Frequently Asked Questions

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The average age is 32. Approximately 50% of our volunteers are non-UK based with a large number of volunteers from North America, Australia and Europe.

Couples are welcome and there is even a 30% discount for those wishing to take part in a project with their partner.

Not usually. Good communication skills, enthusiasm and a sense of humour are more important than formal qualifications.

Most vols are over 20 but in some locations we accept a limited number of younger people aged 18+, and have a minimum age of 22 in our African programmes.

We do not have a maximum age limit in place and the oldest volunteer to date was 71. An increasing number of our volunteers are retired. As long as you are fit and healthy, there will be no problem.

Normally around three months but can be as short as 6 weeks or as long as 6-12 months.

This is becoming an attractive option (we call it the 'Mondo Combo'!) and volunteers frequently consider adding two or even three different projects to a 'Round the World' ticket. This means they can experience a diversity of programmes and community life in two or more continents!

It depends on the programme but this might be possible.

The contribution to MondoChallenge is currently £1200 for a three-month period (less if shorter). See the Costs page for more details.

We receive no government subsidies and run the operation on the tightest of budgets. However, we do need to be sustainable and the financial contribution from our volunteers provides the bulk of our funding. This contribution, which is substantially less than some other organisations of our kind, covers volunteer recruitment and organisation and the costs of our UK office team as well as our in-country management. More importantly, it enables us to run the FutureSense Foundation, without any additional staffing, and this provides invaluable support for our programmes in Africa and Asia.

Our in-country management teams arrange the accommodation in the community where you will be working. The cost is usually around £15-£20 per week and this often includes food.

It is, but the cost of living in most of the countries where we are active is extremely low. By paying for accommodation in the village/community, we are making a useful contribution to the local economy.

Yes, you do. Everyone has different plans and we aim to be as flexible as possible to fit in with them.

Yes. This again fits in with our desire to be flexible - everyone has specific needs for example some people want to take multi-entry visas whereas for others this is not necessary.

Basically it means you get to live and work in a community in the country concerned. Most of our projects are based in rural villages.

We provide detailed Briefing Notes in advance on the projects, health, what to wear, travel, finance etc. These are backed up by extensive conversations before you leave and a thorough induction on arrival to help you understand the country and the culture. We also organise regular MondoChallenge TEFL Training sessions, including a weekend teaching workshop for volunteers wanting to get training in teaching methods. Read more about this on the Teacher Training Courses page.

For volunteers working in schools or on business development projects it is more or less the same working hours as you would find in Western countries. Hours for orphanages will be more flexible.

Not if you take sensible precautions and follow the advice we provide on how to avoid obvious problems (not eating uncooked food or drinking water from unknown sources, for example). There are reasonable medical facilities in all the places we work and very few of our volunteers have had any medical problems. However if you do have any problems our local managers will assist you in any way they can.

You provide your own travel insurance. However we do recommend a company and have a special deal, which allows us 10% discount on insurance (for further details please contact us).

In each country we have a country manager and we are very careful about the security issues. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office web site provides general guidance (see http://www.fco.gov.uk).

Once you have been selected things can move fast if that's what you want - a matter of weeks. However, most people apply around 3 - 6 months before they go; some even apply a year ahead!

Your first step is to fill in the enquiry form by clicking here. You can read more about the application process by clicking here.

Yes. We can email you a form to be completed.

We like to meet as many volunteers as possible and arrange this for UK candidates in London, Northampton or elsewhere. For volunteers based outside the UK, we make sure that we have several detailed telephone conversations and we also rely on referees.