VOLUNTEER ABROAD
WITH ICYE UK
What is the Long-Term programme?
For those looking to spend 6 or 12 months volunteering, ICYE UK can offer a transformational experience with real impact. Our Ethical, Immersive, Impactful and Supportive programme provides volunteers with the unique chance to really become part of a new culture, as well as develop transferable skills.
Now receiving expressions of interest.
Who is the Long-Term programme for?
Anyone aged over 18 can take part and most of our volunteers are under 30 years old. If you are interested in learning a new language, or are looking for experience in international development, get in touch!
Our programme also suits placement and gap year students, those looking for a fresh challenge as part of a career break, or simply anyone hoping to learn more about another culture and play an active role in supporting a local NGO overseas.
We do not recruit volunteers on the basis of specific qualifications or skills, just enthusiasm and dedication to intercultural learning.
Where can I go and when are the departures?
We send volunteers throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. See this link to find out which countries are in our Federation.
Placements start in August/September and January/February every year but it’s best to start your application several months before your desired departure date to make sure you have plenty of time to obtain a visa and make the necessary arrangements. Volunteers from all across the Federation arrive together to receive training and language lessons provided by the ICYE host country, before starting their individual projects.
What project can I volunteer at?
Our Immersive Long-Term Programme gives volunteers the opportunity to support locally-run projects that matter. Projects are varied and a full database with over 800 projects can be viewed at www.icye.org Examples include:
- Supporting street children by providing outreach support and education
- Promoting HIV and AIDS awareness
- Environmental conservation
- Women’s rights and human rights programmes
- Conducting research for development NGOs.
- And many more!
What is the application process?
Firstly, we recommend contacting us by email and arranging an informal interview before submitting an application form. This is so we can discuss your project preferences and use this information to make recommendations of suitable projects based on our many years of experience in sending volunteers overseas.
Long-term volunteers can choose their project preferences and it is the ICYE office in country, as well as the projects, who decide if they are able to host you, based your application form, motivations and interests.
To find out more, please visit the Federation link above in the ‘Where can I go’ section and look at the ‘What can I do?’ section on this website or email sending@icye.org.uk
Where will I stay?
Our Impactful Long-Term Programme means volunteers can fully experience a new culture through living in accommodation in the local community; for example, with a host family or within the project itself. This gives volunteers the opportunity to practise speaking the local language every day! Many of the host families have had family members who have also volunteered abroad on the ICYE programme.
What training do you provide?
Our Supportive Long-Term Programme means quality training and support comes as standard. We work closely with our ICYE partners around the world to help you prepare for your placement, to support you whilst you’re there and when you return.
Before your departure
You will receive a 3 day pre-departure training designed to help prepare you for everything that may encounter whilst volunteering abroad, with specific advice and guidance given in relation to the country you will be volunteering in. The training also covers important topics such as inter-cultural awareness, the rights and responsibilities of a volunteer, conflict resolution and the support offered in case of a problem.
The pre-departure training is often combined with the final evaluation camp for international volunteers who are at the end of their 12 month placement in the UK. This gives you the opportunity to meet those from your host country, even before leaving the UK.
During your placement
Once you have arrived, you’ll receive on-arrival training, delivered by the ICYE office in-country. The training gives you the chance to learn more about the people and culture of your host country, as well as your placement. You’ll also receive an introductory language course.
A mid-year training camp is for those on a 12 month placement.
The last official meeting for all long-term volunteers is the final evaluation camp, helping you prepare to return home – which is often the hardest part!
After returning home
You’ll be invited to a group training day to consolidate all the new skills you will have developed and to share stories and experiences with fellow volunteers. We often have an external facilitator come in to help volunteers with CV writing and interview techniques too.
Can I travel?
Absolutely! As well as your standard weekly days off you will have time off for holidays.
Volunteering with ICYE UK can be an opportunity for you to apply and expand skills you have learned through your career in new rewarding ways while immersed in a new and exciting setting, or to gain a whole different set of skills and experiences!
ICYE-UK has been dedicated to international volunteering and has been passionate about the value of intercultural exchange for three decades. As a not-for-profit charity, we have to set a programme fee in order to cover the costs involved in our unique reciprocal exchange programme. However, we always try to keep the costs involved to a minimum so that as wide a range of people as possible can take part in the ICYE volunteer experience.
The programme fee depends on the country and duration of the placement but will generally fall within the ranges shown below.
6 months: £4200 – £5500
12 months: £5600 – £6800
The programme fee includes:
- Airport pick-up
- Accommodation & daily meals for the duration of the placement
- Local transport to and from your project in your host country
- Health insurance and third party liability insurance
- Pre-departure training
- Returned Volunteer training
- On-arrival training and evaluation training in host country
- 30 hours local language course upon arrival
- Support and supervision during your year
- Monthly pocket money
- Fundraising support
- Visa application support and guidance
- Part of the money stays here in the UK for ICYE-UK to use for the hosting costs of an International volunteer.
The programme fee does not include flights or visa costs.
As a not-for-profit charity, we have a standard programme fee to cover the costs involved in our unique reciprocal exchange programme, but we are always transparent with these costs and help extensively with fundraising.
Although raising a programme fee may seem quite daunting, each year our volunteers successfully take up fundraising activities to help them reach their target. Fundraising also means you are also raising awareness of your host country and project and potentially inspiring more people to volunteer!
Here’s how we can help if you wish to fundraise towards the programme fee
- When you sign up to volunteer with us, we will invite you to a 1-2-1 fundraising meeting to help design an individual tailored fundraising plan for you.
- We’ll set you up with your personalised fundraising webpage so you can start receiving donations and claim gift aid on donations made by UK taxpayers.
- We will send you a fundraising guide with lots of ideas, a press release guide, a sponsorship form and links to other fundraising websites for even more ideas!
- We will send you a list of Trusts and Foundations, to apply to for donations. (We will even do some research into relevant Trusts on your behalf!)
The first step is to arrange to speak with us in more detail about the programmes and the types of projects that interest you. This is usually done via a Zoom call.
To arrange a time for a call, contact us at:
- E-mail : sending@icye.org.uk
Once you have decided that you would like to join the programme, you would need to have a one to one interview so that we can find out about your interests and what you can offer.
After your interview, we will provide you with an application form for you to complete and send back to us. We will send your application form to our partners overseas so that they can match your skills to a project
Once you have been accepted onto the programme by ICYE UK and our partners overseas, you will receive a confirmation letter and contract.
On signing that contract you can officially celebrate becoming an ICYE volunteer! The next important phase will be to start raising the funds for your programme fee and to collect all necessary documents that we will need from you.