Project Trust London Internship Research Project Lucy Hughes

Project TrustLondon Internship Research Project Lucy Hughes, July 2014
1 | P a g e
RETURNED VOLUNTEERS AND THE
PROJECT TRUST COMMUNITY
PROJECT SPECIFICATION AND STARTING POINTS:
- What do PT returned volunteers go on to do next?
- How does PT help RVs to get jobs?
- How can you maximise the impact of your PT experience on CV’s and in job
applications?
- How did RVs further develop the skills developed whilst abroad, to enhance their
career prospects?
- Think about your experience as a volunteer and how you have been affected by
your experiences since returning home.
Focus: Helping RVs in their career prospects and future careers/further education
by utilising fully their experience and skills gained from their PT year overseas.
Alison Fraser, PT Head of Alumni & Engagement:
“I would like to see you focus on gathering concrete advice from ret vols on CV building and
developing the hard and soft skills they developed whilst overseas.”

2 | P a g e
AIM: To find ways to improve and build upon the support Project Trust
already provides through debriefing and the alumni network. Especially
for recently returned volunteers on their next steps after returning.
Focusing mainly on CV building, careers advice and skills building.
METHOD: Creating a returned volunteer survey using
www.quicksurveys.com and sending it out via social media (facebook,
twitter and linkedin.) 75 respondents took part in this research. Then,
using the information and feedback, create resources and identify which
areas need to be improved so PT can move forward in this area.
OUTCOME: Report of survey results with analysis and resources in CV
building, incorporation of PT into interviews and skills building advice.
Facebook: Linkedin:
Twitter:

3 | P a g e
THE RETURNED VOLUNTEERSURVEY: 7 PAGES (5 QUESTION PAGES)
Page 1:
Introduction
Page 2:
Personal
Information
Using QuickSurvey’s tools I was able to create a variety of questions from multiple-choice,
matrix multiple-choice, open-ended comment answers and even ranking questions for the
skills section. It is a really good resource PT should either invest in or use as a free resource
for all its surveys and just one website out there that can easily be accessed by social media.

4 | P a g e
Page 2
Continued:
Page 3:
Occupation
Section

5 | P a g e
Page 3
Continued:
Page 4:
University
Section

6 | P a g e
Page 5:
Skills Section

7 | P a g e
Page 5
Continued:
(Skills are as above in
the choices for top
three)
Page 6:
Project Trust
Help
Page 7:
End Page

8 | P a g e
SURVEY RESULTS AND ANALYSIS:
BASED ON 75 RESPONDENTS TO THE SURVEY
WORLD MAP VIEW OF LOCATION OF RESPONDENTS (PT’S RVS ARE SO GLOBAL!)
DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN:
Location:
Most respondents were
from the UK but also
many in the US and a
few in the Netherlands
among others.
Gender:
Mostly female
respondents but in
relation to how many
returned male
volunteers there are to
female, actually a good
representation of the
male demographic to an
extent.

9 | P a g e
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
NoofVolunteers
Years
Volunteers abroad/year
Age of Respondents:
Mostly recently returned volunteers in the last 5 years but also a good range of the earlier
PT volunteers – something that could be developed further as they will have the most
experience in the workplace so far and so have more comprehensive advice and feedback.
Year Overseas with PT:
Again linking with the age range
above, mostly in the last 5 years
but especially in the 2000s as
well, the 90s/80s not so much
but lots from returning last year
(may be to do with the fact I am
an RV from 12/13 so don’t have
as much diverse coverage via fb)
Even though just a short survey
and only open for a short time for this project, this also is a useful way of seeing the reach of
PT’s social media as they were used to promote the survey!
This is Alison’s data on how many vols have gone away each year, could have many more
respondents from the 90s who may now be in first few stages of employment…
0
5
10
15
Year Overseas of Respondents
% of
respondents
inthat age
group
Numberof
respondents
inthat age
group

10 | P a g e
NAMES OF RESPONDENTS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE:
1. Adam Hainsworth
2. Adrienne Dowling
3. Alastair Macleod
4. Alison MacLachlan
(nee McDonald)
5. Amanda Innes
6. Amy Louden
7. Amy Sked
8. Anna Barnouw
9. Anna Burnley
10. Annie Marston
11. Belinda Blank
12. Ben Biggs
13. Billy Kwong
14. Brian Harson
15. Cate Robinson
16. Catherine Oliver
17. Charles Roberts
18. Charlie Osborn
19. Chloe Taylor
20. Claire Hall (nee
Bagnall-Oakeley)
21. Claire Jennings
22. Claire McGarrell
23. Clara Harris
24. Craig Bathgate
25. Dan
26. Danielle Kavanagh
27. David Ramsey
28. Edward Cook
29. Eilidh
30. Eilidh Duncan
31. Eilidh Quinn
32. Ella Simpson
33. Emily Rodger
34. Emma
35. Evonne Pasquill
36. Fern Adams
37. Geoff Waterston
38. George
Swithinbank
39. Graham Parker
40. Hannah McMann
41. Jack Wilson
42. Jake Lloyd-Smith
43. Jeremy Astill-
Brown
44. Jodie Fothergill
45. Katie Lyall
46. Kayleigh McMillan
47. Laura Harper (nee
wicking)
48. Libby Thomas
49. Louise Lynch
50. Louise Roche
51. Louise Steel
52. Lowri Jones
53. Lucy dodwell
54. Luke Williams
55. Lusanda Donnelly
56. Malcolm Gotts
57. Margreet Hankins
(-Schuring)
58. Marian Montanha
59. Megan Sneddon
60. Micheal Jones
61. Peter Evans
62. Peter McCrory
63. Rebecca White
64. Rosie Macgill
65. Ruth Fox
66. Ruth Gilroy
67. Sadie Rodea
68. Sam Irving
69. Simon Charters
70. Simon Cleary
71. Stefan La Rooij
72. Stephanie
Enderby
73. Tasha Hookham
74. Thomas Howie
75. Unknown
Unfortunately some names are only first names, but the ones with full names are clearly up for
more questions and contact on the areas discussed.
I really should’ve put e-mails as well! Hopefully they can be tracked down on the PT database
for future use if you need.

