Many of the largest graduate recruiters are international businesses; they need employees who can demonstrate the ability and willingness to adapt to working abroad.

The majority of travelers look for a job overseas at some point during their gap year to increase their dwindling funds. Work can either earn or save the traveller crucial cash.

Working abroad is a realistic opportunity for summer holiday adventures and is a fabulous way to meet new people, retain independence and of course to earn some money.

On my gap year I took advantage of unpaid opportunities where I traded work for board and lodging. I helped clean the hostels I stayed in when visiting cities and through WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) I stayed on some amazing farms. WOOFF enabled me to visit peaceful places off the well-trodden traveler routes, the work was really enjoyable and the unspoilt views were out of this world. I feel my experiences working abroad greatly added to whole overall traveling experience.

But if trade is not for you, and you want to earn real money working abroad then teaching English is an ideal opportunity. This is perfect working abroad experience to impress graduate recruiters.

Teach English Abroad

The most commonly accepted qualification is a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. A qualification is not required in some countries but with the certificate there are opportunities to work abroad in innumerable countries. You don’t even need to speak the local language!

Jo Stucky, a friend from university, lives in Sicily teaching English. She went out there four years ago meaning to stay a few months, get some experience working abroad and have an adventure. Jo enjoyed Italy so much she is still living there in the sunshine, with a lower cost of living, great restaurants and buzzing café culture.

“My decision to work abroad stemmed from both circumstance and childhood dream. Finding myself going nowhere in my first job after university, I decided to seize the moment and fulfill my dream of learning Italian and living abroad. Thinking back over the last few years has made me realize how many challenges I’ve got through. Arriving with an Italian vocabulary limited to ‘ciao’ certainly made life difficult but hardly impossible!

Even though I’ve only gone as far as Italy, there certainly are cultural differences that you need to get your head round at the beginning. You have days where you can sometimes feel a bit of an alien! However, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. After four years abroad, my Italian’s certainly improved which, in turn, has opened up new opportunities on the work front. And, of course, I don’t overcook pasta anymore!

I think living and working abroad is one of the most positive things you can do. It is a challenge but the satisfaction you get is second to none.”

NEW SOUTH WALES

Griffith

Griffith International Hostel

These guys have links like no other hostel, with a support team including the local council, businesses and almost all of the surrounding farms. See their website for information on the specific crops being picked, but with the exception of the months of May and June, there is work year-round. Griffith is known as Australia’s ‘Wine & Food Country’, being as it is one of the most productive and bustling agricultural regions. This place would provide more of a social scene and its prime location in-between Sydney and Canberra means there is a steady flow of both travellers and locals.

Website: http://www.griffithinternational.com.au/

Cronulla Beach

Cronulla Beach YHA

Sydney’s southside surfing capital and hub of all things beach-life, Cronulla Beach YHA is the perfect ingredient to an amazing stay in this area. There is an abundance of work to come from staying at this place. Most of it is city-based stuff but there is also seasonal and laboring work in the surrounding area. Often travellers pass on their job to newbies staying there once they leave, and another great plus to this place is there are pick-ups and drop-offs by many of the employers. They are also the only backpackers hostel in the beach area so this immediately reduces competition with other backpackers looking for work.

Website: http://www.cronullabeachyha.com/

Coffs Harbour

AussiTel

This town is a little piece of Australian paradise. It is also a perfect place to learn scuba diving alongside your work, for one of the cheapest rates in the country and on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. AussiTel offer support in finding work with the local farms picking mainly blueberries. The season begins in August, and varies in the length. Any queries be in touch with them and get there as soon to the start of the season as possible to ensure you get a spot in the fields. The hostel always gets great reviews and many stay throughout the season, as many find it becomes a home away from home.

Website: http://www.aussitel.com/

VICTORIA

Mildura

Borderline Backpackers

This place is a gem in the working hostel world, largely due to its locality but also its vast contacts with the farms in the region. It is a quieter spot where they are, being far north of Victoria and on the border of New South Wales. However, with the Murray River just five minutes away, it provides the perfect post-farm spot to soak in the river and watch the sunset.

No website is available but give these guys a bell on the following and they’ll be able to help you out.

