Questions to Ask Before Volunteering - Obligation
You should be asking yourself these questions before you decide to volunteer.
- What type of volunteer work do I want to do?
- How much time are you willing to dedicate?
- Would this fit with my current commitments?
- How will I pay for any expenses incurred while on the trip, such as personal travel, accommodation costs, and food costs? (keep in mind that some organisations offer a cap on these costs)
- Allergies or any other medical conditions that may be a concern.
- How safe is the area that I will be traveling to?
- What is the likelihood of my personal belongings being lost or stolen?
- Do I have any other questions about the organization and their volunteer program?
Do not get caught off guard! The questions you ask before volunteering will save you a lot of trouble, time, and heartache at a later date. It will also show your potential supervisor that you are an organized and responsible individual.
These questions will help you be prepared
- What is expected of me?
- Will I need to provide my own travel or accommodation costs?
- What type of training will I need before leaving for the trip?
- How much time can I dedicate to the organization over a specific period?
- Will there be a follow up after my trip to see what I learned, how useful the trip was, did it meet my expectations and everything else in between. This will include an evaluation.
- Will I receive any type of reimbursement for any costs incurred?
- Who is the person in charge of my trip?
- What will be expected of me, if not being asked to complete a job?
- Who are the other volunteers who will be on my trip and how long have they been volunteering with this organization?
- Where will the volunteers go out to and what type of work can we expect to do during our time away from home.
- How often will I have communication with my supervisor while away?
- How much access to a phone will I be able to have while volunteering?
- Are there any medical concerns that may arise while I am overseas and how will they be dealt with?
- What kinds of people will the organization be helping and what kind of work can we expect to do with them?
- Does the organization provide everything that you need for free, or are you expected to bring your own equipment.
- What kind of accommodation can I expect to be staying in?
- How safe will I be when traveling to and from my destination, including the accommodation itself?
- Have there been past cases of theft or personal belongings being lost?
- Where the other volunteers from around the world, are they from different countries?
- What do you mean by adult only trips?
- Will there be any times that we will be out without supervision, e.g. language classes, field work etc.
- What would you do if I become seriously ill while overseas?
- What happens if my passport is lost or stolen?
- How safe is the area that I will be traveling to and what sort of cultural shock can I expect?
- Will my supervisor be there for all parts of my trip or just part of it? - If not, who will fill their place during his/her absence?
- Will there be any type of orientation before I leave the city and country that I live in now?.
- What is your average length of stay while out?
- If a group of volunteers are to travel together what would happen if I get sick and am unable to go on the trip?
- What can I expect my supervisor to be doing while I'm gone from home?
- How does this organization operate in emergencies, e.g. evacuations, natural disasters etc?
- What are your policies and procedures for a volunteer who becomes seriously ill while overseas?
- Are there any aftercare programs that I can participate in?
- What does it mean to be a volunteer for this organization when I am gone out of the country for an extended period of time?
Written by: The Volunteer Council. This can be located at the following site: http://www.volunteersinc.
Conclusion:
First, you need to know that volunteering is not for everyone, but for many people it's a way of life. As a volunteer there are some things to ask before you go and some things to ask when you are there.