11 | P a g e
FURTHER DETAILS OF WHICH TYPES OF VOLUNTEERS RESPONDED:
How long did the respondents
volunteer for?
A good balance of mostly 12 month
volunteers (70 respondents) which
correlates with the higher numbers
of volunteers who choose a 12
month placements overall.
[Maybe could use the five 8 month
respondents in a different way as
they may have views on how the
shorter time affected their skills
building.]
What kind of projects did respondents volunteer at?
Most respondentswere
involvedinsome sortof
teachingandthere was
definitelyanunder-
representationof the outward
boundcategory and journalism
inresponses.
‘Other’ respondents 
Again could use the
information to look at which
types of projects best develop
certain skills/benefit people
in different ways?

12 | P a g e
WHAT TYPE OF OCCUPATIONS DO THE RV RESPONDENTS HAVE?
Alison already has an excellent resource to look at occupations of RVs in general. However,
could possibly pick out a few careers and ask the respondent specific questions as to how
they used PT to get that career?
1. Advertising
2. Au pairinSpain
3. Broadcast System
Specialist
4. Cashier
5. Charitable Investment
Manager
6. CharityFundraiser
7. Charityworker
8. CharteredAccountant
(notpracticing) andCEO of
(small) software company
9. Chef
10. Childrenandfamilies
social worker/alsoowna
newlife coachingbusiness
11. Civil Engineer
12. Commercial Mangerfor
an Office Products
Company
13. Community&Events
FundraisingManagerat the
BritishLungFoundation
14. CompanyDirector-
Acacia Development
AssociatesLtd
15. Customerassistantat
Budgensandsandwich
artistat Subway
16. Editorat wire service
17. ELT Editor
18. Engineeringplacement
student
19. Estate Agent
20. Student(BScHons
SpeechandLanguage
Therapy)
21. FundManager
22. General manager/
ManagementConsultant
23. General Managerof
Ford Dealership
24. Englishlanguage
assistantinFrance, inan
engineeringuniversity
25. IT consultant
26. Local government
projectmanager.
27. Mechanical engineerx2
28. Medical student
29. Mortgage processor
30. Nurse
31. Nurse assistant
32. Offshore Contracts
Manager
33. OverseasOperations
Manager for nonprofit
34. Parentsupportspecialist
35. Programme coordinator
SeniorProjectOfficer
36. Programme Coordinator
(UN Office onDrugsand
Crime)
37. Programmer,Idevelop
the contentof debates
aboutfor example politics,
economics,CSR,law,etc.
38. ResearchEconomist
39. SecondaryEnglish
Teacher
40. SecondaryScience
Teacherx2
41. ServicesatAsda
42. Shopassistant
43. Social Media
CoordinatorforSocialists
and Democratsinthe
EuropeanParliamentPress
& Communication
44. Studentx9
45. Student& salesassistant
46. Student(MA Education).
Workingfor the summerat
an outdoorholidaycentre
for childrenandadultswith
additional supportneeds.
47. StudentandBar
Supervisor
48. Studentandcurrently
workingasan internfor
Centre forGlobal
Programmesat University
of York
49. Studentandpart time
salesassistantatLush
50. Studentandwaitress
51. Studentat School of
Oriental andAfricanStudies
(SOAS) studying
DevelopmentStudiesIntern
at HIV/AIDSorganisation
AVERT
52. Studentnurse
53. Student,spendingthe
summeras an au pair
54. Student/PTSummer
Staff
55. Student/Barista
56. Student/ Waitress
57. SubmarinerWarfare
Officer- Royal Navy
58. Title - Lead Product
Manager, inFreshfoodfor
a retailer
59. Tour Guide/Improviser
60. Trainee Teacher
61. Unemployed
62. Waiter/Student
63. Waitress/full-time
student
64. Work for ProjectTrust
65. WorldBank

13 | P a g e
RESEARCH BY ALISON ON WHAT TYPES OF CAREERS RETURNED VOLUNTEERS
HAVE GONE ON TO DO: 1077 CASES USED IN THIS DATA
Although I don’t have a similar qualitative way of measuring the types of occupations with
my survey results, there are trends in Alison’s research of the most popular types of
occupation for RVs:
1. Education
2. Medicine
3. Voluntary Sector
4. Business
These do to an extent correlate with the answers given in the survey, with many
respondents now teachers (5 respondents approx.) and holding positions in business,
medicine or the charitable sector. However, many respondents in this survey are still
students so don’t really fit into the occupation stats yet!
If I have time I would like to contact a few very specialist occupations listed such as Royal
Navy, World Bank, Social-Media Co-ordinator etc. to see some specific cases of quite unique
career paths and how PT could have helped to gain those.

14 | P a g e
OCCUPATION ANALYSIS CONTINUED:
How useful was their PT experience in helping them gain their current occupation?
A really high percentage found the experience very useful (33.33%), useful (30.67%) or at
least slightly useful (13.33%). For those who selected N/A or Not Useful, it would be
interesting to see if they could use their experience in the future with more training in how
to use it.
Those who selected ‘Other’ had some good feedback comments:
Interestingly the responses have a theme of PT experience helping in other areas of life
outside of their chosen career – I think a challenge will be to relate the PT experience to
every type of job, not just those in charity work or with an international focus.
I believe the PT experience can relate and be used in every kind of interview and CV for
any career  creating more resources that are general and to an extent can be applied to
most job sectors will help volunteers in this way.