Address: 78-80 Seventh Street, Mildura, Victoria

Tel: +61 (3) 5023-0671

Echuca

Echuca Backpackers 

These folk are experts when it comes to organising work for backpackers. If staying long-term, Echuca offer your seventh night in the week, free, which is rare to find. The only downfall, is they don’t provide transport to the farms. However, they do have contacts that can organise you cheap car rental, which can also work as a bonus as it allows you to adventure off into this stunning region. Located in a similar to the hostel above, right on the Murray River, and in the centre of the town so plenty of things to do.

Website: http://www.backpackersechuca.com.au/

Maffra

Cambrai Hostel

A hostel with raving reviews on every website or blog you can find, they are known as a home away from home. You can guarantee you will leave this historic little town having made a family, as the locals love spending time with any travellers passing through. Please note though that the hostel is only open for backpackers and seasonal work from October until April.

Email: cambrai (at) netspace.net.au

There are many hostels that are off the worldwide web grid based both in New South Wales and in Victoria. A good site for some more information about these hostels in Victoria, see here: http://www.backpacking-aus.com/fruit-picking-victoria.html

For a little more info on how to get the most out of working hostels, and the joys of them, read my previous post. In terms of seasons for Western Australia, the end of October through to end of May is the prime time to pay a visit. There will always be work around from May to October, but just more scarcely scattered around the region, so best to do some research before planting your feet somewhere.

Donnybrook

Two hours north of Perth, this little town is at the heart of Western Australia’s fruit picking community. With a welcoming and vibrant local social scene that is bundling with backpackers during the season, meeting good folk here is a guarantee.

Brooklodge

This hostel is unique as it is surrounded by acres of fields so provides a perfect space to not only save some cents but also a bit of relaxation and a stint of feeling at home, which is a welcome luxury on your travels. This space is taken up by backpackers playing frisbee, volleyball, soccer and soaking up the rays after a days work. The hostel have many many contacts in the nearby regions, and remain one of the most popular working hostels in Australia. Transport is also a given too.

They recommend contacting them before arriving to ensure you are going to grab some work.

Website: http://brooklodge.com.au/

Kunanarra

This is one of the most northern towns in Western Australia, at the heart of the Kimberly district and on the border of the Northern Territory. It has an abundance of fresh water springs and water holes to dive into so if you are a fan of exploring, this is a wonderful place to spend some time. It is surrounded by mountains and hundreds of hiking trails to keep you walking for weeks. It does get incredibly hot and humid up there, so it is recommended you go if you can handle these kind of sweltering conditions. The season is a little longer this end of the country, being from March until November, and working with Sandalwood there are year-round jobs to be found.

Kimberley Croc YHA Backpackers

These guys have been highly rated in reviews for a number of years, providing an excellent service and level of support for travellers hunting down work. They give out lists of local farmers and their numbers, which you can call and they have a generally overflowing notice board with local jobs advertised. A welcome part of this hostel is their Kimberley Croc Lodge which they have dedicated entirely to long-staying backpackers, offering long-term rates and room mates for the duration of your stay.

Website: http://www.kimberleycroc.com.au/

Margaret River

This place is the capital of backpacking in Western Australia. Its unique quality of being able to combine a job in the fields and vineyards with a great Australian holiday, means this place is a working traveller’s paradise. The town is famous for its wineries, beaches, music scene and bustling restaurants. The beauty surrounding the town is also one of a kind and is a perfect gateway to explore the region.

Margaret River Lodge

This hostel is perfectly set up for working holidays. It is slightly larger than others, but still with the familiarity and homely feel. They have had raving reviews from all that stay there, and offer a shuttle to and from your work and to and from the beach.

They have a desk and member of staff specifically allocated to helping you find work, making the whole process a lot smoother and easier. This is also a long-term stay hostel, with a 100 bed short-term lodge just next door.

Website: http://www.mrlodge.com.au/

Enjoy!

Alongside the wonder that is word-of-mouth, working hostels act as one of the best gateways to finding a job when travelling. Not only this, but they also act as a source of the freshest and tastiest (free) produce – any crop being picked is almost always brought home by the basket load and shared. Whilst in Australia and New Zealand, I remember eating my lifetimes supply of the most amazing pineapple, melon, peaches, apricots and asparagus! As many find, when you are on a budget that enables for noodle sandwiches and not much else, being provided with this stuff is a gem.

