All You Ever Wanted To Know About EVS

1.EVS Basic information

1. What is EVS?
EVS the European Voluntary Service - is a type of project that helps young people from
Europe and neighboring countries to volunteer abroad in activities that they choose, by
helping others and developing their skills and personalities for a period between 2 weeks and
12 months.
EVS is an opportunity for any young person to discover himself, passions, capabilities, while
helping others and exploring a completely new environment.

2. What isnt EVS?

EVS is not:

occasional, part-time volunteering;

an internship in an enterprise, in a humanitarian organization or in an NGO;
a recreational or a tourist activity;
a language course abroad;
a paid job.

3. How does EVS work?

Organization apply for funding; They look for volunteers; You apply and get selected; Project is approved;
You go on EVS for X months; You return to your country a changed person

4. What is a sending organization?

Sending organization (SO) (can be coordinating organization as well) is the organization
that sends and represents the volunteer(s) in the home country of the volunteer(s); there can
be many SO, but at least one in an EVS project; the SO is located in the country of residence
of the volunteer.

5. What is a hosting organization?

Hosting organization (HO) (can be coordinating organization as well) is the organization that
receives the volunteer in the country that he/she goes to volunteer and supports the volunteer

through the activities of the project; there can be many HO, but at least one in a project; the
HO is located in another country than the one the volunteer is resident.

6. What is a coordinating organization?

The coordinating organization (CO) is the organization that created the project and
submitted the application for funding their National Agency or to European Commission; it can
be the sending organization, the hosting organization or a separate organization that will only
coordinate the project activities; there can be only one CO per project;

7. How do these organizations work together?

CO HO SO

8. Am I eligible to go on an EVS?
This is the first thing you should be clear about before going forward. You should not do the work of
applying to projects if you are not eligible.
And this is a question that 11.5% of our community is still not clear about.
So we hope that this section will clarify any questions regarding eligibility.

There are only two eligibility criteria imposed by the EU.

Criteria 1: Age
Participants must be of age between 17 and 30 years old
Lower age limit: have to be already 17 at the beginning of the EVS
Upper age limit: must not be older than 30 when you apply for the EVS

Criteria 2: Country
Participants must be residents of a Program Country or a Partner Country neighboring the EU.
Program Countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece,
Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Macedonia, Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey.
Partner Countries Neighboring the EU:
West Balkans: Albania, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia
Eastern Partnership Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine
South-Mediterranean Countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria,
Tunisia

Russian Federation Territory (as recognized by international law)

(The countries of the rest of the world, that are not included in the program Countries or the Partner
Countries Neighbouring the EU, will sometimes be partner in an EVS, but very rarely. Young people from
these other countries, that would like to participate in an EVS, will have to be involved in an organization
partner in a partner Country organization)

If you meet both criteria, you can apply to any EVS project.
Note: Residents of Partner Countries Neighboring the EU can do their EVS in a Program Country, not in
another Partner Country Neighboring the EU.
Only these two criteria define if you are eligible for to on EVS at all.
If you discover that you do not meet either the age or the country criteria, unfortunately there is nothing you
can do about this and you will not be able to go on an EVS.
If you meet both criteria then you have the green light to look for projects that you like. Depending on your
age you either will have enough time or you should hurry. We suggest that you hurry to find a project if you
are above 27 years old. The closer you are to 30 years old the less chances you have to find a project in
time and find an organization that will select you as volunteer.

