So, here as promised,
is the 'review' of Projects Abroad pre-departure. I call it a review
but it will be more of a ramble. There will be two parts to this
entry: one focusing on Projects Abroad themselves and how I have
found their services before I depart; the other a hints and tips
section or other various bits of information that I have learned so
far tomorrow. One could point out that I am writing a review when I
have not even been on my volunteering trip yet but I think that the
preparations and months leading into departure are paramount to
setting you off on the right foot.
Projects Abroad is a
“leading global organiser of overseas volunteer work placements”
according to its home page offering many different placements in
various disciplines all across the world. Then again, so do most
companies offering this kind of experience. I found out about
Projects Abroad by searching on Google and, as I knew which area of
the world I wanted to do some volunteering in, I went straight for
the Destinations page to see if they offered teaching in Africa. They
did and there was a information session in London that I attended.
There were about 20-30 other people there along with employees and
past volunteers from Projects Abroad with experiences ranging from a
law placement to teaching and care work, although all seemed to have
gone to Ghana. The staff were friendly and approachable, happy to
talk about all aspects of spending time abroad and company literature
was strewn across tables for people to take. At first glance they
seemed very professional and, more importantly to a first-time
volunteer and lifelong cynic, legit. I had already decided on
Tanzania for my destination as it is close to where my parents grew
up and is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and Zanzibar.
Also, I'm constantly reminded of how friendly Tanzanian people are.
So, having decided where I was going and what I would be doing, I
joined the Facebook group. (As an aside, I think I may be the
ultimate product of the internet generation when I determine how
legitimate a company is by whether it has a Facebook group or not.)
Set up by the Projects Abroad team in Tanzania, it is a convenient
place to ask questions of volunteers and staff who are already in
Tanzania about customs, clothes and the placements and the people on
there are extremely helpful. So far so good for the more 'informal'
modes of contact.
Once I had decided, I
began ringing and e-mailing Projects Abroad regarding my plans and
they were friendly, well-mannered and tried to be as helpful as
possible, following up phone calls with e-mails and e-mails with more
e-mails. Everything was relatively smooth up until the booking. The
first problem came with hidden costs and efforts required to get my
own visa, which I did not really mind so much but my parents did.
Suggesting that the visa application should be done by the company
and that the 'Permit C' that I need to get when I enter Tanzania (not
cheap at 500 USD) should be integrated within the cost of the
program. We had also planned to book flights through the company as
well hoping to get cheaper rates however the £795 they charge does
not cover any tax so I was looking at another £200 on top of that,
whereas I booked return flights including tax for just over £700 via
British Airways. The team that dealt with the handling of flight
details seemed to mistake a lot of the instructions I gave via
e-mail, possibly through reading through them too quickly, not
understanding well enough or my bad instructions.
Next with my placement.
I was given a questionnaire to fill in regard experience, skills and
targets for my trip and a few days after I replied I was suggested a
place at a school catering for 2-7 year olds. I replied saying that
my preferred age group to work with would be 11+ as that is where my
experience, albeit brief, lies. I received an e-mail thanking me for
letting them know of my preferences and they would try to accommodate
me. A few days after that I got an e-mail telling me that I could
view my placement and living arrangements online, once I had paid the
full invoice. Which brings us to present day. Having paid the invoice
and been able to access my placement details they have placed me in
the Gohechi Centre for 2-8 year olds. It is also listed under care
projects as I mentioned in my last post. I have sent an e-mail
confirming that these are correct details and we shall see from there
I suppose.
Projects Abroad have
been a pleasant company to use and are extremely good at maintaining
contact up until the point where you actually sign up with them. I
think it would have been nice for contact to have been maintained up
until departure with the odd e-mail here and there to assess the
situation and make sure that I was ready and enthusiastic about my
time abroad. I think that the information available about the
placements should be wider and more practical rather than a
regurgitation of whatever is on that particular
school's/organisation's website. Also, there are plenty of hidden
costs that should probably be advertised somewhere. However, so far
there has been nothing that has caused real concern and this should
bode well for my time in Tanzania.
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