Aged between 25-75 and seeking a change of scene? Thinking about a career break or ready to embrace a new challenge? You’ve come to the right place – Change Starts Here through our Volunteer Manager roles.
Raleigh Expedition is an exciting opportunity for you to work alongside and support young people to become leaders and empower communities to create lasting change.
We’ve been connecting communities and volunteers for over 30 years and would love you to join us:
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Live and work in some of the world’s most breath-taking landscapes across Costa Rica, Tanzania and Nepal.
- Use your skills and experience in roles on project sites or in our international offices.
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Be the driving force behind change in marginalised communities through our water, sanitation and hygiene and community resilience projects.
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Lead and inspire groups of young volunteers aged 17-24.
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Take an active role protecting natural resources and vulnerable environments.
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Develop your leadership skills and make friends from all over the world.
Where can I go?
We believe young people everywhere are able to change the world. All the countries we work in have large youth populations, which we seek to empower to have the greatest project impact. These countries are heavily impacted by climate change, with those in rural areas often the most affected.
Let us know where you would like to volunteer but we ask you to keep an open mind as you will be placed where your skills and energy are most needed. Wherever you go, you can be certain your experience will be exciting, positive and impactful.
Our roles
We welcome people from all over the world with a variety of experience onto our Expeditions as Volunteer Managers, which encompass three different types of positions.
Project Site roles – Lead and inspire volunteer groups on our project sites.
Field base roles – ensure the smooth running of our programmes from our local office or field base in one of several different positions.
Medic roles – use your experience as a doctor, nurse or paramedic to help us deliver safe and impactful programmes.
If you’re interested in finding out what happens day-to-day, take a look at a day in the life.
Expedition dates
We run Expeditions throughout the year departing in January, June, July and September. Dates are different by role and country.
Nepal
2020
| Dates | Weeks | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan – 20 Apr | 13 | Places available |
| 15 June – 10 Aug | 8 | Places available |
| 15 June – 10 Sept | 13 | Places available |
| 24 Sept – 20 Dec | 13 | Places available |
Costa Rica
2020
| Dates | Weeks | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Feb – 27 Apr | 13 | Places available |
| 13 June – 27 Aug | 11 | Places available |
| 13 June – 7 Sept | 13 | Places available |
| 24 Sept – 20 Dec | 13 | Places available |
Tanzania
2020
| Dates | Weeks | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jan – 21 Apr | 13 | Places available |
| 11 June – 6 Sept | 13 | Places available |
| 11 June – 29 Aug | 11 | Places available |
| 11 Sept – 7 Dec | 13 | Places available |
These are the general timelines for our Field base roles; our Project Site team will arrive approximately one week after the starting dates given (please do get in touch should you need to know the specific time frame for a role).
Most of our Expeditions are 13 weeks long, although for our Project Site roles we also have shorter Expeditions between 8 and 11 weeks long, departing in June and July.
We advise Volunteer Managers to apply at least 6 months in advance to give you the best chance of getting your first choice of role and country. This will also give you more time to raise your funds.
It is sometimes possible to join an Expedition leaving within three months. To do this please get in touch with us as soon as possible to talk through what’s involved and fast track your application.
How much does it cost?
As we are a charity you can fundraise for some or all the cost of your Expedition. Your money is going to support our work to build a sustainable future for everyone.
Expedition fundraising targets
| 13/14 week Expedition | £2,700 |
| 13/14 week Expedition beginning in May/June | £2,200 |
| 12 week Expedition beginning in May/June (Tanzania & Costa Rica) | £2,150 |
| 9 week Expedition beginning in June (Nepal) | £2,100 |
Your Expedition costs are not fully covered by your fundraising. All Volunteer Manager roles are subsidised by Raleigh to support our Expeditions.
Our Medic and Adventure Project Managers require specialist knowledge and skills, so the fundraising targets are reduced for these roles. The different targets for Medics can be found on our Medics specific pages. For further information please email internationalresources@raleighinternational.org
Interested in where your money goes? Find out how Raleigh spends its funds.
What’s included?
When you volunteer with Raleigh there are no hidden or extra costs. We include much more than other providers because over the last 30 years we have learnt that a high-quality programme, including safety, in-country support, and working with communities as real partners has better outcomes for all of us.
We provide:
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All food and accommodation throughout your Expedition.
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Airport welcome and all transfers to and from the airport in your destination country.
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Premium, tailored travel and health insurance.
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Leading safety expertise supported by our British standard 8848 safety accreditation.
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All in-country transport costs to project and trekking locations.
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In-country Director and staff team, including medics, providing 24-hour support, planning and in-country partnerships with Government, INGO’s and local project partners.
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UK operations team providing planning, medical, safety and security support with 24-hour back up to country offices.
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Comprehensive pre-departure information and support.
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All necessary project training by experienced staff.
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All project equipment, supplies and tools.
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Project evaluations and impact reporting against the sustainable goals framework.
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Post-Expedition alumni membership, services and discounts.
What’s not included?
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Flights
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Visas
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Vaccinations
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Personal belongings (for example rucksack, walking boots, sleeping bag etc.)
How to Apply
Ready to apply? Here are the stages of making an application so you know what to expect.
Step 1 – Apply online and upload your CV/résumé
Complete the online form. Please tell us as much as you can about yourself, what you are currently doing and what relevant skills and experience you could bring to an Expedition. Don’t worry if you don’t know which role is right for you; just put ‘undecided’. As part of the form you will need to upload a copy of your CV / résumé (along with the applications task if applying for the Content Creator role).
Step 2 – Expedition Discovery Weekend
If your application form is approved, you will be invited to attend our Expedition Discovery Weekend based in East Grinstead, Sussex. We hold about eight of these a year and will let you know upcoming dates. If you are based outside of Europe we will arrange a Skype or telephone interview with you instead.
The Expedition Discovery Weekend is a fun and intensive weekend, designed to give you a taste of Expedition life – so be ready to get your hands dirty!
The weekend is facilitated by Raleigh alumni and will give us the chance to assess you as a potential Volunteer Manager. It also gives you the opportunity to decide whether Raleigh is right for you and ask our alumni about Expedition life.
We will be in touch within one week of this event to let you know if you have been successful. You will then be offered a place on one of our Expeditions as a Volunteer Manager, which is valid for two years from your application.
Step 3 – Deposit
To confirm your place on Expedition, we will ask you for a deposit when you receive your offer letter. This will be deducted from your fundraising target total.
Step 4 – Pre-departure preparation
Our Volunteer Coordinators will support you to get started with your fundraising, book your flights, vaccinations and visas. You will then be invited to your Development Weekend to meet your team and start your training. For more information on this please see our training and support page.
