Australia

I spent two weeks volunteering in the kindergarten program with IVHQ in Ho Chi Minh and honestly had the time of my life!! The staff make you feel so at home and the accommodation is clean and well maintained. There was a variety of food to choose from at meal times and the location is super close to cafes and restaurants. The other volunteers were all so welcoming and had a great attitude, wanting to make the most of their experience.

The kindergarten program was really rewarding and even in two weeks I made so many connections with the children. Although some days are repetitive (singing, dancing, feeding, teaching), the kids really love when the volunteers are there and you can see the difference you're making in their lives. Without the volunteer program, the children wouldn't learn English, limiting there opportunities in the future.

The city of Ho Chi Minh is busy and has so much to do, after volunteer hours everyone was super eager to explore and make the most of their time overseas. Travelling to other parts of Vietnam is also really easy and affordable from Ho Chi Minh and the staff at the accommodation were so helpful with planning weekend trips and providing recommendations. We could book tours or weekend trips the day before we left easily with the help of the staff which allowed flexibility and kept the experience exciting!

Overall, in my two weeks in Ho Chi Minh, I made memories which will last forever, made lifetime friends from all over the world and learnt so much about the rich culture and beautiful landscape of Vietnam. For anyone thinking about volunteering overseas, I would highly recommend the IVHQ Vietnam experience and any of the programs they offer.

Where do I begin?

As so many have written, I believe that the structure that AFS is currently running on is the core issue of the whole entire program.

Firstly, come two weeks before the students were to arrive we got a frantic email asking for host families for 4 students who didn't have families and also didn't have visa. (That should have been my first clue). We signed up, due to a family member of ours going on exchange when they were in high school, and went through the process.

There was delay after delay with our host student, mostly due to AFS's inadequate planning and back-boning their whole entire operation on volunteers. Three weeks delayed our host student arrived.

We had no support with how to navigate putting our students into classes, we had no support with how book lists and school supplies worked. I ended up having to shell out the over 800.00 to buy everything -- luckily we got that paid back. I also had to question and demand that AFS pay for school fees as they started to 'pick and choose' which required fees they were going to pay.

Beyond that, the year was a complete joke. They had absolutely no travel policy that was clear, transparent and in my opinion safe for the students. They want to know everywhere that the students are going to be staying 4 weeks in advance, but have no online system for booking travel and no outline chain of command. In our intake packet, which again needs to be greatly overhauled, I had absolutely, no idea to contact for what. In fact, when I spoke to someone at the corporate office, they said that the volunteers were the ones to approve travel first. So, parents are paying upwards of 20k aud to send their kids overseas and volunteers are approving of and managing the travel of minors under AFS care. Does not seem safe. I voiced my concerns, and honestly nothing changed.

This was on top of students then having to pay an additional 2250.00 for a 10 day Aussie outback trip which was planned during the last 4 weeks of term before exams. Now most students don't need marks for their schooling, but some do. They almost couldn't run it this year, because they couldn't get the numbers.

The two camps that were provided by AFS were so lack-luster. They actually did nothing, have no cultural excursions (beyond going to the zoo), did not incorporate anything Indigenous in their camps and left our student in such a filthy camp in November that none of the students showered for two days. I again fed back places that AFS could spend money on to take students on Australian and/or cultural exchanges. Again, these camps are run by volunteers and not overseen by corporate for the most part.

At the end of the program, I asked about 'returning home' support that they give to students, as nothing had been sent to me and/or my student and/or her natural family. I actually got something from corporate -- but I wouldn't have had I not asked. I was told that they covered stuff at the November camp (2 months before my student left) but it wasn't true. In the email, the volunteer leader admitted that although they had a PowerPoint created they didn't actually follow it on the weekend. The information they did follow had nothing to do with 're-entry'.

As a provider of educational study abroad programs, I would NOT recommend them at all. Luckily we did not have any issues with our student -- but I know so many students who had ongoing issues with their host families. There was no ongoing support for the students except random phone calls from AFS volunteers that the students didn't really know. I also got 1 phone call from someone who I had never met before. It's so horribly ran.

