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My European Solidarity Corps Experience 🇪🇺 || One year as a volunteer in Croatia
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ม.ค. 2021
- Hey! This is for all those who are going to do participate in a European Solidarity Corps project or who want to know more about it. In 2018 I went to Croatia for eleven months to be an ESC volunteer and I still get a lot of questions about my experience so that's why I've made this video. If you have any questions, you can always let me know :)
For more information about European Solidarity Corps
European Youth Portal - europa.eu/yout...
My instagram: / lisabrigitte
Thank you so much for the advice Lisa! You helped me to prepare for my ESC and now, in the last month of it, I can totally relate to everything...❤ (Well, the traveling part turned out cheaper for me, but I also didn't travel each weekend hihi)
One of the most detailed and wholesome videos about what ESC is all about!!
hey lisa, thank you for this video, it really helped me. I currently am in almost the same situation you were: I’m also 18 and I will go to France for 11 months. Im very excited but also very scared, which is why I watched this video to kind of prepare myself and calm myself down. There are a lot of things I worry about, like missing my family and friends or being lonely etc. I hope that my experience will be a good one, I’m aware that there will be ups and downs but I really want to do this and enjoy my time in France, as well as improving my French skills (which are very low haha). I hope you are doing well right now - again, thank you very much :)
Hi! Glad to hear that this video helped you 🥰 I am also going to France for one semester in September, what a coincidence haha. Enjoy your European Solidarity Corps!
Hey! Just wondering how is your esc going so far? I am currently 18 starting my esc in Italy. Let me know, I would love to ask you couple of questions:)
What an amazing experience! I wish I took a gap year before university, travelling around Europe sounds like a dream 🤩
Yes it truly was, although of course it wasn’t all perfect haha. But especially looking back on it now during a pandemic I’m even more grateful that I took a gap year to explore the world a bit ✨
Hello, Lisa, You are a great help! I am going to ESC next month to Romania. I am going for the 1-year program, I just want to know, How do you think these volunteer services helped you or can help you to get a job? I mean is this something that adds value to your resume. I will be happy if you answer.
Hey! So great that you're going to Romania for your ESC. I think volunteering can definitely help when searching for a job later on, it's a great way to get more experience especially if it's related to the field you would like to work in. I know several volunteers that found jobs through their ESC or it made them a more interesting candidate for a job. However, I personally have done my ESC straight after high school and am now studying in university so I don't really have experience with finding a job after my ESC. But I'm 100% sure that it is definitely a plus and that it can help a lot when finding a job! I hope this helps and have fun on your ESC project :)
@@lisasknitclub so happy to revive a feedback from you . I am also a TH-camr and I can understand how hard it is to reply each one. Thank you so much 💜
Hi Lisa! I’m not sure if you are still answering questions under this video, but if you, could you please let me know who long it takes to get an answer from the organization after you apply? I applied to several projects and I am not sure if I am not accepted at all or they just haven’t made the decision yet. Thank you in advance)
Have they reached our yet? I'm actually curious
Thank u sm for sharing your experience! I am also planning on volunteering so this helps a lot
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you learned from it. Very cool!
Hello! I don’t know if you’re still reading comments, but I wanted to ask, if the accommodation is gender mixed??? I know your roommates were all girls but do the kitchen or bathroom is shared if in your ESC project there was boys?
I’m starting an ESC in September and even though the organisation told me bedroom were shared with someone of the same gender, I don’t want to share bathrooms and all with the opposite gender
They told me there will be other volunteer in the accommodation but I don’t know if it means sharing like the apartment with also the opposite gender
Sorry for that question if it’s seems stupid, I’m quite picky on this kind of details :(
Thank you for this video!
Hey! In my case it was not mixed, we were all girls, but this is not always the case. Usually, the flats were mixed genders. So I would ask the organisation you are going to volunteer at about this to be sure :)
@@lisasknitclub thanks for your response ! :)
Hello!!! Thanks for this wonderful video. ☺️ I was wondering, once you apply and you go through the Skype interview, do you need to contact some kind of organisation from your own country? Do you have to train before you leave? Also, do you get holidays or days off? For instance, if you need to go home for a few days, maybe during the weekend, can it happen?
Hi, no problem! I am not sure what the procedure is right now but when I did my ESC you had to have a sending organisation from your own country. But just ask your receiving organisation if you need this. I did have one pre-departure training of one afternoon before leaving, it was hosted by the national agency but it was not mandatory.
For holidays, I got 2 free days per month and you could accumulate them so yes you can take days off.
I hope this helps :)
@@lisasknitclub I see, thank you so much!!! And one last question, if I may 😊 When it comes to the food/pocket money (which is usually about 300 euro) how do they give it to you? Every month on the first of the month? And in cash or do you need to open a bank account in the country you're volunteering?
@@elektra56765did u get any answer? I'm going in June for 2 month, flat with locals and 5€ per day for food. Sending organization says it's for some catering, but the organisers don't have anything like that on their page... esc says they have to provide us with healthy meals etc but is it possible for only 5€?
i think it was an amazing experience for you,i hope i can be part of ESC project.
Thank you
What happens if the volunteer needs to leave suddenly, or if he/she doesnt like the work environment there? I am in such a situation :( I cant imagine staying this whole year T.T But I dont want to pay like 10.000 grant back!
Hi! I'm sorry to hear, I would first and foremost encourage you to talk with the organisation and talk about the possibilities. It's been a couple years since I did my project so I'm not sure if the rules have changed but back when I was a volunteer you could leave whenever you wanted to without having to pay back anything. But I would recommend you to talk with your organisation or the national agency (or maybe during mid term or on-arrival training?). Hope this helps!
