FAQs

Being a CUSO-VSO volunteer requires professional and personal commitment, flexibility and adaptability to handle new situations and challenges, and the ability to live and work in another culture with an approach that values two-way learning and mutual respect.

CUSO-VSO welcomes applications from people with disabilities and seeks to enable you to fully participate in our volunteer assessment process.

For this reason, we request that you inform us of your needs prior to attending an assessment day. The assessment day usually requires some physical activity and we request that applicants with restricted mobility notify us in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made. A reader and writer service and sign language interpreters can be arranged upon request.

In the words of a former volunteer:

"While CUSO-VSO provides support such as free housing and health coverage, you earn a local salary and live modestly. Your flexibility, adaptability and capacity to learn are constantly tested. Volunteering overseas is an unimaginably rich opportunity for personal growth. Surmounting daily challenges, growing as an individual and developing strong working and social relationships are profoundly satisfying elements of an overseas volunteer’s personal experience."

Professionally, you both hone your skills and learn new ones. Volunteer placements often afford you the opportunity to try out new ideas, be resourceful, show initiative and lead. Combined with the fact that diversity is highly valued in the North America workplace, a rich overseas experience looks good on a resume. Some of our returned volunteers have said that when their employers were reviewing applicants, it was their overseas experience that made them stand out.

Volunteering overseas can connect you to like-minded people with development organizations in Canada and around the world. Fundraising to support your placement (and projects you may undertake in-country) expands your contact network and visibility, further paving the way for career opportunities.

CUSO-VSO Canada accepts applications from people who are living in Canada or the United States. We are a non-governmental organization, which differentiates us from the Peace Corps.

Some of CUSO-VSO’s programs are limited to Canadian residents due to funding arrangements, please read the volunteer program descriptions carefully. In 2009–2010, CUSO-VSO is recruiting Canadian citizens and permanent residents to fill volunteer placements with partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. We are not recruiting Americans for posts in this region at this time. Qualified applicants from the United States (citizens and permanent residents) will be matched with placements in high demand with partners in other regions of the world.

If you are living outside of North America, please visit VSO International's website to find the recruitment base closest to you.

Most CUSO-VSO placements require a degree or related educational background and at least two years of relevant professional experience in order to match the needs of our overseas partners. Recognized qualifications are mandatory to obtain a work permit from the country in which you would be placed.

Our partners require overseas volunteers with professionals skills and experience an an ability to function in the working language of their placement. CUSO-VSO volunteers must meet minimum language requirements – in English, French or Spanish – before travelling overseas. In general, this means volunteers should function at a Level 3 of 4 ability in French of Spanish on the CUSO-VSO Language Scale (PDF, 53k) in countries where these languages are required. Preference will be given to candidates who fulfill language requirements at this level.

CUSO-VSO doesn't just work in health and education, but also in community economic development, natural resource management and governance, to name a few areas. As such, we are able to place volunteers from a range of skill areas and professions – from accountants to water engineers.

If you do not see your skill set represented in the volunteer overseas section, please apply online and one of our volunteer advisors will review your application, CV and cover letter, and contact you should there be a suitable placement opportunity.

CUSO-VSO places a priority on matching volunteers to placements where they are most professionally suited. Therefore, we ask that volunteers be flexible when considering where they would be willing to work. However, depending on the program and the applicant's experience, some choice may be available.

While there are limited short-term (3–6 month) placements available for specialized placements or volunteers with significant experience, the majority of our placements are still two years. We would therefore encourage volunteers to please consider two-year placements.

The reason the majority of our placements are two years in length is that our experience has shown us that it takes some time to adapt, build relationships, be effective and make an impact. It is interesting to note that more than one third of our volunteers either extend their placements while overseas or re-volunteer a few years after they’ve returned from their original placement.

CUSO-VSO aims to work in the countries where we can make the most significant contribution and where it is safe for us to have programs. CUSO-VSO volunteers – along with staff and volunteers from other members of the VSO Federation – are currently working in more than 40 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

As a registered charitable organization, CUSO-VSO funds our work through individual and other donations. We therefore encourage all volunteers to fundraise in support of our programs, with a suggested goal of $2,000 for each volunteer placement. CUSO-VSO provides training, support and resources to help volunteers reach their fundraising goals.

CUSO-VSO offers a comprehensive package of support that includes pre-departure and in-country training, return airfare, health insurance, accommodation overseas and a modest living and support allowances. Please visit the benefits section to learn more about the terms and conditions for overseas volunteers.

