Resources: International
Note: the below are not eligible for off-campus Federal Work Study.
Community development and public health
Amigos de las Americas
Through service, Amigos provides leadership development opportunities for young people, promotes community development in Latin America, and facilitates multicultural understanding in the Americas. Visit their volunteer page for more information.
American Jewish World Service
AJWS's Volunteer Summer program combines the study of social justice in a Jewish context and social service through hands-on community projects in the developing world or the former Soviet Union. Learn more about what you can do on their Get Involved page.
Global Routes
Global Routes is a tax-exempt California-based nonprofit organization committed to offering experiences that allow people with different world views to engage each other in creating a global community. The future of that community is dependent upon understanding, open communication, mutual respect, and interdependence between diverse peoples. It also depends on the preservation of the cultural and natural environments in which we all live. To further this end, Global Routes designs educational service projects and internships that allow students of all ages to extend themselves by living and working with people in communities throughout the world. Interested? Contact them today!
Global Service Corps
Global Service Corps (GSC) provides cross-cultural learning and community service adventures for volunteers 20 years and older in Costa Rica, Kenya, and Thailand. Volunteers may work with education, the environment, or public health. Program options vary from two weeks to six months. They also offer student internship programs.
Global Volunteer Network
Global Volunteer Network is a nonprofit organization that places people in community projects in China, Ecuador, Ghana, Nepal, and Romania. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational and community aid programs. Volunteers can be involved in areas such as teaching English, environmental work, health, and sanitation. This experience includes cultural home stays. Check out their program listing to find out how to apply.
Global Volunteers
The programs center around a one-, two-, or three-week volunteer work experience in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, or the United States. There are no age or language requirements--check out their student programs for opportunities.
Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a Christian organization that welcomes volunteers from all faiths who are committed to Habitat's goal of eliminating poverty housing. Its houses are sold with no profit made. Homeowners contribute "sweat equity," and house payments are recycled to build additional houses. Habitat brings families and communities together with volunteers and resources to build decent, affordable housing. In addition to local programs, Habitat offers a Global Village Program with a one- to three-week commitment and an international partner program with a three-year commitment. Visit the volunteer page for more information on how you can get involved.
Hungarian American Volunteer Experience
The HAVE program brings together American and Hungarian university students for two weeks of volunteerism in the countryside (such as flood relief, housing restoration, and playground-building). DIA organizes intercultural workshops on civil society, guest lectures on local politics, and cultural excursions to complement the volunteer work. DIA's program emphasizes the value of diversity and cross-cultural collaboration in addressing regional development needs. View their program listing for more specific information.
Institute for International Cooperation & Development
IICD is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting global understanding and international solidarity. IICD trains volunteers for work in community development projects in Africa, the Americas, and Asia. The programs offer participants an opportunity to work with people who are in need of assistance and to also use the experience to educate others about the state of the world and the people in it. Find out how to get involved here.
The International Partnership for Service Learning
By studying at a local university and serving 15-20 hours per week in a school, orphanage, health clinic or other agency addressing human needs, IPS-L students find their knowledge of the host culture–and of themselves–take on greater depth and meaning. Get involved and see what you can do.
Peace Corps
An organization funded by the U.S. government that employs volunteers to work abroad on any of a number of projects for two years. Most volunteers have a bachelor's degree and some specific skill training or prior work in the field. Visit their website to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
Restless Development
Restless Development (formerly SPW: Student Partnerships Worldwide) is a youth-led development agency committed to effectively and meaningfully engage young people in development, envisioning a world where young people taking a leadership role in addressing the most urgent issues facing their countries and the world. Volunteers in the International Citizen Service assist in teaching career-building skills (such as resume/CV writing workshops and job application assistance), promoting sexual health and wellness, and rallying youth toward political involvement and action. Other programs vary by region—find an opportunity in something (or somewhere) that interests you.
Shining Hope for Communities
Shining Hope for Communities oversees the Kibera Schools for Girls, the first free school for girls in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Africa’s largest slum. The program provides deeply motivated college students with on-the-ground experience teaching in this community community in Nairobi. Find out more about their volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved here.
Environmental education and research
Earth Island Institute
Earth Island Institute (EII) was founded in 1982 by David Brower to foster the work of creative, result-oriented people by providing organizational support in developing projects for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the global environment. EII provides the freedom to develop program ideas, supported by services to help them pursue those ideas, with a minimum of bureaucracy. Search for ways to get involved today!
Earthwatch
An international nonprofit organization that supports scientific field research worldwide through its volunteers and scientists working together to improve our understanding of the planet. Earthwatch's mission is to build a sustainable world through an active partnership between scientist and citizen. Through public participation in field research, Earthwatch helps scientists gather data and communicate information that will empower people and governments to act wisely as global citizens. Check out their page on how you can get involved.
Wildlands Studies
Wildlands Studies, a unit of University of California Santa Barbara's Extended Learning Services, invites you to join our field teams in a search for answers to important environmental problems affecting endangered wildlife and threatened wildland ecosystems. Now in its 24th year, Wildlands Studies is offering onsite field research projects throughout the US and around the world.