The social life of these hostels is always wonderful too. It will be the most homely and welcoming space you will find along your travels, as they are always the smaller and less bustling hostels. Everyone knows everyone and the owners generally care about the guests like they are family. Sometimes this family vibe can feel a little intimidating upon arrival, but give it an evening of sitting on the sofa or a day in the fields, and this will pass and you will feel a part of it, so do not worry. Employers within the seasonal work industry are often known not always being as fair as they should, so by having a hostel manager or fellow pickers on your side, you have a good foundation of support to put anything right. Therefore I would recommend going through these to find seasonal work rather than sites you find online. By finding work through your hostel, it reduces your chances of having a jammy boss as working hostels have their regular farms they liase with, and so it is not in the farms interest to be stingy with any employees.

I recommend spending some time on Google prior to working out where to stay, as these days people seem to be pretty good at writing reviews of places they have stayed and/or worked. Also, if in doubt don’t be afraid to hop on the phone. By calling the hostels, you get a much better insight into the vibe of the place and what is on offer job and social-wise – try not to go solely on the website or online reviews. A chat is always the best source of information. I found that once you start staying and/or working in these type of hostels, you can easily gather up contacts and information from fellow veg pickers, as to which direction is best to head next.

Most places take people on for anything from two weeks to two months, and sometimes more. This is why working hostels provide the perfect pit-stop for sad looking wallets. They also always offer cheaper rates for guests staying for longer periods of time, even if just a couple of weeks.

I have focused this particular post on a few key hostels in Queensland, Australia. Over the following weeks I will follow up with information on other areas in Australia, and around the world. I will also write specifically about seasonal work itself as knowing where in particular to go, and when to go is the key to finding work in this area – there are hubs around the country and the time of year depicts what is happening and where, and how much you will be paid. In the mean time, there are lot of websites out there with this information on so you can gather a good picture of the details needed to get stuck into seasonal work out there.

Working hostels in Queensland, Australia

Bundaberg

This is a key spot for those looking for seasonal work, and has easy access to the beautiful area surrounding it. It is a popular spot for backpackers stopping to work, so gathering a good group of friends during your stay here is guaranteed. Bundaberg is also known as the ‘gateway to the reef’, with exquisite underwater sites to see, along with vast quantities of fruit and vegetables to pick. This has led to many travellers taking their days off to qualify as an Open Waters Diver from just $299.

Below is just one hostel, loved by all who stay there, but hop on Google for a long list of places to kip and find work in Bundaberg.

The Grand Hostel
Attached to a hotel, this hostel is efficiently run and offers great support for working travellers and a cosy place to stay for as short or as long as you need.
http://web.me.com/msconnor/GrandHotel/Welcome.html

Bowen

This place is a gem in the crown of the Whitsundays, which are an essential spot to explore during your travels in Australia. Bowen offers untouched beaches, with endless amounts of snorkelling and diving to be done. It does not have quite the amount of work other areas do, but is well worth researching and timing it right to spend some time in this beautiful place.

Barnacles Backpackers
This peaceful hostel is perfectly located 500m from the beach and provides transport, links and support to find work in the area.
www.barnaclesbackpackers.com

Ayr

The little town of Ayr has a great spirit and almost always has work during the season due to its abundance of water, escaping any drought issues any other spot might face.

Delta Hostel
This well-established hostel provides you with all manor of fruit and vegetable picking in the area, along with a renowned family vibe. Backpackers often pay more than one visit to this place, with Delta having many regulars up their sleeves.
http://www.deltabackpackers.com/delta/

Ayr Backpackers
Another very welcoming hostel, with connections to almost all the farms in the area. With a treat of a swimming pool in the back yard, you can soak your tired muscles and soak up the rays holding a ice cold stubby once your day is done.
www.ayrbackpackers.com.au

Atherton

Tucked away in the beautiful rainforest, this spot is a haven of natural beauty and often thought of as Australia’s best kept secret. With Cairns just an hour south, you can explore the outdoors and then grab your dose of city life if need be too.

Atherton Travellers Lodge
A home away from home – soak up a few weeks of life as a proper local thanks to this small and cosy hostel.
Address: 37 Alice Street, Atherton, Queensland
Telephone: +61 (7) 4091-3552

Twitter – @AmaniOmejer

About me.

Looking back, travelling has always been in my bones but the joy of setting up camp somewhere by working, with fun little adventures flowing from here, are in my eyes, the best. This love for combining work and travel came when I was 18: fresh out of school, in the Autumn of 2005, I headed for the beautiful and intriguing New Zealand. Planning was at a minimum, partly as that is the way I seem to do things, but also due to the fact that the 3 months prior to flying, were filled with 3 jobs, leaving spare seconds in short supply. I left with £600 in my bank and in my mind, many ideas but no set plans.