‘Voluntary service overseas’ means that you are willing to take your professional skills and apply them in context that encourages a sense of partnership with the people with whom you are working. You will not receive a salary equivalent to a North American employee in a similar role, but you will receive a living allowance similar to that of your local colleagues.

In most cases, your salary will be paid by a local employer as part of their commitment to the volunteer placement. In some instances, if your employer does not have the means, CUSO-VSO will assist in supplementing your allowance. Most volunteers find that the allowance they receive is adequate to maintain a comfortable but humble quality of life while overseas.

CUSO-VSO also covers your expenses relating to pre-departure training, airfare, health insurance, immunizations and accommodation while you are overseas. CUSO-VSO provides a comprehensive package of training and support for each volunteer-sending program. Please review the descriptions for each program to review which expenses are covered.

In most cases, CUSO-VSO does not recruit volunteers for specific placements in the same way that an employer would recruit applicants for a specific job. Volunteers are recruited into a pool and are then matched to placements that fit with their skills and work experience.

We do occasionally recruit for specific placements and programs in particular areas. While you may be able to apply for these placements, we do encourage flexibility and openness to being placed in the area where you are needed most.

If you feel that you are a match with the basic criteria for volunteering with CUSO-VSO and would like to begin a placement within the next twelve months, please complete the online application form.

Within four weeks of receiving your application we will contact you with a response.

CUSO-VSO welcomes new applications from serving or former volunteers who wish to re-volunteer. CUSO-VSO follows a modified application process for returned volunteers which is determined on a case-by-case basis but typically involves:

• reviewing the CUSO-VSO reference and any additional documentation from the country of the first placement

• filling out a CUSO-VSO re-volunteering questionnaire

• having a re-volunteering discussion with a volunteer advisor over the phone or in person

• meeting the CUSO-VSO terms and conditions.

To re-volunteer, you must be residing in North America to facilitate the re-volunteering process.

CUSO-VSO conducts ongoing recruitment for long-term and some short-term overseas placements throughout the year. You can apply for a volunteer placement at any time. Please note that in most cases it will take at least four months from your initial application to departure.

It is best to apply six to nine months ahead of when you would like to begin an overseas placement. This will allow us adequate time to match you to a suitable placement and provide training. If you are part of a couple or family, the process can take much longer.

Special programs such as youth or diaspora volunteering may open and close recruitment at different times throughout the year.

One of CUSO-VSO’s key approaches to development is a commitment to learning. We offer pre-departure and in-country training programs in addition to providing support for volunteers to conduct self-briefing.

All outgoing volunteers attend a preparing for change course at CUSO-VSO's training centre in Ottawa. This four-day course explores issues related to personal preparation, health and security, the role of values and behaviours in intercultural settings, the broader development context, CUSO-VSO’s approach to development, and ways that volunteers can involve their family, friends and communities in their overseas experience.

Outgoing volunteers also attend a skills for working in development course at CUSO-VSO Canada’s training centre in Ottawa. This course introduces practical skills and attitudes volunteers will need to implement CUSO-VSO’s approach to development during their placements. Through an experiential learning approach that integrates action, theory, reflection and planning, volunteers design participatory tools and practice facilitation skills to work effectively with the multiple stakeholders in their placement.

Language training and cultural orientation are provided by the CUSO-VSO program office in the country of placement when volunteers arrive in-country.

CUSO-VSO encourages volunteers to conduct extensive self-briefing throughout their preparation process. We provide briefing materials, references for further reading and contacts with returned volunteers.

CUSO-VSO appreciates that many potential volunteers have partners and children. We recognize that there are benefits for all involved when children accompany a volunteer on a placement. CUSO-VSO has previously placed volunteers with their families overseas. However, taking children on a CUSO-VSO placement can often present practical difficulties and limited placement options.

In cases where a volunteer's partner is remaining in North America, CUSO-VSO is not financially responsible for any dependents.

If you have any questions around volunteering with your partner, dependent children and the options available to you, please contact us by email or phone.

CUSO-VSO can facilitate volunteers who want to go overseas with their partner who does not want to volunteer, or there is no position available for him/her. However, the accompanying partner must cover their own travel costs, all other pre-departure expenses (with the exception of health insurance, recommended vaccinations and some pre-departure training, which CUSO-VSO will cover) and overseas living costs.

CUSO-VSO also accepts applications from couples where both partners want to volunteer. Please be aware that suitable opportunities for two people at a time are more limited, so it may not be possible to arrange volunteer placements in the same location. In cases where we are unable to place two volunteers together, we encourage flexibility where one partner will volunteer while the second will be the accompanying partner.

Additional consideration must be given to local laws and culture, as these may affect our ability to place a volunteer with their partner.

