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Frequently
Asked Questions
Q:
What is unique about NGOabroad?
We "stand on the shoulders" of the on-size-fits-all volunteer
programs.
We are 2nd generation. We represent The Next Step in
international volunteering
where your unique talents
& interests are harnessed to make a difference.
Our mission? To help ordinary citizens & grassroots
organizations do amazing things.
How?
Our
personalized
matching of your skills & goals to international need
is crucial to genuine international
service.
Our breadth & depth of knowledge
make if possible to tackle varied & challenging
requests.
Our expertise can help
you fulfill your life dreams.
Frugal. You get incredible bang for your buck here.
See fees on Apply page.
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irin |
Q:
How do your services help to enter international development work?
1.
Our Roadmap of Resources (Paid Opportunities)
is designed for those looking for international jobs.
packed with
current job openings
& the organizations
to watch for openings.
It sidesteps the jobs most other applicants are swarming
& introduces you to opportunities
that fewer know about--
just what you need to get your first
international job.
2.
The Career Consult + Roadmap to Resources - our "1-2 punch"
designed
to sort out what you really, really want to do;
develop your strategies and carefully plot your course;
then point you the resources.
3. Essential Icing on the Cake: the Cover Letter & Resume
You may have found some great openings but not
be able to convey
your skills
to the employer.
Your cover letter & resume make you or break you.
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Q:
If I am interested in NGOabroad services
what do I do?
Read the website first, please.
Then:
1. Answer
Questionnaire, found on Apply page.
Takes 15 minutes if you answer briefly & is essential foundation for
services.
2. Copy & paste answered Questionnaire & resume (<2 pages)
into body of
the email. DO NOT ATTACH
3. State what you want to do & what services you seek.
4.
Write
name. skills. & phone in subject line.
6. We call after getting your Questionnaire or when you are
up in queue.
Email to:
We don't dally at NGOabroad.
We try to process requests at they come in, otherwise we get buried. So be
"ready to roll". Please be available
by both email and phone. |
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Q:
Why don't you give more specific information
about the International Volunteer Programs?
Glad you asked! ...because many people wonder that question. Short
answer: It is difficult making a website that fits for 7 billion people.
We would rather discuss opportunities with you, than you "shop". There
are a great many variables in matching you to a program so we ask
to send resume & Questionnaire as first step. We have options
for everyone so we don't want people to say "Oh, I can't do this one."
The cornerstone of our service is custom fitting.
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c. Maridee Bonadea. |
Q:
Where are
your International Volunteer Programs located?
Primarily in Africa,
Asia & the Americas but
that is not all. Because we have tap on resources & contacts in many
countries, we can create more customized opportunities too.
Again, it is more helpful for you to pitch
us your resume & Questionnaire so we can match you
rather than you "shopping" for a program.
Q:
When do the Volunteer
Programs operate?
Likewise, timing is tailored to your needs. You can volunteer from 2
weeks to 20 years. Some of our programs are constrained by the seasons
or the school year, but most are open year round. |
Q:
What is unique about the International Volunteer
Programs?
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AFFORDABLE volunteer programs so that ordinary citizens can do amazing
things.
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"REAL" rather than contrived programs.
We don't baby you. We cultivate the skills you will need to
move gracefully & independently in other cultures.
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Frugal + real = ethical volunteering.
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They are for
people of all ages with skills to contribute.
Our volunteers range from students and youth doing gap year, to people
taking service sabbaticals
from harried careers, to more & more Boomers and retirees seeking a fulfilling,
active retirement.
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Address gritty, critical challenges
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Positive, hopeful & bright.
A great place to renew your faith in humanity.
Q:
Other things to know about the International Volunteer Program?
Our Partner programs are truly
grassroots, led by amazing people who are making important contributions in their
own countries. Our Partners, when selecting volunteers, look for candidates
that know how to "partner," how to work as equals.
Remember, our Volunteer Programs are not the only way to volunteer through
us!
The Roadmap to Resources may be more suitable to your skills & goals.
