European Solidatity Corps (ESC)
Search for EVS accredited organisations to hold your voluntary service:
- European Youth Portal
- Find Your European Voluntary Service Project
- Youth Networks
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Volunteers must be motivated, curious young adults between the ages of 17 and 30. They must not only want to get to know another country and culture, but also have the desire to get involved and make a difference in their host country.
ESC is open to all of us, as no technical or professional knowledge or special qualifications are required.
EVS is the European Voluntary Service, which enables young people to get involved in an organisation abroad that provides information and support, although it does not offer direct placement.
Interested young people aged 17 and over should contact an accredited organisation.
Would you like to volunteer abroad, meet young people from other countries and have fun? You will not earn any money volunteering, but it is an extremely rewarding experience, both personally and culturally, and could be very useful for your future career. You can volunteer on human rights, environmental or sustainability projects or on social and cultural programmes.
WHAT ARE A VOLUNTEER’S TASKS?
Depending on the area in which the host organisation operates, a volunteer assignment can take many different forms. The tasks assigned to the volunteer should match their interests and profile as closely as possible. The working hours should be between 30 and 38 per week. Under no circumstances should a volunteering placement be a substitute for a paid job. An EVS placement is not an internship, but is rather intended to support the personal development of the young adult concerned. Volunteers provide additional support and can even carry out their own projects.
An EVS project distinguishes between three different functions that participating institutions can take on.
They are responsible for helping volunteers prepare for their EVS placement, accompanying them on their return and maintaining contact during the placement.
They are also called host organisations and are responsible for managing the EVS placement on the ground. They involve volunteers in the organisation’s activities, provide them with accommodation and meals and ensure that they receive personal support from a mentor.
They submit the proposal for the EVS project and have the administrative responsibility for the project. They coordinate the division of tasks between all other participating organisations and manage the funding. The role of coordinating organisation can be taken over either by the hosting organisation or by a third party organisation.
Search for EVS accredited organisations to hold your voluntary service:
Look for a project of your interest in the official European Commission database. Make sure that you meet the needs and review the fact sheet on the project and the organization, where your contact details are included.
Contact the organisation by writing an e-mail. Find out if they are looking for volunteers and, if so, when are they needed for.
When you receive an affirmative answer affirmatively from the hosting organisation, send them your Europass CV and your Letter of Presentation in the language of the country of origin or in English. How to write my CV Europass?
Once you have been accepted by the hosting organisation, you need to find an official and qualified sending organisation. (Find the closes one here).
The sending organisation will manage all the administrative process of your project. This includes documents such as the “Volunteering Agreement”, which establishes the coordination outlines and rights and obligations of all parties.
Your coordinating organisation is in charge of applying for the voluntary service project, which will provide the funding for your stay. There are three calls per year, which will determine the starting date of your project. Therefore, we recommend that you start the search process at least 6 months before you would like your voluntary service to start.