Accompanying partners are not permitted to go overseas with youth volunteers due to the terms and conditions of the program and its limited financial resources.

CUSO-VSO will arrange work permits and visas for volunteers and cover these costs.

In each country where CUSO-VSO works, our country program staff work with local partners to assess how CUSO-VSO can help achieve their organizational objectives through volunteering. Through this process, volunteer placement requests are developed that outline the types of volunteers (and skills and experience needed) to meet those objectives. CUSO-VSO then considers volunteers for one or more placements based on their qualifications, skills and experience.

The selection process begins when CUSO-VSO receives your application. If you satisfy the criteria at the application stage and after a preliminary phone interview, you will be invited to an assessment day. The volunteer is responsible for the cost of the first $150 of the most cost-effective means of travel to the assessment day while CUSO-VSO will cover the balance for those volunteers whose travel costs exceed $150.

Once you’re invited to an assessment day, we will contact the three references you provide during the phone interview. A final decision about your suitability to go overseas with CUSO-VSO will not be made until we have received the three satisfactory references. So please encourage your references to complete and return the form provided in a timely manner.

CUSO-VSO’s volunteer application, selection and matching process aims to place volunteers where they are most needed. Our placement advisors will work with you to determine where your professional skills and experience can make the best contribution to development. They will also ask you to list your personal preferences for a placement, which are taken into account when reviewing the placement requests from our overseas partners.

The requests that we receive vary throughout the year, so we ask that applicants be flexible regarding the country they would like to volunteer in or the specific type of placement they would like to do.

CUSO-VSO will contact you with the results (by phone or by e-mail) of your assessment day within five working days. Should you successfully meet the criteria and be selected as a volunteer, you will be assigned a volunteer advisor and the placement matching phase will begin.

The volunteer advisors are located at the CUSO-VSO Canada office in Ottawa and they will be your key contact person as you prepare to volunteer overseas.

To meet the challenges of a CUSO-VSO placement, volunteers must demonstrate a positive and realistic commitment to volunteering and to CUSO-VSO, be committed to learning, be flexible and adaptable, sensitive to the needs of others and keen to immerse themselves in a culture that may be different to their own.

CUSO-VSO also looks for a certain degree of self-assurance, natural problem-solving ability and an aptitude for teamwork.

During their placements volunteers are employed by the partner organization in the country where they work. The role of CUSO-VSO is to broker their employment with the partner organization and to offer support in this employment by, for example:

• helping a volunteer understand what their employer expects of them

• providing the training required by employers so that a volunteer can work effectively in their placement and within the context of the country they are volunteering in

• supporting both the volunteers and the employers in-country to maximize the mutual benefit of their partnerships

• making available to the volunteers certain financial and other types of support to allow them to take up their employment.
  

It may be possible for volunteers to transfer to another placement in the same country at the end of their initial period of service.

This can be arranged if a suitable placement is available and an evaluation of your initial placement suggests that you would be able to make a positive contribution to the new one. Most volunteers are required to go through the same clearance procedures and criteria as they did for their original placements.

Returning to North America during your volunteering is possible. Some volunteers choose to return to North America for their vacation. The volunteer vacation time (terms and conditions) will be determined with your local employer.

Please note that CUSO-VSO cannot cover the costs of any personal travel or insurance during this period.

If an emergency happens at home, the contact person you have designated for CUSO-VSO should inform the staff at CUSO-VSO as soon as possible. We will then contact you as quickly as possible. CUSO-VSO will pay for return airfare for compassionate leave in the event of the death or life-threatening illness of an immediate family member.

The personal safety of volunteers is of primary importance to CUSO-VSO. In the event of an emergency during your placement, the CUSO-VSO program office in the country where you are working will take the necessary steps to ensure your safety and have excellent response systems in place.

Even before placing volunteers, CUSO-VSO makes an independent judgment that placements have met an acceptable level of safety.

Volunteers are briefed on health and safety issues at the pre-departure training courses as well as a briefing once they are in-country. Volunteers must also read the CUSO-VSO security briefing for the country where they are considering a placement before accepting the placement.

Living and working in the developing world, where conditions may be fairly basic, demands a certain level of physical and psychological fitness, so it is CUSO-VSO's policy that you have a medical examination within one month of your selection as a volunteer, before going overseas. Previous medical treatment will not necessarily disqualify you from being offered a placement, although it will be considered in deciding your suitability.

While you are overseas, your health will be of paramount importance. This is why placements must ensure that you have a reasonable standard of living, clean water and a healthy diet.

