FAQ
What is the European Voluntary Service? The European Voluntary Service( EVS) is a programme of the European Commission which allows a young person aged between 17 and 30 years to be a volunteer in a foreign country for a determined period of time, between 2 and 12 months, to get to know another culture and another language and participating at the same time in the realisation of a project useful for the local community.
Who can apply for EVS projects? All organizations and public bodies that are accredited for it. To get the accreditation organizations must register in the Unique Registration Facility of the European Comission’ s Portal. Next the organization can apply to the Accreditation on the online application form. This should be filled in English.
Who are the partners in EVS project? Each EVS project foresees the partnership of three or four partners: the volunteer, the sending organisation, the hosting organsiation and the coordinating organisation
What is the age limit to participate in EVS? The EVS is open to young people between 17 and 30 years.
Do the volunteers need to have specific skills to take part in EVS project? The selection of volunteers should not be made according to the skills of the volunteers. EVS should be open to everybody. Nevertheless, a certain skills or abilities are sometimes mentioned as being a plus for specific tasks.
Where can EVS projects take place? The European Voluntary Service concerns all countries of the European Union, the EFTA countries( Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Macedonia and Turkey) and EECA countries( Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus). Furthermore, there are also some projects in other countries of the world.
What is EECA? EECA is the group of Eastern Europe and Caucasus countries that can be partners in Erasmus +: Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbeijan and Belarus.
Where can I find partner organizations? OTLAS is an online tool promoted by SALTO where organizations can search and find other partner organization to develop their own projects.
Do the volunteers need an insurance coverage? Specific plan designed to protect participants in EVS is provided free of charge to the volunteer. It is the responsibility of the sending or the coordinating organisation to enroll the volunteer.
Who can help the volunteer with visa problems? Both sending and host organisation have the responsibility to help the volunteer to obtain a visa, if needed.
Can the volunteers take some holidays? All volunteers are entitled to take 2 working days’ holiday per month, which means that you can take 24 days holiday during a 12 month placement. It is volunteer’ s choice how and when they use their holidays but they must discuss their holiday dates with the project supervisor at least one month before they plan to go.
Do the volunteers get free accommodation and food? The host organisation provides the volunteers with a suitable accommodation and food allowance throughout the entire service period including holidays.
Do the volunteers get pocket money? Yes, all EVS volunteers get a monthly allowance directly from the project depending on the hosting country.
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