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Has somebody ever done this? I'm shocked at the fees they charge. 1,500 USD or more in FEES alone. Including flight, you will end up paying at least 2,500 USD. ( I'm specifically talking about Vietnam ).I first thought it was a scam, but then I checked out other websites and they had the same fees listed.. some even charge more than this. Is this for real?
If somebody dosen't know what this is: You go abroad and help out doing different things such as teaching English, caring for children, working with local NGO's etc.
Any help is appreciated.
Has somebody ever done this? I'm shocked at the fees they charge. 1,500 USD or more in FEES alone. Including flight, you will end up paying at least 2,500 USD. ( I'm specifically talking about Vietnam ).I first thought it was a scam, but then I checked out other websites and they had the same fees listed.. some even charge more than this. Is this for real?
If somebody dosen't know what this is: You go abroad and help out doing different things such as teaching English, caring for children, working with local NGO's etc.
Any help is appreciated.
I expect that you can probably book your own travel arrangements. Just ask them and see.
Has somebody ever done this? I'm shocked at the fees they charge. 1,500 USD or more in FEES alone. Including flight, you will end up paying at least 2,500 USD. ( I'm specifically talking about Vietnam ).I first thought it was a scam, but then I checked out other websites and they had the same fees listed.. some even charge more than this. Is this for real?
If somebody dosen't know what this is: You go abroad and help out doing different things such as teaching English, caring for children, working with local NGO's etc.
Any help is appreciated.
I guess they will have overheads and have to have a way to stop people thinking on a whim that they would like to help teach English in Cambodia - for example and then getting there and deciding they don't like to food, the toilets are too basic and they miss their mums and hop on a plane out of there..... If they insist you pay up before you go you they might have a better chance of getting people who are serious. just a thought.
Maybe do a bit more research and find smaller charities to help.
We had dinner once in Cambodia at a place run by a couple who also ran an orphanage. Its was very small. Maybe 20 kids. The kids put on a weekly song/dance entertainment. Also the diners paid over the odds as the 'profit' was used to support the kids. People were encouraged to spend any spare time during their vacation interacting with the kids, a game of football, helping them read etc.
I have heard many stories about places like this. The problem with volunteering there would be that there would not be any kind of infer structure to help with visas, accommodation, etc etc
The ones I've heard about are mostly bogus and self-indulgent. You can just go there as a backpacker, and travel around on buses and stay in hostels or cheap hotels and eat market food, at a total out-of-pocket cost of a fraction of the fees that are charged, maybe as low as $10 or $15 a day. And if you want to do volunteer work when you get there, ask around and find a local NGO post or mission that will be happy to find something useful for you to do.
When you check out their websites, you'll find that they are are charging pretty much the same fee, because that's what people are willing to pay. The people collecting the fees are not non-profit organization, theyare commercial travel organizations who work in connection with non-profits who agree to tolerate their bumbling clients.
$1500 for two weeks is $100 a day, each, double occupancy. There's not a third world country on the planet where you can't stay in a pretty decent hotel and eat good meals for a quarter of that.
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Yeah that turned me off when I was thinking of volunteering abroad. They expect you to PAY to volunteer? Air-fares are one thing, but the overall cost was similar to a holiday. Conservative volunteering in particular makes you feel like it's a 'privilege' to help save the world. I mean it IS, and say working at an Orang-utan refuge is probably in high demand, but I think in return for your volunteering they should at least provide you food and board. Everything else, I agree, is out of your own pocket.
jtur is right, it's probably better to just go there and directly contact the NGO's. 'Volunteering' holidays are becoming more popular these days and are big business.
Looks like it is actually really a huge rip off. BUT, they seem to be the only ones that will place you into those kind of jobs. I could be wrong about that, though, but I can't find anything else... Backpacking isn't what I want to do, Jtur88. Nor could I do that in countries like Vietnam etc. No language skills and as Westerner you are probably a walking target in developing countries. Hell, I was one in Mexico already. And Mexico is much better off than let's say Vietnam or India etc. Still can't believe they charge this much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trimac20
Yeah that turned me off when I was thinking of volunteering abroad. They expect you to PAY to volunteer? Air-fares are one thing, but the overall cost was similar to a holiday. Conservative volunteering in particular makes you feel like it's a 'privilege' to help save the world. I mean it IS, and say working at an Orang-utan refuge is probably in high demand, but I think in return for your volunteering they should at least provide you food and board. Everything else, I agree, is out of your own pocket.
Paying for it makes sense, though. Those countries are poor and you do need some kind of organization who will take care of you and will guide you through everything once you are there, and has a local network in place, provides you with a place to stay and meals ( what they do, too... but that still dosen't justify paying 1,500 or even 2k for 2 weeks). But those fees would be much, much lower.
No, it is not a rip off or a scam, but they ARE a company that has to stay in business somehow. Rememer, this place is providing you with shelter, health insurance/health care and food while you are there. Sure it would be cheaper as a backpacker, but it is something you can't just compare by price.
No, it is not a rip off or a scam, but they ARE a company that has to stay in business somehow. Rememer, this place is providing you with shelter, health insurance/health care and food while you are there. Sure it would be cheaper as a backpacker, but it is something you can't just compare by price.
You have to go with what you want to do.
2k for 2 weeks in Africa or some other developed/3rd world country isn't a rip-off to you, huh? Well, then you can't be helped. From what I heard, you'd be living in a dorm, and food in Africa or elsewhere isn't that expensive. Talked to a guy who did this and the place where he volunteered at said they got 38 dollars a week form the organization. And how much do you earn in Vietnam or Africa per month? 100 Dollars? 200 ? Apparently, they just pocket 90% of the money. Not sure how many of them offer insurance, but again, it's a underdeveloped/3rd world country. You probably don't want to go to the doctor there anyway and would have to get your own insurance that would fly you out of there in a case of emergency.
The thing that bothers me the most is that many of them just exploit the already poor orphanages, community centers, child care centers etc. in those countries. this shouldn't just be an unique experience, but it should also actually be helping them and making a difference. Like I said, paying some money is ok, but 2k or even 3k or 4k for 2 weeks is outrageous. For that money you could probably build a new orphanage in Africa. It is sad that they charge so much. Maybe more people would actually do this if it wasn't so outrageously expensive. It is badly needed.
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( I'm specifically talking about Vietnam ).I first thought it was a scam, but then I checked out other websites and they had the same fees listed.. some even charge more than this. Is this for real? 