15 | P a g e
How often do respondents use their PT experience in their CV or in interviews?
This shows that CVs have a strong inclusion of PT but yet when in an interview setting it
almost halves in being used ‘always’ – from 81.33% on CVs to 42.67% in interviews.
This means that we need to focus on interview techniques using the PT experience a little
more, alongside building on the CV writing aspect which is pretty strong.
‘Other’ respondents also had other ways they have used their PT experience:
Interestingly Linkedin is
mentioned, something PT can
continually build on and advise
more strongly on debriefing.
I think sending an e-mail to all
recent RVs after debriefing with
the Linkedin page and how to
sign up would help make the
most of that excellent resource
Alison has created.
It seems as well that the most
impact the PT experience has is at graduate level or at the beginning of careers rather than
being used later on as by then other experience has been accumulated and can be used
instead. PT is clearly a great way to differentiate an individual from a large crowd of degree-
holders and something I think PT emphasises very well at the moment!
However should the experience become less valuable in the workplace as time passes? Or
can it always be drawn on at any age? I think we should consider this and maybe challenge
that perception! E.g. “the foundations of my leadership skills were built when I was 18 and
overseas in Cambodia…”
Key for how often
they mentioned PT:

16 | P a g e
COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK FROM RESPONDENTS ON ANY OTHER WAYS PT HAS
HELPED THEM IN THE WORLD OF WORK:
Insteadof copyingall 75 I have chosen30 of the responsestopresentinthisreport.HoweverIwill
sendthemall overto you for yourrecords,there are some amazingstoriesandfeedback,if you’re
everhavinga badday thenread throughthese!
1. As a general confidence boostit is irreplaceable.Whateverweirdandwonderful situationyou
are throwninat work chancesare youhad a weirderone while volunteeringforPT!
2. Breadthof awareness,perspective,sensitivity,ambitionand asense of responsibilitytomake
the most of everyopportunitythat presentsitselfonbehalfof the many intelligent,astute,
aware and globallyinterestedfriendsthatI made in Uganda who,by circumstance of birth,
will struggle toaccessthe educational andprofessionalopportunitiespresentedsoeasilyinthe
UK that I enjoyunquestioninglyandof whichtheywouldundoubtedlymake somuchmore.
3. Gain a more roundedperspectivethanothersinthe interview process. Preparedme verywell
for working with 27 other nationalities inthe European Parliament :)
4. Helpedgive me somethingtotalkaboutand experiences veryfewotherpeople my age have.
5. I am back livingandteachinginPeru(myPT placementcountry). Itgave me an advantage in
interviewas I knew the country, spoke a little Spanish(rusty).
6. I have recruitedlots of people andoccasionallyIcame across a CV froma returnedproject
volunteer,theyalwaysgotthroughthe paperscreenandintoa face to face interview onRV
status alone.
7. I nowwork acrosshousingandsocial care and havingworkedasa supportworkerabroad I
thenwentonto work inthe fieldinthe UK which directlyattributed to me getting my
graduate scheme place and later jobs.
8. I shamelesslyuse it at everyopportunity. I've alsofoundita useful waytobuildarelationship
withIndianpatientsandstaff inthe hospital.(IworkedinIndia)
9. I thinkitmade me a more independentandresilientperson
10. I usedto workfor ProjectT inthe early90s -- Alisonwill remember!Lovedthe workandthe
island. Mytime in Indonesiawas central to my career(s), bothinleadingme towork onColl
and afterthat as a journalistinAsiaandLondon.JustlastmonthI wasdowninIndonesia
reportinginSulawesi -- usingthe same skillsthat I started to learn in1986-1987.
11. I'm more comfortable workingwithpeoplewithwhomthere isasignificantage difference and
nowI am au-pairinginFrance I'm lessintimidatedby the language barrier thanI wouldhave
beenotherwise.Ican adapt more quicklyto new situations aftermy yearwithPT whichhas
beenreallyhelpfulandthe extraconfidence I have aftermyyear outis alwayshelpful
(especiallywithschooltalks/careersfairs).
12. In an interviewIcan discusshowbeingoverseashelpedtodevelopmyskill setandithasalso
shown my responsibilityandput me ina positionof trust
13. It gave me focus and direction,soI have a bitmore of an ideawhere Iwantmy careerto be
goingnow.I consistentlyuse overseasexperiencesandRV workininterviews,Idefinitelydon't
think I'dbe where I am today if I hadn't gone to South Africa. Evenmy fundraisingexperience
itself hascome upmultiple timesininterviewssothathas beenreallybeneficial.
14. It helpedme to understand how charitieswork and what theirneedsare.