The following 12 months in New Zealand and Australia were filled with an assortment of jobs and many wonderful adventures in between. In NZ I found myself: pruning apple trees at the foothills of the Abel Tasman mountains; working in a bustling little bar by the Marlborough Sands; working at a couple of events on the beautiful Waiheke Island; pruning more apple trees in the hills of Hawkes Bay; and calling Queenstown home for 5 months, helping to run a cafe, waitress in a local restaurant and help out at a couple of outdoor adventure festivals there. Australia brought me an amazing month of working and living on a boat in the breathtaking Whitsunday Islands and a few weeks making coffees and baking cakes in return for a bed in the trendy town of Byron Bay.

None of the jobs above were organised before hand, some I had experience in, but some I didn’t. Examples like this can hopefully show you how if your ears, eyes and mind are open to new adventures and opportunities, you will learn to believe in yourself and your skills, landing on your feet anywhere you choose to go.

Taking a gap year before university was one of the best things I have done and I would recommend it to anyone. This is for a few main reasons, one being that you soak up truck loads of invaluable advice from all those you meet, helping you make the most of whatever is to come next in life. Many people head off post-university and so the piece of advice I picked up on the most was to make the most of your summers whilst studying (in the UK we seem to spend more time on holiday than in lectures, and so this is simply asking for adventures).

So, considering I had caught the travel bug, the following Spring of 2007 I decided my next venture would be to a place I had always longed to go – Kenya. Through a company this end, I got a place teaching in a school and orphanage there that summer, and fundraised for the trip (which is an adventure in itself). It was incredible and I learnt more skills and grew in confidence in that few weeks, more than ever before in such a short space of time. Upon finishing my post there, I also helped in a school I found along my travels. I will talk about this in more detail but there are many ways in which you can organise wonderful opportunities in developing countries, to work and be involved in, without paying a small fortune to a Western based company.

Before returning back for a second year of university, and after working back home for a month, I flew over to Copenhagen to volunteer at The Homeless World Cup (http://www.homelessworldcup.org/). It is an incredible event, which in those days was smaller and you received food and a bed in return for working with the team. I would recommend volunteering at events such as this to anyone, be it big or small and involving charities or not, as you will return home inspired to the brim. You do not need bundles of money or contacts, it is simply a case of finding the right kind of thing on offer. I saw the organisation advertised in The Big Issue one day, and got in touch to scout out about volunteering.  We are blessed with cheap travel these days, and so by utilising this, whilst preferably being aware environmentally, will enable you to get involved in various exciting things around the world.

Kenya Adventure!

Upon arriving home after Kenya and Copenhagen, I realised I had fallen in love with the Sunshine Continent of Africa. The next two years at university, I was incredibly lucky to have three opportunities to go and work in East Africa, expenses paid. One of these was representing the university at the African Athletic Championships in Ethiopia, with my main task being to interview the medal holders post-race. The other two trips were taking young people from the UK to Kenya and Uganda for 2 weeks of travelling in a bus, working on small projects there. It is a trip very close to my heart, and something I am still involved in from an organisational perspective. You can see more about it and watch a snippet of the documentary made one year, here – http://www.robwalkertv.com/index.php/youth-work.

These three opportunities I have mentioned above simply came from showing enthusiasm and following my heart, which at that point was with Africa, talking to people and offering to help out. So, next time you hear someone interesting speak, see a cool project, or watch an interesting documentary: get in touch or wander up to the front for a chat. Almost always, people love to be spoken to about their work and will offer opportunities or contacts if they can. Whether you are at university, working in the bustling city, or living in the hills, there is a wealth of potential and inspiring things going on everywhere, it is just a case of finding them. That is something I hope to help with, be it by posting links to documentaries and blog posts online, or by sharing sites or inspiration on how to find things in person wherever you are. If all an experience does is inspire you, and not initially lead to anything directly as such, that is priceless in itself.

In my final summer of university (2008) I lived in the crazy and full of character town of Lagos, Portugal, with a couple of friends from home. I was cooking in a cafe and the community there is one of a kind – folks from all over, working hard and soaking up the beach life for the summer. I came home bronzed, smiling, and inspired for my final year of library bound days.

