ISV selects all Volunteer Projects according to our standards for safety and excellence. Projects are meaningful, fun, safe, have achievable goals, and will truly make a difference in conservation or social community development in your host country.

To view the types of projects available, click on your host country name from our home page www.isvonline.org, and then click on Volunteer Projects. Projects are updated on a regular basis as ISV continues to research and secure the best projects possible.

ISV makes every effort to place you on your top preference. Keep in mind that preference requests are not guaranteed to be met, since a variety of important factors influence each placement (such as those listed below). ISV encourages you to remain flexible and open to volunteering on any project.

Some Important Factors in Project Placement:

1. Group Size: Generally, you will be placed on a project with about 8 to 15 other ISV participants and at least one ISV Project Leader.
2. Friend Placement: If you are travelling with a friend and you both want to participate on the same project, include your friend’s first and last name in the space provided on the preference form.
3. Medical Information: ISV takes medical conditions such as allergies, disabilities, medications, etc. into consideration when making project placements. Safety is our primary concern and ISV treats medical information confidentially. IMPORTANT – It is essential that ISV has your current medical information. Email isvuk@isvonline.org (UK and Irish participants) or isveurope@isovnline.org (Other European Participants) immediately with any medical updates if the information you provided on your original application has changed.
4. Dietary Information: ISV can accommodate vegetarians and most other special diets. Participants with specific dietary needs should be prepared to supplement their meals with other foods at their expense. Email isvuk@isvonline.org (UK and Irish participants) or isveurope@isovnline.org (Other European Participants) with your specific dietary requirements if any information you provided on your original application has changed. ISV takes no responsibility for participants who fail to notify our office of their dietary requirements prior to departure. Note: If you need special meals on your flight it is your responsibility to contact the airlines you are travelling with ahead of time in order to arrange appropriate meals on your flight.
5. Departure Date: Most projects are only available on specific departure dates. Therefore ISV will place you on one of the projects available for your date.
6. Flights & Excursions: The Program logistics of flights and excursions influence project placement.
7. Independent Study: If you are pursuing independent study, this may influence your assigned project, depending on your course requirements.

Custom Program Participants: If you are travelling to more than one host country for a Volunteer Project, please complete separate Project Preference Forms (one form per host country). If you are remaining in the same country for all your Volunteer Projects, then you only need to fill out one preference form.

Email Confirmation: After submitting your Project Preference Form to ISV, you will receive an email confirmation of receipt within 7-10 business days. If ISV does not receive your form by 75 days prior to your departure date, we will assume you have no specific preferences and will refer to the preference stated on your original application. You can view the due date for your preference form online at www.isvonline.org/deadlines.

Project Placement and Project Overview: You will receive a Project Overview with your specific project placement by email 30 days prior to your departure date. The Project Overview contains information on your host organization, the volunteer tasks and goals of these activities, free time, accommodations, meals, a packing list specific to your Volunteer Project, directions on how to communicate with family and friends back home, and many other important details.

Australia

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

New Zealand

South Africa

Thailand