*5 Raisons De se Lancer Dans le Bénévolat (spécial étudiants).
If you are broke or just “fine”, I understand that working for free may not be your favorite idea in the world. However, it helped me a lot find schools, jobs & other valuable things in my life, and thus I think it is a topic worth discussing with you today. Ready? Grab a cup of coffee (don’t spill anything on your phone/computer, though – it happens far faster than we think! -) and have a read!
Si vous n’avez pas beaucoup d’argent (nous sommes étudiants et de ce côté-là, c’est rarement folichon!), travailler gratuitement n’est certainement pas votre passion et je le comprends aisément. Cependant, le bénévolat m’a aidé à intégrer des universités, des entreprises et à vivre des moments merveilleux et je pense que cela peut changer votre vie à vous aussi. Prêt ?
(Scroll down for a list of ways you can find the perfect volunteering position for you ⇩)
You gain experience in a given field.
That is really valuable when you are looking for a job. Have ever seen the “3 years of experience minimum” required for a lot of jobs? If every single company asks for it, they will actually never hire younger people. However, if you have experienced volunteering in the field that interests you before (you can do translation, event planning, writing &c.), you can negotiate when it comes to this requirement.
Moreover, volunteering can also be a very great way to know if a field is right for you, or if it is not.
*Vous gagnez de l’expérience dans un domaine donné.
C’est un point essentiel lorsque vous cherchez du travail. Avez-vous déjà vu le légendaire “3 ans d’expérience minimum”? Je pense que oui, il est omniprésent. Si toutes les entreprises demandent 3 ans d’expérience, comment justifier de 3 ans d’expérience ? Cela semble contre-intuitif. La solution ? Le bénévolat ! Les milieux sont variés : traduction, rédaction web, organisation d’événements &c. Par ailleurs, le bénévolat est aussi un bon moyen de savoir si un métier vous plaît vraiment !
Companies love seeing that you are interested in their field and are committed.
I think this one is quite self-explanatory. Having volunteered as a student shows that you are ready to make sacrifices in order to work in a specific field (having an unpaid jobs alongside studies can be very hard) and that is a trait companies look for in new employees.
*Les entreprises aiment que vous vous intéressiez à leur domaine d’activité.
Avoir été bénévole dans le cadre d’un poste similaire à celui que vous recherchez prouve que vous êtes prêt à faire des sacrifices (tout le monde sait que travailler gratuitement pendant ses études est difficile – et rare – ). Voter détermination plaira.
It shows that you do more than what is required from you.
Having volunteered shows that you can go the extra-mile. It shows that you are not only doing what school asked for but that you actually tried things for and by yourself. It shows that you are proactive and have autonomy.
*Cela montre que vous faites plus que ce que l’on vous demande.
Le bénévolat montre que vous savez aller plus loin que la moyenne. Cela montre que vous ne faites pas ce que l’école demande mais que vous essayez des choses par et pour vous-même.
You can volunteer in a field that will make you feel good about yourself.
As students (and as human beings), it is so easy to doubt ourselves. Working for a charity that is aligned with your values can help you feel better about yourself and stop doubting your choices all the time. Thus, you will be more confident, and that will make you happier and ready for success in life.
*Vous pouvez être bénévole dans un domaine qui compte pout vous.
en tant qu’étudiant (et pas que), il est courant de douter de soi. Etre bénévole dans une association en accord avec nos valeurs peut nous aider à aller mieux. Ainsi, nous sommes plus confiants, ce qui nous rend heureux et prêts pour le succès.
It makes you interesting.
It is true in every single context, but it is very true when it comes to job interviews. When a company interviews 100 applicants having the exact same degree and similar grades, what are they looking for? They are looking for uniqueness, something original. Thus, if you talk with passion about your job as a volunteer in Laos or as a translator for a super great charity helping saving animals, they are more likely to remember you. Companies hire people they remember, they hire a personality and not only a degree, keep that in mind.
*Le bénévolat vous rend intéressant.
C’est vrai pour tous les contextes, mais surtout dans le cadre d’un entretien d’embauche. Lorsqu’un entreprise reçoit 100 candidats ayant en leur possession les mêmes diplômes, ils recherchent une seule chose : l’originalité. Ainsi, si vous avez traduit des documents pour une association d’aide aux animaux, ils se rappelleront plus facilement de vous. Les entreprises embauchent les collaborateurs qui les touchent, ils embauchent une personnalité, pas seulement un diplôme.
Ways you can find a volunteering program:
There are many ways to volunteer. First, you can go directly to a place you like and ask for a volunteering program. For instance, I got my “job” at a book fair by simply asking for it to the person in charge of that book fair.
You can also use the Internet and I would especially advise you to look for programs on LinkedIn ; I got a translation job for NGO Mékong through LinkedIn last month and that was so much fun!
You can obviously search for platforms dedicated to volunteering and if you have any recommandation, please tell us in the comments as personally, I can’t recommend any given that I have never worked with one of them before. 🙂
I hope you now see why working for no money can be a very great decision to make. I know we all need money, but what we really need is experience, actions and memories. All of these will eventually bring you money, but chase those before chasing any income.
*Comment trouver une place de bénévole.
Il y a bien trop de façons de trouver une place pour que je les explique toutes mais pour moi, la principale est a bonne vieille méthode : rendez-vous directement dans les locaux de l’association de votre choix et posez la question. Souvent, on a besoin de vous. Par exemple, j’ai eu un poste dans un salon du livre simplement en contacter le Commissaire Général du salon en question.
Vous pouvez également utiliser Internet, et particulièrement Linkedin. Pour ma part, j’ai trouvé un job de traductrice pour l’association NGO Mékong via ce réseau et c’était une expérience magnifique.
