Conservation
Many people now want to take part in voluntary conservation projects as part of their gap year, summer break or career break. There are thousands of conservation project opportunities out there so the first thing you need to decide is what type of conservation work you would like to do.
You don’t have to do a conservation project for a full year. Most gap year conservation organisations run voluntary conservation projects from a few weeks to a few months. The important thing is to decide which volunteering project is going to be right for you, so take a look at the organisations below who offer a wide range of year out or summer break placements working with wildlife and the environment.
Conservation
African Conservation Experience
African Conservation provide all ages with the opportunity to work alongside experienced zoologists, marine biologists, conservationists, wildlife vets and reserve managers In southern Africa.
Find out more Visit their website
i to i Volunteering
You don’t need to be an animal expert to volunteer for i to i Volunteering wildlife projects. A genuine love of animals is all you need to have a truly unique journey & get up-close to the world’s most endearing creatures in exotic locations.
Find out more Visit their website
Real Gap
Get up close & personal with some of the world’s most amazing animals like lion cubs, orangutans, pandas, elephants, monkey, kangaroos & turtles, and do your bit to help their survival.
Find out more Visit their website
Earthwatch Institute
Work as a conservation volunteer with research teams worldwide
Find out more Visit their website
International Volunteer HQ
International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) provides safe and extremely affordable volunteer trips abroad. We have programs in over 18 different countries and send over 5000 volunteers abroad annually.
Find out more Visit their website
A Broader View
A Broader View Volunteers Corp Over 190 projects across 21 countries in Asia, Africa &Latin America. Work in community developing projects from teaching, sports & medical missions to building, childcare &many more. Skilled and unskilled positions from 1 weeks to 3 months.
Find out more Visit their website
Kaya Responsible Travel
Over 250 projects across 26 countries in Asia, Africa & Latin America. Choose to work with wildlife & environmental conservation or community projects. Skilled & unskilled positions from 2 weeks to 6 months.
Find out more Visit their website
Projects Abroad
Fantastic volunteer and internship opportunities for 16 – 75 year olds. Projects run in 28 countries and include Teaching, Care, Community, Sports, Medicine, Conservation, Law and Human Rights and Journalism placements.
Find out more Visit their website
Wesser Limited
The Ultimate Gap Year – Let Wesser Pay For Your Gap Year!
Find out more Visit their website
The Leap
Winner Best Gap Year Company (Sunday Times) Volunteering, summer gap, horse and internships in Africa, South America and Asia. All programmes contain our unique mix of projects, locations and challenges.
Find out more Visit their website
Real Gap
Real Gap offers opportunities to volunteer whilst travelling.This a brilliant way to not only give back to your host destination but also great for your own personal development.
Find out more Visit their website
Big Beyond
Big Beyond facilitate ethical volunteer programmes in Africa for adventurous and ambitious individuals.
Why Use a Gap Year Organisation to find a Volunteer Placement?
There are hundreds of companies now that offer work placements overseas on a voluntary basis. Many of these companies are specialists in their fields and have been sending young people on gap years for a long time. Every company has different kinds of experiences on offer, and different approaches to voluntary placements. Some are large, with lots of different locations and programmes all over the world, others are small, and only work with one charity or one overseas community.So what are the benefits of going with a company rather than trying to organise a placement yourself?
Pluses:
The trip is organised for you.
You are able to work in a variety of places.
Organisations cover most career areas that you could be interested in.
You have the security of a British based organisation behind you.
Food and accommodation, and sometimes flights and excursions whilst there are often included.
You’ll feel a real part of the local community as you’ll be living away from home.
You will meet other people with similar interests and of a similar age.
There are no fixed rules as to how you spend your gap year. You could easily combine a conservation or community volunteer placement with working and travelling to fill your time out or just select one that fits in with your timescale. For example, why not earn money working in the UK in a generic role and gain key transferable skills, then use the money earned to either travel or do some career focused volunteer work abroad?
Gap year organisations offer placements or programmes in most employment sectors, including: Administration and Secretarial, Agriculture and Horticulture, Art and Creative, Business, Care, Children, Conservation, Construction, Engineering, Finance, Fundraising, Health, Heritage, Hospitality and Catering, Human Resources, Insurance, IT, Languages, Study abroad, Law, Marketing and Event Management, Media, PR, Retail, Sales, Science, Sports, Teaching and TEFL, Technology, Transport and Veterinary.
So why not choose a voluntary placement that will complement your CV and boost your career and university choices?
