Escape To... offers volunteer and internship opportunities in India for 2 to 12 weeks.
Immerse yourself in local Indian culture while learning from, and contributing towards, impactful organizations and initiatives.
DESIGN YOUR EXPERIENCE
Experience India like a local while learning from talented local professionals and pursuing your curiosity through a volunteer internship that best suits your passions. Explore a field you have never tried before or intern in an industry that is part of your career development. Whether on a gap year, sabbatical, summer off, or simply a short break, learn about unique ways to volunteer, intern and travel in India.
EDUCATION
Interested in working with children? Escape To... offers a chance to work at under-served schools and educational centers to assist in providing education to children. Projects range from working at an orphanage, street children shelter or a classroom setting. Volunteers with a background in education, sociology, art, and other related fields are encouraged to apply.
TYPICAL DAY
Volunteers wake up for breakfast in their hostel or coliving accommodation with other international travelers and local Indians. By 8:30 AM, they take an auto-rickshaw to school where they work alongside certified teachers. They map out various activities for the children as well as assist on existing lesson plans. Activities include:
- English lessons
- Reading and writing assistance
- Geography + Current Events
- Arts and Crafts
- Assistance with skits, plays, and events at school
- Promoting early childhood development
- Playing educational games
- Assisting Teachers and Principles
- Fundraising
Requirements
In order to match our volunteers and interns to the best possible experience, we want to make sure you are aligned with the project needs. For education based work, we require:
- 18 Years or older
- Fluent in English
- Completed High School
- Past experience or intention to work with Children
- Background Check
- CV/Resume
- Phone Interview
- Ability to commit for 2 weeks (or more)
Questions About this project
Where will I be placed?
Depending on your skills and interest levels, you may be placed in a government (low-income) school, a street children shelter, or an orphanage. It depends on what level of structure you want and what type of instruction you want to learn from or contribute towards.
How old are the children?
Depending on the placement, you can work with children starting at the age of 4. You may also request to work with a certain age group.
Do I have to have teaching experience?
No. Since our educational projects have a variety of roles, you will be placed according to your experience. If you have never worked with children before, we have a host of activities you can get involved in. If you are a certified teacher, we will place you in a role with more hands on teaching.
What about housing, food, airfare, and safety?
Please see our trip logistics information at the bottom of this page in order to learn more about the logistics.
Non-PROFIT DEVELOPMENT
Escape To's most popular project, the non-profit development internship, allows you to work on initiatives and programs that address our world's most pressing issues. With a behind the scenes look at how a non-profit works, interns are able to learn from activists, field workers, and leaders on women's development, sustainable hygiene, cultural preservation and fair trade.
Available Projects
- Women's Development: interns will help build the next generation of female entrepreneurs and leaders in this project that empowers women to start businesses, gain computer skills, workforce development training, and ultimately become financially independent. Interns can get involved in trainings, workshops, digital literacy initiatives, microfinance and market linkage programs and female youth interventions.
- Sustainable Hygiene: interns will work on initiatives to teach young girls about menstrual health and prevent them from dropping out of school. With a goal of reaching 10,000 young girls by 2020, the interventions are conducted in low-income schools that have a 47% drop out rate due to the menstrual cycle. Interns may also choose to work on soap recycling work wherein excess soap is collected from luxury hotels, recycled and redistributed to communities in need. Interns can get involved in hygiene education to communities, assist in reaching WASH goals, and assist with the day to day outreach efforts.
- Fair Trade: interns will work on initiatives to provide greater equity through fair trade and sustainable development. By working with artisans, craftsmen, and tribal communities, fair trade enhances the livelihood of marginalized workers while also preserving their art forms and way of life. Interns will get involved in artisan visits, market linkage, outreach and communications, event planning and market research. This project is great for those interested in sustainable trade and fashion or simply want to learn more about conscious consumerism.
Requirements
In order to match our volunteers and interns to the best possible experience, we want to make sure you are aligned with the project needs. For non-profit based work, we require:
- 18 Years or older
- Fluent in English
- Currently enrolled in or have graduated from an accredited university
- One work, volunteer, or internship experience
- Experience traveling abroad
- CV/Resume
- Phone Interview
- Ability to commit for 4 weeks (or more)
Questions About this project
Where will I be placed?
Depending on your skills and interest levels, you may be placed at any of the above projects. You may choose on your application form, which one you are most interested in.
What's a typical day like?
