Volunteer Program

• Volunteers are recruited twice a year, in spring and autumn, and selected in August and February.
• The selection process consists of document screenings and interviews with regard to skills, health, and language proficiency.
• The deadline for submission of requests for Spring recruitment is due in December, and for Autumn request due in June.

Successful applicants undergo training prior to dispatch. The training lasts for 65 days for both JOCV and SV. Language training is the core of the training programs, and other components of the programs include the conceptual basis of international cooperation, cross-cultural understanding, history and culture of the recipient country, health and hygiene, and safety management. After the completion of the training, volunteers are dispatched four times a year; June, September, January, and March.

The JICA Volunteer’s term of service in principle is two years including three weeks of in-country Pre-Service Training for JOCVs and one week for SVs. The JOCV Programme includes learning basic local languages and home-stay programmes with host families.

In principal, a request for replacement undergoes the same procedure as that of a new request. Request for replacements should be made after the volunteer has completed one year of their assignment term.

In the case where the JICA HDQ could not recruit long-term volunteers, short-term volunteers could be dispatched for 1 to 10 months until volunteers are recruited.