FAQ about VIA Asia Programs
General
What makes a VIA experience unique?
What about safety?
Why do I have to pay to volunteer?
Eligibility
Who can become a VIA participant?
Do I have to go the the VIA office in California to interview?
Do I have to attend all the training sessions?
Do I need to speak the language?
Do I have to have teaching experience to teach English?
Can I speak to former volunteers and current volunteers?
Long-Term Specific
What will I do as a VIA volunteer?
How many hours a week will I volunteer?
How much will I be paid?
Can friends and couples volunteer together?
Will I be in a rural or urban community?
Will all long-term posts listed on your website be open next year?
Do I get to choose which long-term post I go to?
Do I get to choose which country I am posted in?
Should I volunteer for one or two years?
General
What about safety?
Safety is always a concern for VIA. Our home office staff and
in-country staff regularly follow the news and State Department
warnings. In case of emergencies such as political upheaval, natural
disaster, or illness, VIA has staff on the ground to respond to
situations 24 hours a day. VIA has emergency and evacuation plans in
place, such as for a possible bird flu pandemic. Volunteers are also
required to submit emergency/evacuation plans once they arrive at their
posts.
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Why do I have to pay to volunteer?
VIA's status as a non-governmental organization means that we do not
receive any government funding and can maintain our independent status.
Participation fees only cover a small portion of the costs associated
with running volunteer programs and supporting volunteers during
pre-departure and in-country. These include recruitment, training, home
office and in-country staff support, flights, visa, insurance,
living/housing stipends, conference, etc. VIA provides more support
than many of our peer organizations.
See our Fees page to read more about the benefits of going with an organization over going on your own.
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Eligibility
Who can become a VIA participant?
VIA program participants range in age from 18 to 80 and come from many
different walks of life. Interest in Asia, cultural immersion and a
simple lifestyle bring a diverse group of volunteers together. VIA does
not require any specific educational background, prior language
training, teaching or overseas experience. However, to become a VIA
participant, you must meet the following requirements:
- Participants must speak English with native fluency.
- One
and two year volunteers must have a B.A. or B.S. degree at time of
departure. (Exceptions can occasionally be made. Contact the office
with questions.)
- All participants must attend and take part in all aspects of training.
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Do I have to go the the VIA office in California to interview?
 No.
Not only do we have a large network of enthusiastic alumni who
interview candidates outside of California, but our country program
directors will be traveling to certain regional hubs, such as New York
City, Washington D.C., Madison (Wisconsin), Los Angeles, and Seattle,
to interview applicants along with alumni. However, if you interview at
the VIA office you are most likely guaranteed to meet with the country
program director and alumni of the specific country program you're most
interested in.
We will determine the interview locations once we have assessed the
geographic distribution of applicants. If you are concerned about the
interview locations, we recommend that you submit your application or
contact our office early in the process as we may be able to arrange
something. First-round interviews are conducted by phone or skype and second round interviews will be in-person with a VIA program director. All accepted and confirmed long-term volunteers are required to attend our weekend training in California from April 9 - 11.
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Do I have to attend all the training sessions?
Yes. All training sessions are mandatory. In some cases, exceptions
are made such as if an applicant has prior experience in-country.
However, applicants who can attend all trainings will receive priority
in the selection process.
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Do I need to speak the language?
You do NOT need to speak the language for most posts with VIA,
although language skills will help you adapt to the culture more
quickly. Some posts do require some language skills and you can find
out which ones by reading the post descriptions. VIA strongly
encourages volunteers to begin language classes or tutoring once
accepted.
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Do I have to have teaching experience to teach English?
Teaching experience is definitely preferred, but not required. We are
looking for volunteers who have enthusiasm and desire to learn about
Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL). All volunteers
are strongly encouraged to enroll in TESOL classes and observe ESL
classes once accepted. VIA provides a two-week introductory TESOL
course for all English teaching volunteers that will cover basic syllabus design, lesson
planning, and classroom management.
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Can I speak to former volunteers and current volunteers?
Yes! We encourage everybody who is considering our programs to get
in touch with former or current volunteers. You may even contact a
volunteer who has volunteered at a post you are interested in. Please
contact us to do this.
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Long-Term Specific
What will I do as a VIA volunteer?
Most VIA volunteers serve as either an English teacher or English resource volunteer.
As an English teacher, you will be posted at a local university,
college or middle school. You will be responsible for creating lesson
plans and teaching courses as varied as speaking, writing, literature,
business English or film. No previous teaching experience is required.
