Volunteering experience: Tips and tricks to your application

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How to apply and how to write a good application? ﻿
Those are surely some basic questions. And many people across the globe are wondering, how to actually write a really good application aiming to get the job, the position, or programme, which they are interested in. And yes, many tips and tricks for this can be found across the internet. There are platforms which help you with designing the perfect CV, the perfect cover letter, there are videos, which tell you how to prepare for a good application and there are checklists for certain words, which improving your chances (according to statistics) when you use them. 
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Well some of those tips could indeed also be useful when applying for a European Solidarity Corps project, however we as the Cities and Regions of Learning Network recommend to approach your application in a different way. We believe that when its about applying for an experience within the field of international youth work, two main things are really important: 
DON´T PANIC!
BE YOURSELF!
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And here is why: 
When you apply for a voluntary service (as in the European Solidarity Corps), you are usually not applying for a big company, you are not addressing your application to a HR department or some kind of job portal. And surely formalities are not the main things that count in here. Instead of this, when you apply for a ESC, you are addressing your application to sometimes even really small organizations, to youth workers, staff members and sometimes even voluntary staff of organizations and projects. You can picture it by thinking about a local youth-club you know, or the people who organize youth events and activities. And yes, those are people just like you and us. And they are curious about you. But they usually want to get to know you, find out your passions and motivation, understand your personality and life experience and want to figure out, whether you are a good mtach for their projects and activities and whether you fit in tgeir team. So to conclude, compared to most of the application formats, formality is not the main focus, rather try to underline, who you really are and especially what is your motivation for this particular project. So take a deep breath, think what you really want share about yourself and start preraping your application. 
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The motivational letterIn most of the ESC applications a motivational letter is recommended to hand in by the project organizers and organizations. And even if not, we do recommend you to do so. While adding a CV is often not a must (if you apply for example through the ESC database, then many information about you is already transferred there), the motivational letter is your chance to tell them, who you are and even more, what is your particular drive for this project. Don´t bother yourself here with predefined phrases. Instead of this, tell who you really are. Share why you believe that this project fits to you and why you fit to the project. Tell them which experiences you bring, but dont focus here on formal qualifications to much. Instead of them, better share what you can do. Which skills and competences you have. (e.g. you like Cutting videos or you are good with Kids, then surely tell this). Name your hobbys and your passions and most importantly, share what you would like to achieve in this project for yourself also. 
PRO TIPP: Write the letter in the working language of the project (and or English). But try to really use your own language skills and express those skills also in the letter. Making a few mistakes and being honest isn´t so much a problem, as sending a perfect letter, while maybe not yet having those skills. For organizations it is sometimes even not such a problem, when the language skills are not so much developed yet, as learning a language is often part of the projects concept. But it is important to know for them, what you are capable of. 
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Tell your story...Keep in mind, that you are applying with in the ESC to a project, which is limited in time. And as it is a youth project, you are definitively a young person. The organisations do know this. Thus they are not so much interested your degrees or your formal graduation story. Especially, when you just recently graduated form school. Surely it is ok mentioning them, but make you put the focus on telling your story and simple be yourself. ﻿﻿
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Useful tools: 
YOUTH FOR EUROPE published a guide "How to write a motivational letter" when applying for voluntary services and provides examples. Check it out and use those tips in your motivational letter. 
The EUROPEAN UNION provides an online tool called EUROPASS - CV which you can use for designing your CV in a European style and standardized format including many information, which are useful when applying in international contexts. (E.g. knowledge of languages). Yes, we said, a CV is often not a must, but if you want to use one, then this tool might be good solution. 
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Earners of this badge have been introduced to basic tipps and tricks, when being in an application process. They  developped an understanding, what it means to apply for a voluntary service and what it differentiate its from other applications. They also got an understanding, whichs aspects do matter in those applications. With this knowledge, they are now able to prepare an application for a learning experience in the field of international youth work.

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Writing a motivational letter when applying for a voluntary service is all about telling, who you really are. Think about it and share with us here in textbox.
 Which skills do you have and want to bring use during the voluntary service?
What do you want to learn and take out from a voluntary experience? 
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Surely you can include those points later on into your motivational letter. 

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Network of Cities and Regions of Learning

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My pathway to a volunteering experience

Network of Cities and Regions of Learning

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