STUDENT VOLUNTEERING
Every year GVI welcomes 1000’s of students who join our programs from around the world. Student volunteering is popular among young people looking to make an impactful difference in community development and conservation efforts while seeing new countries and experiencing different cultures. GVI offers a variety of student volunteering opportunities as a way to boost personal and professional skills.
Our programs cater to student volunteers with a variety of interests, so whether you are in search of adventure and looking to travel, or to improve your employability by showcasing your international experience, we have the perfect program for you. International experience shows potential employers that you are able to get out of your comfort zone and handle situations that you wouldn't necessarily encounter in your home country. This, in turn, shows personal growth and maturity, making you a better candidate for employment.
Volunteering abroad with us will allow you to improve your job prospects and develop yourself through new experiences, and by learning “soft skills” that will be helpful in the working world. These are attributes such as social skills, communication, teamwork, responsibility and work ethics, that will allow you to better interact and work in a professional setting.
Student Volunteering Programs
Volunteering abroad is a well-proven way to improve your CV or resume, and make your job application unique. Being a student volunteer you will experience international travel, cultural exchange, gain a greater self-confidence and practical professional experience. With competition for jobs becoming fiercer and fiercer, these attributes will make you stand out from the crowd with potential employers.
We have seen many of our alumni, who are our past student volunteers, go on to successfully find jobs and careers relating to their volunteering experience. Indeed, 50% of our own staff were once volunteers or interns at GVI! This speaks volumes, that GVI’s volunteers enjoy their time with us so much that they want to make it a permanent situation. As the volunteers are so well trained and skilled, this makes them a valuable addition to GVI, or any other organisation in the future. Having this unique and practical volunteering experience on your CV will certainly help your chances in getting a job and kick-starting your career.
International Internships For Career Development
Our programs allow students to see the world while offering them invaluable career development opportunities. GVI offers outstanding international internships in locations across the world, these internships run for 6 – 24 weeks allowing you to become fully immersed in the culture and to thoroughly explore the country.
We have a variety of internship opportunities available. These include gaining expertise in International Business, developing research techniques in Wildlife or Marine Conservation or getting cultural exposure with Community Development, Women’s Empowerment, and Teaching. Interns are provided with hands-on experience that impacts their future career and contributes towards key global issues across a variety of fields.
All our internships include:
- An exclusive GVI Leadership Training Course
- Extensive field training and equipment
- Weekly one-on-one staff mentorship sessions
- A confidential professional recommendation on completion of your course, and
- After a successful internship, qualifying candidates may be given the opportunity to
work for GVI or selected partner organisations.
Travel and Cultural Immersion Abroad
GVI offers you many options for volunteering abroad where you can experience a way of life unavailable to tourists. Travel to exotic Thailand or the rainforests of Costa Rica to learn about wildlife conservation and teaching. Or visit the captivating Mother City of Cape Town, in South Africa, to work on women's empowerment and community development. You will become truly immersed in different local cultures whilst on program, including tasting local dishes, observing traditional ceremonies and learning the local dialect. Student volunteers are welcomed and embraced by the kindness of these communities.
Take time to explore your new surrounding and travel during your free time, to see the attractions in the district and enjoy the many fun activities. On the program you will be working with international teams, meeting other student volunteers from around the world, all the while having adventures that will provide a lifetime of memories.
ACADEMIC CREDIT
We offer practical, professional work experience opportunities for both undergraduates and postgraduates in a diverse range of fields, including environmental biodiversity and sustainability, marine sciences, education and teaching, arts, sports, health and social sciences. Our programs allow students the opportunity to live and work within the “classroom” of their chosen field of study, from coral reefs, rainforests, and African savannahs, to African townships, Latin American shanty towns, Asian villages and island communities. This will aid you in conducting better research, through the methods you’ve learned on program, and gather data for a dissertation or thesis.
Download our program brochures