Long-term volunteers will receive a two-week TESOL course.
As an English resource volunteer, you will work at a local
non-profit. You may be editing journal articles, helping with grant
reports, or supporting field work. Most English resource volunteers
also tutor their co-workers in spoken and written English.
For more details, please visit the 1 and 2 year volunteer program pages for the country of your interest.
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How many hours a week will I volunteer?
Most long-term English teaching positions require a maximum of 16
hours/week of class time. Prep time, grading, office hours or other activities are not included. Some long-term
English resource positions require up to 40 hours/week. Summer programs
positions vary.
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How much will I be paid?
Living stipends vary from country to country and city to city depending
on the cost of living. You may receive from $50 to $300 depending on
your city's cost of living. The living is stipend is comparable to that
of a local salary and allows you to live comfortably at a local level.
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Can friends and couples volunteer together?
VIA is generally able to accommodate friends and couples wanting to
volunteer together. Some of our posts have capacity for more than one
volunteer. Other posts are close enough for volunteers to see each
other frequently. Because not all posts are available each year, it is
important to speak with a program director if you feel strongly about
being posted together.
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Will I be in a rural or urban community?
VIA has long-term posts in both rural and urban communities. As part
of the posting process you will be given a chance to list your
preferences.
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Will all long-term posts listed on your website be open next year?
No, not all posts listed on our website will be open next year. Because
our volunteers have the choice to spend either one or two years at
their posts, some of the posts listed on the website will be filled by
a second year volunteer. Also, at our annual long-term in-country
conferences, volunteers vote on opening new posts and closing old
posts. If you have questions about a specific post, please contact the
program director for that country.
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Do I get to choose which long-term post I go to?
You do not get to choose the exact post you are placed at, however
you do have the opportunity to express your interest in specific posts.
Many volunteers receive one of their top three choices. However, we ask
that volunteers be flexible and consider the needs of the program and
our partners.
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Do I get to choose which country I am posted in?
When you submit your application we ask you to specify a country interest. If you are interested
in more than one program, we encourage you to speak with the program
directors and current volunteers. We do ask volunteers to be flexible, particularly volunteers who are interested in English resource work, as particular thematic postings may not be available in all countries. Please use your application to indicate your country and thematic preferences and to elaborate on your degree of flexibility.
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Should I volunteer for one or two years?
VIA encourages you to commit to two years of volunteer service from the
start. If you choose to commit to one year, you will be asked in early
spring if you would like to extend for a second year. Extensions are
based on mutual satisfaction between you, your post, and VIA. We
encourage all volunteers to stay for a second year because it will
allow you to have a much more enriching experience and it benefits your
post. Don't take our word for it. Here are testimonials from two recent
volunteers:
"It DOES feel good to walk into the University this time and have
the confidence of knowing where I'm going, what I'm doing, and who I'll
be working with. It feels good to get a smile and a wave from the guy
who parks my bike. It feels good to have the cleaning lady in our
building get excited to see me again. It just... feels good. I think
back to June when last year's vols left, and I'm SO happy I wasn't one
of them. I feel like they left just before the best part. The first
year is hard. You spend your time figuring things out. But, the second
year...well, it is already so much better." Amy Cherry, Hanoi University of Foreign Studies, Vietnam, 2005-07
"I signed on for two years because when I talked to past vols about it,
they were overwhelmingly in favor of the benefits gained for two vs.
one year. It didn't seem to matter whether the vol him/herself had
actually stayed on for 2 years or not. The ones who didn't wished they
did, and the ones who did gushed enthusiasm for their choice. When I
made my decision to stay for 2 years, I was a little apprehensive. Two
years of my life seemed like a huge commitment. But my second year is
winding to its end, and I am not looking forward to leaving. Two years
IS more of a commitment, and that alone changed my outlook on what I
was doing. I didn't have the luxury of thinking, oh well, if I don't
like this, it'll be all over soon. Because I knew I was here for the
(relatively) long haul, I had to push myself harder to do more. Knowing
that I'd be coming back the second year, everything I did in the first
year was consciously a building block for the next year. I have never
regretted my decision. The second year is heads and shoulders better
than the first. Relationships reach a deeper level; my teaching has
improved tremendously; my position in the community is more stable; I
have learned more about myself in the past 16 months than my whole
college career." Tien Truong, Dalat University, Vietnam, 2004-2006; Pre-Collegiate Program, Myanmar, 2006-07
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