sustainable and mutually beneficial for you, the community, and the volunteers?

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.

What does the future hold for Global Nomadic?

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.