General International Service, Travel, and Adventure Abroad
Cross-Cultural Solutions
Operating volunteer programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Peru, Russia, Tanzania, and Thailand, Cross-Cultural Solutions' programs offer a unique opportunity (in which volunteers are assigned based on their individual skills and interests as well as the needs of the project) to work side-by-side with local people on locally designed and driven projects. Their volunteer programs are designed to facilitate hands-on service and cultural exchange in the aim of fostering cultural understanding—take a look at their volunteer page for more information.
Global Exchange (Reality Tours Program)
Reality Tours offer an alternative way to travel; they allow people to go past what they read in the media and travel beyond hotels and beaches. Participants have the opportunity to meet with community leaders in Cuba, Haiti, South Africa, or Ireland. They can visit environmentally sustainable farming projects in Cuba, meet with artisans at crafts cooperatives in the fair trade movement, or learn about the arts and religions of Haiti, Thailand, Palestine, and Israel.
Go Overseas
Go Overseas provides an impressive database of programs and opportunities for those who would like to study, intern, volunteer, or teach abroad.
HELP International
The mission of HELP International is to empower people to fight global poverty through sustainable, life-changing development programs. HELP offers programs for students in various countries throughout the world.
International Service Learning
ISL gives students the opportunity to volunteer abroad and gain college credit at the same time. With programs in Central America, Mexico, Africa, and Trinidad, service projects focus on serving the poor. The academic experiences offered can include interaction with host country universities, governmental institutes, field stations, and other professional resource persons.
nGoAbroad
Looking for help sorting through international service or work options? nGoAbroad is a referral service and clearinghouse that custom fits your skills, interests and goals to international humanitarian needs. For a fee, nGoAbroad gives you ~100 page goldmine that will open up the world for you: identifies where your skills are needed, integrates knowledge of international affairs, reveals fascinating models of cultural change, gives you an annotated list of organizations to work with and their contact information. nGoAbroad "hitches the horse to the carriage": applies your skills and interests to international needs.
Volunteer for Peace
VFP promotes International Voluntary Service as a means of intercultural education and community service. They provide workcamp programs where people from diverse backgrounds can work together to overcome the need, violence and environmental decay facing our planet.
VisitOZ
Offers a guarantee for training and well-paid work in Australia. They will provide a letter allowing you to get a work permit for up to three months with an employer in the outback of Australia. Jobs range from farming to teaching to working in a pub. There is a fee for this service, but you should be able to make enough money while you are there to cover it and then some.
Teaching English or foreign languages
Dave’s ESL Café
Extensive resources, job listings, and chats for ESL/EFL teachers and students.
People-Places-Things
Would you like to teach English skills outside the US someday? Want to learn practical facilitation skills, especially in a cross-cultural context? Feel a need to apply your analytic skills to something tangible and practical? People-Places-Things offers the chance to teach locally and build the skills necessary for becoming an effective ESL teacher. Check out their current class listings or find more information on the Ampersand program.
Learning Enterprises
Learning Enterprises sends creative, energetic volunteers to villages in Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Mexico, Mauritius and China to teach English for the summer. Volunteers live with host families and conduct free English classes for children in rural communities.
TEFL Board
List of TEFL certificate programs in the US with info.
TEFL.NET
Provides wonderful resources for students planning to teach English as a foreign language. This site includes information about TEFL training programs, ESL job listings, lesson plans, and TEFL resources.
Tips For Teaching Abroad
General information about teaching overseas, with links to more resources.
Transworld Schools
Transworld Schools is Accredited by the State of California and Accredited by ACCET, and is internationally recognized for its quality training courses in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Transworld continuously updates its methodology and instruction to ensure that graduates are highly sought after in today's—and tomorrow's—changing, competitive English teaching language marketplace. Transworld also provides an extensive job placement service through their International Teaching Career Network where they assist all of their graduates in finding a position either in the US or overseas.
WorldTeach
WorldTeach was founded by a group Harvard students in 1986 in response to the need for educational assistance in developing countries. Since its inception WorldTeach has placed thousands of volunteer educators in communities throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. View the volunteer page for additional information.
There are also a number of recruiting services listed below for international schools that mostly focus on private, international, or American schools in foreign countries. These are great, and may be the best bet for someone with a teaching credential. Unfortunately, many of these services ask for 2 years teaching experience for eligibility.
European Council of International Schools
Office of the Americas
105 Tuxford Terrace, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920
USA 90890- 0552
International Schools Services
ISS recruits for approximately 200 international American schools worldwide, including community-sponsored, company sponsored, and proprietary institutions. In most cases, the curriculum is U.S.-oriented and English is the language of instruction. Search Associates
Each year Search Associates places over 750 teachers, administrators and interns in international schools throughout the world.
***DISCLAIMER: The Reed College SEEDS program supplies this web page as a tool to help Reed students and alumni gain access to a variety of volunteer opportunities. Reed College cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided on this site. Students are strongly encouraged to research programs thoroughly before making a commitment. Students should report any problems or misleading information by emailing SEEDS or calling 503-777-7563.