NGOabroad |
Frequently
Asked Questions
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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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Q:
How do your services help to enter international humanitarian 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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. Nick Buxton
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Q: Where are your Partner Volunteer Programs located? Primarily in Asia, Africa & 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.
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Q:
What is unique about the Partners’ Volunteer
Programs?
Our Volunteer
Programs are a means for ordinary citizens to do amazing things.
They are "for real" rather than a contrived programs.
We don't baby you. We cultivate the skills you will need to
move gracefully & independently in other cultures.
They are for "grown-ups,"
for
people of all ages with skills to contribute.
They help you address gritty,
critical challenges:
poverty, democracy building, advancing the role of women, education,
livable habitation, refugees.
Positive, hopeful & bright.
A great place to renew your faith in humanity.
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Q:
What do I do if I am interested in the
Partners' Volunteer Programs?
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Q: If I want to volunteer, which would be better: the Volunteer Programs or a Roadmap to Resources? What are the differences?
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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. Consults + a Roadmap go naturally together. 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 an hour...it's a Consult. |
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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 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, it is wonderful, & we know miraculous, given everyone's busy schedules, if you are available. Please write 2-4 hour blocks of time in your schedule when you are reachable. 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. |
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Enjoy your journey! 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. |
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NGOabroad is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)