Your contact person

Where do you want to go?

Important notice for volunteers: As part of our commitment, we decided to stop sending volunteers to orphanages. This decision is based on several important reasons.

• Long-term participation fee: CHF 690.- (a deposit of CHF 290 will be refunded to SCI Switzerland at the beginning of the placement)
• Pre-departure training participation fee: CHF 60.- (incl. catering)
• There is a reduction of CHF 30 for those with no or little income
• Travel costs (you must also organise your own travel)
• Costs for visa and vaccinations
• In some long-term projects, programme costs are incurred on site, which you pay directly to the local assignment organisation. You can find the fees in the project description on the international search engine.
• Scholarships for apprentices and young people with vocational training: Are you currently in an apprenticeship or have already completed an apprenticeship and are under 25 years old? Then you can apply for a scholarship. SCI Switzerland has a scholarship programme and we can award scholarships for apprentices and apprenticeship graduates. Thanks to this, young apprentices and apprenticeship graduates are covered 100% of all programme costs as well as travel costs (100% of travel costs by train or bus; 50% of travel costs for flights). Find out more!

What is your participation fee used for?

SCI Switzerland is a certified non-profit organisation. We rely on participation fees, membership fees and donations to organise volunteer engagements, place volunteers and for the preparation and follow-up of volunteers and camp coordinators. The participation fee only covers a small part of the actual costs. SCI Switzerland is mainly supported by its long-standing members and donors as well as government subsidies. The local project partners also contribute a great deal themselves to the realisation of the projects (work camps, long-term engagements, etc.).

• Food and lodging on site
• A moderate amount of pocket money (depending on the location)
• Support from SCI Switzerland before departure, during the assignment and after your return
• Invitation letter for visas, if needed
• Preparation and evaluation of the assignment
• One-year membership in SCI Switzerland (incl. SCI newsletter, reduction of seminar fees, etc.
• Additional SCI backup insurance*: https://sci.ngo/insurance/

*For the days of the SCI project (travel days are not included), SCI has an additional backup insurance that can cover accident and illness costs. However, the SCI backup insurance excludes anything that was previously in place and there is a maximum amount of coverage.

If you are interested in a long-term assignment, please contact us well in advance. Depending on the country of destination: 2 to 6 months before departure. Short-term registrations are not possible.

STEPS TO LONG-TERM ASSIGNMENT:

1. Check that you meet the requirements.
2. Participation in the pre-departure training is mandatory. Learn about concepts such as White Saviour Complex and Decolonize Volunteering
3. Contact Loretta Scherler for an individual interview (loretta.scherler@scich.org) and for the definitive registration form.
4. Pay the deposit of CHF 290 to start your placement in a project of your choice.
5. Fill in the registration form, which will be sent to the project partner by SCI Switzerland. You are now definitely registered.
6. As soon as you are definitely accepted into the project, you can transfer the remaining amount of the total placement fee (CHF 690) to SCI Switzerland (minus CHF 290 of the deposit).
7. Your registration is binding. Cancellations will incur cancellation fees (60% up to three weeks before departure, thereafter 80% of the placement fee).
8. Now you can start planning and booking your trip. Also find out about entry requirements (including visas) and possible vaccinations. We will be on hand to advise you throughout the entire process.
9. After your return from the long-term assignment, you can expect an individual evaluation meeting. You can also share your experiences with us by writing an article for our member magazine and/or taking part in a preparatory seminar or a public event as a ‘returnee’ and passing on your experiences.

Do you have any questions? Contact Loretta Scherler (loretta.scherler@scich.org) for all questions regarding long-term assignments.