Lattitude Contribution fee
Lattitude Global Volunteering is a charity. The fee requested by Lattitude is a contribution to the costs incurred in running the programmes in a manner that is safe for volunteers and ensures the longevity and benefit to host partners, as well as the development of the volunteers themselves. Running programmes properly requires investment. It takes the time and expertise of professionals, research, communication and travel expenses, constant monitoring and providing 24/7 support.
Lattitude Global volunteering fundraise to help cover these costs yet in order to meet the costs in their entirety we ask volunteers to pay a fee to help support this work.
Our Fee
Currently this fee is between £2300 and £2700 depending on where you volunteer
Although discounts are available for volunteers taking on second placements or returned volunteers looking to volunteer again.
For more information on costs including other costs to budget for please see: what are the costs?
Is this expensive?
We are very aware that £2300 may sound like a lot of money, especially when adding up the total cost of placements, such as flights, insurance etc. However, in comparison to other gap year activities, such as travelling alone, it represents excellent value. A Lattitude placement is structured. This means that we take the time to arrange the work you will be doing with your host, your accommodation and ensure that we match you with the most appropriate placement, so you don’t have to spend your time doing this. As a youth development charity, we want to ensure that you develop skills and confidence on your placement that will make a real difference to you when you apply for your first job or move into higher education. So not only is it actually great value for money, it is also an investment in your future.
In comparison to other organisations…
Compared to other organisations offering volunteering overseas placements we are among (if not the) cheapest organisation to provides specific types of placements with this level of support. Feel free to research this….
Many organisations you will see charge a fee for a set amount of months (usually 1 -3) and then charge extra weeks on top. Our placements are different as we have a set fee (donation) for the entirety of the placement – the length of which is set by the host based on their needs.
The easiest way to make a comparison is to work out the cost per week (inclusive of everything):
- 3 month placements: £312-430 per week
- 4 month placements: £234-323 per week
- 5 month placements: £187-258 per week
- 6 month placements: £156-215 per week
- 8 month placements: £117-161 per week
- 9 month placements: £104-143 per week
- 11 month placements: £85-117 per week
- 12 month placements: £78-107 per week
In most cases this will include accommodation and food (some placements in Ghana, Malawi and South Africa may also require extra food contribution of £1-10 a week), in some cases (Australia, Canada, China (some), Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Poland and Vietnam (some)) volunteers will also receive weekly / monthly pocket money. Meaning that the net cost of volunteering is significantly reduced.
In comparison to backpacking…
In almost all cases a Lattitude placement will be far cheaper than backpacking for the same amount of time. It would be very difficult to find food and accommodation for less than £46 a week whilst travelling. This is even more relevant in popular gap year destinations such as Australia or New Zealand where the local currency is very strong against the pound. This is also not taking into account the pocket money volunteers receive in these countries, which is an average of $100 a week.
Even in cheaper countries such as India or elsewhere in South East Asia, travelling on between £7-£26 a day (£46-£183 a week) is very difficult. Particularly in finding safe, comfortable accommodation and nutritious food.
In comparison to working…
You can of course opt to work at home for your year out. This will undoubtedly give you skills and experience in the work place that will prove to be useful in the future. In doing this you are earning too, without any initial expenditure. However, volunteering abroad also develops skills that are useful and transferable to the work place. As mentioned above, a year long placement can work out at very little a week, and in some cases most of that will be made back through the course of the year. By the end of the year there may be very little difference in cost.
In comparison to university…
Well university in the UK now costs around £9000 a year, not including living costs. This makes most things look cheap!
Furthermore you can fundraise
Being a charity enables volunteers to fundraise for their placements. Many of our volunteers do and we will always recommend this. In many ways it is part of the journey and a chance for you to demonstrate your skills and commitment. Many volunteers raise all the money they need this way, some in just one day / event! Others use it to support the savings from work or financial support they receive from their family and friends. Don’t forget, if you wish to fundraise, open up a justgiving account - it is then very easy for those helping you to give you an extra 20% through GiftAid (as long as they are a UK tax payer).
…and lastly, our bursary scheme
We are committed to making volunteering overseas as accessible as possible to young people. So if you believe you are a great candidate to volunteer but believe you will struggle to raise the funds necessary then you can apply for a grant from us! Please see our bursary scheme pages for more information
