“Organisations offering voluntary work in developing countries are being inundated by applications from middle-aged professionals.”
According to the British newspaper ‘The Independent on Sunday’, (Feb 1st 2009), the development charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) has experienced a dramatic rise in the number of prospective volunteers from business and management professionals, due, in some measure, to the downturn in employment amongst middle-aged professionals. VSO is best known for its work with students and graduates teaching English, but now management skills make up 30 percent of all their placements.
Between September 2008 and January 2009 they received twice the number of applications than in the same period last year, and t
The average age of their volunteer is 41. Amongst the volunteers interviewed were a woman lawyer aged 39, going to Nepal as an organisational development adviser, and a 56 year-old woman going to provide management support for an HIV clinic in Vietnam.
Other volunteering organisations have experienced a similar surge in applicants of all ages. The volunteering company ‘Projects Abroad’ are working on “developing more professional volunteering schemes so people can use their skills.” The article concluded with a quote from the managing director of Africa and Asia Venture, who commented that the main reason for this years’ increase in graduate volunteers “…is that, with a tougher employment market, many who have not previously taken a gap year feel that there is that added reason for doing so now.”
Does this mean we’re in fashion?
We know lots of you are experienced volunteers, either abroad or in your home country: share your stories, and let us know your opinions on our ideas to have Volunteers’ Training Workshops, and even workshops to train experienced volunteers to train others.