17 | P a g e
15. It helpedshape who I am, how I approach things and my general attitude inlife.I've done
manythingsbecause of the experiencesIhadonmy PT year andthis has ledme to where I am
now.
16. It isentirelythanks to Project Trust that I work in the fieldof securityand development.The
opportunitytotake a year outand to explore whatIwantedtodo withmylife wasinvaluable.
17. It isquite an internationalenvironmentandmy international experience helps.More sowhen
I appliedformyinternshipatUNESCO inParisthan for mycurrent job.
18. It was a longtime ago but remains the seminal experience ofmylife;it gave me faith in my
own abilitiesandlife experience Icouldnothave gainedinotherways.
It isimpossible to quantifywhat it has meant to me.
19. It was an invaluable and wonderful experience;itshapedthe way I am. Althoughitdoesn't
directlyhelpme getemployedthe experience IhadwithProjectTrust made me a much better
candidate for all the jobs I have gone for. The experience isn'tdirect,itwasan amazingand
life changingyear,my life isdifferentbecause ofProjectTrust.
20. It's all about exposure and learningand cutting onesteethearly, understandingdifference,
appreciatingotherculturesthroughdeepengagement - veryvaluable competencies.
21. It's always an interestingobvioustalking pointin interviews andyou livingabroadprovokes
questions.Thisleadsontoanyabilityyoumayhave inanotherlanguage - regardlessof it'son
your cv or not - alwayscomesup.
22. It's givenme invaluable experienceandsocial experience,definitelyhelpedme securingjobs
ininterviews,being generallymore confidentandresourceful.Alsohelpedme secure aplace
on mydegree programme (Language andCultural Studies)
23. More confidence in applyingforjobsI wouldnot normally consider.
24. ProjectTrust wasmentionedalotwhenapplyingforjobsinthe firstcouple of yearsafterbeing
away,but nowonlycomesup occasionallyasIhave more recentexperiencesthatare more
relevanttothe type of part-time work(asstill astudent) Iapplyfor. Project Trust certainly
acted as a steppingstone into my chosen careerpath and intothe part-time workIhave
undertaken.
25. PT experience reallyhelpedexpandmyexperience inworkingwith people.WhatI learnt
duringmy placementhasreallyhelpedbothwithgettingintouniversityandinfindingworkin
my chosenfieldof workingwithpeople withadditional supportneeds.
26. PT givesyou endless anecdotesand examplesforwhenaskedto prove you have a certain
quality/skill.
27. PT taught me to how to demand more from every situationand feel confidentthat no matter
what happens in the world or work I'll probably be able to cope with it.
28. Teachingandpresentationskillshave beenhugelyimportantanda yearwithPT definitely
improvedthem immeasurably.Workingabroadthisyearwasalsoinfinitelyeasierafterhaving
beenawaywithPT, getting stuck into a new culture as well as figuringout practical thingslike
phonesfeltlike a breeze the secondtime around.
29. The experiencewasthe catalyst for how the restof my life developed withoutadoubt.
30. The experienceissomethingwhichhas setme apart in a difficultjobmarket; it makesyourCV
stand out among dozensof others.

18 | P a g e
HOW DID THE PT EXPERIENCE IMPACT RESPONDENTS’ UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS?
Did PT help respondents to get into University?
A mixed response to this but still a majority who selected ‘Yes’ (34 respondents, 45.33%)
showing PT has a real impact in university applications – one of their biggest strengths in
recruitment is definitely the appeal this type of gap year will have to universities.
The ‘Other’ answers either referred to the question as inapplicable or weren’t sure if it had
helped or not.
I did also ask a question on whether respondents deferred their entry but the data is
unreliable as I didn’t have an N/A option so those who didn’t go to university would’ve
selected an answer (hope that makes sense, apologies for that!)
Did respondents mention PT on their personal statements?
A large majority of over 2/3rds of respondents did mention it on their personal statements.
The ‘Other’, ‘No’ and ‘N/A’ answers were all people who either didn’t go to university or
didn’t think to add it to their personal statement. Two of the ‘Other’ respondents wrote that
they did put it on their personal statement but only for their first degree. Also personal
statements are not needed in Holland!

19 | P a g e
Did respondents change their university course based on theirPT experience?
Again with this question the N/A option was added later so most respondents who didn’t go
to university at all will have also selected ‘No’ answers as well, again a fault on my part I’m
afraid!
However, much more importantly the 27 who did change their courses have some
interesting examples stated below! This data can be trusted with 36% of respondents
selecting ‘Yes’.
This truly shows the potential impact PT has on the course of futures after a gap year.
Respondents who selected ‘Yes I changed my course because of PT’ specify how it
changed their university course below:
I have bolded what they went on to do, mostly changing to languages or something with
teaching/international focuses but overall a really interesting range of changes.
Afterbeingsoindependentforayear, I decidedtochoose a universityfurther away from home.
Before PTI was planningongoingintomidwifery-myexperience helpedme realiseIwantedto teach
childrenwith additional support needsand behavioural issues.
Decidedtostudy international developmentinstead
From Biology toHispanic Studies
From Law to Politicsand International Relations- I realisedIwouldfinditmore interestingandI
definitelydid
I beganstudyingComputerScience,afterayearof studyingIchangedtodo French & Spanish
I changedfroma lawdegree to study Latin American Studies& International Relations.I spenta year
inUganda sharinga compoundwithFrenchspeakingrefugeesfromDRCand,following6yearsof
studyingitat highschool,usedmyFrenchon a dailybasisandrealisedthatwe learna language to
understandandbe understood,notforclassroomtranslations.This inspiredme topick up a new

