Turn Volunteering Abroad Into A Career

Thu, 07/28/2011 - 08:00 | Sarah Palmer

Originally posted at GO! Overseas.

If you’re considering a career in international development or another field, you might want to volunteer abroad to test the waters, so to speak. This helps you see, on a smaller, short-term scale, what it's like to live overseas and work with aid and development projects before fully pursuing them. Let’s look at some benefits and how-to’s of volunteering abroad to start your career.

What Do You Want to Do?

Volunteering abroad is a great way to figure out where you want to go career-wise. For the purpose of this article, let's say you want to work in small business development. Volunteering with an NGO that provides resources and training to small businesses allows you to meet the business owner and learn about what her work encompasses, what she’ll need to do to grow her business and promote her products or services, and how your volunteer group helps her achieve this goal, whether it's on a local, national, or international scale. Whether you help with creating a business plan, assist with marketing, or train new staff, volunteering before jumping into a new career can give you a better idea of whether and how you’d like to pursue it...