9. What costs are covered during EVS?

The costs of living in an EVS project are covered in the project budget.
So the hosting organization will make sure that you have an accommodation, maybe with other volunteers,
or other local people. All the utility bills associated with the accommodation will also be dealt with by the
hosting and/or coordinating organization. You might have your own room, or share a room with somebody
else, but almost sure you will not have a full flat with several rooms to yourself. Also generally you will not
be staying at a hotel in long term EVS projects because it would be too expensive and the budget would
not allow it.
Meals will be ensured either through a service or through an allowance by the hosting/coordinating
organization.
Local transport and communication are usually covered by the hosting and/or coordinating organization.
They may include a monthly local transportation pass or a bike for transport. It may be a SIM card with a
local number and a basic local communications plan. Usually you are not provided with credit for
international calls.
Personal allowance is an amount different for every country, from 55 to 145. The amount is not really
important, as they have been calculated to have the same buying power. For example, you would get 60
allowance in Macedonia per month, and you could by a coffee in a coffee shop with about 1. While you
would get 140 in the UK, but you would pay for the same quality coffee about 4. So I strongly
recommend not to include this as a factor in choosing the project you apply to go to.
The international travel cost is covered as well by the EVS budget, but only a certain amount. Dependin g

on the cost at the time of purchase, it could be completely covered or partially covered.

10. What costs are not covered by EVS?

The monthly allowance that you will receive for food will usually be enough for you to cover the basics. But
it will not be enough to allow you to eat out, or indulge in fancy food, or go clubbing, drinking. Also it will not
be enough to buy clothes (it depends on your habits). Also it will not be enough to travel.
However, it does depend on you spending habits, the choices you make and how you manage your
personal finances. And EVS volunteers have gotten really good at traveling by spending very little.

11. Is there any health insurance provided during the EVS?

Yes. Cigna - https://www.salto-youth.net/rc/see/seeyia/evs-useful-info/

12. Are language classes provided in all EVS projects?

Language support is included in Erasmus+, so in EVS as well. If you go on an EVS where the language of
the country/of the project is one of the following: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish or Dutch, you
will receive the language support online from the Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support:
http://erasmusplusols.eu/ and you can find a nice illustrated description here:
http://erasmusplusols.eu/app/uploads/2015/11/PRESENTATION_LC_EN.pdf. If the language of the country
you are having your EVS is not one of the six languages above, you can receive language support from a
teacher or a course locally, if the hosting/coordinating organization have arranged for it and have included it
in the budget when applying for the project.

13. Can I do more than one EVS?

You can go only on one EVS.
Exception: you can do a short term EVS less than 2 months and then a long term EVS. The duration of
both EVS put together should not be more than 12 months. The organization that selects you can find out if
you have been on another EVS once they register you for the insurance. So be upfront with your situation,
to avoid disappointment.

14. What Activities can I do during EVS?

The Erasmus+ Guide explains EVS in the following manner: This activity allows young people aged 17-30
to express their personal commitment through unpaid and full-time voluntary service for up to 12 months in
another country within or outside the European Union. Young volunteers are given the opportunity to
contribute to the daily work of organisations dealing with youth information and policies, young people's
personal and socio-educational development, civic engagement, social care, inclusion of disadvantaged,

environment, non formal education programmes, ICTs and media literacy, culture and creativity,
development cooperation, etc. Young people with fewer opportunities can receive additional support to
enable their participation and would also be allowed to go on EVS for a shorter duration of time (from 2
weeks and up). (Erasmus+ Guide)
The point is, the main activities in an EVS can be anything you the volunteer, or the hosting organization
need or want.
However, most of the projects (see research results) revolve around social inclusion, with activities helping
the young, the disabled or the old.
What you need to remember is that this does not mean that you are limited to these activities.
Think about what else you would like to do and have real suggestions when you discuss thing over with the
interviewing organization.

