Residential Volunteering
You can search for residential volunteering by checking the ‘yes/no’ check box.
The list below shows some agencies that engage with long-term or full-time volunteers.
Residential volunteering offers the chance to try things for a week or two or to dedicate a year or even longer to working with an organisation, living away from home. Opportunities exist in a range of organisations including environmental and conservation groups, care organisations and animal welfare.
Contact the organisations you are interested in for further information and to apply for a placement. Some organisations accept volunteers from outside the UK.
These opportunities usually provide accommodation and meals; some may provide a ‘living allowance’ and can be referred to as ‘working holidays’. There are different commitments required for all of these roles, so read the terms carefully and contact the organisaiton if you have any queries. Also, there is often a charge for this kind of volunteering which the purists among us would say was not volunteering at all. However, the roles on offer are attractive for a number of people who want to have this kind of experience, so we are bending our own rules to give you some ideas:
BTCV (British Trust Conservation Volunteers) - The country's leading charity protecting the environment through practical action. Includes conservation holidays both in the UK and overseas.
CSV [Community Service Volunteers)
CSV's vision is of a society where everyone can participate to build healthy, enterprising, inclusive communities. Every year, CSV involves over 150,000 volunteers in high quality opportunities that enrich lives and tackle real need. Between them, they help transform the lives of over 1million people across the UK.
National Trust for Scotland
Conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural. They run Thistle Camp full-time volunteering opportunities, usually for a week at a time.
The National Trust
Work to preserve and protect the building, countryside and coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in a range of ways, through practical conservation, learning and discovery encouraging everyone to visit and enjoy their national heritage. They provide opportunities for volunteers to develop practical skills in countryside and heritage. On the job training combined with structured learning opportunities allows volunteers to develop personally and professionally.
