Five reasons to consider volunteering overseas: VSO
It’s National Volunteering Week – the perfect chance to celebrate the tens of thousands of Irish volunteers who give up their time to help others each year.
Recent stats from the World Giving Index prove we definitely are a nation of do-gooders, with as many as 41% of Irish people regularly volunteering.
Volunteering not only helps individuals and communities in need – it benefits you too!
In case you need some convincing, VSO Ireland (Voluntary Service Overseas Ireland), the international development organisation that fights poverty through volunteers, has compiled a list of the top five reasons you should consider volunteering.
1. Increase your job prospects
Finding it difficult to secure your dream role in Ireland? An overseas volunteering placement could offer the perfect solution. Many volunteers are able to expand on their experience of management and training, enabling them to move into more senior positions when they return home.
2. Keep doing what you love
Volunteering roles are open to retired professionals, meaning you don’t have to give up doing what you love just because you’ve reached the age of 65. An overseas placement can be exhilarating and enable you to use your time constructively and further develop your skills.
3. Reinvigorate your career
As well as sharing skills and knowledge, volunteers are constantly learning new things. This can be very appealing if you’ve been in the same career for a while and feel stuck in a rut. The job satisfaction you enjoy – knowing you have used your skills to change lives – is something you’ll remember long after your placement.
4. Become part of a community
A VSO placement typically lasts 12 months or more, giving you the opportunity to fully integrate into the local community and develop meaningful relationships with the people you work with. The world’s most disadvantaged communities are often the smallest, and volunteers find themselves knowing the whole village or town’s inhabitants early into their placement.
5. Discover a new side of yourself
The impact volunteering has goes beyond the programme and community’s inhabitants – it also affects your own development. Outside of your comfort zone, you enjoy a level of personal growth that is not possible back home in Ireland.
Dr Siobhán Neville from Dublin is currently volunteering with VSO Ireland in Tanzania.