Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by people around the world concerning volunteering for AFS. Please contact the AFS office in your home country for further clarifications and with any other questions about Volunteering or for going abroad with AFS.
How do I become an AFS Volunteer?
Please contact the AFS office in your country to learn more about the many opportunities for volunteering.
What are AFS Volunteers responsible for?
There are many ways you can help AFS with your volunteer time. AFS volunteers on a local level help coordinate recruitment, selection, placement, preparation and support activities for AFS participants and host families. Volunteers also help with fundraising and volunteer training and development. Local volunteers also arrange various social AFS activities and events. Regional and national volunteers coordinate various activities on a broader scale and some may also serve as members of the AFS Board in their AFS organization.
Do I need to speak a second language to become an AFS Volunteer?
Not necessarily. Volunteers are not required to speak any second language.
Do I need to host a participant to become an AFS Volunteer?
No, as noted above, there are many ways that you can volunteer for AFS. You may choose to be part of a local team that helps screen AFS applicants, or, you may choose to be a local contact for an AFS participant and his/her host family. Your interests might lead you to be an organizer of social events for the AFS group in your home community, or you may have skills which would serve the AFS Board in your country well. AFS welcomes everyone’s talents and desires to serve and learn. We feel that each volunteer opportunity is also a chance for the volunteer to learn and enjoy the AFS experience from another perspective.
How much time do I need to give to AFS as a Volunteer?
There is no set requirement for how much time you give AFS. Some volunteers choose to focus their work on a single activity within their community. A volunteer in the screening process may participate in 3-4 interviews with applicants and help the local committee decide which participants will be forwarded on to the next level of screening. Other volunteers may act as the President of the local AFS group and coordinate activities and meetings all year. AFS welcomes your gifts and commitment at the level you are able to give.
