Short Term Volunteer Placements

Short-term voluntary work placements are ideal for volunteers willing to make a difference but unable to devout extended periods of time abroad. Aimed at giving volunteers a valuable work experience while developing a particular skill, these two to four weeks placements allow you to maximize your time overseas. And because our projects work in tangent with local schools and organizations you'll be immersed in a new culture while devoting your time and energy to make a difference. Short term volunteer placements are a unique and flexible option for volunteers looking to have fun, gain knowledge, and understand a different culture.

Our short term volunteer work opportunities include:

Teaching Assistant
In this role, you will be working alongside a long-term volunteer to teach English. Through a mixture of structured sessions and hands-on, observational work, you will be engaged in advancing the community's English classes. As a teaching assistant you will also have the opportunity to work with local teachers in pre-kinder, kinder, primary level, and adult classes. If it's your desire to run your own classroom, we require a booking of 4 weeks or longer. We maintain this requirement because programs less than 4 weeks in length are disruptive to the children's education and ultimately do more harm than good.

More Info: Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

Workshops
The workshop placements cater to volunteers interested in initiating and running projects on their own. Workshops give students new areas to explore, an opportunity often lacking in under resourced schools. Because the workshops are held after school hours, they are a wonderful way to get the students involved in extracurricular activities. Workshop subjects range from Art, Dance, Photography, Painting, Theatre, etc. If you have a skill or talent that you would like to share with the students of these local communities, we would love to use your passion and expertise to provide them a new way to channel their creativity. However, please submit your workshop ideas ahead of time so we can make the appropriate arrangements.

Wildlife Refuge
This program is for participants who have a love for animals. Your main responsibilities at the wildlife refuge include preparing meals for and feeding the animals, and cleaning their cages on a daily basis. Some animals are nocturnal so the schedule can be rearranged if you want to spend a few nights feeding and observing them. The refuge is home to over 32 species ranging from crocodiles, iguanas, bats, snakes, turtles, monkeys, opossums, anteaters and armadillos. The collection of animals is constantly expanding as more and more people hear about the refuge's exceptional care and bring in animals injured during encounters with humans. Turtle Conservation Pacific The Turtle Conservation project is designed to allow volunteers a hands-on experience in marine turtle conservation. No prior knowledge or experience in turtle conservation is necessary but volunteers should enjoy manual labor and working with wildlife. Volunteers should also be prepared to work unusual hours as turtle nesting typically occurs during the night; working hours are usually shifts based.

More Info: Volunteer in a WildLife Refudge

Sports and English Camps & Renovation Projects
If you are looking to volunteer in a Project for 1-4 weeks in an active outdoor setting, we recommend volunteering during school vacation periods (July for two weeks and January for 4 weeks). During these times we organize and manage Sport, English and Restoration Camps.

Sports & English Camps are held during the local vacation periods to keep the students active and involved, even when school isn't in session. The camps are a great way to bond with local children outsides the constraints of a classroom.

Our Restoration and Construction Projects are based within the rural areas we work. The communities draw up their own plans for work they consider beneficial to improve their schools, churches, and homes. uVolunteer provides the funding and coordinates the construction and renovation efforts with the help of the local community and our volunteers.

Language Requirement
Our Spanish language program aren't mandatory for short-term placement volunteers but they are offered should you be interested in attending. The course includes 20 hours of classroom instruction per week in small groups of no more than six people. The program also includes activities such as yoga, dancing, cooking, and travel and can arrange a buddy system for you to practice your Spanish outside of class. This premier language school offers all levels of Spanish from Beginner to Advanced. If you would like to attend language classes, this will be at an additional cost to your volunteer program fee.

For more information on our Spanish Language Program