Prior to their departure, each young person participating in individual or team volunteering activities supported by the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) must sign a volunteering agreement using the template provided by the European Commission that includes at least the following provisions: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment and a description of the tasks involved; reference to the terms of the participants' insurance; financial contribution from the Corps; tasks to be carried out during the activity; and, where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements, in accordance with applicable national law. Participants in European Solidarity Corps projects may need to obtain a visa for staying abroad in the EU Member States and third countries not associated to the Programme hosting the activity. For activities supported under Volunteering Projects, the enrolment to the insurance must be done before the departure of the participants, and the enrolment covers the duration of the activity, including travel days. The pre-departure training is only mandatory to participants in cross-border volunteering activities, and this preparation should take place at least one month before departure. Volunteering is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months, and full-time means at least 30 and not more than 38 hours per week. Participation in volunteering activities must be free of charge for the volunteer. Our guide on ESC volunteering from start to finish covers every stage, and how to register on the ESC Portal covers the account you started with.
Last updated: October 2026.
What do you have to sort out before you leave?
📄 The volunteering agreement: Prior to their departure, each young person participating in individual or team volunteering activities supported by the European Solidarity Corps must sign a volunteering agreement using the template provided by the European Commission that includes at least the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment, a description of the tasks involved, reference to the terms of the participants' insurance, financial contribution from the Corps, tasks to be carried out during the activity and, where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements in accordance with applicable national law. Our guide on the agreement you sign before starting goes through that document clause by clause.
🛂 Visa and residence permit: Participants in European Solidarity Corps projects may need to obtain a visa for staying abroad in the EU Member States and third countries not associated to the Programme hosting the activity. It is strongly recommended that the authorisations are requested from the competent authorities well in advance, since the process may take several weeks. Our guide on visas and residence permits for ESC and Erasmus+ sets out that paperwork.
🩺 Insurance enrolment: For activities supported under Volunteering Projects, the enrolment to the insurance must be done before the departure of the participants, and the enrolment covers the duration of the activity, including travel days. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers explains how the cover works.
ℹ️ Where to ask: National Agencies and the Executive Agency may give further advice and support concerning visas, residence permits, social security, etc.. Our guide on what National Agencies areexplains who does what in each country.
🌍 According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, prior to your departure, you should inform the organisations running the project about any circumstances that may influence your capability to carry out the tasks and provide information about any special needs. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, if necessary, you should also provide accurate information about any health-related issues that may affect your volunteering experience.
What is the pre-departure training, and is it compulsory?
The pre-departure training is only mandatory to participants in cross-border volunteering activities. The pre-departure training should take place at least one month before departure and should be tailored to the individual needs of the participant and the specificities of the project, the activity and the host country. Our guide on preparing before you go collects the rest of the preparation, and packing essentials for your ESC journey covers the suitcase.
It is essential to provide information on "What to expect from the European Solidarity Corps", part of the Info-Kit, as well as on the basics of conflict prevention and crisis management. The training must provide participants with practical and technical information on matters such as insurance, visa, pocket money and working hours, etc.. The pre-departure training should also contain modules for language learning in the host country's language or the language used in the context of the activity if such language training is not offered through the Online Language Support or through linguistic support.
Pre-departure preparation should ensure that, by the time they leave, all participants know about the concept of the European Solidarity Corps, are familiar with the partners involved in the activity, that is the host and support organisation in volunteering activities, the mentor and, where applicable, the National or Executive Agency, Resource Centres and the European Commission, are familiar with the documents in the Info-Kit, are encouraged to profit from the learning opportunities in the General Online Training, and have shared their motivations, expectations and fears and have reflected on their goals, including goals for learning. Pre-departure preparation should also ensure that participants understand the meaning of intercultural learning and are aware of the ongoing intercultural learning process, have received guidance or at least hints on crisis management, are aware about sustainability dimension of the Programme, and understand the importance and usefulness of getting recognition for the individual learning outcomes, in particular through EU level tools such as Youthpass and Europass. Participants should have received appropriate practical and technical information on visas, residence permits, their legal status as a participant, their insurance, pocket money, the relevant agreement under the European Solidarity Corps.
