Take a look here to learn about our Covid Policy - we are committed to doing all we can to protect volunteers and the local communities we work with during the pandemic

We believe that part of our responsibility to volunteers and communities is that we take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety. We therefore require 2 references for each volunteer as well as an appropriate criminal records screening for all placements. Volunteers will be in contact  with vulnerable adults and children during their placements.

In the UK, such screening is carried out by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS - formerly known as the CRB). The DBS will check their own computer, and those of individual police forces, to check for relevant criminal records.

There is a cost attached to this process - currently £29.80 -  covering administration and tracking. We will send you details of how to apply for DBS screening and your completed check with be sent to you not to us so you remain in control of the whole process - you will then need to send us a copy.

We will not be able to offer a placement without this document (or its equivalent in the case of other nationalities - where costs may differ).


Read our disclosure policy

To learn more about CRB Disclosure go to www.homeoffice.gov.uk/dbs

We will furnish you with full instructions for DBS screening during the matching and placement process.

E-volunteering is a way for you to volunteer from home – it will suit volunteers who want to use their skills and experiences to support a project abroad but are not able or do not wish to travel.  Working with us and the partners we have worked with over many years you can still share you skills to build a better future - still support the programmes we work with - but remotely - you can be an e-volunteer.  Take a look at our e-volunteer site here

No - none whatsoever! You may have and local people may have, but our only firm belief is that individuals can share and learn from each other, if they're open and willing to do so.

people and places actively campaigns to raise awareness about the ethics of volunteering with children - we have won awards for our work. 

Take a look at guidelines we have worked on and please use them as you make your searches.

Another excellent resource you may like to use is the Comhlamh Code of Good Practice.

To take a look at excellent guidelines for working with children from The Better Care Network here

And most important of all - ask yourself do you have the skills to work with children?

Because there are real costs involved, and as a responsible organisation, we believe that it's wrong to expect economically poor communities to subsidise volunteers in any way. Many volunteer recruitment organisations demand that communities subsidise volunteers because 'after all, you're getting their time for free.'

This is unacceptable to us.

Providing volunteers with what they need costs money - a safe environment, 24-hour emergency contacts, a place to stay, food to eat, tools or equipment to complete their roles - all this has to be paid for, and neither people and places nor the projects are funded through government or a big NGO. Without volunteers being self-funding, the projects themselves would not have sufficient resources to run a volunteer programme.

Each project is individually costed - the breakdown of these costs and how your money is spent is detailed on the individual project pages. 

If you return for a second placement at the same project your payments will be reduced, but there will still be costs involved - any responsible project will still ask for background checks, and you will need updated information about the project so you know how things have progressed in the time between your placements.

If you've any questions about the costs, please don't hesitate to ask! people and places commits to economic transparency and that at least 80% of your money will reach the host country.

The short answer is . . . please don't, unless you have been specifically asked to bring a particular resource with you.

You may well want to buy some things for the project, but it is much better to wait until you are there, find out what is really needed, and buy locally so you are supporting the local economy and buying resources that are relevant locally.

And remember - the most important thing you are taking to the project is your skills and experience!

The cost varies from project to project but is clearly shown at the top of each project page, based on a four week placement.

Further down the project page you will also find a detailed breakdown of what these costs involve.  Costs are broken down into four categories, covering direct costs in the country where you will be volunteering, payment to our local partners for their work in liaising with and managing your placement at the project and for providing 24/7 care for you while you are there, a contribution to the project where you work, and a payment to people and places for the work we do in matching you to an appropriate project.  

This depends on you and the project together.

Most projects will benefit from volunteer input of at least 1 month. Our longest placement to date has been for 5 months, but so long as both volunteer and project can really benefit and the placement is appropriately designed, there's no finite length of time!

Some projects are specifically designed for short-term input in support of longer-term aims, and therefore we can offer occasional placements of as little as 1 week.

