Steps to apply for a European Voluntary Service

In this article I talk to you on the steps to follow to apply for a SVE, I leave a link below to learn more in detail what is a European Voluntary Service for Spanish volunteers, the rest of european interested can look here what is a European Voluntary Service, the first thing that one person must contemplate before taking up is because of this decision, in the most cases there are a lot of reasons and more if we think in the real situation in Europe. Various reasons can be learn languages, meet people, try differents jobs, find a profession, and so on. Usually in Europe the young people do SVE or Exchanges just after high school, it´s a good way to know better themselves and to know what they want do in the future, then, to start the university it´s easy to choose the degree. In Spain, normally the young people go first to University and after looking for a project related to their university degree.

Once the decision is made you need to get in contact with a send organization from your country, all of them have a name and reference number, like Obcanske sdruzeni AVE 2012-CZ-34.In these associations you will resolve any questions you have and you will advise from the first moment.

The next step would be to prepare your CV and a motivation letterof quality and in English. The curriculum must be creative, attractive and the motivational letter must be different for each vacancy to which opt, you must explain specifically because that country, this partnership and this project, the letter must not extend more than a page and write it personally. Bellow you can find creatives ways to do your CV: Online or Video

Then, you must find a host institution, what is most important at this time is to have patience and send a few hundred emails per day, personally I wrote a small email, attached cv and motivational letter and changes the name to whom it was directed. Here I left him as an example:

"Hi, xxxx
I´m Lara Blanco Barbeito, a spanish social and family educator and leisure instructor. I am interested in your organization to European Voluntary Service, If you have a vacancy, would be delighted to work with you, I have read the description of the organization and fits to a large extent with my professional skills.

I´m really interested in your project.
My send organization is asociación juvenil vrenza 2010-ES-119

Thanks for your time,

Lara.“

I was looking for the contact data in the data base, here you can find the link to the SVE database. It is important to read the draft that you are interested in and know if both you and the organization qualify for the realization of the project, this will give you send unnecessary emails and receive negative.

Your next move is complicated, you must wait, wait for positive responses, many won´t reply you, others will tell you no and many will give you dates in the need to submit the nomination, you have a handy calendar where you can jot down the time and don’t miss any opportunity. Once you receive a positive response you must put in contact with the two organizations.

Also at this point you need to be attentive to the different vacancies that you can find on the Internet, many of them are already of a project submitted, with a sending organization and receiving fixed, and that for any reason have been without voluntary, I served as the following (but I´m Spanish maybe in facebook or google you can find web sides with vacances from your country):

- Facebook SVE

-Web Casa Eslava

-Web de ingalicia

The last step is final, it comes to signing the agreement of activities and training to the output, don’t forget to send e-mails, request any information that you need, solve all your doubts, beam a schema with your doubts and relevant information that you need before having your interview by Skype with the host organization. I also prepare a small list of what was essential for me to accept the vacancy.

Before you leave your country you must have a „training before departure“ of which you must handle your sending organization and during your stay the National Agency will be responsible for your arrival training andmidterm meeting.

I will continue to report.