📘 Long term individual cross-border volunteers: pre-departure training is mandatory and is organised by the support organisation.
📗 Short term individual cross-border volunteers: pre-departure training is mandatory and is organised by the support organisation.
📙 Long term individual in-country volunteers: pre-departure training is optional and is organised by the host organisation.
📕 Short term individual in-country volunteers: pre-departure training is optional and is organised by the host or support organisation.
What happens in your first days in the host country?
The main objective of the on-arrival training is to introduce the participants to the host country, preparing them for the activity period and the European Solidarity Corps experience. On-arrival training helps the participants adapt to cultural and personal challenges and allows participants to get to know each other and to build a network. Participants should also receive guidance on conflict prevention and crisis management and should be informed about environmentally sustainable behaviour that the Programme encourages. The on-arrival training session equips the participants with communication skills, including aspects of intercultural learning, and helps them become aware that cultural differences require different models of behaviour. The training is also a good time for the participants to plan the coming months, to get to know the Youthpass concepts and process and to develop their own personal goals for their activity period, in line with the non-formal learning philosophy of the European Solidarity Corps. Our guide on culture shock and homesickness abroad covers the harder side of the first weeks.
On-arrival training should ensure that each participant is aware of and has the chance to discuss questions about visas, residence permits, her or his legal status as a participant, insurance, the agreement under European Solidarity Corps, and the documents in the Info-Kit, and has received information about adapting to a foreign working environment, rights and obligations and useful contacts to help with her or his settlement. On-arrival training should also ensure that each participant knows what support is available from the National Agency, SALTO (Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities) and EACEA (Education and Culture Executive Agency), has received information on the host country's history, political and social situation, on key aspects of the host culture and on how to get involved in the local community, is aware of how to deal with cultural differences and with conflicts, is familiar with the role of each participating organisation in the activity and knows her or his own rights and responsibilities, is informed about the environmentally sustainable behaviour that the Programme promotes, has the chance to meet and network with other participants, receives basic information about the European Union and its policies and programmes in the field of youth, learns about the objectives and principles of the European Solidarity Corps, knows the meaning of being a European Solidarity Corps participant, understands the importance and usefulness of getting recognition for the individual learning outcomes, in particular through EU level tools such as Youthpass and Europass, and has identified clear learning goals and ideas for her or his activity.
On-arrival training for participants in volunteering activities of at least 2 months is ensured by National Agencies in case of volunteering in EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme, by SALTOs in case of volunteering in third countries not associated to the Programme, and by host or support organisations in case of individual volunteering activity of less than 2 months, volunteering teams and Humanitarian Aid volunteering. On-arrival training for long-term cross-border and in-country participants is organised by the National Agencies or SALTOs. Our guide on what National Agencies are explains the bodies that run on-arrival training for longer activities.
Who supports you while you are there?
🧭 Your mentor: Personal support through mentoring should be provided to all participants in volunteering activities. Mentoring consists of regular meetings between the mentor appointed by the host or support organisation and the participant, within as well as outside the place where the activity takes place. The meetings should focus on the personal wellbeing of the participants and should also guide and provide support to the volunteers in identifying the learning acquired during their experience. Mentoring is targeted towards the individual participant and thus the content and frequency of the meetings will vary according to the individual needs, and possible topics of mentoring meetings are personal wellbeing, wellbeing in the team, satisfaction with the tasks, practicalities, etc.. Our guide on your ESC mentor describes the role in full.
