Volunteering Overseas: A Career Episode.

Abstract

This article focuses on the effect of a voluntary overseas aid assignment on career development, and compares such a career step or episode with other overseas career experiences such as the company expatriate assignment and the New Zealand "big OE" (overseas experience). In particular, the article reports on the findings of a recently completed longitudinal study of 48 such volunteers who were recruited by New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA). The article considers careers within the "New Careers" paradigm of career development theory, and in particular the effects of individual self-direction in career, across international boundaries. Analysis of data from the recent study suggests VSA volunteers are individuals who are knowledge workers, making cross-cultural experience and learning a key focus of their careers, combined with an altruistic desire to aid those less fortunate than themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)