Regardless of how long you're there, your input is part of a bigger picture - overall sustainability requires a flow of volunteers 'passing the baton' from one to the next.  The report you are asked to complete at the end of your placement is an important part of this process.

You certainly can, as long as you are volunteering on a project where you have the skills and experience to make a meaningful contribution.  Our matching process is quite lengthy, as we take the time to make sure you have the relevant skills and that you understand the needs of the project.  Your placement outline will be written specifically for you, and you will be put in touch with our local partners before you go, so you can ask questions and make sure you are fully prepared.  The more research and preparation you do in advance, the more useful you are likely to be! 

people and places do not offer any placements in orphanages.  However if you want to volunteer on a project to support children we have a number of more responsible alternatives.  

You could volunteer at a community project, such as those in Cambodia, where support is given to children and their families to enable them to stay together and be self-supporting.  
You could volunteer at one of the Neighbourhood Care Points in Swaziland, providing care and pre-school education for vulnerable children within a community context.  
You could volunteer in a school, working alongside the local teacher as they provide the children with all the opportunities that come with a good education.  

If you think you have the skills and experience to volunteer meaningfully with children, talk to us and we will aim to match you to a project where you can help to support children within their communities, not in institutions.

There are several projects where we can arrange placements of less than 4 weeks - but not in all projects.

We will carefully match your skills to the project's needs and design an appropriate and carefully focussed volunteer placement - projects focussed on business and administration skills would be especially good for placements of less than 4 weeks' duration ... e.g. in The Gambia.

Child support projects are less able to accommodate such short placements - but if this is what interests you, we may be able to arrange a placement where you work with a longer-term volunteer, in the role of classroom assistant.

So don't dismiss 'people and places' out of hand - talk with us, let us know what kind of project you're interested in, and we'll be pleased to facilitate an appropriate placement for you!

There are many ways you can raise funds to pay for your volunteering trip, and and it may be that your friends and family are happy to help you raise money by organising fund-raising events.  However please don't mislead donors into thinking they are raising money for the project where you will be working if they are in fact helping you raise money to pay for your flight or accommodation!  

If friends or family want to donate to the project where you will be working they can do so by following this link to the Travel Philanthropy site, and clicking on the relevant project.

Any age at all, as long as you are over 18 and are fit and healthy - there is no maximum age limit, and many older volunteers will have a wealth of skills and experience to offer.  As part of our matching and preparation process all volunteers of any age are required to provide a doctor's letter saying that they are fit to undertake volunteering work, and details of adequate and appropriate health and insurance cover - as long as these are in place there is no age barrier to volunteering with people and places. 

Each volunteer's abilities and experience are carefully considered as part of the matcing process - differing needs within a project mean that some are more appropriate than others for different age groups.

IIt is possible for us to arrange placements for under-18's if they are accompanied by a responsible adult, such as parent, guardian or friend who can act in loco parentis, but it would be irresponsible of us to expect local communities to take on this role.

Family groups: some of the projects we work with offer great opportunities for family groups - in South Africa, for example, a recent famly group consisted of grandmother, mother, daughter and cousin - aged between 79 and 15. In a community where family ties are a cultural strength, you will no doubt appreciate what a popular group placement this was!

Yes - but we really do not expect you to!

Each project page clearly details how much of your placement price is a "donation " to the project.

However if you or friends and family do want to raise more money for your project , you can do this through our charity
TravelPhilanthropy where you will find a fundraising page for each of our projects.

We don't produce glossy brochures - we want to ensure that as much as possible of your hard earned cash reaches and stays in your host county.

For a pdf of our introductory leaflet download here

We have also produced a leaflet with web resources  and questions to ask volunteer sending organisations download here
 

This will vary depending on the destination and the nature of the project: you may share a local family home, you may be in a local guesthouse or bed and breakfast ... you may even be in a tent for some of the time ... or if there's a conveniently located 5-star hotel, you could choose that option if that's what you really want!