@@lisasknitclub Wow that's such a fast response! Thank you! I have discussed this with my sending organisation and they said that I can leave whenever I want. The hosting organisation is more hesitant though, they are quite strict when they are discussing the termination with their own volunteers so I am a little afraid...
It's unfortunately not been the experience I hoped for :( No other volunteers, no other erasmus, and the work is in a language I can't speak well - even though I was VERY clear about that. I am basically on facebook 7 out of 8 hours I am there.It's not something sustainable long-term, I'd rather have a normal job tbh XD
@@zofilep3612 I'm sorry it's not the experience you hoped for! I really hope you still learned something and got something out of the experience. But I would 100% choose for yourself and go if you don't want to stay anymore, there's no point in wasting your time! I would definitely report this to your hosting and sending organisation and also the national agency because it's really bad that the organisation is treating you like this.
@@lisasknitclub I will let them know. The hosting organisation is accomodating apart from that, but they should have been more clear with me. There were other organisations that wanted the volunteer to speak well a specific language, and I turned them down to avoid this kind of mess .I would have appreciated the honesty, now we are all wasting time :) Thank you for your support and advice!
Hello, I am currently doing my esc in Italy and I am in a similar situation like you. If you don't mind I would like to ask yoh a couple of questions. Let me know, thanks!:)
I was also wondering how open you are as a volunteer to tavel. Like are you allowed to do anything throughout the weekend? Or are there any restrictions?
Hi! Good to hear that the video has helped you, and cool that you're also planning on volunteering :) As far as I know there aren't any restrictions. In the weekends you can do whatever you want although in some projects they ask you to work in the weekends (and then you'll have free days throughout the week), and you can also travel. My organisation just always asked us to let them know if we would be leaving the country but that's more because of safety than as a restriction. Hope this helps!
@@lisasknitclub thank u, yes this definitely helped! That sounds so nice🤗
hey, I don't know if you're still reading comments, but did you have to pay your visit back home yourself or did the organization took the over the cost?
Yes I’m still reading the comments :) the flight back home for Christmas was paid by me but you get pocket money and you could use that for a flight of course. The flight to your project and the flight back at the end of your volunteering project are paid by the organisation but not the trips back home in between. Hope this helps 😊
thank you so much :) I applied for a project in Croatia too, but I don't know if I'm brave enough to actually go trough it haha
@@kr1244 I would really recommend it! In the end you will learn a lot from it even though it might be really scary
Hello! I am soon having a skype meeting for an ESC project as well! I wanted to ask you what was the meeting like, did they ask you specific questions or was it a sort of self-introducing call? Thank you :)
Hi Laura! So cool that you'll have a skype meeting soon, good luck :) In my case they just asked some question about my motivation and about me as a person. So I would just prepare some basic questions about what you would like to do and why, and it is also really good if you have questions to ask to the organisation. The skype meetings are normally just a way for them to get to know you and for you to get to know them a bit as well, good luck and let me know how it went 🍀
@@lisasknitclub thanks for the answer 🌸 10 minutes before the call I got an email saying they won't be able to meet me and that we will keep in touch but I didn't hear from them. Guess they found someone else🤷🏻♀️😔 such a disappointment.
@@laurar9656 Ohh that’s too bad! And also not really that nice of them to not let you know. But I’m sure you’ll find something else :)
Thank you Lisa! =) Really interesting! I'm ready for an experience like this! =)
When you returned to your family on Christmas, how did you do with flight ticket?
I never bought a flight ticket from apps, have you any suggests? Maybe they refund also that like "extra", or not? Let me know gently!
Hi, so great to hear that you also might want to volunteer! I bought the flight on skyscanner, but there are many apps. As far as I know most tickets are not refunded but you get pocket money during your time as an ESC volunteer and with that money you can of course buy the flight :)
@@lisasknitclub wow!! Thank you a ton!!! I'll know in this days If I'll be take like volunteer!!!🤩I'm ready for Sweden!🇸🇪
Hi from Italy, Milan🇮🇹
Thanks for sharing! Hope you are doing fine after the pandemic :o Pozdrav!
Thank youuu
I like your video that's nice, im thinking of applying to this but i got some freelancing work do you think i can manage that or we do volunteering full time? And how many hours required during a day?
Hi! Yes I totally think you can manage that, I volunteered 30 hours per week but the days and exact times were very flexible. Many volunteers I knew were finishing their masters or doing some online work on the side, I guess if you are good at planning and managing your time you will be totally fine! But it’s good to discuss this with the organisation you would be volunteering in to make sure if they are flexible. Good luck! 🥰
@@lisasknitclub i get it now thank you so much sweety for the information 😊 and happy that you enjoyed your volunteering work, i hope i will get the chance for it also ☺
Thank you for sharing, did they have a problem with english level?
Glad to hear that the video helps! I don’t know exactly what you mean but I personally did not have any problem with that. My English was quite good before going abroad but even if your English level is not that high you will be fine as well. I know many volunteers who barely knew English before doing their ESC and they have improved so much, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much!
Hello, how many projects have you applied to?
Hey! I was actually really lucky and just applied to only one and got accepted but I would recommend to apply to at least 10 or even more, just keep looking till you’ve found a good match, good luck! 🥰
@@lisasknitclub Thank you very much🥰 I applied for 35 projects but I still haven't been accepted :(
@@busenuraydogan9683 Ohh that's too bad! I guess with corona now it is much more difficult, but I know many volunteers that also had applied to many many projects and eventually found one so I am sure it will happen to you too 💗
@@lisasknitclub thanks for your answ💓 I hope 🌸