The world literally is your oyster when you are looking to work abroad, and anywhere in fact. There is no one else out there with your bag of skills and unique qualities, so trust in them as they are the best thing to take with you. I took to just walking into places and asking for jobs whilst away but some friends did the same from home beforehand through the wonder of the worldwide web. So, whichever works for you, that is the best way to do it and do not worry. A bit of fear is natural and exciting, but the best advice I could ever give is to simply give it a go.

From then you will realise how easy it is and that any ‘worst-case scenario’ is not really that bad. There are always back-up plans you can have up your sleeve to reassure a worrying mind. Plus, home is only a flight away. In terms of worrying about finding work, take a rather hilarious example from my gap year: in Hawkes Bay, NZ, I was fired after one day of picking peas (may I add, this was due to a couple of team mates that took a liking to the pub more than the fields, so our group count of peas was down by rather a lot). But, never fear, the following day the team had one of the best jobs in the orchards, filling our wallets with a lot of cents and soaking up the Kiwi sunshine whilst we went.

I hope this blog will be something you can refer to when planning adventures abroad, and somewhere you can gather valuable information and inspiration. If there are any places, job types or other topics of particular interest please give me a shout too as I will do my best to get information on these for you folk.

Even though it was Chile that caught my eye, I was happy to find out that Adelante operates Internship programs across the world, in Spain, China, Costa Rica, Mexico, Scotland and Uruguay (as an aside, Uruguay is an often overlooked destination in South America that is both beautiful and inexpensive!).

What I really love about Adelante Abroad’s Intern Chile program is the fact that the internships are located outside of Santiago in the scenic, ocean side cities of Valparaiso and Vina de Mar. These sister cities are located just 1 hour west of Santiago on the Pacific Ocean….and they are breathtaking. They offer all of the culture of Chile without the somewhat stifling urban hustle and bustle of Chile’s capital. Vina del Mar is very much a resort/beach town, which gets much more crowded in the summer (Jan – March) and is a bit lazier in the winter. Valparaiso is a more year-round city, and is full of street vendors and colorful homes…kind of like a South American San Francisco!

But I suppose that while getting to love your surroundings in importantly, the internship experience itself is equally important. Here are some of the things you might do with an Adelante Abroad Internship in Chile:

• You will get three weeks of intensive Spanish training, followed by an internship lasting anywhere from 1 month to 6 months – it’s your choice.
• The program will place you in an internship for 4 days per week – anything from government work to private technology companies to nonprofit organizations. Chile has a rapidly growing economy, so it is a great place to get real work experience.
• The internship is intended to be 50% work and 50% cultural immersion, so Adelante plans excursions and activities to fill your off-hours.
• You will stay with either with a Chilean family or in an apartment with other interns. You have a choice in this, but my recommendation is if you are looking to really get a grasp of the language and culture, the best way is through a home stay with a local family.

Applications to the program are accepted on a rolling basis, and should be submitted 60 days before your requested arrival date. Work placements begin on the first Monday of every month. As you may have inferred, there is a cost involved with Adelante Abroad internships. The fee starts at $2,500 for one month and up to $5,500. . .so you really get much more bang for your buck if you stay for a longer period of time. The fee includes room and board, orientation, intensive language instruction and support from the Chile Program Director. Airfare and insurance are not included. Adelante also makes it very easy for you to obtain academic credit for your international internship.

So if you’re interested in a serious internship in some beautiful coastal cities, consider the Adelante Abroad Internship Program in Chile. If Chile isn’t for you, make sure to check out some of the other programs that they have available.

