Volunteer in Kolkata

Volunteering with us during your gap year or career break is an incredible way to travel, broaden your experiences, and help improve the lives of others. Our volunteers leave with a vivid impression of this beautiful, complicated country and a sense of accomplishment, having spent productive time making a tangible difference to children's lives. Our Volunteer Placement Programme is open to a certain number of volunteers every year who can meet the following requirements:

Possession of skills relevant to our work (eg. primary teaching, TEFL, coaching in sports, art or drama, social work, medical/healthcare, food sciences, child protection and marketing/PR)
Commitment to make and fund your own travel arrangements (flight, insurance, vaccinations, visa)

Commitment to fundraise towards our projects and your maintenance in Kolkata (fundraising targets depend on length of proposed stay)
Ability to organise own work schedule and work on own initiative
Ability to fit in with existing staff and work structures
Realistic expectations of working and living in a developing country and what you can hope to achieve
A positive, flexible outlook
Commitment to a minimum of 3 months (however if this is not possible we will consider a shorter stay). We are able to host volunteers for a maximum of 12 months
Ability to attend an interview in London
Fluent English speaker (Bengali is also very welcome!)
UK resident

All volunteers receive accomodation in Kolkata and there is a small living allowance for longer-term volunteers (both these costs will be covered by your fundraising). We will assist you with your fundraising and placement preparation.
Please note that we are unable to consider applications less than 3 months before your intended departure date to give enough time for preparation.

To apply: Please complete this form and we will email you a full application form if we think we may have a suitable placement. If you have any questions, please email us rather than telephoning due to the high volume of enquiries we receive.

What our current volunteers say...

"The children are so talented you can't speak highly enough of them." (Laura)
"You see a child coming out of herself, she didn't speak when we came. It's definitely an experience I'll never forget." (Coraa)
"It's such an eye opener. You can't explain it to anybody, you can only say so much and people only take so much from it." (Sharon)
"It's definitely the best thing I've ever done!" (Trace)
"I'm so sad to be leaving next week, the whole experience has been an inspiration." (Anna)

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Volunteer in Kolkata

Volunteer expression of interest form

What our current volunteers say...