If you have any questions not covered by our volunteering or project co-ordinators questions then please contact us.

Volunteering Questions

Why should I join Ecoteer and not another volunteer organisation?
What age do I need to be to volunteer?
Can I volunteer with my family?
I've found a placement. Now what do I do?
Can Ecoteer arrange the placement for me?
Do I need insurance?
What sort of people volunteer with Ecoteer?
What if I want to cut my placement short or extend it further?
What if I want to backpack at the same time? Can I mix the two?
Can more than one person go on the same placement?
How do I get to my placements?
Does Ecoteer pay for my flights?

Project Manager Questions

How do I register my project or eco-lodge with Ecoteer?
What benefits do I get by registering?

Volunteering Questions

Why should I join Ecoteer and not another volunteer organisation?
The main reasons for joining Ecoteer are the cost benefits to you and knowing any money you do spend goes only to the project on the ground. Ecoteer placements all cost the minimal amount by eliminating middlemen organizations. Projects do vary in cost but in general all you need to pay for are transportation, insurance and spending money. Accommodation and food are sometimes covered by the project.

Ecoteer placements also tend to have a greater emphasis on your participation with the local community. You will get the opportunity to interact with the local community and spend your money at locally run shops and amusements. By spending your money in the local community everybody benefits and you learn a great deal through these interactions.

Ecoteer members also get discounts on World Nomads travel insurance, Go-sim the cheapest pay as you go international sim card and free language guides which are downloadable to your ipod.

What age do I need to be to volunteer?
To volunteer with Ecoteer you need to be 18 or above or volunteer with your guardian at the project at the same.

Can I volunteer with my family?
Yes but please bear in mind that volunteering includes working and the conditions may not be suitable for young children. Therefore we recommend you volunteer with children who are 14 years old or above.

I've found a placement. Now what do I do?
You will need to become an Ecoteer member, you can do this by following the link called 'register' in the top right-hand corner of the homepage and fill in the form. An administrative fee is required and can be paid by PayPal or a cheque made payable to Ecoteer sent by post. The annual fee is £15.00 or a life-time fee is £25.00. You will be issued with your own Ecoteer members control panel which you can login from any computer using your username and password. In your control panel you can contact the placements, discuss volunteering on our forums, bookmark your favourite placements, receive regular emails from Ecoteer and project managers and receive great discounts.

Direct communication between you and the placement is strongly advised to build a friendship with the co-ordinator and to ensure you know what you will be doing when volunteering.

Can Ecoteer arrange the placement for me?
Unfortunately not. We are a small organisation and to arrange each placement would be too costly for us. The reduction in admin work is what makes the Ecoteer volunteer placements so cheap.

However, we will strive to provide you with the benefit of our own experiences and try to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Do I need insurance?
We STRONGLY emphasize Ecoteer can not be held responsible for any damage, loss of belongings, health problems etc. whilst you are on placement. Therefore we recommend you have your own personal travel insurance. We have partnered with World Nomads whose travel insurance is recommended by many including Lonely Planet - Ecoteer members receive a 10% discount (not including citizens of North America).

What sort of people volunteer with Ecoteer?
Anybody and everybody! We accept people regardless of age, ability or race. A desire for new experiences and a willingness to learn and help are the most important attributes.

What if I want to cut my placement short or extend it further?
As you are volunteering you may terminate your placement whenever you want. Leaving early would not affect any placements you do through us at a later date. An extension of your placement is totally up to the discretion of the project co-ordinator but in general extensions are welcomed!

Can more than one person go on the same placement?
Yes, as long as the placement has room. Going on placements in groups of two or three can benefit a lot of travellers. One Ecoteer placement has even had a group of 15 Ecoteer volunteers at one time.

How do I get to my placements?
You will be responsible for the main portion of travel to your placement. However, due to the remoteness of some of the locations the placements may offer you transportation from a nearby settlement.

Does Ecoteer pay for my flights?
Unfortunately not, the cost of transportation must be covered 100% by the volunteer themselves.

Project Manager Questions

How do I register my project or eco-lodge with Ecoteer?
To register your project simply follow the 'register' link at the top right hand corner of the homepage. You will need to fill in the form for your project and then submit this to Ecoteer. We ask each project to submit two volunteer references whom we contact to validate the projects before they are activated on our site. Placing your project on our site is free however we do ask for you to display our logo on your website homepage and contact your volunter references before we activate your project.

Once your project has been activated you will be able to access your control panel where you can add new projects, contact volunteers and access the Ecoteer forums where you can talk with other grass root organisations and share your experiences and knowledge.

What benefits do I get by registering?
Each registered project will have an individual web page to promote themselves to potential volunteers and a control panel to receive emails and access the Ecoteer forums. The forums will allow you to contact other grass root organisations around the world allowing you to share your knowledge. You will also get news on updates and achievements of the site.