• You’ll want to stay longer: I’ve worked with many, many volunteers over the years and the majority of those that I supervised were committed to no more than three months when they started. And as soon as the first two months had come and gone, they were scrambling around, trying to think of ways to stay for longer. For some that meant just another three months, and for others more than a year (one volunteer I know spent 5 years in Chile after going for an intended two months, but he’s something of an anomaly). Volunteering can be so rewarding and fun that it’s hard to walk away from it after just a short time. Planning for a longer stay up front helps you to manage your expectations, as well as your finances.
• If you work with kids, longer is always better: I’ll admit upfront that this one is kind of controversial, and a little bit guilt-trippy. But studies do show that when working with kids as a mentor or caretaker, the longer the relationship lasts the more benefits the child will receive in the long run. Since so many volunteer placements involve working with street kids and orphans, it’s an important thing to keep in mind.
• It is more cost-effective: As I recently posted in the Adelante Abroad post, the cost for a volunteer abroad program actually decreases (if you calculate cost per month) the longer you stay. That’s because most of the costs of a volunteer program are upfront fixed costs: language training, orientation, airport pick-up, administration.  Each subsequent month you should see a drop in your costs not only from the perspective of the program fee, but from your personal spending. Think about it: after a few months you’ll know where the best deals are on things you buy everyday, and you’ll be less likely to overspend (a common problem for new volunteers). In no time you’ll be an expert on living the frugal lifestyle abroad!
• You will be a more effective volunteer: They say (and I have no idea who "they" actually is) that it takes a professional at least one year to actually know how to do their job. We’re talking accountants and nurses and businessmen and sales people. When you start something brand new, there is a going to be a learning curve. As an international volunteer, this is compounded by the fact that you are also learning language and customs – and probably a brand new transportation system! It is so fun and exciting to learn all of these things (and a lot of the time, the fun is in making the mistake!)
• Your host organization wants you to stay: If there is one piece of feedback that I have heard from volunteer host organizations again and again, it is that consistency and continuity is essential to the success of any program. Many organizations address this by having volunteers come in with a class system – as one volunteer leaves, another comes in an takes his/her place so that there is no gap in the work. This is a great system, and works quite well to accommodate volunteers who can only work in the short term. But an even better way to offer host organizations a consistent work force is to have volunteers come in for longer periods of time. Just like a longer period being more cost-effective, it’s also more impactful. If you stay for a year or more, you are more likely to truly embed yourself in the culture of your host country and organization, you’ll be given more independence and autonomy, and you will more likely come up with some ideas about how to improve upon the work that you’re doing. And you’ll probably be fluent in a second language by then! A year’s worth of volunteer can be truly invaluable to a host organization. 

I’d really like to draw the distinction here between volunteering and "voluntourism." There is obviously an incredible amount of value in project-based volunteering in developing (and even developed) countries, and I think that it’s a fantastic movement around the world that has developed to combine travel, adventure travel and service work. There are so many organizations that I review here on the blog that I desperately want take trips with – so much great, exciting stuff is happening. And much of it is designed to be incredibly short-term – like completing a construction project or rescuing a certain number of sea turtles!!

Finally, it should go without saying that I am passionate about volunteering across the board, and I encourage everyone to take the plunge and go abroad for service work at some point in their lives. Its great fun, fulfilling and meaningful – not to mention fodder for some excellent stories when you get back! If you are as passionate about it as I am, it’s worth considering a long-term volunteer placement! You really never know what might be feasible for you until you start doing the research. Check out some resources for free and low cost volunteer programs to get you started, as well as some fee-based placement programs that have long-term projects. If a month or two is more your speed, that’s great, too! No matter how long you volunteer, I can guarantee it will be an unforgettable experience.

ISV was established in 2002, but has somehow stayed off of my volunteer organization radar until now, which I think is mostly due to the fact that they don’t have projects in locations with which I’m most familiar. Well all that is about to change as I dive a little deeper into the world of ISV!

First of all, they are a nonprofit, and that’s awesome. They operate not only to make money (although every company is actually trying to make money in some way), but to serve the common good, a put forth some kind of public benefit. However, there are a lot of nonprofit volunteer placement organizations, so that’s not the only reason that ISV stood out to me. What I really liked was how easy it was to find out about their status, and they were completely transparent about how they operate with community agencies on the Our Story page.

But if you aren’t a nonprofit geek like I am, that’s probably not the first thing that you are looking out for in the work of volunteering abroad. So let’s talk about what they do:

• There are four categories of volunteer project: Wildlife conservation, Environmental Management, Children’s Programs and Community Development. They are covering all of the bases as far as popular volunteer opportunities, except for public health.
• Volunteer projects take place in Australia, Eastern Europe, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador and South Africa. Six continents. Not bad.
• Adventure travel trips! And there are a lot of them! This is where ISV really sets itself apart from the other volunteer placement organizations.

So what does a typical volunteer trip look like?

You can choose a trip by either destination or project area. Wildlife conservation projects will vary based on the wildlife in the area – sea turtles by the coast, monkeys in the jungle, and most of the community development volunteer projects regardless of location have some sort of hard labor/construction aspect. But the website is clear that not prior experience is necessary. For most programs, the volunteer project lasts for two weeks.

