RALEIGH INTERNATIONAL: Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award

A new initiative aimed at recent graduates who are looking to gain new experiences and become global citizens.

Expand your horizons, invest in your future

"Raleigh allows you to step back from normal life and helps you to learn more about yourself, reflect on your past and think about what you want to do in the future." Ivan Chiu Ka Ho, Costa Rica & Nicaragua.

Have you recently graduated and feel like everything is all doom and gloom? Joining a Raleigh overseas expedition could be just the thing you need to inject some excitement and optimism into your life. Not only could you be helping to provide a safe water supply for indigenous communities, conserving local endangered species or trekking through some of the oldest rainforests in the world, but at the same time a Raleigh expedition will also boost your employability skills and help set you apart from the crowd. What's more, leading employers and government departments endorse Raleigh expeditions, so you don't have to feel guilty about having the time of your life!

What is the Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award?

The Raleigh Graduate Bursary Award for Volunteering Overseas is a new initiative, part-funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, aimed at recent graduates who are looking to gain new experiences and become global citizens. Perhaps you're looking for work, bored in your current job, or just want to explore the world and challenge yourself after university. Whatever your current situation, Raleigh, in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is able to offer you the opportunity to join a 10 week expedition to Borneo, Costa Rica & Nicaragua or India. Find out more about our expeditions including our volunteering projects and the countries we operate in.

What's in it for me?

There are many ways you could benefit from Raleigh. Here are just a few of the things you'll get out of an expedition.

Make a real difference

Raleigh has a permanent field base and staff in country who build relationships with host government ministries, non-governmental organisations (NGO's) and local communities to ensure that the projects we fund and work on are genuinely needed, worthwhile and sustainable. Volunteer work overseas enables you to develop your communication and team-working skills and can also help you become clearer about your values and career goals. Read more about the benefits of volunteering overseas at the Raleigh International website.  

Boost your employability

The job market is competitive. Recent statistics suggest that there will be on average 48 graduates applying for every job opening this year, so the more you stand out from the crowd the better. Aside from making a real difference to the communities you will be working in, Raleigh can give your CV that competitive edge.

Employers are particularly interested in the soft skills that you can transfer to the workplace and Raleigh can help set you apart from other applicants by giving you the skills you need to make an impact on your CV and in an interview such as ...

*Team work
*Leadership skills
*Project management & problem solving
*Confidence & self awareness
*Communication skills

When we see on someone's CV that they've worked with Raleigh, we always get more interested. When I am recruiting I am looking for something special in people and that is what they get from Raleigh: the gene for ingenuity.' Richard Reed, co-founder, Innocent drinks

What's more, you'll have the opportunity to attend a skills workshop run by Raleigh corporate partners on your return, making the whole experience a real investment in your career.

Discover new cultures

Raleigh works with some of the poorest communities in Borneo, Costa Rica & Nicaragua and India. Volunteering on sustainable projects offers a unique cultural exchange which is rare to achieve whilst travelling independently. You'll be working alongside the communities to improve their basic sanitation or access to education. And in your project groups you'll be mixing with young people from the host country, other international students and people from different backgrounds and life stages to you.

Explore remote areas

Raleigh enables you to access remote areas you wouldn't be able to as a tourist due to its superior partnerships in country. The majority of areas we work in either require special permits, such as the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area in Borneo, or can only be accessed via walking in. Just think, you could be the first people to discover a spectacular 8-tier waterfall measuring 120m (394ft) like a group of Raleigh venturers did in 2004.

"I'm sure being able to say that I successfully completed a Raleigh expedition, has certainly reflected well on me with prospective employers." Kirsty MacLeod, Costa Rica & Nicaragua

Visit the Raleigh International website  to find out if you are eligible to apply, and for more information about costs, training and departure dates and the application process.

Want to know more? Read their FAQs and check out the official press release