II. Finding EVS opportunities

15. How do I apply for an EVS?
You are a young person, between 17 and 30 years old, from an eligible Country (see Eligibility chapter).
And you have decided that you want to go on an EVS. Great!
But now, what do you do? Where do you start? How will you apply? How do you get chosen for that project
that you want?
Well, you need to find calls for volunteers and apply.
Make sure you have at least a CV and a motivation letter when you apply.
Also find a Sending Organization to represent you.
Apply. Apply. Apply.
Get through the Skype/phone interview.
Apply. Apply. Apply. (to other projects)
Get selected.
Wait for the project to be approved (if it wasn't before you applied).
If you're lucky the project gets approved and you go on your EVS!
This is the short version

16. Where do I find open calls for volunteers?

Most of them you will find on Facebook Groups and pages. Here are a few resources:
www.findEVS.com
http://www.youthnetworks.eu
https://europa.eu/youth/volunteering_en

https://www.facebook.com/findEVS/
https://www.facebook.com/Discover-the-EVS-European-Voluntary-Service-139995199358271/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EVS.vacancy/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/381058388638223/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/139333736202791/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/22283221467/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EuropeanVoluntaryService/

17. When are the most calls published?

EVS projects are funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme. Organizations
fill in the application and submit their proposals three times per year: February 2nd, April 26th and October
4th.

As a result, most calls for volunteers will be published in the two months before these deadline.

18. Why are they asking for people from specific countries?
A, yes. You see many projects that are looking for volunteers from specific countries.
No, you should not waste time applying to those calls if you don't live in the country mentioned in the call.
No, they will not be able to accept you even if you would be the best candidate and match their selection
criteria perfectly.
Yes, the rule of the European Commission is that they are not supposed to discriminate on any criteria,
including ethnicity or country of residence.
No, they are not discriminating.
The reasons for the above statements is very logical.
Here is the context and reasoning for these statements.
Accredited organizations apply to the European Commission and its local representatives, the National
Agency, to get funding for the EVS projects that they want to implement.
At the time when they submit the application they either already have selected the volunteers that will
participate in the project or they haven't selected the volunteers yet.
In the first case, it means that they have published the call for volunteers before they applied for funding. In
this case their call was open to any volunteer from eligible countries. And this is the case for all the projects
that you can freely apply to, without the country of residence restriction.
In the second case, when it applies for funding, the organization only has the partner organizations from
specific countries. In this case, when the project is approved, the organization will look for volunteers from
the countries of the partner organizations. Their call for volunteers will include this specific requirement of
country of residence for the selected volunteers. And this is not negotiable because the organization signed
a contract with the funding agency, and one of the conditions was that they would select volunteers from

the countries of the partner organizations (read more about this in the chapter What you need to know
about EVS). The EVS project that they planned is part of the funding contract and the organization will
have to do what it planned it will do in the project, or else it would mean that they did not do what they said
they would do would the money. And this can lead to financial penalties and/or negative repercussions in
their future applications.
There is another case when this criteria can come up. It is when a selected volunteer drops out of the
project. This can happen at any time during an EVS project. The selected volunteer might drop out of a
project before the service period starts or during the service. This puts the hosting organization in the
situation of having to look for another volunteer to take that place, or else the organization will have to
return the money to the funder. So in this situation the organization issues another call for their vacancy,
but with the specific criteria of residence, as it needs to stick to the rules of the contract.

19. Can I apply to calls that ask for applicants from other
countries than mine?
In the case of calls that ask for applicants from specific countries it generally means that the project has
already been approved. This means that the project already has all the partner organizations from the
specified countries. As a result, they will have to find volunteers from those specific countries. This means
that no matter how good fit you would be for the project, you do not match the selection criteria - the one of
the country of residence.
So by applying you are wasting your time and the time of the organization. I do not recommend applying to
calls where they specifically ask for applicants from a different country than yours.
You should however apply to this only in the case if this is your dream projects and country and you can
write an application so compelling that they will be sorry that they cannot take you. In this case you should
make your case and say that you would love to volunteer with them in a similar projects. From this
perspective they can take you into consideration for their next EVS, or go through the trouble of requesting
a change of partners on that specific project (in this case youd better have a sending organization ready).

20. How do I find calls for people from my country, X (from

Europe)?
Most EVS projects are for people from Programme Countries (EU + Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway, Turkey) and Partner Countries neighbouring the EU (see question 8 for full list).
So you can apply to all the calls than dont specify any country of residence and to those that mention your
country.
You can find these calls in the places mentioned at question 16.