20 | P a g e
language at Universityandcombine itwithsomethingthatgenuinelyinterestedme ratherthan
somethingmyteachersrecommendedIstudybaseduponHighschoolssubjectsandgrades.
I changedfromEnglishto DevelopmentStudies
I changed to Modern Languagesafter learningSpanishonmyproject
I chose my Master’sdegree largelybased on PT experience andotheroverseasexperience Igained
duringmy undergrad
I had an unconditionalplace atB'ham to studyaccountancy.I didnot goas althoughitwasnot then
clearwhat I DID wantto do, it was clear to me that I did NOT want to do accountancy.
I had initiallyplannedtostudyGerman,butafterbeingacceptedbyPT to go to ChinaI changedmy
course to Chinese.
I have now decidedto study Primary Education
I initiallyacceptedacourse at Exeterandthen changed to Liverpool as they had a Chileanpolitics
tutor there who had beenexiledunderPinochet
I startedone termat brumuni...I wasmeantto do Frenchand geography,changeditto Spanishand
Geography.ButI leftbecause itdidn'tfeel right,I spentthe rest of the year working and appliedto do
social work in Glasgowthe followingyear.
I was goingto doEnglishLiterature tobecome ajournalistindevelopmentwork,but aftergoingout I
realisedI neededtolearn the theory and practice of developmentwork.
I was goingto doFrenchand Spanish,thendecidedto do a vocation- nursing
I was not goingto go to Uni before I went overseas
I was originallyunsure of whattostudybut having previouslyenjoyedspanishandthen beingable to
speak in fluentlyinChile IrealisedI had a passion for it
I was setto studyGeneral Engineeringbuti believe myPTexperience helpedme decide tobe a Civil
Engineer
InitiallyIwasgoingtobe doinga psychology,filmandmediaandmarketingcourse atStirling,and now
I'm goinginto my fourth year of a Sociologyand Social Anthropologycourse - I guessdue tomy
interestinoverseasculturesandsocieties,andunderstandingthingsdifferenttowhatI'musedto.
It allowedme to work out what I was passionate about
Originally wantedtostudyEconomicsandSpanish - changed to focus on Spanish and Cultural Studies
OriginallysupposedtodoRussian, changedthisto International Relations aftermyyear abroad.
PoliticsandPhilosophyto PoliticsandInternational Relations
Same degree,but changedarea of interest

21 | P a g e
SKILLS GAINED BY RETURNED VOLUNTEERS
For this section I looked at the top 13 skills employers are looking for in recruitment across
most occupations and also in certain higher education courses as well.
1. Leadership
2. Planning/Organisation
3. Teamwork
4. Time Management
5. Presentation Skills
6. Stress Management
7. Inter-personal
Sensitivity (Empathy)
8. Cultural Awareness
9. Self-Confidence
10. Written Skills
11. Financial Management
(e.g. Budgeting)
12. Ability to work as
individual contributor
13. Communications
Also an option to select ‘other’ where a skill has not been mentioned which applies to them.
What skills did the PT experience give respondents?
Firstly I asked to what extent the respondent had gained the skills listed whilst overseas on a
scale of ‘Gained a lot’ to ‘Didn’t Gain at all’ with a
few choices in between.
The colour code here shows which skills were
gained the most, if they have the largest block of
light blue then they were the most gained etc.
It is hard to judge this but some interesting results:
1. Leadership: Majority gained this skill a lot!
Gained a lot: 48%, 36 people
Gained a little: 45.33% 34 people
Not sure: 4%, 3 people
Didn’t Gain at all: 1.33%, 1 person
N/A: 1.33%, 1 person
2. Planning/Organisation: Majority again gained this skill a lot whilst overseas
Gained a little: 37.33%, 28 people
Not sure: 0%
3. Teamwork: not gained as much as the previous two but still mostly gained a little by
most respondents
Gained a lot: 37.33%, 28 people
Gained a little: 52%, 39 people
Not sure: 5.33%, 4 people
Didn’t Gain at all: 4%, 3 people

22 | P a g e
4. Time Management: even less gained this a lot but still a large proportion who gained
this a little whilst away
Didn’t Gain at all: 6.67%, 5 people
N/A: 0%
5. Presentation Skills: Majority gained this skill a lot, a strong impact
Didn’t Gain at all: 4%, 3 people
N/A: 2.67%, 2 people
6. Stress Management: A pretty even split majority between gaining this skill a lot and
a little
Not sure: 1.33%, 1 person
N/A: 4%, 3 people
7. Inter-personal Sensitivity (Empathy): A really positive reponse as no N/A answers or
not gained at all, so all respondents gained this skill in some way
Didn’t Gain at all: 0%
N/A: 0%
8. Cultural Awareness: A really high proportion in particular for this skill gained it A LOT
from their year!
Gained a lot: 92%, 69 people!!
Not sure: 0%

23 | P a g e
9. Self-Confidence: The most gained skill overall with all respondents selecting either
gained a lot or a little with no other options selected.
Not sure: 0%
N/A: 0%
10. Written Skills: A lot weaker in this skill, mostly an even split between not gained at
all, gained a little and not sure.
N/A: 4%, 3 people
11. Financial Management: mostly gained a little but weaker with less respondents
gaining this skill a lot in their year.
1 person somehow missed out this question!
12. Working as an individual contributor: A strong skill with most answers gained a lot
N/A: 0%
13. Communications: Again a very strongly gained skill from being overseas without any
‘N/A’, ‘Not sure’ answers
Not sure: 4%, 3 people
N/A: 0%
‘Other’ skills answers included: languages (very common other option and gained a lot on
the scale), intuition, independence, creativity and adaptability.

24 | P a g e
WHICH SKILLS HAVE HELPED VOLUNTEERS THE MOST SINCE RETURNING FROM
OVERSEAS?
After looking at each skill in detail, the last part of the skills section asked them to rank their
top 3 skills in terms of how much they had helped them in life after Project.
Instead of looking again at each individually I have picked out the highest ranking answers
and created PT’s top skills gained as a result:
1. SELF-CONFIDENCE
This wins the most popular option for being placed firstin the ranking
with 27 respondents placing this skill at the top of their top three.
2. CULTURAL AWARENESS
In second place, cultural awareness was ranked the top skill which has
helped in life after Projectby 14 respondents to the survey.
3. LEADERSHIP
Another popular option for firstplace in the ranking, 10 respondents
choseleadership as their mosthelpful skillgained fromPT.
There is a more detailed breakdown of all the skills and their rankings on the website
holding the data; also 2 respondents didn’t fill in this part of the survey!

