Frequently asked questions

European Solidarity Corps

1. Who can participate?
2. What are the program and partner countries?
3. I have taken part in short-term European Solidarity Corps volunteering. Can I apply?
4. Can I participate as a person with a disability or long-term illness?
5. What language skills do I need to have?
6. How much does it cost to take part in the European Solidarity Corps?
7. When and how can I apply?
8. What is a sending (supporting organisation? How can I get one?
9. How can I get a Participant Reference Number?
10. What should I write as host organiastion in the application form?
11. What is a complete application?
12. I wish for support in applying. Who should I contact?
13. What criteria do you have for selecting the volunteers?
14. How and when can I know if I’m selected as a volunteer?

1. Who can participate?

You are eligible to participate in European Solidarity Corps volunteering throug Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finand if you are

• between 18 and 30 years old
• available to participate for duration of the project
• from programme or partner countries (see the question below)
• who have not already volunteered in the European Solidarity Corps for more than 59 days
• with motivation and interest in the project

2. What are the program and partner countries?

• Programme countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, (Finland), France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey
• Partner countries: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, Syria , Tunisia, Ukraine

Please note that currently (updated in Jan 2024), it is not possible to apply for European Solidarity Corps volunteering in Finland from Russia. In addition, it is not possible currently to apply for the European Solidarity Corps from Syria or Libya. If you are living in Finland and are intersted in joining European Solidarity Corps volunteering in Finland, please consult us on possibilities for in-country volunteering.

3. I have taken part in short-term European Solidarity Corps volunteering. Can I apply?

Sure! If your volunteering experience lasted for a maximum of 59 days, you are warmly invited to apply.

4. Can I participate as a person with a disability or long-term illness?

Possibly. We do our best to offer volunteering opportunities to as wide range of young people as possible. If you have a disability or long-term illness and are unsure whether a voluntary position could be suitable for you, please contact us for further information. We’ll be happy to see together with you and the host oganisations if we would be able to offer you the arrangements and support you need. You can find accessibility information shortly on our website in the descriptions of the host organisation, and we’ll gladly provide you with more. You can reach us at esc@maailmanvaihto.fi.

5. What language skills do I need to have?

You can get started in volunteering with practical English skills. The volunteering experience will offer you a great opportunity to learn Finnish or Swedish. To support your learning, you’ll get access to the Online Language Support (OLS) tool of the European Solidarity Corps to help them learn Finnish.

6. How much does it cost to take part in the European Solidarity Corps?

There is no participation fee for taking part in the European Solidarity Corps volunteering. The volunteering periods are co-financed by the European Union. The support covers: reasonable traveling expenses (based on travel distance) to Finland and back to the home country, insurance, travel costs to work, support for language learning, and monthly pocket money of 6 € / day. The accommodation and food are provided by the voluntary workplace and/or a local host family.

7. When and how can I apply?

Please visit our page on available opportunities (below) to see if we currently have open positions for European Solidarity Corps volunteering. On the same page, you can find application instructions as well as the application form: https://maailmanvaihto.fi/en/volunteer-in-finland/esc-available-projects

8. What is a sending (supporting) organisation? How can I get one?

To apply, you must have a support (sending) organisation in the country you live in. If you don’t yet have a sending organisation, you can look for one from the List of Accredited Organisations in the Youth Portal of the European Union: https://youth.europa.eu/volunteering/organisations_en

Please, contact the oganisations of the list to find out if they could act as your sending organizstion if you get selected as a volunteer. The sending organisation doesn’t need to be located in the municipality or city you live in, but it needs to be located in the country in which you are living.

9. How can I get a Participant Reference Number?

All the volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps need to have a Participant Refernece Number (PRN) of the program. PRN is a unique identification number, made of 10 or 14 digits.

You can get a PRN by registering yourself for the European Solidarity Corps in the Youth Portal of the European Union, see https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/. Registration doesn’t require anything (i.e. payment), and by registering you don’t yet commit to participating in the European Solidarity Corps. But by registering, you will get access to explore open positions of the program and apply for them!

10. What should I write as host organisation in the application form?

Please write as the host organisation the name of the voluntary workplace you are applying for. Please check which host organisations are currently looking for volunteers at https://maailmanvaihto.fi/en/volunteer-in-finland/esc-available-projects.

The host organisation should be one of the following

1. Valona Elderly Services and STEP Education (Kirkkopalvelut ry)
2. Dagtek workshop activities
3. Lehtimäen opisto (Lehtimäki Special Folk High School)
4. Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland’s office
5. Myllylähde-yhteisö (Myllylähde Community)
6. Sippolan koulukoti (Sippola Residential School)
7. Spesia ammattiopisto (Spesia Vocational College)
8. Tapola Camphill Village Community
9. Nicehearts
10. Aitoo Vocational College
11. Otavia

11. What is a complete application?

You can apply by sending us Maailmanvaihto’s application form for European Solidarity Corps volunteering. You can download it on the page of application instructions.

We will consider your application form complete if it includes answers to all the questions, including Participant Reference Number, host organisation, and sending organisation.

If you wish to apply for several positions, please fill out a separate application form for each position.

12. I wish for support in applying. Who should I contact?

We encourage you to contact your sending organisation for support in applying. If you haven’t yet found a sending organisation, you can look for one from the database of European Solidarity Corps organisations: https://youth.europa.eu/volunteering/organisations_en

13. What criteria do you have for selecting the volunteers?

When selecting volunteers, we value strong interest in the project and European Solidarity Corps volunteering experience. If there are many applicants, we’ll give preference to those applicants who for some reason have fewer opportunities than other candidates.

• Examples of fewer opportunities:
• Cultural differences (e.g. migrant, asylum seeker, refugee)
• Economic difficulties (e.g. unemployment or low income)
• Disability or health problems (e.g. physical or sensory impairment)
• Social or educational challenges (e.g. learning difficulties or early school-leaving)
• Geographical obstacles (e.g. rural or remote location)
• Challenges linked to discrimination (e.g. linked to gender, sexual orientation, religion)

Please do not forget to elaborate on your situation in your application.

14. How does the selection process proceed?

• After the application deadline, Maailmanvaihto reviews all the applications and pre-selects a few of them for the host organisations.
• The host organisations review the pre-selected applications and invite one or a few candidates for an online interview.
• The host organisations then make the final decision on which of the candidates they will welcome has a volunteer / volunteers.

The selection process usually takes about a maximum of three weeks from the application deadline. Please note that we, unfortunately, cannot guarantee to contact you after the application deadline if you are not chosen for an interview.

International Cultural Youth Exchange

1. How can I apply for an International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) voluntary work period in Finland?

We receive ICYE volunteers through our partner organisations of the ICYE Federation (see icye.org). There are ICYE organisations in about 40 countries in different parts of the world. On the website of the ICYE Federation, you can find the contact information the ICYE organisations around the world. Please see if there is an ICYE organisation in the country you live in. If there is, please contact them for further information.

3. Are there age limits for participating in ICYE volunteering in Finland?

For  ICYE, the minimum age for participating is 18 years. The upper age limit is flexible.

4. Is knowledge of the Finnish language obligatory for participating in IYCE volunteering in Finland?

You do not need any knowledge of the Finnish language before the volunteering period. Your volunteering period will offer you an excellent chance to learn it. 😊