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Volunteering: the best way to spend some time out

By Tobi Stroud


If you're planning on taking a year out, then there's only so much sitting on a beach a person can do before getting bored... so have you considered doing some volunteer work? It gives you a great sense of achievement, and makes your CV much more interesting to read than the majority of the others responding to a job vacancy. There are volunteering opportunities to suit you, anywhere from just a few miles down the road to the other side of the planet, and here are a few of the advantages of becoming a volunteer.

One of the most popular benefits of volunteering is the added strength to an individual's CV. Potential employers often see a volunteering project as a character enhancing experience, as well as a solid opportunity to work as an individual or in a group. These traits frequently allow an employee to fit suitably within a work team, and can be advantageous over other candidates applying for a similar job.

As well as the usual back-and-forth interview conversation (and if you don't know what we're talking about, you soon will) your volunteering experiences may well end up being a very welcome change of subject - both for you and your interviewer. Talking about your volunteering experience gives you a certain amount of control during the interview process and, if you choose your stories wisely, can leave a very positive lasting impression on your interviewer - and that's what you're looking for, isn't it?

When it's time to go home and you look back at what you've done over the past few months of volunteer work, you're entitled to feel proud of yourself for the difference you've made. It's an incredibly satisfying experience (and yes, getting paid would have been nice, too) but that feelgood factor you get from looking at the difference you've made is something money just can't buy.

Volunteering isn't just about putting what you've learnt into action - it's also very much a learning experience. You'll be picking up skills during your volunteering work that you've never even thought about at home, and many of those skills will stand you in good stead with all kinds of employers. But while you're helping other people during your volunteer work, you're also helping yourself: you're developing the kind of skills you need to be able to cope with situations you'd never experience back home. And the ability to deal with a sudden culture shock is always a useful one to have.

Volunteering takes place all over the world. The costs associated with travel can accumulate, but fortunately these can be covered through means of fundraising, which in itself can be a fun and rewarding process, whilst also making it accessible for all. Travelling to another continent, or even to another part of the country, draws your perspective away from your local society and offers an opportunity to be placed within a new environment whilst experiencing something entirely new.




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