25 | P a g e
HOW CAN PT HELP VOLUNTEERS?
Moving on from the feedback about what impact PT has had so far, this last section focuses
on how PT can improve its debriefing program to help maximise the PT experience in the
future for RVs. It especially has some great individual ideas and feedback from RVs at the
end of the section.
Did respondents attend de-briefing?
Quite a large proportion of
respondents (14.67%, 11 people)
have filled in this survey having not
benefitted from the focussed
sessions PT runs on debriefing.
The reasons given are often
financial difficulties, clashing with
timings/dates etc. which meant
some RVs missed out.
To avoid this having such a
potentially negative impact on an RV, online resources could be made with online
sessions/tutorials on basic careers advice and duplicating sessions on debriefing for those
who do miss it. Or some kind of e-mail could be set up for careers/education related queries
specifically and given to all volunteers? This could be a direct way of communication for
those RVs needing references or specific advice on careers.
If respondents did attend, how useful did they find debriefing?
I didn’t focus this question just on usefulness for careers/future plans advice but it still is a
good way of telling how effective the course has been over a wide range of RV experiences
with PT!

26 | P a g e
Most found it useful in some way but still 24 people rated it ‘okay’, ‘not useful’ or ‘not
useful at all.’ That can however be based on a very personal view of their year overall which
impacts the course and its focus and structure also has changed dramatically over the past 5
years I am sure! With new and exciting areas such as global citizenship, the RV weekend and
more, it doesn’t stop at debriefing anyway now, so this in no way represents PTs overall RV
impact.
HOW CAN PROJECT TRUST HELP RVS MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR
EXPERIENCEIN TERMS OF PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE?
I asked for examples where possible and here is the incredible feedback which is good, bad,
constructive and critical – a real insight into RV views on this research.
Some RVs feel it is not PTs role to do this or that they already do a good enough job, but
also many who think PT can improve and do more to help:
Helplink to skillsat work (as above) /help evaluate impacton self andwhetherthisshould
change decisionsmade pre PTyear
A little more helpafterdebriefing,leavingyouryearoverseasisdevastating, keepingintouch
withotherRVsthroughforums,get togetherandso on wouldhelp
A well-structured careermentoringprogramme.
AlthoughIdidnot benefit,Ibelieve thatthe newNVQis an excellentinnovation.Itwill help
people otherwiseinexorablydrawntowarduniversitytolegitimisetheirchoice todeferor even
not attendat all.I am nottoo sure how,but anything whichhelpsto differentiate the PT
experience fromjustdroppingoutona Thai beachwill be helpful.Dowe needanew, better
employedwordfor "gapyear"?
Be more open to gettinga job straight away. I feltlike they were pushinguni as the only option
and itreallyisn't.I came straightto a job andam doingreallywell,nodebtsjustsaving.
Buddying withreturned volsin relevantwork areas. CVand interviewskills sessionson
debriefing?Strengthen local networks
Communicationwith olderRV's,to see commonlinesof workgone into, networkingetc...Alison
Fraserdida bitof thisat the globcitweekend;topidea.
Continue to grow the networkof RVs
Coveringresponsibilityandhow to balance this whilststill pursuingyourlongtermgoals
Dependingonthe fieldyouvolunteerinthe experience contributesmassivelytochosencareers.
In general,itmakesforinterestinglife experiencesatareallyyoungage (especiallyIthinkif you're
froma workingclassbackgroundandweren'table toexperience PT style thingslike travelling
before)
Encourage further volunteering andindepth thinkingabout career paths andalternative career
paths.
Encourage RVs to think about the skillsthey've gained,andwhat theycould do with these.I
knowthat I gainedloadsfrommyyear outbut sometimesit's hardto rememberexactlywhat
activitiesIparticipatedin,andwhatskillsIdevelopedasaresult.
Encourage them to learn the local language,if applicable,andkeepit up after returning.
Encourage themto join and form societiesat Universityorlocally after returning.Encourage

