Where are they now? A look at what volunteers do after completing their placement.
Living and volunteering in Australia on your gap year allows you to experience the country’s rich cultural heritage. There’s so much on offer. From vibrant cities to the rugged outback or the northern tropics, Australia is the perfect place to spend a year’s work placement abroad. Volunteering in a variety of settings, you will be able to develop your skills and pursue new interests while contributing to children’s education and enjoyment.
We caught up with Callum who completed a school placement with us in 2017 to see what he’s up to now and if his placement had any influence on the route he has taken.
Hey! I’m Callum – and I completed a Lattitude Volunteering programme in Australia from January until July back in 2017. I was based at Beaconhills College, Pakenham, just about an hour outside of Melbourne, Victoria, and I was mainly working in the sports department and with the outdoor education team. The skills I learned during my time working at Beaconhills were incredibly useful to my post-volunteering life.
Thrown just about as far from home as I could get, I quickly got used to being independent, confident, and comfortable with meeting new people on a daily basis – which greatly helped my greatly-introverted previous self when it came to starting at the University of St Andrews just 2 months after I returned from Australia!
And how has volunteering with Lattitude helped you after your placement?
Since then, I’ve started my third year, and gone on to be elected the President of the School of English at the University, which relies heavily on public-speaking, confidence, sociality, and problem-solving, all of which I developed during my volunteer placement (these skills are also greatly-applicable as they developed in an academic environment, with various rules of conduct, confidentiality, and professionalism required in my role).
Outside of my placement, I was greatly inspired by my travels in Australia to continue my pursuit of writing poetry, which has gone on to be published in anthologies, and more-recently, set to music in a choral setting by a former organ scholar at The Queen’s College, Oxford, which was a great honour.
Even though, when asked, I often say that the most memorable part of my time in Australia was the experience of Stoker’s Fine Pancakes in the city, and having them delivered to me at 4am – it’s got to be said that the transferable skills I developed have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today, and hopefully, will continue to do so as I progress!
You can read Callum’s original blog during his time in Oz here: Callum’s Blog
Think a school placement in Australia could be for you?
Our school Assistant placements are located throughout Australia in some of the country’s most welcoming and exciting schools. You will have the chance to work alongside teachers and develop your own teaching skills. There’s also the chance to build strong relationships with the children as you assist with all aspects of school life.
Volunteers are generally based in the boarding house or sports department. There’s a strong emphasis on volunteers to get involved with extra-curricular activities such as sports coaching, music, drama and other activities. Schools in Australia request volunteers with a variety of skills and our matching process aims to align volunteers with the correct skills and interests to schools where they can get as involved as much possible!
If this sounds like your kind of placement then apply now to start your own adventure in 2020! Want to see where else you can go with Lattitude Global Volunteering? Then check out our full list of countries.
Thanks Callum, it was great to catch up with you.
The post Where Are They Now? See What Callum’s Been Up To Since Volunteering in Oz appeared first on Lattitude Global Volunteering.
