WHY AN EVS ?
First of all, you maybe wonder how this idea of a european volunteering service occurs? All began of a talk with a friend from Amélie ’s class (thank you Anne-Gaëlle) who had realized a european volunteering service in Slovakia the past year. This idea really interested Amélie, that’s why she suggested proposed it to Jonathan. We already both feel like going foreign at the end of our studies and we were studying different possibilities to realise this desire. The idea of a departure as volunteers in Europe was really attractive. Amélie’s sister had also heard a broadcasting on the radio about it and which specifies that the programme was looking for new volunteers.

OUR METHOD ?
After asking for information, especially to Anne-Gaëlle, who was happy to share her experience with us, we decided to thrust this adventure. From March to July, we often refer to the projects in the database from the European Union.

We had chosen to concentrate especially in projects directly linked with our studies that is to say in the tourism, heritage and environment fields.

But it is only in July that we really change up. We reached our regional structure in France (to know the contact of your department go on this site ) which give us more information about european volunteering service and the method to follow.

Then, we sent numerous covering letters in english or in the language of the country when we knew it in all over Europe, in the structures which proposed projects related with our main interests. After, it is time to wait a positive answer. The structures sometimes answer a little bit late but never become discouraged ! At the beginning we received a lot of negative answers because the structures often already have a volunteer or because they could only host one of us. In addition, it is not easy to find a common project for a couple because one of the objectives of the european volonteering service is to encourage cultural meetings. As a result, people who come from different countries and who don’t know each other at the beginning have priority.

Although it may daunt sometimes, you must persevere ! One day, the positive answer will come.

Our positive answer finally came in October, after a phone call to one structure which haven’t answer yet : a nature reserve in Estonia. The director had been interested by our application and was ready to accept both of us.

Only once the project found, the approach become quickly, meeting with our regional coordinator in France, exchanging emails with the estonian structure, making a lot of administrative work to set up our application dossier. And then you had to wait for a definitive positive answer : in fact the dossier is examined before by numerous commissions.

WHY ESTONIA ?
First, we both rather be interested by a change of scene. We both already have traveled different european countries, and it appears us exciting to leave and discover together a country that none of us really knew. Then we discovered our predecessor’s blog which feels like a lot going there.

A LAST PIECE OF ADVICE ?
Keep in mind : Getting a european volunteering service takes a long time : about 6 months minimum from the seeking and the departure, but the only thing to succeed is motivation. Then if you have the will, don’t hesitate, come on !