That’s followed by two weeks of adventure travel, featuring kayaking, horseback riding, zip lines, exploring local towns and nightlife – all of the excursions that really define the volunteer vacation experience. Each trip also has a number of optional excursions that take you a bit farther away: the South Africa trip offers excursions to Cape Town and into wild Africa on safari tours, Thailand offers and excursion to ancient Cambodia, and a New Zealand project will send you on a quick trip to Fiji!

And with all of this comes another bit of good news: many of these trips actually qualify students for academic credit (usually for an independent study!). They have some pretty comprehensive information about how to qualify for academic credit for volunteering abroad on the ISV website, but are clear that you must get the appropriate approval from your college or university first.

Reading through the website kind of makes me want to quit my day job and hop on a plane. But hopefully you’re thinking to yourself "how much does all of this cost?" Well, it costs quite a bit. ISV is one of the more expensive volunteer organizations that I am familiar with, but with an excellent reason – they are travel & volunteering. They are voluntourism, and they will take you all over the place and allow you to really get the most out of your trip abroad.

Just be prepared to pay for it.

As an example, this is the cost for a four-week Costa Rica adventure:

• ~$4,000 program fee (room & board for 2 weeks, housing and half meals for the other two weeks, orientation, transportation, local adventure excursions like horseback riding, kayaking, etc.)
• ~$1,500 for optional trip to Machu Picchu
• ~$1,700 for optional trip to the Galapagos Islands
• ~$455 for optional Spanish lessons

That’s already $7,700 before airfare, passports, health insurance and other incidentals. I can’t argue with the fact that the trip sounds amazing, but this reads so much more like a vacation than a volunteer experience. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but just be aware of it if you choose to explore possibilities.

That said: I’m pretty impressed by the vast array of projects that you can choose for the two-week volunteer portion of the volunteer vacation. Saving sea turtle eggs, rehabilitating elephants and gibbons, observing humpback whales and working at wildlife refuges are all projects that are offered. Community development volunteers help with mangrove planting, building and repairing children’s schools and environmental clean-up are offered in you’re into working in the community. And virtually all locations offer the opportunity to work with kids – in orphanages, schools, and parks alike. In order to offer these, ISV teams up with locally established NGOs so that they can be sure that the work is necessary and supported by the community.

So ISV’s flashy, colorful website drew me in, but it’s seamless integration of volunteering and adventure kept me interested. This appears to be one of the more comprehensive programs of its kind, so if you’re interested in a "voluntour" you might want to check them out!

When you start looking for work abroad jobs in India, you’ll notice that the first few hits will be focused on teaching English. There is an incredibly high demand for TEFL and TESL instructors in India, and many other parts of Asia. But why India, if most citizens learn the language from a young age? It has to do with the increasingly global workforce – business people working in India are looking to perfect their English, and who better than native speakers to do it?

Sorting through all of these can be overwhelming, so let’s start with some of the more popular agencies.

First of all, it’s important to make the distinction between an organization that conducts TEFL courses to students and assists with finding a job and an actual job placement organization. Places like the TEFL Institute, charge a fee to certify you in TEFL or TESOL, then help you find a job right after you graduate. For a fee they take care of room and board, plus the cost of the course. Not bad if you’re looking to get your feet wet in-country before you commit to an actual job (as opposed to getting and online certification). Others like TEFL International and American TESOL Institute (which, oddly, actual gives TEFL certifications) guarantee placements, in a school/workplace hybrid model.

Without any first hand knowledge of these organizations, I’m pretty pleased with what I saw on the TEFL International website (even though aesthetically it’s kind of overwhelming). They are a nonprofit organization, which (ideally) means that they aren’t only interested in their financial bottom line when it comes to signing people up for the courses and placing them in internships and jobs. They operate around the world in 20+ locations, but in India are based in Kolkata. It looks like their model works because of big partnerships with local corporations that are in need of English teachers, which means that this organization seems to lean towards teaching the business client. And one of their partners is Disney!

Outside of teaching English, there are many other opportunities to volunteer and work abroad in India. The Ladakh Project, sponsored by the International Society for Ecology and Culture, is set deep in the Himalayas, and recruits volunteers to work on a local farm, and to see first hand the effects of globalization of society that rely heavily on local ecology to make their living. And there is a great first-hand account of the volunteer experience over at Transitions Abroad.

For those with some business experience who are looking to bulk up the resume there is Next, a professional training organization with sites in cities across India. They recruit and hire people from the United States, Australia, Canada the UK and New Zealand to conduct business skills training class in India.

