When Things Go Wrong: Real Problems & How They're Solved

Problems do happen on a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) project: accommodation may not be as expected, the task description may be unclear, or there may be adaptation problems. Such problems are differences in experience, not fraud, and they can be solved: talk first to your mentor, then to your sending organisation, and if needed to the National Agency. At youth information sessions almost every candidate has one question, which is what they will do if something happens to them. Not every project goes wrong: Buket went to Portugal for 2 months, had many questions in her mind before going, and had a very good volunteering period with no mishaps. Most of the page below is about the European Solidarity Corps, and two sections are about Youth Exchanges. Our guide on the European Solidarity Corps explains the programme.

Last updated: November 2026.

What kinds of problems do volunteers actually face?

Volunteers get bored, miss their old life, struggle with the language, live without running water or say yes to too many things. Here are real problems and what happened next:

😔 Boredom and missing home: a volunteer in Croatia writes "When you apply for an ESC project, you should know that sometimes you would get bored, feel mad, and miss your old life. It is a normal process". The mentor helped with practical information such as transport and the market, and the volunteer made close friends a few months later.

🗣️ Language at work: a volunteer who spent almost a year working with young people in Borås, Sweden, did not have the vocabulary to calm a child down, which was very frustrating at first and also a motivation to learn the language. The volunteer arrived with no Swedish, was assessed at A1, and at the end attended every meeting and seminar in Swedish.

👵 No shared language: Tara, an ESC volunteer in a nursing home in Latvia, arrived without even knowing how to say hello in Latvian, and most of the seniors knew no English, which made the volunteering job complicated.

🇮🇹 Fear of the language: Victor, an ESC team volunteer in Sardinia, was first most scared of Italian and some Sardinian, had a couple of language classes, online language courses and local volunteers who taught little words, and ended up able to order in Italian and have short conversations.

📋 Too much on your plate: the challenge Victor did not expect was saying yes to too many things, and the project gave Victor the space to notice this and cut back.

🚌 Long trips between workplaces: a volunteer in Kampala who moved between three organisations says travelling for sometimes an hour has been a bit tiring and it takes a lot of organisation and time planning, which does not always work.

💧 Living without running water: a volunteer in a village in Kenya had no running water and fetched it from the tanks in the garden, and says that eventually you get used to anything.

🏘️ Not much to do: a volunteer in Severodonetsk was pretty shocked on first arriving because there was really not much to do there, but grew really fond of the place.

👥 Feeling alone: one volunteer says some days are more difficult than others and it gets a little lonely, and having someone who knows exactly what you are going through is very beneficial.

🌃 Feeling unsafe: Elisa says Marseille can be dangerous and depends a lot on the neighbourhood, and that you feel more threatened especially as a woman, with a lot of catcalling.

Our guides on mental health and wellbeing abroad, culture shock and homesickness and safety tips for volunteering abroad go further.

What if your tasks are not what the agreement says?

Raise it with your host organisation, because any changes in your tasks must stay in line with the general set-up of the agreed and approved project, and you and the host organisation must agree on them. The ESC volunteering agreement covers tasks, working days and hours, practical arrangements, learning goals, travel, food and accommodation, pocket money, visa and residence permit costs, days off, rights and responsibilities, ethics, data protection and insurance. You are not supposed to carry out routine tasks that would normally be carried out by paid employees, and you should not carry out high-responsibility tasks alone or unsupervised. You should not be solely responsible for the individual care of vulnerable people (babies or children; ill, elderly or disabled people, etc.) on a day-to-day basis. Many volunteers do not clarify everything with the organisation, especially the details of their tasks.

One volunteer in Slovenia writes "The beginning was quieter than expected, and despite my thirst for work, I wasn't given enough tasks to satisfy it". That volunteer took the initiative and joined trainings to make the project work. Before deciding to leave, try other solutions first (a change of tasks, support from the mentor, mediation). Our guide on the volunteering agreement explains what your contract covers.

What if you do not get on with someone?

Ask your mentor for help: if a conflict situation arises in an ESC project, you may ask your mentor to help with communication between you and the local environment or the host organisation. If conflict arises between you and the mentor, you can ask the organisations in your project to appoint another person as your mentor. Asking for a change does not mean it will be granted, and problems can usually be solved by talking. One volunteer in Slovenia found communication hard with the volunteer they lived and worked with, and kept taking action and looking for solutions. Our guide on the ESC mentor explains that role.