21. How do I find calls for people from my country, X (from

outside Europe)?
If you are not from a country from the Programme Countries (EU + Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway, Turkey) or the Partner Countries neighbouring the EU (see question 8 for full list), there are very
few chances that you could find a call for your country.
However, if you would like to embark on a long term journey, with patience, action and determination you
could go on an EVS.
For that you need to get involved with a youth organization. Convince that organization to find an European
organization to partner with on a partnership of several years. The two organizations should develop a
complex project that would include an EVS activity.

22. How can I find an EVS with artistic/dance/ programming/

photography/ sports/ design/ other activities?
No matter what kind of activity you are looking for, keep in mind that most EVS projects may not have very
ambitious activities. This is because organization have a limited knowledge and financial means. They are
promising to deliver certain activities and results when they ask for the funding. So they will limit their plans
to activities that they know they can do for sure.
However, you can learn to see beyond these self imposed limits of organizations and see the potential. All
organizations are open to do more than they promised. But they need volunteers willing to get involved and
come up with their own initiatives.
If theres an EVS project with activities for a local community or a group of young people or elderly, or even
disabilities, you can still do the type of activity that you are interested in: dance, painting, photography,
sports, design. Think about the target group and how you could involve them or how they could benefit
from you using your skills.
Think through and come up with one good idea to suggest to the organization when you apply. If the
organization is open to your idea thats great! If not, its for the best - it means they were not a good fit for
you.

23. What country should I do my EVS in?

There is no good answer to this question.
I will always recommend to chose the project, not the country of the EVS. If you choose a country first, it
will limit the opportunities that you can find.
However I have to mention a few aspects from my own observations.
There will always be more competition for projects in countries like: Spain, Germany, UK, Italy, France,
Greece. And less competition for projects in countries from Eastern Europe. And theres a similar
preference in selection, though an equilibrium is sought. These aspects are a result of personal observation

and not on results of any research, so they may not be accurate.

24. Why arent there more active EVS projects in the UK?
UK is more expensive and the budget does not cover the expenses, so thats why there are no projects in
London. Also they prefer to work with long term partners so they dont usually advertise vacancies because
the partners already have volunteers willing to go on an EVS.
And this is a good reason why you should get involved in one or more active EVS organization. You can get
access to vacancies that will never be advertised.

25. Why arent there more short-term EVS projects?

Theres a lot of effort involved in organizing an EVS project. For an organization it takes the same amount
of work to initiate and plan, as well as close and report on a short term EVS as it does for a long term EVS.
Also there are some extra practical problems created by a short term EVS that do not exist for a long term
EVS (like renting short term accommodation). Doing a short-term EVS is more expensive than a long term
EVS, but the organization has the same monthly budget to work all out.
Conclusion: its not really worth it for organizations to organize a short term EVS.
The short term EVS was intended mostly for activities like organizing a festival, or maybe an environmental
activity. But organizations that do those kind of activities are not that interested in organizing EVS projects
because they would just have to work more just to get volunteers, that they can easily can get locally
without all the extra work.
And thats why there are not more short-term EVS projects.

III. Have a great EVS application

26. Do I need a sending organization when I apply?
You dont need a sending organization when you apply.
However, having a sending organization when you apply brings several advantages:
It will make the work of the coordinating organization easier, so this will be a plus for you, compared
to other applicants that do not have a sending organization
All other things being equal between you and another candidate, the one that has a sending
organization will be selected
Having a sending organization tells the recruiter that you have at least some idea of what EVS is
and how it works - which is a plus for you
Have you read the answer to question 24? Having an active sending organization could facilitate
you access to calls for volunteers that may never be publicly advertised

27. Why do organizations not reply to my application?

There may be several causes why organizations do not reply to your application.
If it is an unsolicited application, in the case that you emailed an organization without a call for volunteers,
they may not bother to answer unsolicited applications, or your email went into the spam folder or they may
not be using that email address.
In the case that you submitted an application to an active call for volunteers, sometimes organizations
receive tens of applications. If the organization is too overwhelmed by applications or by their activities,
they may only be replying to the volunteers that they are taking into consideration for the next selection
step.
You shouldnt take it personally. Sometimes they just do not have time to reply to everybody.
If you believe that you had a great application and you really want to go on that EVS you should follow up
with them and asked if they made any decision.