Discuss
this with Ann.
See Apply page for procedures & fees; and for the Questionnaire.
Q:
If I want to volunteer, which would be better:
the Volunteer Programs or a Roadmap to Resources?
What are the differences?
- We do the legwork with the
Partner Programs.
- You don't pay the 2nd half of
the fee until you are accepted.
- With the Roadmap, you get lots of
possibilities, but you make the approach.
On most Roadmaps, we give you 1-2 opportunities that have 99.9% chance of acceptance.
Ask Ann if there will be
shoo-in
opportunities for your specialty.
- Partner Programs emphasize serving
a need; Roadmaps serve your wishes.
- Partner Programs, like other
Volunteer Programs, emphasize jumping in and getting an experience;
the Roadmap is often used over 5 years.
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c. Standup Cambodia |
Q:
What is the difference
between an intake and a Consult?
An intake finalizes which service
fits for you...or what you want on your Roadmap...
or which Volunteer Program is a
good fit. Most of the information that we need to gather has already
been done by email (to keep the fee for these services low for you.) An
intake is free & is short;
you are usually feeding information to Ann.
A Consult, whether a Career, Travel or
Cultural Consult, is when we are giving you information or
helping you enter international service.
There have been occasions where the person did not know how
essential a Consult was prior to receiving services. Some people come in
with a totally unrealistic view of how their skills might be used
somewhere.
A Consult is essential then for us to impart or discuss, at length, the
needs of a particular country or region and why their request can not be
fulfilled.
Get the difference between a Consult and an intake?
When we have been on the phone longer than 5 or 10 minutes; when we are
on the phone longer than half an hour...it's a Consult. |
Q: Are Career Consults a one
time shot deal or done over time?
Originally, we did the initial
Career Consult and people were launched.
More recently people do
a series
of Career Consults so that we can we can bolster your progress.
We have people doing a series to launch entirely new programs, e.g. in
mental health and water & sanitation.
A Career Consult is international career counseling and like career
counseling it makes sense to do it over time.
More & more job seekers, not just those seeking international careers,
but those seeking work locally
come to us for Career Consult and also for the Cover Letter, Resume &
Interview help.
These Career Services, like other NGOabroad services, are also
custom-fit. Let's discuss what fits best for you.
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Q:
How
does NGOabroad save costs to provide such frugal services?
What's
the trade off?
After spending hours answering
the same questions over & over,
we saw that the folks who were asking questions were
those that hadn't
read the website. We ask you to read enough of
the website "to get it"
so
that we don't have to hire someone to answer questions.
If you have questions, please send them with answered Questionnaire
so we can give a more informed answer. It is difficult
to answer emails,
knowing only a tidbit about you.
The Questionnaire was designed to save you
the price of us extracting all the critical information
from you!
No receptionist, small staff.
That's why we ask you to not call
in.
We are on the
phone delivering services.
When it is your turn in the queue, we
love it if we catch you.
Please write 2-4 hour blocks of time in your schedule when you are
reach-able. |
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Q:
Why is there a fee?
The same reason you pay for dinner at a restaurant: someone is
providing a service for you.
NGOabroad offers a unique service for people interested in international
service, whether volunteering
or paid work.
As many have testified, we bring a breadth and depth of
knowledge of world history & cultures and current events-
-these shape
cutting edge programs for you. Our colleagues & contacts and vast knowledge
of resources enable us
to "pull the rabbit out of the hat" and respond to
unusual requests from you.
Our emphasis on customized, frugal service distinguishes us.
Our goal is to harness humanity's strengths to solve humanity's problems.
Your job is to know your "comfort zone" and convey that to us.
But.....international volunteering requires that you stretch.
Your job is to research the culture that you will volunteer in.
Know its habits, its history, current events and safety concerns
so you can feel at home and be helpful upon arrival.
Write back to us after you have volunteered or worked abroad. Tell us what
you liked and did not like.
Enjoy your journey!
NGOabroad is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
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