Gain experience and use your skills by volunteering overseas.

To be eligible for a SWB placement, you must be at least 18 years of age. You must also be a current student or a recent graduate of a Canadian university or college. Some placements require that you be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada in order to apply. If this is a requirement, it is mentioned in the placement description.  

SWB placements begin in January, May or September of each year. Most placements last for 3 to 4 months, so that you can return to your studies afterwards! New placements are posted on the website 4 to 5 months prior to their start date.

The positions for Fall 2013 are now online! The application deadline for Fall placements is June 1^st.

See the "Find a Placement" section below for list of placements. If you are interested in submitting an application for one or more of the available placements, you must submit all of the following documents to swb@wusc.ca:

• A copy of your résumé;
• A letter of intent outlining why you are applying for a particular placement;
• Three (3) reference letters (including two academic);
• A list of no more than three (3) placements to which you wish to apply.

If you are applying for more than one placement, please indicate an order of preference in your letter of intent.

Countries

• Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru
• Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mali (temporarily inactive), Senegal
• Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam

Areas of Work

• Agriculture and Rural Development
• Formal and Informal Education
• Communications and Marketing (strategies and tools)
• Environmental and Resource Management
• Equality Between Women and Men
• Health (including HIV and AIDS) and Nutrition
• Local Economic Development
• Refugee Issues
• Youth Empowerment and Engagement

See all current placement opportunities for Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada by clicking the following button.

Fall 2013 placements are now online! The application deadline is June 1^st.

If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, if you want to do an internship in Cambodia or Sri Lanka or if none of the previous opportunities interest you, consult the "Other Internship Positions" section below to see what we can offer you.

See below for placement opportunities that are available to all current students and recent graduates from Canadian universities and colleges, regardless of citizenship.

Note that the positions are displayed in the language in which the internship will take place; the Spanish countries are the exception since the internships will be in Spanish but the positions are displayed in English or French, as received.

Q. The deadline to apply for a placement that interests me has passed. Can I still send you my application?

Yes. You can always send us your application and we will let you know if the placement you want to apply for is still available, if it is not the case we will contact you to see if there are other available placements that might interest you.

Q. Why are there two different types of placements with different conditions?

Some placements are partially financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); this is why some placements can only be filled by citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

However, to allow everyone the opportunity to participate in the SWB program, we offerother internship opportunities which do not require Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.

Q. What kind of accommodations can I expect?

Accommodations differ from one country to another, and from one town to another. Usually, SWB volunteers live in one of the following accommodation types:

• Host Family
• In their own apartment
• With other volunteers
• In a Guest house

Q. Do I have to cover some fees or costs?

Yes, there is a cost to participate in the program and it can differ depending of the country and the length of the internship. Placement fees and costs are described on each placement description

“My time in Malawi and in Dzaleka has reinforced my desire to pursue opportunities abroad, but also exposed the importance of the work I do at home in Toronto, helping immigrants and refugees in my community. I have learned so many valuable things that I can apply back in Canada working with newcomers. Spending time with the Student Refugee Program youth has been such an enriching experience, as they have taught me patience and challenged me on my cultural understandings of social interaction and cultural diversity. I will take away from this experience a stronger self, as I move forward with my career, supporting migration through cultural understanding.”

- Ashley Korn,Student Refugee Program Assistant — Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi

“My internship as Assistant to the Dean at Vietnam National University (Hanoi) has been challenging and educational on many different levels. It has helped highlight the important cross-cultural communication and observation skills which are essential to surviving in a foreign work place. Additionally, it has served as a conduit through which I am starting to understand the tangible impact of globalization while thousands of kilometers away from my home in Canada. If asked ‘Adam would you complete an internship again?’ the answer would be an unequivocal ‘YES’. It is because of this certainty that I know I have grown in many ways from my time in Vietnam. Hopefully, this growth will give me the opportunity to come back to this amazing country once more!”

- Adam Pennell, Dean’s Assistant, Vietnam National University, Hanoi