28. Do I have a good application?

A good application has at least the following elements:
CV up to date
Personalized application letter

29. How does a good motivation letter look like?

Your motivation letter should answer at least these questions:
Why do I want to go on this specific EVS? (this is the personalized part of the letter)
Why do I want to go on EVS in general?
Who am I?
How can I contribute to this EVS? (may have to personalize it as well)

30. How should my CV look like?

For CV you have two options:

CV in Europass format https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae

CV in creative format - any shape and form that you want

31. How do I create a great application?

A great application has the following:
A great personalized motivation letter
The right CV format
Some other element that will say something about you and how you can contribute to the project (a
video, a slideshow, a blog, other)

32. If my English isnt great, how will it affect my chances of being

selected?
Its OK if your English is not perfect. Unless you go to an English speaking country, not having perfect
accent of vocabulary is ok, because also they are not native English speakers and their English skills wont
be perfect as well. However you do have to be able to express your thoughts and and understand what the
other person is saying. Your English skills will affect your chances of being selected only if you cannot
express yourself.
Also, in countries like France and Germany, they usually prefer that you speak at least a bit of their
language as well (but if you dont, it shouldnt stop you from applying).

33. How can I have great interview skills?

Prepare
Relax
Do your best
Be honest
Ask questions
Show motivation
Show initiative

34. What are the most common interview questions?

Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to go on EVS?
Why are you interested in this EVS?
What are the activities that you are most interested in?
Have you volunteered before?
How would you like to contribute to the project?
Why should we select you?

35. What would be the most effective way to apply to vacancies?

The most effective is to apply to open calls for volunteers. And you have even more chances to get
selected on a project if its urgent and the project is already approved and you live in the country from
which they are looking for volunteers.

36. Should I mention my love for the country in the application?

I dont think theres a wrong or right answer to this question.
It depends.
Most important: If you dont actually LOVE the country dont put it in the application. Because if you include
it in the application you will have to prove it, by being enthusiastic about it and talking about all the aspects
that you love and and why.
If you do include in the application that you love that country you have to tell the story of why you love. You
cannot just say that you love that country - it will sound fake. You have to talk about all the different aspects
that you love. Plus, I would say, you should have visited the country at least once, or else you will just seem
naive (which can be interpreted either way, good or bad).
Also, I would say, be careful not to give the impression that you are mainly interested in immigrating to that
country. This could be an alarm bell for the organization that if you found a job there you would just leave
the project, which would cause problems for them.

37. Should I follow up with organizations that havent sent me an

answer? If yes, when?
You should follow up with organization that havent sent you an answer, but only with those that had an
open call, not the ones that you contacted them to ask them if they have a project.
You can contact them after two weeks from the application deadline. That would be a reasonable amount
for the organization to process the applications and not too late to take you into consideration.

38. Should I apply for an EVS in a country that I dont know the
language?
YES.
How many languages do you know?
Do you want to limit yourself to only the countries you know the language of?
If people wouldnt go to countries that they dont know the language of, than most EVS projects wouldnt
take place.
Plus they will have English as the project language anyway.
The communication skill that you will learn like this, you will be able to use anywhere you will travel for the
rest of your life.