Wherever possible we offer a choice of accommodation according to local availability, and will discuss your options with our local partners and with you. If you have any special requirements - ground floor room, city centre hotel, middle of nowhere, under canvas, self-catering to full board - please let us know. We will always do our best to meet your genuine needs and requests.

You will need to do this yourself, but we can offer suggestions for international travel.  For our own travels we always book our flights wiith Round the World Flights (roundtheworldflights.com), and they always provide a fast and reliable service.

Our local partners will be able to help with any travel arrangements you may want to make once in your host country.

We provide you with lots of information and documentation - as do our local partners, and we encourage you to read this thoroughly. You will get this well in advance of your trip. You will also be encouraged to contact previous volunteers who will be able to add yet more information. The more time yo spend preparing for your placement the more likely it is that your volunteering experience will be a useful and fulfilling one, both for yourself and for the people with whom you will work.  Of course you can contact us at any time if you are unsure of anything.

Generally speaking, volunteers are expected to work about 5 to 8 hours a day for a 5-day week. Scheduled work times and days will depend on the project and your own role and input, but please be prepared to allow for some flexibility while you're there. 

Each placement varies slightly as to exactly how your money is spent, but we guarantee that at least 80% of what you pay - for placements of 4 weeks or more - is spent in the host country, where it is needed most.

An example for each project is given on individual project pages, and the specific details will be fully explained to you when your placement is confirmed.  In each case your payment will be divided into four categories, covering direct costs in-country such as transport and accommodation, payment to our local partner for project management, liaison and supervision in-country, a contribution to the project where your placement takes place, and payment to people and places for recruitment, matching and project development.

Safety is an important issue for all of us - people and places, volunteers and local communities.

We have carried out a full risk assessment in each of the places where we work, and our local partners work closely with us in making all reasonable efforts to ensure your safety and that of the community, but you must also take some responsibility for your own safety. As with all societies there will be risks or dangers, and safety standards may well be different to those we are used to at home, but if you follow the advice of your local hosts, there is no reason for your safety to be at any risk. Our partners are responsible and professional people, and are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Quite a lot ... professionalism, partnerships, transparency, matching, support

partnerships
Our local heroes are our partners - not our employees - and many of them are also award-winners in ethical and responsible travel. They have years of experience in travel and tourism - as well as being in and of their communities, where they work year round, knowing them well and understanding their needs. 

They are the people who work with the projects in helping them to identify needs and priorities - they understand what their communities really want. Our job at people and places is to find the right volunteers to answer those needs.

people and places volunteers never replace local workers, or do jobs they can do for themselves. Our volunteers work with them - sharing skills, experience and expertise - helping local people to build the futures that they want for themselves.

This partnership approach also applies to the relationship between people and places and our volunteers. We don't just pay lip service to our  principles - we act  accordingly, maintaining full transparency in all that we do. Ask us anything about your volunteering and we'll give you an honest answer ... and if we don't immediately have the answer to your question, we'll find out and let you know!

money matters
Our transparency also applies in financial matters - you'll be spending your hard-earned money, not ours, and we'll make sure that you know how and where it's being spent.

the right people in the right places
Also important is the way in which we match volunteers with projects. Because we're working so closely with our local partners, we can target each volunteer's abilities and experience to the specific needs of the project. Your placement is therefore as close as it comes to being 'tailor-made'...

support
Last, but by no means least, is the level of support provided to volunteers - not just by us in preparing you for your placement, but also by our local partners who give you full-time support while you're there.

(Want some advice on how to check out all the volunteer  organisations you are researching?
 Take a look at Questions you should ask.)

You' re already reading it!

For a pdf. of our introductory leaflet click here.


We don't print brochures and mail outs for two main reasons:

* expense - we'd rather see your money being spent where it's needed most
* organic nature of the projects - each and every volunteer input is part of an ever-changing emphasis. A particular task may be needed this month, but may well evolve, change or not be needed at all by the time the next volunteer is there.

Why produce a glossy brochure (or even a cheap-and-cheerful one) when we would constantly need to revise it?

