Columbia Students

Work/Volunteer Programs

Volunteer Abroad

People volunteer abroad for different reasons: some are motivated by a sense of social responsibility and an awareness of their role in the world, some by the desire to live intimately in

Nicaraguan Community, Syga Thomas, CC'04

another community and to learn about another culture. Whatever the motivation that brings you to a volunteer project abroad, getting involved in a project abroad is a way to both give something to those in need, as well as to receive invaluable insights in to another community, and perhaps your own.

There are opportunities to volunteer abroad with a huge array of organizations in many different countries. Projects can be organized by international non-profits, by local community groups, by state agencies, educational centers, religious groups, individual companies. Typically, volunteer projects are organized to provide a service that addresses a community need: poverty, illiteracy, hunger, illness, lack of shelter.

Here on campus, the student group Columbia Students for International Service is a helpful resource for anyone thinking of volunteering abroad: www.columbia.edu/cu/internationalservice .

For a good overview to the possibilities of international volunteerism, check out the University of Michigan International Center ’s volunteer site.

The University of California, Irvine has also compiled a good list of international organizations that sponsor overseas volunteer programs and projects online.

Work & Teach Abroad

Working abroad is another way to build on the cross cultural experience you gained during your semester abroad, as well as to obtain valuable international career experience. There are short-term work programs organized by U.S. and foreign organizations and institutions. Programs will vary in

The Locals, Mongolia

duration, requirements, availability, and compensation. Some programs will place students in jobs, while other programs will provide students with work visas and help them to find jobs. Teaching English abroad is often popular way for both certified and uncertified teachers to work overseas and many short term work opportunities can be found teaching English to non-native speakers.

For a good overview of opportunities for recent graduates both with and without teaching certification, check out the University of Michigan’s Work Abroad site.

UC Irvine also has a comprehensive list of Teach Abroad web resources, as well an annotated list of organizations and programs that employ short term (year long) teachers.

Columbia Students for International Service is a student group of returned volunteers from every school at Columbia. Columbia students are invited to use the diverse resources of CSIS and contact returned students when contemplating a volunteer experience abroad.

 

The Center for Career Education also has many resources as you consider international work, internships and careers.

Selected Internet resources:

www.GoAbroad.com, by Troy Peden. Includes databases listing programs for internships, volunteering, jobs, and teaching abroad.

www.IIEPassport.org, by the Institute of International Education. Online version of IIE's books is searchable under "format" for internships, volunteer/service, practical training, and student teaching.

www.StudyAbroad.com, by Mark Landon. Includes databases listing programs for internship/volunteer and teaching abroad.

www.transitionsabroad.com, by Clay Hubbs and Sherry Schwarz. Online version of the pioneering magazine for working, volunteering and internships abroad, Transitions Abroad.

www.umabroad.umn.edu, University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center, by Martha Johnson. Searchable directories include programs for work, volunteering and internships abroad.

Global Volunteer Network: The Global Volunteer Network offers volunteer opportunities in community projects throughout the world. They provide programs through their partner organizations in Alaska, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Nepal, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.

Global Volunteers: "Global Volunteers has mobilized more than 13,000 volunteers on human and economic development projects worldwide; assisting people of diverse cultures and promoting cross-cultural understanding since 1984."

German Bridge: Opportunities and resources for students returning from Germany

http://www.volunteerinternational.org/ : The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) provides a search engine for current volunteer projects world wide.

www.crossculturalsolutions.org : Volunteer opportunities around the world.

Seccussa-Wiva: A compendium of resources for students looking to work abroad by the National Association for International Student Advisors (NAFSA).

Adelphi-Civitas Summer Professional Internship Program: Warsaw, Poland

Volunteer in Africa Volunteer in Africa is an organization dedicated to disseminating information on voluntary work programs in Africa and organizing a wide range of volunteering internship-volunteering programs in Ghana.

 

Teach/Volunteer/Work Abroad Resources: Books and Magazines

( Taken from NAFSA's Guide to Education Abroad for Advisers and Administrators, Third Edition (2005))