39. What is the hosting organization looking for in a volunteer?

The hosting organization needs to implement the project successfully. For this it will need the help of the
EVS volunteer/s.
So its looking for a volunteer:
That will stay for the entire duration of the project - so a motivated volunteer, motivated to have the
EVS experience and motivated to do this project in particular;
That will do the activities - so they want to see that the volunteer understands the activities that he
will be involved in and is interested to do them;
That will have initiative - if the volunteer understand the activities he will take initiative to improve
them, to deliver more quality to the target group of the project
That is willing to learn - the volunteer should show interest in learning more about the organization,
about the project, about the activities, about what he can learn by himself and with other - you can
show this by asking questions and mentioning that you would like to learn more about different
things (you mention what those things are)
That has some skills to share - usually organizations would like to introduce extra activities in their
project, as this would bring extra results for them; you dont have to have advanced skills; you can
offer something as simple as: to teach basic communication in your language in a few classes, or
teach English, or organize weekly/monthly walk/ run/ bike ride/ stretching/ dancing/ board games/
origami/ tea tasting/ book club etc. Or maybe you actually have skills that you gained during months
and years of practice: playing guitar, tai chi, yoga, creative writing, programming etc.
You already have all this, but you really have to show it in your application and in your interview as well.
And all you have to do is allow yourself to think for several minutes on each and write down a few ideas
that you can use when you write your application and when you prepare for the interview.
You dont have to rethink this every time with each application. You only have to think about this once and
come up with those things that apply to you generally. If youll know them well enough, youll be able to
integrate them in your applications and interviews easily.

40. If I send my application to an organization that does not have

an open call at the moment, can I expect them to create a
position for me?
The short answer - No.
The long answer - Maybe.

No - because organizations receive emails from candidates all the time. Also they have their own plans and
activities and dont have time to engage with all the young people that write to them. But they probably will
take you into consideration for their next project that they will do.

Maybe - if your application is so compelling that they actually need you. For this it will not be enough for
you to write a good application where you explain your motivation. To get this you need to actually provide
them with a skill that you have that they badly need. For example they are an organization that provides
after-school activities to children 8 - 14 in a rural area and you have great experience with working with this
group age and creating activities, using non-formal education, arts, sports, science, Montessori learning
style etc. and you already have a one year plan of activities, that they will also be able to learn and apply
after you leave.

41. How do I convince my parents to let me go on EVS?

IV. What happens after Im accepted on EVS

42. What happens after I am selected on an EVS?
Once you are selected on an EVS:
You wait at least three months to see if the project is approved for funding OR If the project is
already approved, you pack your bags to go on the EVS
You get more information about EVS, about the project, about the activities, about the country, the
living arrangements - from the sending and the Hosting organization
You buy a one way ticket on the the day approved by the hosting organization
You fly over for your EVS

43. What kind of activities happen during the EVS?

44. What kind of support do we get during EVS?

You get:
Training : on-arrival training, mid-term meeting
A mentor
An activity coordinator
Language classes

45. What is mentoring?

Mentoring is part of the support that you should receive during your EVS stage. A person, called a
mentor, should be assigned to you, to give you moral support and help you integrate in the local
community. This person can be of any age, may or may not have experience with EVS or youth projects,
but should be willing to meet with you several times a month and show you around the city/town, explain
maybe particularities about the country, the culture, the people. Also the mentor is there for you to get
emotional support and help you get through difficult periods. The mentor is not there to sort your problems,
but is there to help you find a way to sort them out yourself or at least cope with the issues and help you
grow and become a stronger person.