27 | P a g e
themto network withother RVs and people theymeetabroad. Encourage financial planningand
independenceasmuchas possible while abroad.Encourage themtodo extra work (if possible)
while abroad to add to their CVsand experiences.Helpthemtophrase their learntskillsfor their
CV and interviews. Encourage themto continue to volunteerafterthey return,to add to theirCV.
Encourage us to take part in school talks and other volunteeringprojectswithinsociety to ensure
that our workdoesn'tendas soonas we return home,ensuringour experience isalwaysup to
date and relevantforfuture employmentetc.The PTmeetups are a good way of meetingother
people doingthe same thingandit wouldmaybe be helpful tohave these more often.
Examplesof what previousvolunteershave beeninspiredtodo followingtheiryear
Give a mandatory presentationat your own school. Enhance the link betweenRVsfrom different
years, maybe someone from 40 years ago can use a RV as internor something.
Give practical real life work situations - thencompare themto the situationsyouhadas an 18
yearold abroad
Have evenmore focus on the CVsectionon debriefing
HelpCV writingperhaps
Helpwriting CV'sKeepRV's updatedwith any job vacancies in organisationsthat mightinterest
them,andwithin PT Writingreferences forRV's
Honestly, Ithink debriefingistoosoon afterreturningfromthe UK to seriouslytalk about
planningfor the future;I certainlyhadn'tsettledbackintolivinginthe UKby that pointandit was
a good fewmonthsbefore Icouldreallyorganise mythoughtsaboutmytime abroadenoughto
thinkabouthowI couldseriouslymake gooduse of those experiencesinthe future. Perhapsit
wouldbe helpful to have RV reunionsthat specificallyfocuson future plans for more recently
returnedRVs.
humm, inno particularorder - Formal opportunitiesinthe UK with foreign
organisations/companiesor UK organisationswho look to employinternationally'experienced'
grads. A lowkeynetworking/meetandgreetforRVsandpotential employerseveryyearinLondon
say...It's notPTs core role,butthe 'family'aspectof PT is somethingthatisn'treallytalkedabout
much before youvolunteer,butsince returningIhave come to appreciate italot.I have bumped
intoa lot of RVs throughworketc and the connectionmade isalwaysvaluable.Ithinkit'sbecause
PT attracts a certain type of person - always interestingandalways useful to know. Capitalise on
this PT! You should aimfor an 80% 'incontact' rate after 5 years or something - setyourself a
metric- whatare the stats? Do youevenmeasure it?Ithink AlisonFraser'sjob as headof RV
engagementiscritical to the success ofPT as it marches into the future.
I didn'tgo to debriefingasIdecidedtostay onat myprojectfor another6 months.To do thisI had
to 'leave'ProjectTrust.However, Ifoundit slightlydisappointingthat I neverheard from PT after
I 'left'.Inthisway I, personally,wasn'thelped at all to make the most of my experience.WhileI
understandthatitwas my decisiontostayand I have noregretsI feel like perhapssome follow-up
contact fromthemwouldhave beenhelpful and,more importantly,reallynice.Iwaskindof left
withthe feelingthatPTdidn'treallycare once theywere nolongerresponsible forme- Isuppose
that makessense butit was a bit anti-climaticafter all the fundraisingand training as well asthe
regularcontact while Iwasoverseasforthe firstyear.
I have beenoutof touchfor a longtime.A few ideasmightbe helpwith CVs,interviewskills,
introductionto fieldspastvolunteerswork in - organise a careersconference etc. Happy to help
withthis. Youhave a wealthof professional returnedvolsto call on!

28 | P a g e
I have wonderful memoriesof myDebriefingweek.Itwassucha worthwhile partof the year
abroad anddid feel thatthose volunteers whodecidednottogo,had missedouthugely.Iknew
that I wasgoingto go to University,soIhad the followingfouryearsplannedout.However,on
completingmyyear,Ihad doubtsas to the course I had chosen.Ithinkthe inclusionof some form
of career advice from ret vols wouldhave beenuseful.Maybe theycouldhave givenexamplesof
what they had done/hadn'tdone, or how they had usedtheir skillsintheir careers.
I think a lot of volunteersunderestimate the skillstheyhave gainedover theiryear, because life
overseasbecomesnormal andpeopledon'twanttomake a bigdeal aboutwhattheydidabroad. I
thinkPT could do a short sessionor give out somethingabout how to specificallytailortheir
experiencesforCVsand cover letterswhenapplying for jobsetc. As well asthis skills-focussed
way of lookingat things,it mightalsobe useful tolookat what the volunteersspecifically
enjoyedand try to quantifythat a bit to lookat if it pointstowardsa careeror evenjusta new
interestthey couldpursue backathome or uni or work. It is a bit too easy to draw a line under
the year as somethingyou could neverrecreate,whichistrue,but there are lotsof waysto
continue the passionsandskillsdiscovered.Basically, justhavinga few suggestionsofhow to
transfer the experience intothe future ina basic, explicitway.:)
I thinkan excellentjobisdone already!
I thinkdebriefingisgoodbutforme it was notnecessaryforplanningformyfuture.Ihad reverse
culture shockwhenI gotback and for mydebriefingwaswhere Ifeltmostcomfortable becauseI
was withpeople whohaddone the same thing. PTgave me ideas for the future but I don't know
how they can helpthat much, it'sthe volunteerthat has to make their plan.
I think it'sa giventhat this will happen...theirmindswill be openedanyway andas a natural
consequence theywill use whattheyhave learned.
I think PT cover pretty much everythingat debriefing,andonce theyhave givenRVs all the info
it is up to them to use it.
I thinkthat there shouldbe some guidance asto where to go to continue doingvoluntary work,
e.g.isthe othercharities that do similar things for people of adifferentage,governmentschemes
I think theygive sufficientsupport.
I thinkyouare already doinga great job at that
I'm not sure there'san easy answerto this.Everyone and everyone'sexperience isdifferent.
I'm not sure.WhenI appliedtodoa year overseaswithPT,Iwasn't actually expectingany help
planningmy future afterwards. I'mnot sure it'sneeded!
Informationabout whatareas otherRVs have done since.More informationabout similar
opportunities(forexample more emailssentoutlike the one nearChristmaswithopportunities
for RVs)
Invite non-staff,non-studentRVsto support day 2 of debriefingwhenyouare encouraging
recentRVs to considerthe real world and theirprospects - it's difficulttodowhenyouare so
encasedwithinaPT context,withPTstaff.Alternativelycollate some vox poptestimonialsfrom
RVsof differentgenerationswith soundbitesofadvice/reflection/relevantexperiences thatwill
supportthe recentlyRVstransitionprocess.If these are available asvideoclips it issomething
that can be returnedto at a laterdate whentheirrelevance maysuddenlybecomeclear.
Making themaware of opportunities,jobsand careers theymight be interestedin or suitedto,
maybe through the separate RV volunteerFacebookpage that was talkedabout at RV weekend?
ConnectingrecentRVs with olderRVs withrelevantexperience,probably throughLinkedIn.Could

