What Is Voluntourism? How To Volunteer Overseas

Voluntourism is a blend of volunteer and tourism. It’s also known as volunteer travel and volunteer vacations. 

There is little doubt that voluntourism is one of the big travel trends of 2024. Essentially, people who are looking to travel are now finding ways to make their trip beneficial to others, by vacationing and volunteering. 

They realise they are going to spend money on travelling anyway. But this way their money can go towards a good cause at the same time. 

Volunteers pay an organisation an amount of money which goes towards the costs of the volunteer placement. Usually this includes food and accommodation. Any extra money either goes to the organisation itself to cover running costs, or it’s donated to a community project or charity.

If done correctly, voluntourism is a win-win situation for everyone involved. 

There are many different options for voluntourism, many of which involve environmental conservation and animal welfare. But one of the more popular options for voluntourism is teaching English. 

Voluntourism is undoubtedly a life-changing experience for the volunteer. 

It allows a person to be fully immersed in a foreign culture. Living in a foreign country, especially when working in the community, broadens your horizons. It’s empowering to be of service and to work for the greater good. It increases empathy as you come to understand your privilege from a different point of view. 

But voluntourism should be a two-way street. The volunteer should not be the only one who sees benefits.

An immediate benefit for the community is the money spent by the volunteer while in the community. The volunteer is supporting local vendors and service providers on a daily basis, which contributes to growing the economy.

Working alongside community members, volunteers can pass on much-needed skills and knowledge to their counterparts. They can equip the community members with the tools they need to continue the work long after the volunteer has gone home.

This can clearly be understood in teaching English. 

Volunteers come into a community and teach the local community to speak the language. The volunteer teaches English, but at the same time encourages motivation to succeed at learning the language. The English they teach is a valuable skill in itself when it comes to employment and access to resources, no matter where in the world you are.

If done well, the volunteer will teach English and set the students on a path to achieve fluency in English. There’s also the chance the volunteer can pass on teaching techniques to local teachers. 

You want to volunteer wtih an organisation or a cause which has a lasting impact. 

Education – or programmes with education embedded in them – are a great choice because even when you leave, the benefits of your volunteer time will still be there.

Voluntourism has now become a billion-dollar industry. 

The thousands of Instagram pictures of happy volunteers washing elephants in a river in Sri Lanka or swimming with dolphins in Ecuador or surfing with local kids in South Africa make it look like a vacation-and-volunteer experience is something we all need to do at some point in our lives. 

Sadly, there have been some nightmare stories in the news regarding voluntourism opportunities over the last few years. There should be no reason for the ethics of the voluntourism opportunities to come into question.

You might be wondering, how is voluntourism controversial?

If the voluntourism experience involves animals, there is the possibility that the animals are mistreated. 

Children or vulnerable people can similarly be exploited by volunteer organisations.

If an organisation is not transparent about its funding and expenses, it can quickly spiral into a money-making scheme, with both the community and the volunteer being taken advantage of. 

If the volunteers are not well-placed, this is to the detriment of the community. Volunteers should be placed alongside community workers, and not replace them. Volunteers should have skills which can fill a particular skills gap. They shouldn’t be placed somewhere because that’s where they want to visit.

Another danger of voluntourism comes from the volunteers themselves. When it comes to volunteering, you need to be mindful of not projecting a saviour complex. You need to consider carefully the effect of your presence on the host community. While this is an opportunity for you to travel and improve yourself, the focus should be on being a responsible volunteer.

The final question then is how to get into volunteer work abroad?

What steps should applicants go through to find the best volunteer opportunities and programs overseas?  Let’s break it down. 

The easiest way to find an appropriate volunteering abroad experience is to go through volunteer organisations. This saves you the trouble of finding a volunteer program which suits you while also making sure it’s an ethical company.

Consider what skills you have to offer and whereabouts you would like to volunteer. Then find a program which is a good fit – both for you and the community. 

If you’re interested in teaching English as a volunteer, have a look at volunteering opportunities on The TEFL Academy’s website. The TEFL Academy works closely with legitimate organisations which serve the local communities as best they can, while providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the volunteers.

Teaching English is a great way of volunteering while travelling because you don’t need any prior teaching experience. A TEFL course is all you need!

Andy Minnett is from England but spent some time volunteer teaching in Cambodia after completing his TEFL qualification with The TEFL Academy. He says:

“I wasn’t sure what to expect teaching Cambodian children but my classes ranged through 4 classes from age 8 to age 18. We would begin class at 8am and finish teaching at 6pm with a 3-hour siesta/lunch break in the middle of the day…The children were adorable and so hilarious. They would laugh at everything I did, even if it wasn’t supposed to be funny. The older students would ask to take selfies with me, probably to show their mates what a cool teacher they have (I hope!)…I feel that volunteering in a developing country like Cambodia will not only be much needed help for these sorts of countries but also the perfect, no-pressure environment to practice your new teaching skills. Win/Win basically.”

Now let’s look at a few of the best countries for voluntourism programs.

South Africa

Volunteering in South Africa is very common. South Africa is a country which needs a lot of help and support, and it’s a beautiful country to visit.

In South Africa, there are voluntourism programs for teaching English to underprivileged learners, sports development (including surfing, skating and swimming) in low-income communities, and animal conservation. 

In South Africa literacy levels are low with overcrowded schools and few teachers. Volunteers work alongside local teachers to gain teaching practice but also support the school staff and improve the learning outcomes of the local students.

Costa Rica

Volunteering in Costa Rica can mean saving baby turtles, working with sloths or teaching English. 

With the economy heavily reliant on the tourism industry, learning English is important for locals and their livelihoods. This is a great way for new teachers to gain teaching experience or for more advanced teachers to take the lead on teacher development.

Ecuador 

Volunteer work in Ecuador is mostly situated in the capital city of Quito. Childcare and community development are the main focus of volunteer programmes here.

Volunteers assist local teachers in schools, teaching English, Music or Physical Education. Volunteers provide learning support, as well as childcare after school hours and during school holidays.

Spain

Spain offers a wide variety of volunteering opportunities. Hostelwork, agriculture, marine conservation and teaching are all options for volunteers. 

Volunteer teaching English in Spain involves acting as an assistant teacher in state schools. No teaching experience is necessary and it’s a great way to kickstart your teaching career. Here is a recent volunteer teaching opportunity in Spain advertised on The TEFL Academy’s website:

Vietnam

Volunteering opportunities in Vietnam relate to the medical and education fields. Teaching English, childcare, physiotherapy and providing medical care for communities in need. 

Volunteer teachers in Vietnam generally work in more rural areas. They act as teachers but have the help of a Vietnamese teaching assistant. Providing rural communities with the skills to speak English and increase gender, ethnic and social equality.

No matter which way you look at it, teaching English as a Foreign Language abroad as a volunteer is a great idea. Sign up for one of our TEFL courses and chat to us about our voluntourism opportunities for teaching English abroad.