Many travellers think that their standard travel policy provides full cover for their time as a volunteer - this is not necessarily the case!

Please check your policy carefully - it may specifically exclude cover for the time that you're actually working as a volunteer.

And, as with all insurance policies, PLEASE read the small print carefully !

At this early stage, we can't really help you - every country has different visa requirements for different nationals.

Once we are further along in the process of creating a match between you and a project, then we shall be able to give you advice according to where you're from and where you'll be going.

Not at all – we can arrange volunteer placements for any nationality!

Some destinations or projects may have specific visa or language requirements ... but we can talk with you about all of that, as well as help you to identify the best project for you, once we have your registration.

It’s as important for you and the project as it is us that we put the right people in the right places – at the right time!

Every volunteer has individual experiences and skills – whether professional or non-professional.

There are so many ways in which you can help – you may have professional qualifications in health or social care, education, finance; perhaps you have skills in IT, small business, horticulture; maybe you have experience of sports, drama, arts & crafts, music, cookery, music … 

We work with each volunteer as an individual - your placement will be as close to being 'tailor-made' as possible. We will ensure the best possible match between your own strengths and a project's needs.

We don't know yet what you will be doing - but once we have your registration, we will discuss ideas with you, as well as with our local partners and projects. We'll make sure you and the project are thoroughly prepared for your placement . Working together, we can create a 'win'win' situation - a mutually rewarding experience for you and your project. 

Take a look at the "about" pages and you can read more about how we put the right people in the right places!

Then talk with us - we'll help you find the placement that is right for you.

Simply complete our registration form - which neither commits you to anything, nor costs you anything (other than a few minutes of your time!)

We'll then contact you by email so that we can begin working with you to discuss a project and placement ...

And a few points to bear in mind when you fill in youir registration:
* please tell us as much as you can about your skills, work experience etc.
* completing the registration doesn't commit you to anything
* information you provide will be treated confidentially

The fastest confirmation we've ever made was in just 3 weeks from registration to departure date ... but that is VERY unusual, and was only possible because the volunteer already held a current criminal records clearance, and was super-efficient in communicating with us.

2-3 months is a far more usual period of time between our receiving a new registration and confirmation of a volunteer's placement..

So - why does it take so long? Because both you and the project should be able to gain mutual benefit from your volunteer placement - and to maximise the potential, it's really important that you're both properly prepared for your time in working together.

You need time to make an informed decision and learn about where you're going, who you'll be working with, what you'll be doing, where you'll be living ... and probably more! You need to talk with other volunteers who've already worked there so that you can learn from their experience too ...

The local people you'll be working with also need time to make an informed decision, to make plans for how to make the best use of your time with them, to understand as much as possible about you as a person ... and probably, more!

We have a well-practised matching process that helps us to put the right people in the right places - at the right time!  Please read the "about" pages - there's an outline of the process there as well as information about us and how we work. 

Now you can begin to see why thorough preparation takes time! Treat with caution any organisation that will happily send you off to a project at very short notice!

While you're making plans to volunteer, you'll also find that our "questions to ask" will help you make the right choices.  

When you register with people and places, you agree to abide by our terms and conditions.

In addition, you will enter into a contractural agreement with the relevant local team - Read More.

Highly unlikely - there's a lot to do, and it all takes time!

It has been known in exceptional circumstances for our process to be completed within 6 weeks, but it normally takes about 3 months.

You'll need to do your research, we'll need references and appropriate screening, the project will need to be sure that your input will be carefully targeted and worthwhile - everyone involved needs to be properly prepared.

Treat with caution any organisation which is able to place you at very short notice.

Please contact us at any time. Even when your placement is confirmed, and you are in direct contact with our local partners, you should email us if you are unclear about anything. email us

The principles of responsible volunteering are fundamental in all that we do, and there is plenty of information throughout the site about how we achieve it.

If you take the time to read the 'about' section, you will appreciate that we do all we can to enable you to be a responsible volunteer, and that this also entails a level of commitment on your part.