🤝 Reinforced Mentorship: Reinforced Mentorship is an intensified mentoring process that might be necessary to support young people with fewer opportunities, if they are not able to implement an activity independently or with normal mentoring or tutoring support. Reinforced Mentorship involves closer contact, more frequent meetings and more time allocated to the implementation of tasks, and guarantees a step-by-step support of the participants during project activities as well as outside working hours. Our guide on inclusion support in Erasmus+ and ESC covers the extra support for young people with fewer opportunities.
📅 The mid-term evaluation: The mid-term evaluation allows participants to assess their experience up to that point and to reflect on the activities, role and support of the host organisation and on their own contribution. For long term individual cross-border volunteers, the mid-term evaluation is mandatory only for activities longer than 6 months. For long term individual in-country volunteers, the mid-term evaluation is mandatory only for activities longer than 6 months. By the end of the evaluation, each participant should have personally assessed her or his activity so far, shared personal experiences, identified problems, difficulties and conflicts faced or about to be faced and consequently received satisfying support and clues on the next steps to solve these problems, worked on developing or improving the activities she or he is involved in, received information and guidance on opportunities after the period of activity, understood how to use EU level recognition tools, such as Youthpass and Europass, to identify and document individual learning outcomes, and received information about the Participant Report to be filled in.
🎉 The annual event: Attending the annual event is not mandatory, however it is highly recommended. Our guide on life after your ESC activity covers the annual event, and Erasmus+ and ESC alumni networksshows where former participants stay in touch.
🎓 Recognition that starts during the activity: The competences, that is the combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes, that are the non-formal and informal learning outcomes gained in the solidarity activities shall be identified and documented, in particular through EU level recognition tools such as Youthpass and Europass. It is recommended to embed the educational approach of Youthpass from the start of the project and use it during the project activities as a tool to help participants to become more aware of, reflect on and assess their learning process and outcomes. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains the certificate itself.
What are your tasks, working hours and days off?
Volunteering is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months, and full-time means at least 30 and not more than 38 hours per week. The scope of Volunteering Projects is broad, covering a wide range of areas, such as environmental protection, climate change mitigation, greater social inclusion, integration of refugees, support for vulnerable groups, digital skills development, civic engagement and human rights. Volunteering may take place in a country other than the country of residence of the participant, which is cross-border volunteering, or in the country of residence of the participant, which is in-country volunteering. Our guide on a day in the life of an ESC volunteer shows how those hours are spent, and the agreement you sign before starting covers where your tasks are written down.
🗓️ According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, you are entitled to two consecutive free days per week, unless arranged differently in mutual agreement between you and the organisation and explicitly stated in the volunteering agreement, and two days of holiday per month. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, vacation periods and weekly rest days must be agreed upon between you and your host organisation.
🧰 According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, you are not supposed to carry out routine tasks that would normally be carried out by paid employees, you should not carry out high-responsibility tasks alone or unsupervised, and you should not be the only one responsible for the individual care of vulnerable people, such as babies or children and ill, elderly or disabled people, etc., on a day-to-day basis. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, you should be encouraged to use your own ideas, creativity and experience to propose and implement European Solidarity Corps activities together with the organisations involved. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, any changes in the project and in your tasks, areas of responsibility, support and training must remain in line with the general set-up of the agreed and approved project and must be agreed between you and the host organisation and reflected in the volunteer agreement. Our guide on real problems and how they are solved covers what to do when tasks do not match the agreement.
How do you learn the language of your project?
Language learning support is available for participants carrying out a solidarity activity in the framework of the European Solidarity Corps, and depending on the Action, language learning support takes the form either of a grant, the 150 EUR linguistic support for participants in Volunteering Projects, which is only for activities lasting 60 days or more and, for cross-border activities, only for languages and/or levels not offered by the Online Language Support, or of an online course via the Online Language Support (OLS). The Online Language Support is hosted on the corporate learning management platform of the European Commission called EU Academy, allows participants to assess, practise and improve their knowledge of the language chosen, and the EU Academy platform will provide features such as social networking to enable collaborative learning as well as free language learning material. Participants in volunteering activities including Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas and Humanitarian Aid Volunteering and Solidarity Projects are eligible to receive language learning support through the Online Language Support. Our guide on what Online Language Support is walks through the platform, and learning a language abroad covers what happens outside the course.