Beyond all of this, it cost us a fortune. We knew that this was the case, but had we not done the things that we did with our student she would have had a long and boring 10 months as AFS pretty much does nothing with the students excpet two camps in 10 months.

My biggest concern for AFS is the legal loopholes and gaps that they are opening themselves up to. It won't be long until something tragic happens and/or they can't find host families anymore.

In January 2017, I took off on a trip of a lifetime to volunteer in Philippines for 3 weeks with Projects Abroad. This was my first time travelling by myself and my first time volunteering, so I was so pleased that I chose Projects Abroad who provided me with continual support from the moment I applied up until a week after I arrived home.

I volunteered in the Occupational Therapy (OT) program in San Remegio, Cebu at a small rehabilitation centre. The rehab centre is reliant on local physiotherapy (PT) interns and PT or OT volunteers to provide therapy to local people with disabilities. Being the first OT to volunteer in San Remigio, it was a truly rewarding experience being able to make a difference to the lives of individuals who can not afford allied health services.

During my time in San Remigio, I stayed with a beautiful host family who lived only a few minutes from the beach. My family was so welcoming and I truly could not believe how hospitable they were. I had my own room (which is a luxury in the Philippines) with a comfy bed, a fan, and a wardrobe to keep my belongings. I was cooked 3 meals a day by either my host mum or my host family had a small restaurant next door where I generally ate lunch. My host family made me feel part of the family straight away and I joined them for birthday celebrations, BBQs on the beach, karaoke and weekend road trips to the city.

The best part about volunteering with Projects Abroad is all the wonderful people you meet - not only did I have the pleasure of working with the wonderful Projects Abroad staff and my host family, but I also was able to meet other volunteers in my area at organised social events and during my spare time.

Volunteering with Projects Abroad allowed me to develop new skills, see new places, experience a different culture, meet lifetime friends and make a small difference to the world!

I am extremely disappointed…

I chose this company in good faith when I decided to go to Australia to have a rewarding working experience. As it turned out, the large amount of money to find me a training experience was no more than coffee making placement. We can say that my experience was extremely good in increasing my skills in the use of a photocopy machine. I met 2 other people who made an internship by Traveller and they were both disappointed, but they were lucky to didn't take several months as I deeply regret!

At the beginning, the staff of Travellers were nice (I mean the minimum), which is quite normal I guess as they want you to choose their company... But once I started my training, I contacted the person in charge in Australia to talk about my deception regarding my work, and she just tell me that "it's probably gonna be better after"... so I continued my internship, doing all the tasks even if it was really useless in term of experience and even for the company, until the end, by respect to my colleagues and regarding my commitment. But I have to say that doing a useless job when you don't get salary it's already a waste of time, but if it's a useless job and you also paid a lot of money for it, I just call this a big scam.

Furthermore, I was also really disappointed by the staff of Traveller and their lack of courtesy and respect. As an exemple (but I have several), I had book my accommodation by Traveller: at one point, I wanted to leave the hostel few days (for a trip) and come back after, so I informed the hostel and also the staff of Traveller of my departure (as others have done). But when I came back, Travellers staff claimed to have used my money to paid the hostel when I wasn't here, and they told me that they will not refund me those days. So I could understand this without any problem. But the truth is that the hostel didn't received any money from Traveller for those days, and the manager of the hostel gave me the bill as a proof. Traveller just lied to me and tried to keep my money instead to use for the services I paid for. When I contacted the headquarter to talk about my deception of this program, they didn't treat me with respect or even as a client, and they asked me to justified all the time, and even with the proofs that I sent to them, they never recognized their mistake and in addition they were unpleasant.

I have to say that my biggest disappointment wasn't really about the money I lost, but it was about the minimum of courtoise that I never get from this organism (staff in Australia as well as the office in UK).

So the result : I lost a large amount of money in this, no experience gain at all, and I was treated with no respect until the end. I really advice you to choose another company for professional experience, you could easily find better company and cheaper.

If you're looking for a cost-effective program, CSA is definetely worth every penny. You can receive a lot of exposure to the Chinese language through the language classes and homestay they provide. Additionally, the CSA staff are extremelely helpful and supportive. One of their key strengths is ensuring that you feel welcome and comfortable through their services. Highly recommend it!