What if your pocket money or food money is late?

If your ESC pocket money is not paid, is paid only in part or is late, talk first to the host organisation, then contact the sending organisation, and if needed report it to the National Agency. The volunteer's rights are protected by the ESC Guide. In ESC, most volunteers receive food money, and it is a standard, mandatory support that cannot be cut. Our guide on ESC pocket money explains the amounts.

Who do you go to, and in what order?

In an ESC project, talk first to your mentor, then to your sending organisation, and if needed to the National Agency. Keep these points in mind:

🧑 First, your mentor: the mentor should be able to give an independent and objective view of the situation and help solve the conflict.

🏢 Second, your support organisation: the support organisation, often called the sending organisation, is the organisation that speaks your language and knows the situation in your country when something goes wrong abroad.

🏛️ Third, the National Agency: you should refer a complaint on a specific project to the National Agency or directly to the European Commission.

✍️ In writing: before deciding to leave, communicate in writing by email rather than by phone or messaging apps, and keep emails and screenshots.

You should know in advance who is the contact person in case of emergencies, conflict situations in the host project, conflict situations with the mentor and logistics (food and accommodation). Our guides on the supporting organisation and National Agencies explain each role.

What if the problem happens in an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange?

If a problem comes up in a Youth Exchange, the young person should go first to their own group leader, then to the host coordinator, and last to the facilitator. Project coordinators in the Erasmus+ Youth programme often meet and share experiences, and knowing the problem one of them went through helps the others find the solution. Here are real cases from one coordinator:

📍 Losing contact: the coordinator lost contact with a participant, called the airport and had an announcement made, then called the metro in Lisbon and had an announcement made there, and this time it worked.

🏙️ "There is nothing to do here": participants once wanted to leave the project city for another city when they had been there for only about 20 hours. Participants confirm their participation without really researching the place they are going to.

❌ Cancelling at the last minute: 6 days before the journey, a participant decided not to go when the tickets were bought and everything was ready, which would have put the organisation in a very difficult position.

The coordinator tells young people about to apply: please research, and show in your applications that you have researched and have a command of the subject. Our guide on Youth Exchanges explains how the projects work.

What if the journey home is very long?

On one journey home from a Youth Exchange on Sao Miguel island in Portugal, the group turned the long transfers into sightseeing and walked around Lisbon until midnight and went all around Istanbul until morning. With the time difference the group's coordinator had been on the road for exactly 52 hours. When buying these tickets it was very hard to feel the real size of the journey. In Lisbon they left their suitcases in left luggage and went by metro to the city centre, and they spent the night at the airport. On a transfer of almost 17-18 hours in Istanbul, a friend picked them up from the airport. Even so, this journey was both an experience and a chance for fun for them. Our guide on booking flights explains how buying your ticket works.

When is leaving the right answer?

In an ESC project, in the event of a serious incident or conflict situation that cannot be resolved in other ways, you can leave the project, but this should always be the last resort and should be agreed with the National Agency. Never end a project without telling your sending organisation. If the host organisation removes a volunteer or ends the project early, the organisation discusses it with the National Agency and the process starts after that.

Christy, who volunteered in Lithuania under the ESC, shortened her stay by a month and does not think she should have decided differently. Her reasons were that she did not have many friends there, she was inside a lot, she wanted to do other projects, and she did not really have anything to do at work. Our guide on what happens if you quit early explains the rules.

Frequently asked questions

Does a problem mean I failed?

No: in ESC, if something goes seriously wrong and it cannot be solved, the project can end early, and this is not a failure.

Can I change my mentor?

You can ask the organisations in your project to appoint another person as your mentor. Asking for a change does not mean it will be granted.

Can I complain to the National Agency?

Yes: in ESC, you should refer a complaint on a specific project to the National Agency or directly to the European Commission.

What if the host organisation ends my project?

In ESC, the organisation discusses it with the National Agency and the process starts after that.

Where do you go from here?

Researching the organisation, talking to previous volunteers and reading the call carefully before applying greatly reduce the risk. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.

👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects

👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects