Spending a year at Lucton School as an international volunteer has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life.

I lived with two other volunteers – one from Germany and one from Mexico – and we quickly became like a little family. We shared so many unforgettable moments together, and I’m sure these friendships will last far beyond this year.

Working at the school was so much more than I expected. Every day was different: I helped with sports lessons, supported the prep school, supervised swimming after completing my lifeguard qualification, and even spent time helping at the stables, where I learned so many new skills. I also loved getting to know the boarding students. Whether it was playing games, having conversations, or just spending time together, they made every day special.

One of my favourite parts was the amazing community. The teachers, coaches, and staff were always kind, supportive, and made me feel like a valued member of the team.

The organised weekend trips were another highlight. We visited cities, went to theme parks, painted pottery, and had so many fun experiences together. During the school holidays, I travelled around the UK and Ireland with another volunteer, exploring places like London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin, Bath, Bristol, the Scottish Highlands, and Cornwall. Those trips gave me memories I’ll never forget.

This year has helped me grow in so many ways. I’ve become more independent, confident, open-minded, and willing to step outside my comfort zone. It has taught me to embrace new experiences, adapt to different situations, and appreciate people from different cultures. Most importantly, I’ve made lifelong friends and learned so much about myself and what I want for my future.

I couldn’t have wished for a better gap year, and I would recommend this experience to anyone thinking about becoming an international volunteer. It truly has been a year I’ll never forget.

I am currently doing my volunteer year and I am having a very good time. Working at my school has been especially rewarding, as everyone is kind and welcoming. I really enjoy being part of the school community and contributing to lessons.

I also live with a host family, which has been a great part of my stay. I enjoy spending time with them, especially on weekends. In addition, I like living near Warsaw, where I often meet friends. Overall, this experience has been great so far.

Hello everyon,

my name is Sebastian and I had the privilege to work as an outdoor instructor at Totara Springs in New Zealand. Like many other camps around here they focus on outdoor education with connection to their faith in Jesus.

I would never have thought of how much you can learn in one year. You will get to know so many skills but also so many people and it is just an amazing experience and time which really helps you to find direction in life.

I really enjoyed working at the Lake Dewar Discovery Camp in Myrniong Australia. I learned how to speak infront of groups and definitely improved my english skills. The work itself was also fun especially in summer. I think one of the best things in this Camp is the Staff. I gained so many friends and experienced a lot besides of work. The only „bad“ things are that you definitely need your own car you have to share your bedroom and you definitely need to use your own money. There are many cheap cars to buy in Australia and sharing a room was never a problem to me. I‘m also pretty shure that we got told all of those things before. All in all was this an amazing year that i will never forget. I learned and experienced so many new things and I am very grateful. I would definitely recomend doing something like this to everyone.

The past 4 months have been an unbelievable experience for me, everything has been awesome and i’ve learned so many new things and met so many amazing people. I recently celebrated my birthday here in the UK and it was very special for me because it was my first birthday away from my family but everyone here made it so special and I had so much fun, also around a month ago I got the opportunity to see my favorite band live in London and it was a dream come true. I’ve learned so many things about myself and what I am capable of, I’ve become more independent and confident with myself and I’m so happy, can’t wait to see what the next months brings and all the amazing moments left to come.

The other volunteers have really made this place feel like home.

Coming to a different country on my own, I was naturally a little nervous at first. But the Irish people are some of the most welcoming I’ve ever met, and I immediately felt at home at Midleton College.

During my year there, I had the opportunity to make some real friends, join many school trips to some of Ireland’s most beautiful places and to try lots of new things. One of my highlights was choreographing the dances for the school musical The Greatest Showman.

Working with the school and the students has been an incredible experience. The staff were warm and supportive, and the students were open-minded, talented, and full of energy. Midleton College truly feels like one big family.

I would highly recommend spending a year abroad volunteering to anyone who wants to grow as a person, become more independent and confident, and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.