How far in advance should we arrange to volunteer?

Posted by Jessica Yen 7 years 4 months ago

Answers

Hello - good question and I can't quite remember from my own experience since it was several years ago... but I'd say at least a month, and probably not necessary beyond three months in advance.

It was my only experience, but I would say it can vary a lot, depending on how long we are going for and how much support we will have from the local team of the organization. Regarding my experience in Costa Rica, i would say 3-4 months should be OK, but it's still possible to do it with less time.

I applied a few months before and it still allowed me enough time to get everything done including fingerprints, online orientation, paying registration fees, etc. But I would recommend figuring out the program/location and the week you'd like to go at least 4-5 months in advance to save money on the airfare. Hope this helps :)

The program had lots of placements and opportunities to volunteer, so there isn't great urgency, but there are many small pieces to get in place, such as getting your finger prints done, and the short on line training. I started about now and my trip was in June. I had plenty of time to organize flights, insurance, and it staggered the payments that way too.

From my experience plan 2 months earlier is good for volunteer:)