CUSO-VSO has its own medical advisors both in Canada and overseas and can offer up-to-date vaccination advice and make healthcare recommendations.

Once you have arrived in-country, program office staff will advise you on medical facilities near your placement. If you have a medical problem or emergency, program office staff are able to provide advice and will make necessary arrangements to ensure that you receive appropriate care.

CUSO-VSO maintains program offices in most of the countries and all of the regions where volunteers are working. Program office staff provide support to volunteers by conducting in-country orientation, basic language training and support throughout your placement. For volunteers working on a two-year placement, you will receive a placement visit from a member of the program office staff during your initial six months in placement, with an additional visit midway through your placement. Of course, in the event of an emergency, the program office is responsible for taking whatever action is necessary to ensure your safety.

In terms of your daily work, volunteers report directly to a local employer, and are expected to approach the employer as a first contact.

The type of accommodation will vary, but you can expect to have your own bedroom and basic hard furnishings such as a bed and mattress, storage space, a table and chairs, and cooking facilities. Accommodation varies from a mud-floored room to an urban apartment, depending on the location of your placement. Your overseas employer is responsible for providing accommodation for you. Some volunteers are asked to share accommodation with other CUSO-VSO volunteers.

CUSO-VSO's partners include a wide range of organizations, from government ministries to community-based organizations, from small enterprises to local, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We seek partners who are committed to change and who can provide the organizational structure and resources needed for volunteers to be effective.

All volunteers are covered for medical expenses while overseas. Once a volunteer is selected, a medical should be scheduled and the CUSO-VSO medical forms filled out by the volunteer’s doctor within one month of selection. Medical coverage is automatic upon receiving your medical clearance from CUSO-VSO’s medical advisor.

Medical insurance covers any necessary medical treatment, such as hospital or ambulance costs, and medication prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner. In the case of a medical emergency, essential evacuation and travel expenses are also covered.

CUSO-VSO’s medical insurance also covers you for the first three months upon return to North America after your placement is complete.

The common working language of the VSO International Federation is English, while CUSO-VSO operates in French and English. CUSO-VSO is currently experiencing high demand for volunteers with fluency in English, French and Spanish. However, language expectations differ depending on where you are going. You may need to learn a local language in order to be effective in your placement.

Most volunteers receive basic language training on arrival in-country. The length of training can vary from two days to two months depending on the importance of the local language to your placement. Where necessary, CUSO-VSO also offers support for you to continue learning a language once you are in your placement. Regardless of the language used in your placement, volunteers find that making an effort to learn the language spoken by their colleagues and neighbours greatly enhances their personal experience and increases the impact of their work.

You and your local employer will establish the terms and conditions of employment, such as hours of work and vacation time. However, CUSO-VSO specifies a minimum of three working weeks’ paid leave per year (one week for short-term specialist assignments) or the same amount as local colleagues, whichever is greater.

Proximity to other volunteers depends on the type of placement and the country in which you are working. In some cases, CUSO-VSO and VSO International's work may be most effective if volunteers are placed in ‘clusters,’ while in other cases, you may be a distance from another volunteer. During the process of matching you to a placement, your volunteer advisor will discuss this issue with you and explore your needs and expectations.

Wherever possible, the program office in your country of placement will arrange a special workshop for volunteers who are in the final months of their placements.

When you return to North America, you will receive a resettlement pack that will provide you with some tools to help you make a smooth transition to being home. CUSO-VSO’s medical insurance covers you for three months upon return to North America and after the end of your volunteer service.

All returned volunteers (RVs) are invited to attend a reintegration workshop, at CUSO-VSO’s expense, held approximately three times a year. Reintegration workshops give volunteers an opportunity to reflect on their experience from both a personal and a professional perspective and explore options for the future. The three-day workshop also includes a full day of global education and public engagement training to help you share your experience and learning with people in North America.

Volunteers are also given access to a website forum for returning volunteers to share information about resettlement.

CUSO-VSO also offers RV forums each year in cities across North America. This one-day forum allows returned volunteers, regardless of how long ago they volunteered, an opportunity to be updated on CUSO-VSO’s current activities, refresh their information about international development and connect with other returned volunteers. Please contact us for more info.

CUSO-VSO's contribution to fighting global poverty does not only involve sending and supporting volunteers overseas. We also raise awareness of development issues here in North America, with the aim of encouraging more people to become engaged in a global community.

There are many ways that you can contribute to CUSO-VSO's work – you can:

• fundraise to send volunteers abroad

• volunteer at the CUSO-VSO Canada office

• train to become a CUSO-VSO selector.

Please visit the Volunteer in North America section for more information about these opportunities to contribute.