For parents, the real task is not questioning the programme but choosing the right project. Parents do not need to worry about whether the programme is real, or about insurance, accommodation, food and basic safety arrangements, because these are set by rules and checked. The European Solidarity Corps is not a job and pays no salary, but costs are covered and you receive pocket money; families pay nothing to anyone. The page below is about the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), with a separate section on parents' permission for younger participants in Erasmus+. Our guide on what the European Solidarity Corps is explains the programme, so you can show it to your family.
Last updated: November 2026.
What can you tell worried parents first?
Parents do not need to worry about whether the programme is real, or about insurance, accommodation, food and basic safety arrangements, because these are set by rules and checked. What parents do need to check:
🔎 The call: whether the specific call is real.
🏠 The host: the quality of the host organisation.
🙋 You: whether you are really ready to go.
📅 The timing: whether the timing fits the education plan.
Our guide on how to choose a project helps you answer those points together.
Is it a job, and will your family have to pay anything?
No: the European Solidarity Corps is not a job and pays no salary, but costs are covered and you receive pocket money; families pay nothing to anyone. Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge for the volunteer. You should not be charged, directly or indirectly, for taking part in a European Solidarity Corps activity, except for a possible contribution to travel costs in projects from call years 2021-2024. Technically you pay nothing, although you sometimes pay costs such as tickets and visas first and are reimbursed afterwards. Applying is completely free. Our guide on whether ESC is fully funded explains what is covered, and our guide on hidden costs covers the small expenses.
Who looks after you during the project?
A mentor, the host organisation in the country where you go and the support organisation in your own country look after you during the project. The host or support organisation appoints a mentor who looks after your personal situation, separate from the tasks, and most projects have volunteers from other countries. The support organisation in the home country stays in contact with you and the host organisation throughout the project. Your host organisation will receive you and help you in your destination, guide you and support you in all phases of the activity. The mentor will give you personal support and will be your main source of counselling. In practice the support organisation is the organisation that speaks your language and knows the situation in your country when something goes wrong abroad.
Each organisation participating in the European Solidarity Corps must have in place effective procedures and arrangements, including repatriation (your return home) in case of unexpected security crisis, to promote and guarantee the safety, protection and non-discrimination of the participants in their activities. You should have the opportunity to learn in a safe environment which respects and protects your rights, your physical and emotional integrity, your mental health and your wellbeing. Our guide on the ESC mentor explains that role, and our guide on the support organisation explains what the organisation in your country does.
Will you be insured during the project?
Yes: all volunteers must be insured against the risks linked to their participation, and there is a specific insurance policy for cross-border volunteers (volunteers who go abroad). You will be insured throughout your activity, either through the insurance provided by the European Commission (for cross-border activities) or through the national health system or private personal insurance (for in-country activities, in your own country). After you accept the invitation from the ESC system, Henner, the ESC insurance company, emails the insurance within 5 to 7 working days. Our guide on ESC insurance explains how the cover works.
What happens if something goes wrong?
If something goes seriously wrong, you talk first to your mentor, then to your support organisation and, if needed, to the National Agency; if it cannot be solved, the project can end early, and this is not a failure. Our guide on when a project goes wrong covers the problems one by one, and our guide on what happens if you quit early explains leaving a project.
How can you show them the project is real?
You can show them the project is real by checking the warning signs together and by showing them the documents. These signs point to a fake or problematic call:
🚩 Money: a request for money under any name (application fee, placement fee, commission, booking fee, visa processing fee) is a warning sign of a fake or problematic call.
🚩 No trace: no institutional trace is a warning sign: no website, no organisational email, writing only from a personal account.
🚩 Personal account: asking for a transfer to a personal bank account is a warning sign.
To check that an Erasmus+ youth organisation (Youth Exchange, training course) is real, ask the organisation for its Organisation ID (OID) and for its previous projects. You can also ask the National Agency of your own country about the organisation. The volunteering agreement is signed by the volunteer, the host organisation, the support organisation and, if there is one, the lead organisation, and every signatory keeps a copy. Our guide on the volunteering agreement explains the document you can show them. Our guide on spotting fake offers gives the full list, and our guide on how we verify opportunities explains the checks on this site.
Will you lose time from school or university?
No: the time is not lost, because you use a foreign language daily, learn to live abroad and take responsibility in an organisation, and these are documented gains that count in job applications. Short-term projects fit summer holidays or semester breaks, while for a long-term project university students usually suspend their enrolment. Our guide on Erasmus+ after graduation covers the time after your studies, and our guide on Youthpass explains how the learning is documented.
Do your parents have to agree if you are under 18?
Yes, in Erasmus+ youth projects: if a project involves young people under the age of 18, the participating organisations are required to get prior authorisation from their parents or those acting on their behalf. In Individual Volunteering and Volunteering Teams of the European Solidarity Corps, eligible participants are young people between 18 and 30 years who are legally residing in an EU Member State, a third country associated to the Programme or in a third country not associated to the Programme and have registered in the European Solidarity Corps Portal. Organisations must follow the age rules of the official Guide fully, but they can narrow the age range within a call, for example 18 to 25 for a Youth Exchange instead of 13 to 30. Our guide on Erasmus+ age limits gives the ages, our guide on Youth Exchanges explains the format, and our guide on what Erasmus+ covers answers the money questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is the programme safe?
The programme itself is safe, but project quality varies: some host organisations are very good, others average; accommodation may not be as expected, the task description may be unclear, or there may be adaptation problems. Basic safety arrangements are set by rules and checked. Our guide on how to choose a project helps you find a good one.
Do we pay for the flight?
Technically you pay nothing, although you sometimes pay costs such as tickets and visas first and are reimbursed afterwards. In Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects, participants usually buy their own return ticket first and the organisation reimburses them afterwards; for participants with limited financial means, organisations can also support them, so this should be agreed with the sending and host organisations before buying. If the ticket costs more than the travel distance band amount, the participant pays the difference; if it costs less, the remaining amount stays with the organisation.
Who do we call in an emergency?
You should know in advance who is the contact person in case of emergencies. Our guide on safety tips for volunteering abroad gives the emergency number.
What should you do next?
Our guide on support for first-generation and low-income volunteers helps if money is the main worry at home.
Youth Works Hub has a Match page that finds projects suited to you: it asks 8 questions and shows the results as a swipeable deck of cards, and using Match requires creating an account on the site. Researching the organisation, talking to previous volunteers and reading the call carefully before applying greatly reduce the risk.
Related pages: what the European Solidarity Corps is · whether ESC is fully funded · ESC insurance · spotting fake offers · when a project goes wrong · support for first-generation and low-income volunteers
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