29 | P a g e
alsomaybe ask RVs or helpwith PT tasks pertinentto theiruni courses so theycan gain
experience - e.g. askthose interestedinEnglish/journalismtowrite for the blog on suggested
topics,ask any interestedinPR/eventstohelpwithRV meetupsetc.
Maybe encourage themto reflect/discussmore about thingsthey have learnt andfinda way of
storing this informationbywritingitdownetc. as sometimesitisdifficulttobe aware of exactly
whatyou have learnt/howyou've grownandtherefore how youcango forwardand use these to
your advantage.
Maybe have more returned volunteerreunions andeveneventson Coll again for people who
wentincertainyearsetc.
Maybe on debriefinggive examplesofwhatpeople are doingnow and how project trust helped
to get them where theyare
More about return culture shock.
More discussionon examplesofways to getinvolvedback home with projectswhich are similar
to yourPT project(e.g.soupkitchensforme asI workedwithstreetchildrenoverseas).
More examplesofvolunteeringwithinthe UK and more opportunitieslike that. Alsoa better
systemto getRVs to get togetherin citiesaround the UK , there mustbe loadsof RVs incitiesand
evenat the same uni but it’sdifficulttofindeachother.
More individual sessionsat debriefing wouldhave beennice
Notsure I am afraid. PT cannot do it for them.
Not sure itsPTs responsibility.
Perhaps providinga bit more informationof possible careerpaths past volunteershave gone
downAlsoprovidingabitmore informationon international developmentsectors/employment
may be useful as some volunteerswill have beenexposedtoa lot ofaspects of this work on
projectand maynot knowmuch aboutorganisationsinthe UKetc. Also pigeonholingthe skills
that we have learnedon project sothat we can utilise thembetterin interviewsituations.
Perhaps run employmentseminars onhow to make the mostof the experience (onCV's,during
interviewsand inthe world of work).PT couldalso provide a scheme/certificate whichidentifies
formallythe skills/attributes demonstratedornotable achievementsduringthe volunteerstime.
Thiscould be in the form of a report,for example,whichcouldbe presentedtopotential
employers/universitiesaspartof a portfolio
Personal experiencesof RVs, advice onrevisitingyourproject?
Reflectionduringtheiryear overseas I thinkisreallyimportant,butIthinkthis issomethingthatis
inplace.On returning,asit down and focusingon differenttransferable skillsthat were
developedoverseas, examplesofhowthese were gained andhow these can apply to an RV's
future career.
Returnedvolunteergroup (closed) onfacebook to keeppeople upto date withpotential and
relevantjobs opportunities,seminars,conferences.
Strengtheningthe network of RV's
Tell RV'showto use theirexperience fora job interview
The experiencewassointense inCubaandit wasthe pioneerprojectinthatcountryso whenwe
came back I founditverydifficulttoreadjustintolife inEngland.Time andspace helpedbutI
made some poor decisionsafterwardsthatIstill questiontothisday. Perhapsmore contact with
other RVs who have reintegratedintoBritish societywould have beenhelpful.
There was no followup after debriefing. Sharingproblemsand successes throughuniversityand

30 | P a g e
on enteringthe jobmarketwithbothotherRV'sand Coll wouldhave beenuseful.
They've done great. I think a lot of people use universityas more of a guide than PT andI'd say
mostof my friendsthatdidPTwentstraightonto uni whohave more time to give more supportin
termsof future plans.
Tips on CV writingand how to put experiencesdownon paper.How to intergrate skillslearned
abroad intodaily life at home andnot forgetthem/ take things for granted
Use past vol examples
Was reallyuseful whenapplyingtostudyabroad, try and retain contacts in the country and
keep/improve yourlanguage skills
•Give linksto other charities thatRVs couldworkwithinthe future.•Setup more RV meetups/
have more events.•Stay incontact with RVs for longer! Theysay that after 3 years RV may drop
offthe radar, but I think they could do more to keepintouch.
SUMMARY: THANK YOU FOR READING THIS MAMMOTH REPORT OF THE SURVEY
RESULTS!
I have tried to analyse as I have gone along but I will just put a quick summary of what this
research project has taught me and how PT can use it:
- Lots of RVs are happy to collaborate with Alison and help out, it is such a large task
to connect the thousands out there and keep in contact with everyone – I think
delegating regionally would be the next step as you have with recruitment. Those
RVs could be used to research local volunteering, keep networking RVs and source
resources to use at debriefing with Alison.
- In terms of careers advice, CV building and using the skills gained as a unique point in
interviews this can be further built upon in debriefing. Especially the interview side
of things and identifying key skills gained. Attached I have put an example dialogue
of how I could use my own skills and experience in an interview.
- Read through the feedback given by the RVs in the survey in the last section in detail,
some really creative and innovative ideas – plus you have all of their names to add to
your database hopefully! I’m afraid I couldn’t track the names to the detailed
answers at the end which was annoying but I will keep trying to do so and let you
know! (Especially as one person volunteered their expertise to help Alison.)
- Further research needs to be done into the areas covered more in-depth as I have
brushed broadly over many topics rather than on one area (such as university
applications, specific job advice etc.) However the survey has been a good exercise in
identifying these key areas.
- All the information for the survey is available online at quicksurveys.com and I can
hand over my login and password to PT to keep this data as a resource to be looked
at again in the future or built upon.
Project Trust is an experience which doesn’t end at debriefing for most people, clearly
many RVs yearn to get back in touch or keep using their experience afterwards. It is a
really innovative and upcoming part of PTs future and it has been great to be a part of
researching it.

Project Trust London Internship Research Project Lucy Hughes

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Project Trust London Internship Research Project Lucy Hughes

Similar to Project Trust London Internship Research Project Lucy Hughes (20)

Project Trust London Internship Research Project Lucy Hughes