The world of non-profit work is greatly varied on a week to week basis. Get in touch with us to learn more about a typical week or month and past sample projects over a phone call.
Do I have to have non-profit experience?
No. We work with our field partners to assign responsibility according to the amount of experience you have and the workload you can take on.
What about housing, food, airfare, and safety?
Please see our trip logistics information in order to learn more about the logistics.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Escape To... works to tackle a variety of environmental issues in South Asia through our field partners. One of the most pressing issues for the region, an environmental internship allows you to learn about water, energy and conservation challenges and share your expertise with local professionals. Interns can choose from an internship in Water Conservation, Solar Energy, Wildlife Rehabilitation and Environmental Policy.
TYPICAL DAY
Interns choose from a variety of projects related to the environmental issue they are most aligned with. You would wake up around 7:30 AM and head out to work at 8:30 AM. Interns generally convene with their managers and team in an office before heading off to field assignments in the city or surrounding areas later in the mornings or afternoons. Always working in a small team with locals or other international interns, they get involved in:
- Site visits to coconut farms, villages and offices to do assessments on water technology
- Creating reports and models on the best adaptations and use cases
- Visiting older buildings and schools to assess solar energy feasibility
- Going on rescue runs for injured urban wildlife
- Learning about animal rehabilitation and release back into their natural habitats
- Assisting on case studies around urban pollution, traffic alleviation, and smart city planning
- Presenting findings to local and regional governments to inform policy
REQUIREMENTS
In order to match our volunteers and interns to the best possible experience, we want to make sure you are aligned with the project needs. For environmental based work, we require:
- 18 Years or older
- Fluent in English
- Currently enrolled in or have graduated from an accredited university
- Studying a field related to environmental, animals or engineering
- Experience traveling abroad
- CV/Resume
- Phone Interview
- Ability to commit for 4 weeks (or more)
Questions About this project
Where will I be placed?
Depending on your skills and interest levels, you may be placed at any of the above projects. You may choose on your application form, which one you are most interested in.
Do I have to have environmental work experience?
No. We work with our field partners to assign responsibility according to the amount of experience you have and the workload you can take on.
What about housing, food, airfare, and safety?
Please see our trip logistics information below in order to learn more about the logistics.
HOUSING, FOOD, TRANSPORT, SUPPORT
Housing – Our international volunteers and interns come from a variety of different backgrounds. Accordingly, we have identified a handful of great housing options during your time abroad. From coliving apartments where you share common spaces with young professionals to homestays and serviced apartments, we can help you choose a housing option that's close to your placement and according to your lifestyle.
Food – Your first welcome meal is on us! After that, depending on your housing arrangement, you may cook meals, eat out or have an in-house cook who prepares breakfast and dinner. Most volunteers/interns like to eat out with their co-workers during lunch as well as on the weekends when they are often traveling.
Transportation – Depending on where your placement is in relation to your housing, you may choose to walk, take an auto rickshaw, Uber or Ola app, or a bus to work everyday. We generally recommend interns stay no more than 30 minutes away from workplace in order to reduce commute times. Our team will help orient you to the transportation system in your first few days so that you feel comfortable to try it on your own.
Location – Our programs take place in southern India in a small tech city called Bangalore (Bengaluru). We love living and working here due to the ease of English, incredibly progressive attitude, tons of non-profits, amazing variety of restaurants and cultural activities and close proximity to weekend trips like Kerala, Goa, Hampi and Coorg.
Orientation – Our interns and volunteers go through a robust orientation program in the weeks leading up to their departure and upon arrival. Pre-departure orientation consists of health, culture and safety training along with questions about visa, flights, arrival details, what to pack and any questions about transitioning to life in India. On arrival orientation consists of picking you up at the airport, having our coordinator meet you for a welcome meal the following day, giving you a tour of your neighborhood and surroundings, helping you get adjusted with a local phone if needed, acquainting you with the transportation system and taking you to work to meet your manager and co-workers.
On site staff – Although it may seem like you are traveling to India alone, in actuality you won't be alone when you get there. Once you settle in to your accommodation, you will meet your community manager who will always be available to orient you to the city, recommend the best places for you to visit and be your first point of contact. You will additionally have a program director who will meet you periodically and monitor your work as well as overall experience. Once you settle into work, you'll quickly make some new friends through the other co-workers or international volunteers that are on our program, in your accommodation or that you meet during your travels.