Opening the door of opportunity...

¨Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...I have just this minute got in through the door, when the phone rang, it was the headmaster from the school, offering me the postion....I am sure that it was my time volunteering in Brazil that swung it...

The above is an extract from an email we received from Samantha in London.

Samantha spent a couple of months with us , volunteering on one of our childrens projects. She had graduated the previous summer, and was so unsure of what to do with her life.

Her placement, decided her direction...

When she returned to ¨London Town¨ it was, all- systems-go; phone calls, letters, more phone calls, and even more letters. Anyway, to cut the chase, she secured a post as a teaching assistant in one of the toughest inner-city schools in London (yikes - good luck, Sam).

And in her own words ¨I am sure that it was my time volunteering in Brazil that swung it¨

Of course, there are many good reasons to volunteer, and enhancing your resume/CV is just one of them.

Some may say that resume enhancement is one of the least noble motivators for volunteering - wrong - wrong - wrong - before a volunteering placement can be considered a success, all stakeholders must benefit.

Volunteering is a great way to help yourself, as well as helping others.

You maybe midway through a college or university course, even graduated. Perhaps you are bored with your current job, even ¨burnt-out¨ from it. Or your current situation may lack the intellectual challenge that you yearn for. Lets put it another way; if you would rather go to the dentist than go to work - I guess its time to move on...

The right kind of volunteering work, especially, international volunteer work (but any volunteer work is good) will provide you with excellent opportunites to learn new skills, to improve and diversify existing skills, to gain new perspectives. You may even find the personal fulfillment and satisfaction you deserve...

It is worth noting that potential employers will recognise that you are a self-starter (whatever that is - smiley) , motivated by the task in hand, and not by financial reward (you can always ask for the raise later). That you are open to new perspectives, new ideas, that you have kinda gone out of your way to gain new experiences to help yourself , in addition to helping others, and in an alien environment to boot...

Whatever you may do, wherever you may go, remember! Volunteering is not only about helping others - it¨s about helping yourself too...

If you are interested in volunteering in Brazil, you may contacy us through our website enquiry form, here: Volunteering Enquiry