Summary
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Sustained personal approach
To organize your EVS you will be in contact with a sending organization – which is in your country and which takes care of your “sending” as well as with a host organization in the country where you wish to volunteer, who will welcome you and help you on site.
First, it will be up to you to do your own research and contact the organizations that interest you. It is only during the final phase that your sending organization will take charge of your project by taking care of all the administrative and financial aspects.
Step 1: making contact
Find a sending organization in your country and contact it (for France consult the site of the French Agency of the European program “Youth in action”).
You will participate in a information meeting where all the steps will be explained to you and where you can ask all your questions.
Allow at least 6 months between your date of contact with the sending organization and the desired departure date.
Step 2: project search
This is an individual research step. You consult the existing projects thanks to the European database, where the choice is made according to different criteria (country, theme, etc.).
Attention ! The dates indicated on the database (Approval Date, Validity Date) are not updated, so ignore them and contact the organization.
It is necessary to have a good understanding of English (written), indeed the descriptions of the projects in the database are in English.
Step 3: application
After finding the projects that you like (select some in month 10), you have to start contacting the host organization by sending an e-mail. You will communicate your interest in the project and ask if they are still looking for a European volunteer.
If the answer is affirmative, you can then send your application with CV and motivation letter (where you will note among other things the name and contact details of your sending organisation).
Step 4: submission of the file
When one (or more) host association has answered you positively, you must select a single project and contact your sending organisation.
After completing an information form, the sending organization takes charge of the administrative procedures for the validation of your file.
To know : the application submission deadlines in 2013, for projects starting at least three months later, are: February 1, May 1 and October 1.
Step 5: signing the contract
You have to wait for the response. This wait often lasts 2 monthsit is therefore strongly advised to plan a “plan B” in the event of a negative response.
If the answer is negative, but the project is really close to your heart, you can reapply, with another 2 months to wait.
If the answer is positive, the Activity Contract must be signed.
End of volunteering
At the end of your volunteering, you will get a EVS certificate (assessment of voluntary activity and mention of skills acquired) and a youthpass.
Our tips:
There are countries that are more popular than others, such as Spain or England, so don’t just base yourself on the countries in which you want to volunteer, rather focus on the projects offered, because the more the subject is close to your heart, the more likely you will be to be selected by the host organisation.
Do not hesitate to consult our How to get involved in a humanitarian project?