Volunteering
There's
something in it for everyone
Why
volunteer?
Many expatriate spouses and partners
find they cannot accommodate the commitment
of a formal, full or part-time contractual
job, but yet they still would like
to make use of their skills and abilities
in a workplace outside the home.
The answer for many is to give some
time as a volunteer to a local community
organisation, school, church, charity
or club. Volunteers have the
satisfaction of applying and sharing
their skills, of making a real difference,
and of being part of something outside
the home. You see, volunteers
don't usually work for nothing
.....
As a volunteer, you can
- Become a member of a team
or organisation providing a worthwhile service
- Integrate more rapidly into
the community
- Maintain existing job skills
and/or develop new ones
- Fill in those CV 'gaps'
- Meet others with a variety
of personal and professional interests
- Choose how much or how little
time you wish to commit
- Enjoy challenging projects
- Put your spare time to good
use helping others
- Have fun and make new friends
There
are so many ways in which volunteers
can meet new people, make contacts
and continue building career skills.
Whether your interest lies in information
technology, fundraising and book-keeping,
counselling services, community education,
office administration, marketing and
research, events management or publicity,
there is sure to be an organisation
near you that will appreciate your
efforts.
Volunteer
opportunities in The Netherlands
There are many opportunities for
voluntary work in the Netherlands.
It can sometimes lead to paid employment
and provide opportunities to maintain
and upgrade skills, network, learn
Dutch and build up self-esteem. It
can also provide valuable working
experience for your CV.
For an overview of possibilities
of voluntary work in several cities
in the Netherlands you can surf to
the Dutch website www.vrijwilligerscentrale.nl or check www.onlinevolunteering.org
(English).
ACCESS in The Hague and Amsterdam
regularly seeks volunteers. More than
100 English speaking volunteers from
about 20 countries help to run the
various departments which include
Community Education, Computer Services,
Counselling and the telephone information
line (see Section 1 for contact details).
Social and Professional clubs are
always grateful for volunteers and
the ACCESS job booklet has a list
in Chapter XI. (Also see www.access-nl.org)
Other
resources
Refer to the Book
list on our Resources pages.
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