And last but not least, here is one of the coolest-sounding jobs I’ve seen in a long time: Livescouting for Sport Events in India! Before you get to excited, I’ll give you the quick take: the job is ideal for people who already live in India and are familiar with Indian sports and teams. They specifically say “you don’t need to be an expert, but you need to know the rules. ” But if you’re someone who is looking at living in India in the longer term (maybe as a teacher or volunteer) and you have developed a taste for the local sports, you can make up to 35 euro per game attending sporting events and reporting on statistics in real time for Sports Data AG.

That’s really just a sampling of all of the great volunteer and work opportunities available in India. As one of the largest and most densely populated countries in the world, you can bet that there are many, many more where they came from. So if you are dreaming of ascending the worlds highest peaks like I have been lately, perhaps you can satisfy your curiosity by getting a little closer to them!

The Working Holiday Club is a UK and Australia-based work placement agency for people looking to work abroad in the US, Canada, UK or Australia. The organization arranges work permits, job interviews, and places a large number of its workers in resort and hospitality jobs.

Instead of the usual who, what, where, when format of the organization spotlight posts, this week I’m just going to tell you what I like (and what I think you’ll like, too) about The Working Holiday Club:

• Over 30′s! It is extremely rare for a work or volunteer abroad organization to actively market to the over 30 set – the fact is that most people who look for temporary work abroad are in their early to mid twenties, with many people over 65 beginning to jump on the trend as well. I love that TWHC acknowledges that there are many people who might decide that they want to get winter job in Canada at age 32, but can’t get a visa as easily as their younger counterparts. WHC does the leg work, helping the over 30s secure a one-year open visa and hosting jobs at Vancouver and Whistler. These winter ski resort job opportunities seem like a lot of fun, but you should be ready to pay close to $6,000 for tuition for a year’s worth of support and visa assistance.
• Live-in Pub Jobs! Maybe this is just a personal thing, but I can’t think of anything that sounds cooler than working and living in a pub in the English countryside – and that’s an option (for Australians and New Zealanders) through WHC. They find you a job, help you with your visa, and get you there from London. Of course, you still have to pay the placement fee (about $600), but think of all of the tips you’ll make as a foreigner!
• Focus on visas. So maybe I’m a little obsessed with the whole visa thing. But in my experience, visa problems are where things go from fun adventure to scary challenge. So I’m totally digging TWHC’s focus on the types of visas, and very clear explanations of what kind of visas allow you to do what kinds of jobs (and the aforementioned assistance in obtaining a visa for the 30+ crowd). There are loads of organizations that will help you get a visa and find work, but TWHC truly lays it all out there so that you can consider all of your options.

And to maintain some of my journalistic integrity, I will also talk about a few of the things I don’t like. This is also the part where I disclose that I have no personal knowledge/relationship with TWHC, and my information comes from their website, and some Internet investigating.

• Refund policy. I saw something a little troubling on the FAQ page for USA jobs. Specifically, it implies that if you are offered a job that you do not want to accept, you forfeit your program fee. Considering that the positions themselves are pretty straightforward, and the interviews are conducted in-person in Australia, I feel like most people will be able to find a position that suits them. Also, I understand that the bulk of any program fee is likely used for the human resources that go into the placement process. But I think it would be better if this information was a bit more prominent on the site.
• Many program names. I don’t mean to imply that variety is a bad thing. It’s the spice of life (I know I’ve used that line before). However, I will admit that the TWHC website confused me. This could just be me, and every other person on the planet could marvel at how easy it is to navigate. But what I love best about really good work abroad websites is the ability to see what all of your choices are at a glance. You can browse TWHC’s website by country, but once you are there, the programs are organized by program name – which just aren’t the most descriptive. One a positive note, I love that they have employer profiles on the program pages!

So my overall impression is pretty good. I did some Internet lurking to find out what the people are saying, and as will any work abroad experience, the reviews are mixed. This is to be expected, and you shouldn’t doubt the suitability of any placement organization based on one or two negative reviews. One reviewer mentioned that they thought it was a red flag that there was no physical address listed on the website (just phone numbers) but I disagree – phone numbers are a pretty good sign (as long as someone answers them!). So if you’re thinking about working in a UK pub, US or Canadian resort, or just about anywhere in Australia, check out The Working Holiday Club website for more information.