International Volunteers
// programmes - Standard Programme
- About the Standard Programme
- Standard Programme Destinations
- Standard Programme Costs
- Terms and Conditions
- Application Procedure
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// Standard programme terms and conditions
Before applying for a Standard project, please make sure that you read these terms and conditions.
Age:
- For the majority of standard projects, anyone aged 18+ can apply. We also offer a selection of teenage projects which are open to 16 and 17 year olds.
- Although most volunteers applying for an international volunteer project in the Standard Programme are under the age of 30, you should be aware that the group of volunteers could have a more diverse age range, including people aged 30+. Likewise, some projects may have a minimum age limit depending on the type of work or country.
Board and accommodation:
- The standard of accommodation varies enormously depending on the project and location. You could find yourself sleeping in a fully equipped hostel or on a bare floor in a church hall with a hike to the showers. Be prepared for anything.
- Meals are usually organised on a self-catering basis. A subsistence allowance will be provided by the host organisation. The project co-ordinators will usually manage this allowance though all volunteers will be expected to participate fully in the shopping, preparation and cooking of meals for the group. It’s therefore a good idea to go prepared with some traditional recipes from your home country.
Social activities:
- Organised social activities/excursions are provided at the host organisation’s discretion.
- It is the group’s responsibility to organise their free time activities along with the help of the group co-ordinators who will be more familiar with the local area.
Insurance:
- Concordia is not responsible for insuring volunteers.
- You are not covered against theft of personal belongings or financial loss due to travel disruption. You must therefore take out personal travel insurance, ideally as soon as you book your travel ticket.
- Concordia regrets that we cannot reimburse volunteers for money on lost travel tickets in the rare event that a project is cancelled or where visas are denied.
- Volunteers travelling in the EU should take their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – (formerly E111) - to ensure that they are covered for medical treatment. For more information please refer to the Department of Health website.
- When buying travel insurance make sure that you read the small print to see what is covered and what excess you will need to pay in the event of making a claim. At a minimum you should take out medical and repatriation insurance.
You are expected to:
- Fund and arrange your own travel. We will try to advise where necessary but we do not have the resources to answer all travel queries.
- Take out your own travel insurance and make sure you take your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for medical cover within the EU. For more information refer to the Department of Health website.
- Apply for your visa in good time if you require one. Visa procedures for specific countries can be found in the country information section of the project details.
- Take your own sleeping bag and roll mat unless otherwise indicated in the final details.
- Take enough money to cover internal transportation costs and free time activities.
- Ensure you have received all the necessary information sheets and travel details in good time. These are usually sent out at least three weeks before the project starts. If they haven’t arrived before this date, you should notify us immediately.
- Confirm participation and arrival times with your receiving organisation if required – a reply slip will be enclosed with the final details.
- Be prepared to travel to the project on your own. Although Concordia can try and put you in touch with other volunteers travelling to the project we cannot guarantee this as it depends on whether other UK volunteers have been placed.
- Arrive at the meeting point at the right time (unless alternative arrangements have been made with the project co-ordinators) and stay until the last day of the project.
- Inform your parents/partner that you have arrived safely.
- Participate fully in all aspects of the project.
- Work a 30-35 hour week.
- Complete and return to Concordia a project evaluation sheet. This is very important as it is the primary means by which we evaluate and develop the programme for future years.
- Be motivated, sensible, adaptable, and be able to see the funny side of things!
By the Volunteer:
- A non refundable administration charge of £15 is automatically deducted from the project fee for all international project.
- You must notify Concordia of your cancellation by telephone immediately, followed by confirmation in writing. Concordia needs to receive this letter four weeks before the start date of the project.
- If you decide to cancel your application for up to four weeks before the start date of your project- whether it has been confirmed or not - you will only receive a refund of fifty percent of your total fee.
- If you have to cancel a place less than four weeks before the project start-date you will lose your entire project fee. A refund will only be considered in the case of sickness and on receipt of a medical certificate or, if you can prove that inability to attend the project is due to circumstances beyond your control.
- It is not possible to change a project once a place has been confirmed and this would be treated as a cancellation. If the change is due to illness or exceptional circumstances, an additional charge of £25 will be paid to Concordia on receipt of a medical certificate or if you can prove that the need to change the project is due to circumstances beyond your control. You are therefore advised to think carefully before making your project choices.
By the Organisation:
- If you have a place confirmed on a project and it is then cancelled by the in country host organisation, Concordia will do its utmost to find you a place on an alternative project that is suitable. However, if no places are available, or if this arrangement is not convenient, you will receive a refund of £95.
- If all your choices of project are full and you are not able to accept any alternative, you will also receive a refund of £95.
- However, if you filled in Question 8 on your application form and we find you an alternative place that fulfils your criteria, you will be expected to take this place. If you do not you will lose your project fee.
- Cancellation by the in-country host organisation does not happen very often, but unfortunately is sometimes unavoidable. If you want to book your travel tickets before you receive your final travel details, you are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance at the same time. Do check the small print on any travel tickets as not all insurance companies will refund in the case of cancellation. Concordia regrets that it cannot be held responsible for refunding volunteers for any financial loss due to a project being cancelled.
Complaints with respect to administrative procedures by Concordia should be addressed to the Volunteer Programme Manager directly.
Complaints with respect to the project should proceed as follows:
- If there is an issue regarding health and safety, living conditions or another aspect of the project then the matter should be discussed with the project co-ordinators or a representative from the host organisation.
- If there is general consensus amongst the volunteers that the standards are unacceptable the group should contact the national office of the organisation and inform them of the problem. Contact details for the national office will be given in the pre-departure info sheets.
- If a representative from the National Office is unable to resolve the issue then the Volunteer Programme Manager at Concordia should be informed.
- On return to the UK you should inform Concordia by phone or email and then write a formal letter of complaint to Concordia detailing the problems you encountered.
Concordia will proceed as follows:
Complaints with respect to administrative procedures by Concordia will be assessed by staff on an individual basis and a course of action will be agreed.
Complaints with respect to the project will be dealt with as follows:
- Any negative feedback from the evaluation forms regarding project standards will be forwarded to our partner organisation.
- Any formal complaints will be addressed with our partner organisation.
- Concordia will report back the partner’s response or any actions taken.
- Depending on the severity of the complaint and the response by the partner organisation Concordia will consider whether to run the project again or to cease working with that particular organisation.
- Concordia does not have a policy for refunding volunteers who have a negative experience. However, formal complaints will be assessed by staff on an individual basis in order to agree a course of action.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION
In compliance with the Data protection Act 1998 Concordia will not pass on the details of any of the volunteers on our database to any persons other than the international partner organisation abroad to which they are applying. Email addresses may be disseminated to other volunteers on the database as part of a contact group though addresses will be hidden.
If a volunteer does not want their contact details to be passed on to other volunteers, or to be contacted regarding further opportunities and activities with Concordia, they will have the opportunity to opt-out of this on the disclaimer.