💶 The 150 EUR linguistic support: For participants in Volunteering Projects, a specific grant of 150 EUR linguistic support may be provided if the required language or level in the language of mobility is not available in OLS yet. The contribution based on unit costs of 150 EUR per participant is conditional: only for activities lasting 60 days or more. For cross-border activities, the 150 EUR is only for languages and/or levels not offered by the Online Language Support.
Are you insured from day one?
For cross-border activities, the European Solidarity Corps provides insurance coverage, from the moment participants leave their residence to the host country until their return home after finishing the activity. For activities supported under Volunteering Projects, the enrolment to the insurance must be done before the departure of the participants, and the enrolment covers the duration of the activity, including travel days. The insurance also covers follow-up medical treatments until 2 months after finishing the activity. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers goes through the cover step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pay anything to take part?
No, participation in volunteering activities must be free of charge for the volunteer. Volunteering is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months. Our guide on what being fully funded meansexplains which costs the programme covers.
Is the pre-departure training optional?
The pre-departure training is only mandatory to participants in cross-border volunteering activities. For long term individual cross-border volunteers and short term individual cross-border volunteers, the pre-departure training is mandatory and is organised by the support organisation. For long term individual in-country volunteers and short term individual in-country volunteers, the pre-departure training is optional. Our guide on preparing before you go collects the rest of the preparation before departure.
Does every volunteer go to a mid-term evaluation?
No, for long term individual cross-border volunteers and long term individual in-country volunteers, the mid-term evaluation is mandatory only for activities longer than 6 months. The mid-term evaluation allows participants to assess their experience up to that point and to reflect on the activities, role and support of the host organisation and on their own contribution. Our guide on ESC volunteering from start to finish places the mid-term evaluation among the other stages of the activity.
Can your mentor also be your supervisor?
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering mentors cannot be your direct supervisor or be involved in your day-to-day tasks. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, the mentor will give you personal support and will be your main source of advice, while guidance and supervision related to carrying out tasks assigned to you will be offered by a different person from the host organisation. Our guide on your ESC mentor describes what mentoring covers.
When does your insurance start?
For cross-border activities, the European Solidarity Corps provides insurance coverage from the moment participants leave their residence to the host country until their return home after finishing the activity. For activities supported under Volunteering Projects, the enrolment to the insurance must be done before the departure of the participants. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers explains how the cover works from enrolment to return.
What do you get at the end of the activity?
Every young person taking part in European Solidarity Corps activities is entitled to go through the Youthpass process and receive a Youthpass certificate at the end of the process. The identification and documentation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes is offered to participants on a voluntary basis. Youthpass identifies and documents the competences developed during the project, and depending on the nature of the recognition needs and the individual solidarity activities, other tools can also be used such as Europass. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains the certificate, and getting your learning recognised covers the other recognition tools.
Can you do a second ESC activity?
A second individual cross-border volunteering activity longer than 2 months is allowed only if the National Agency approves it, either for young people with fewer opportunities or in other duly justified cases. The total amount of time spent by a young person in European Solidarity Corps volunteering activities must not exceed 12 months, the activities carried out must not overlap, and activities carried out under Erasmus+ volunteering or the European Voluntary Service will count towards the total of 12 months allowed. Our guide on doing ESC more than once works through the combinations.
Where do you go from here?
Each step in this guide has its own page, so you can read the one you need on the day you need it. The related pages below from Youth Works Hub cover each part of this guide in more detail.
Related pages: the agreement you sign before starting · visas and residence permits for ESC and Erasmus+ · insurance for ESC volunteers · your ESC mentor · what being fully funded means · preparing before you go
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/category/esc-projects
