How to frame volunteering abroad for university applications

Many people wonder whether taking the time and money to volunteer abroad is “worth it” and if it can truly benefit your education or career.

The answer is an overwhelming yes, especially when you add it to your university or job applications and CV. That means you need to know how to frame your experience as time spent positively.

Read on to find out what you might gain from your international volunteering or internship experience and how you can clearly and cleverly discuss it in future.

What skills can you gain by volunteering or interning abroad?

Volunteering or interning abroad gives you the chance to not only develop practical skills in your field, like conservation or medicine, but also personal skills like confidence, independence, and adaptability.

This is because you’ll support community initiatives and learn directly from experienced professionals around the world while also immersing in local cultures. This provides you with a valuable learning experience both in and out of your service hours.

The practical skills you learn will, of course, depend on what you choose to do. For example, one thing a conservation volunteer may learn is how to set up and monitor camera traps, while a medical volunteer could learn suturing, first aid, or pick up shadowing hours.

The transferable skills for your CV, however, are a little harder to identify and talk about. By volunteering abroad, you can develop:

Confidence and independence — stepping beyond your comfort zone and challenging yourself to navigate life in a new country
Leadership and teamwork — working with and learning from experienced professionals and other volunteers in your field
Adaptability and resilience — understanding that things sometimes don’t go to plan when travelling, and handling these circumstances calmly
Emotional intelligence and empathy — building meaningful connections with people from diverse backgrounds and developing a deeper sense of empathy and perspective.
Cross-cultural communication — enhancing your global perspective, understanding new viewpoints, and finding ways to overcome communication barriers

Real stories from our volunteers abroad

We regularly survey participants to ask what they took from their experience. Here’s what they said:

96% feel more confident interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds
94% think they now have a better understanding of global issues and challenges
93% say the skills and knowledge they gained will help them in future, listing their general life, education, and career as the most positively impacted
91% believe they are better prepared to handle life’s challenges

Plus, many of our Trustpilot reviews hint at the personal development you can get from international volunteering and internships.

“Everything about this trip was very insightful. I had a wonderful time experiencing a new culture and learning about the medical field. This trip has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the field of medicine that interests me the most, confirming that the field I initially wanted to pursue is one I am willing to undertake and capable of handling.”

- Zara, Medicine Internship in Nepal for Teenagers, January 2026

“We could not recommend this experience more, it was well priced, extremely well organised and supported in the lead up and then locally on the trip. Great self development for young people. Our son wanted it to keep going!”

- Greg and Mary, parents to a Childcare volunteer in Cambodia, January 2026

Why these skills are essential

There is a common paradox in employment where: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. You may also need some sort of experience when applying to hyper competitive universities.

So, how do you fill the gaps in your CV and get your first job with no experience? Prove that you have the necessary skills through other life experiences (and volunteer in the field you’re interested in!).

Both Indeed and Bright Network list many of the skills we’ve discussed as entry level skills, which universities and employers will look for when selecting applicants. These aren’t just fillers to artificially inflate your application, they are specifically desirable traits.

Let’s go through the skills you can gain from volunteering abroad again, this time focusing on why universities and employers like to see them.

Confidence and independence — demonstrates that you can manage your own time, take the initiative, and won’t need “hand-holding” or micromanaging. This helps you motivate and believe in yourself when you need to make tough decisions.
Leadership and teamwork — every job and most university work is collaborative, and it is good to show that you can work with others and take the lead when needed. This means listening to, understanding, and supporting others to achieve a shared goal.
Adaptability and resilience — work is unpredictable, especially with new technologies and shifting deadlines, so it’s important that you keep up and keep going. You need to be able to come up with solutions to issues quickly to prevent delays and problems with your work.
Emotional intelligence and empathy — shows that you are good at building and maintaining relationships, both in and out of work, with all kinds of people. You can help resolve conflicts, understand different points of view, and help with negotiations.
Cultural awareness and communication — being a strong communicator is arguably the most important skill to have on any application. Every university project and job role needs communication, and it is especially important when meeting people from different cultures.

But again, noting these down on an application is just the start. You need to be able to prove it with real stories when you speak to the real person across the interview table.

How to present this experience on your CV or in an interview

You need a slightly different approach when trying to demonstrate your skills on your CV and in interviews. Your CV is where you state your skills, your interview is where you explain them.

While listing your trip and explaining what happened is a start, universities and jobs really want to see how you’ve grown and how it is relevant to them. In the UK, for example, the University and College Admissions Service [UCAS] recommends demonstrating your passion for the subject and reflecting on what you found challenging to show you're ready for the rigours of a degree.

How to describe volunteering on your CV

List the skills mentioned above alongside your achievements and write a small paragraph describing your volunteering experience, somewhere near your education or career section.

That way, the person reading your application can see at a glance how and why you have these skills, helping you stand out immediately.

Plus, travelling to far-flung places with vastly different cultures, like Japan, Tanzania, or Peru, are great ways to get people talking.

Consider also putting this experience on your LinkedIn profile, describing what you did, the experience you gained, and the skills you developed as a result.

How to discuss volunteering in an interview

If you get called in for an interview, this is where you need to really explain your experience and how you developed these skills. Our advice is to always think back to the STAR method:

Situation: What happened?
Task: What did you need to do?
Action: What did you actually do?
Result: How did it go?

Following this framework means every skill has a strong story behind it and proves that you aren’t exaggerating your skillset. Here’s an example of the STAR method in action for cultural awareness and communication skills:

Situation: teaching basic English to students who are hesitant to participate in the fun games that were planned
Task: adapt your teaching style to be more culturally appropriate and effective for their learning needs
Action: research local social norms, finding that students valued a more formal, respectful teacher-student dynamic. Adjust your tone and try more traditional exercises
Result: Participation increased significantly, demonstrating that effective communication isn't just about what you say, but about understanding the cultural context of the person listening

Here’s a second example, looking at the confidence and independence skills:

Situation: travelling abroad and flying on your own for the first time
Task: prepare for your trip, navigate the airport solo, and make your connecting flight without worrying if things will go wrong
Action: triple check that you have all your documents and have weighed your luggage, thoroughly research all airports and processes, and stay in touch with the team who are meeting you
Result: arrive safely and on time with everything you needed to enjoy a fantastic experience

This framework can be used to discuss all sorts of skills, and don’t forget to talk about the practical skills you picked up, too!