46. What kind of training do I get before and during EVS?

Pre-departure training, on-arrival training, mid-term meeting these are the basic support trainings that you
should get after you have been accepted in an EVS and during your EVS. Participating in these trainings
(on-arrival and mid-term) is a right, but also an obligation.
Pre-departure training is a short training session that you get before you go on an EVS. It can be done by
your sending organization or by the National Agency.
If it is done by your sending organization, it can range from practically non-existent to a few hours session
that will help you to be familiar with what EVS and Erasmus+ are, as well as what they involve, roles and
responsibilities and what should happen during your EVS. Also it may include information about the country
you are going to go to, some cultural information, activity information and try to explain issues like travel
reimbursement, insurance, the Europass Certificate.
If it will be organized by the National Agency the training will probably be a full day in one of the cities of
your country and will get you through all the information we mentioned earlier but with games and nice
interaction, with other volunteers that will leave soon for their EVS. Not in many countries does the National
Agency do this training so you will have to check this with your sending organization.
On-arrival is a training that is meant for EVS volunteers that are on an EVS project longer than 2 months. It
is about 7 days and it will take place sometime in the first month of your arrival in your EVS. It is organized
by the National Agency in one of the cities of the hosting country. All the expenses are covered by the
National Agency. You will participate in this training together with many other volunteers that started their
EVS in the host country around the same time as you.
During this training you will learn a lot more about all the things you need to be aware of regarding EVS
and Erasmus+ during your service. However, also this training is meant to prepare you for the journey
ahead of you and offer a space where you can meet a lot more of your fellow EVS from all around Europe.
Besides facilitating meeting new people, the on-arrival training is meant to offer you new skills and
knowledge regarding team work, team building, inter-cultural interactions, more information about the local
culture, guidance on conflict prevention and crisis management as well as help you plan your goals for your
EVS experience.
Mid-term meeting is a meeting for volunteers with service longer than 6 months and it should take place

somewhere in the middle of their service and it takes about 2.5 days. This meeting is designed for the
volunteers all around the host country to meet and network, share experiences and impressions. It is also
designed to help volunteers to overcome crisis, reflect on their experience up to that point, review their
goals and see what needs to be worked on. Also it should offer information about how to fill in the
Youthpass certificate and how to fill in the final report that the volunteers must fill in.
More details regarding the training provided you can find here:
http://ec.europa.eu/youth/programme/mobility/documents/evs-training-evaluation-guidelines_en.pdf

47. How does a day on EVS look like?

Wake-up + Breakfast
9 - 14 : activities with the organization
14 - 16 : meeting with your mentor
16 - 19 : doing your thing
19 - : going out with other volunteers to party or explore the local community

48. How do I get the most out of the EVS?

49. If something happens during EVS, can I leave the project and
return home?
Yes.

50. Do I have any responsibilities?

Yes.
Do the activities
Stay the entire duration of the project
Planning your learning
Fill in your YouthPass
Write your final report

51. The EVS sounds interesting, but am I not wasting x months of

my life?
Well.. its up to you.

52. Can I study at the same time while doing my EVS?

What you do with your free time is your business. But if your studies are funded through another European
funding, its not allowed. You cannot benefit of two fundings at the same time from the European Union.

53. The EVS seems like a great opportunity. What can I do so

that I can make the most of it?
Set a few objectives (not too many)
Plan broadly what actions you will take to reach those objectives (keep it flexible)
Act on what you planned
Revisit your objectives regularly.

V. Life after EVS

54. What happens after the EVS is over?
You go back home a changed person.
Keep in contact with the new friends you made.
Visit those friends and invite them over as well.

55. Do I get a certificate after it is over?

Youthpass Certificate is a tool for the recognition of your participation and learning in EVS and other
mobility for youth projects. The hosting or/and coordinating organization sets up the details of the project
and your details, but filling up the certificate is not only up to these organizations, but up to you. By the end
of your project you would have learned many things. However, we do recommend you to have goals as
clear as possible from the beginning so at the end of the service you have great things that you can say
that you have learned.
You can find a lot more information about the Youthpass here:
https://www.youthpass.eu/en/youthpass/downloads/

56. Can I stay in that country after I finish my EVS?

If you didnt need a visa to get in that country you can probably stay if you have the financial means. If you
need a visa to stay, then you should check for how long it is valid and if you need to take other actions to
be able to legally stay there.

57. If I do an EVS am I more employable?

I would say that it depends on what you do during your EVS and on how you present it in your CV after.
It is definitely a plus on your CV, but you should aim for making it a strong point by mentioning what
initiatives you had and implemented, what skills you acquired etc.