Enfin, vous pouvez visiter les plateformes dédiées au bénévolat, elles sont nombreuses ! Si vous avez d’autres recommandations, n’hésitez pas à nous le faire savoir dans l’espace commentaires. 🙂
The English-speaking Frenchie 
I really wish I did more volunteer works when I was still studying! Could’ve made my CV look nicer 😂
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You can still do it, it can take no more than 5 hours a week and if it is for a cause you care about, it will also be the perfect hobby! 😋
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Hey! Just found your blog and I loved this post! I volunteered for a lot of stuff in college and it’s definitely helped me find jobs – but also it just gave me a lot of “life” experience, if that makes sense. I volunteered with teenagers and even now when I apply for completely unrelated jobs, the interviewer always says “wow, you must have a lot of patience if you worked with teens!”, so it looks good no matter what you do afterwards. Would love to hear about your experience working for the NGO, that sounds super interesting! 🙂
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Hello! I am so happy you commented about your own experience, it gives another layer to that post if that makes sense. It is my favorite thing about blogging: comments usually end up saying as much as the post itself. 🙂
I would totally write a post about that experience, I never thought about it before but it is such a great idea! It was wonderful, honestly!
Oh yes, working with teenagers shows how patient you are! I never really saw things that way but you are so right, sometimes employers see in what you’ve done qualities that you did not have considered yourself. Volunteering always has so much more to offer than we think.
If that is not too personal, in what field are you working now? I am curious! :p
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I’d definitely be interested to read about it! I’ve volunteered for a few charitable organisations and would like to go in to NGO marketing/management at some point, but I’ve heard you need to get a lot of experience in other roles to get a good job in the non-profit sector. Right now I’m doing a Master’s in Marketing/Management but I think the interviewer has commented on my volunteering in any interview (both for internships and for casual/student jobs). Another big advantage is that the people you meet volunteering are usually really nice and make the work so enjoyable! Also if you don’t mind me asking, what university did you go to in France? I studied abroad in Aix-en-Provence for a year and visited friends who studied in other cities so I’m interested to know!
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I totally agree with you, it is always so much fun as you are working with kind people who genuinely want to serve a cause and you are working yourself for a cause that matters to you! You are totally welcome! Yes, I saw on your blog that you studied in France, did you like Aix? I personally started in what we call a “classe prépa” in Dijon, but I did not really enjoyed it so I continued with a bachelor’s degree in English in my hometown, Troyes. It is located not so far from Paris if you do not know (it is quite small!). Then, I will continue my master’s here and will see where I go next!
When it comes to NGOs, there is a website called “Tous bénévoles” (https://www.tousbenevoles.org/) in France, if you know French, maybe you can apply for positions as a translator. Usually, you can do it all from home and you could maybe meet people who can help you find jobs in the non-profit sector. I think it must be a little bit easier in France that elsewhere, so maybe give it a try!
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Aix was a very cool experience! It’s a beautiful city and there were lots of interesting places near by, like Les Calanques. I have great memories of that year but the administration at our university was very stressful unfortunately. Getting credits was complicated but it was fun overall – I’d definitely recommend studying abroad if it’s an option for you!
Oh that’s cool, I’ve heard the “prépa” is incredibly hard work! I haven”t been to Troyes but of course I was a fan of Paris 🙂
Oh wow thanks very much for that recommendation! I’d never heard of “Tous bénévoles” and it’s definitely something I’ll check out.
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I am so happy you liked it! Yes, the administration is quite a thing all over France and when you are not used to it, it can get quite overwhelming! I would love going for a working-holiday visa in the near future as I am not sure I will get a lot of time when studying for my master’s degree. In any case, I will travel as much as possible in the next two years, that is for sure! :p
Yes it is, especially when you do not really enjoy the courses lol.
If, at some point, you get to live in Paris, try spending a weekend in Troyes if you can. It is quite small so a weekend is enough but it is very rich historically speaking! 🙂
You definitely should!
Take care!
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Yes, I’ve heard the administration is a cause of stress in a lot of universities! I’m actually planning to do a post with tips for Irish students heading to France at some point so I might describe it more then, but at least we had great weather in Provence 🙂
Cool, thanks for the tip! I will definitely go to Paris at some point because I didn’t get to Versailles the last time I went, I’ll add Troyes to the list! Take care you too 🙂
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That post is such a great idea! I personally visited both Southern and Northern Ireland lately, both were beyond awesome! I think it is great to talk about Provence because when people say “France is so expensive, we can’t study abroad there”, they usually refer to Paris but life can be sooooo much cheaper! Bonus point: even where I live, we have several museums! The French culture is everywhere :p
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Oh that’s great, I saw you linked to a post about Dublin and I’m always glad to hear when visitors find Irish people helpful and friendly! If you come to Ireland again I’d recommend you visit Galway (a really cute small city with very cute buildings, a lot of traditional music and culture, also it’s very near the famous Cliffs of Moher!) or the Ring of Kerry, which is just stunningly beautiful.. A lot of people visit just Dublin but it’s definitely worth coming again to see unique places around the country 🙂
Yep although the international students in Aix complained a lot about administration and classes, we all agreed it was a lot more affordable! The Cité U is less than half the price in Ireland and the CROUS made student life very affordable. Also the weather and stunning places to visit hah.
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I love Ireland so much that I took Irish History and literature classes last year aha, I will definitely come back and visit Galway! Thanks for the recommandation 😋 I am so happy you enjoyed your time in France, we are very lucky, indeed, to have such a cheap education!!
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