As one of the first participants in the Intern Melbourne program, I must say that overall I was very impressed with the program. I worked as an accountant intern at a local event management company that was about a 20 minute train ride from the accommodation in Bell. The accommodation is set up like a hotel with individual rooms/bathrooms and a shared kitchen and laundry room on each floor. There is also a nice pool and game room on the premises. It was safe and clean enough, and it is possible to upgrade, so I have no complaints.

The most valuable experience I gained from my internship (aside from international working experience for my resume) was meeting/networking with other interns from all over the world. While the internship was a valuable experience for me, I would have to say that, by far, the most valuable part of my participation in the program was immersing myself in a new culture and meeting so many new people, both in the Intern Melbourne program and also throughout the city. The accommodation at Bell City was full of students and interns who were from all parts of the world, and we all shared a common bond of being travelers in a new country. Because of this, I formed a lot of really great friendships in Melbourne.
Melbourne itself is a fantastic, vibrant city with so many good people and a lot of fun to be had. It is definitely a place worth experiencing, and my only regret is not staying there longer. Also, the Intern Melbourne staff are really fantastic and helpful, and Lewis and Lana are always willing to help (and go out for some fun). I can say with 100% certainty that they really do want for you to get the most out of the program. They made my stay in Melbourne so much more enjoyable.
For those considering this program I can say that it turned out to be a really great experience for me because I learned so much about both myself and others. The best way to get the most out of the program is to let go of all your inhibitions, jump right in with both feet and allow Melbourne to grace you with its goodness!

Improvements I would suggest are more events for professional development and transportation to the airport upon departure from the program.

I've read about many volunteer programs featured in my university newsletters and they all sounded amazing. However, after spending quite a bit of time researching I decided that Sankalp Volunteer suited me best in terms of my budget, program dates and location. I was a little bit nervous travelling to India on my own so the Summer Program sounded perfect! I did the street kids teaching program and I would highly recommend it if you're great with kids. If I had stayed for longer I think I would have asked to try the women's empowerment program, as we were told by previous volunteers that it was a very rewarding experience. If you like to keep busy, we were told you can choose commit to two programs if you don't mind spending your time volunteering twice a day. Again, that is something I would have liked to experience had I stayed in there for longer. For those of us who did the street kids program, we were done by midday which gave us the freedom to explore the many beautiful places in Jaipur. After merely two weeks there, I was in love with the city and all the people watching. Even simple things like catching the local bus into town or riding in the back compartment of the rickshaw, watching life go by in this magical place. Amber Fort is a wonderful to get lost in and the basecamp for trekking pushed us out of our comfort zones and into this amazing zen-like place - I really don't think my words could do that place justice. Just going to wrap it up here - it was a wonderful experience and we had a very informative briefing session upon our arrival. I would definitely recommend Sankalp Volunteer for the comforts, the location, the work itself and most importantly, the selfless people behind it all - Pranay and Amita, thank you for an incredible three weeks. I will never forget my first trip to India.

I have just completed the one week language course. It was a great introduction into the Nepali language and it has been fun to learn it alongside fellow travellers. I am looking forward to a homestay and some jungle exploration in Chitwan National Park before commencing my teaching project in Pokhara. So more reviews to follow are that but so far, so good!

In January this year I visited Thailand with the volunteer group ISV.
I completed a conservation project and an adventure tour.
Travelling with ISV was one of the best decision I ever made. I got to spend two weeks working with monkeys, elephants and bears, feeding and bathing them. cleaning out their cages and building new cages and just experiencing a once in a lifetime moment with these animals.
I then spent two weeks doing an ultimate adventure tour where i did everything you could ever imagine. I zip lined through the jungle, spent 2 days kayaking around islands. Spent new years with a local hill tribe family, spent a night in a treehouse where my shower was a waterfall.
I not only had the best time of my life, but i also met some of the best people who I will stay friends with forever. Thank you ISV for giving me the perfect volunteering experience! It was definitely the holiday of a lifetime.