Sri Lanka: Work experience

Work placements and internships

Projects Abroad  has a number of placements running in the country, such as print and radio journalism in Colombo, and teaching, healthcare and IT in a range of locations along the coast in the south west of the island. There are also often placements in Galle, Kandy and Ratnapura. You will normally stay with a host family, which helps you experience Sri Lankan culture and lifestyle. A country director at Project Abroad, who is usually based in the UK but has a wide knowledge of Sri Lanka, organises the placement. Volunteers are picked up at the airport, and visas and accommodation are arranged in advance. Students can then shadow a project supervisor in Sri Lanka. Most placements last for three months, but there are shorter and longer ones available.

Exchange programmes

Various UK universities have exchange programmes with Sri Lankan universities, such as:

• Durham University  - currently runs a programme called ‘Project Sri Lanka’ in which students can get involved in the reconstruction and regeneration of tsunami-devastated communities in southern Sri Lanka;
• Leeds Metropolitan University  - runs short volunteering projects in Sri Lanka, offering experiences such as helping out in village community projects and tree planting projects;
• University of Westminster  - for full details of the exchange study programmes offered, which include among others, BSc Computing, BSc Information Systems, and BSc Information Systems with Business Management, see Studying at Westminster - Sri Lanka .

AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales)  runs an international exchange programme for students involving 24 universities around the UK and includes Sri Lanka as one of the host countries.

IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience)  offers paid, course-related placements for students in science, engineering and technology. The placements usually last up to 12 weeks during the summer but longer-term placements at other times of the year are also available.

Teaching schemes

For details of teaching opportunities in Sri Lanka, see Teach Abroad . Volunteers can also find teaching opportunities with the LEO Project Foundation , in a range of subjects including English and sport.

Volunteering

Voluntary work placements are available in a range of roles including teaching, conservation, health and social care. Elephant and turtle conservation, working with orphans and building and construction work are just some popular examples but there is a wide choice of placement type available.

Organisations currently providing such opportunities in Sri Lanka include:

• LEO Project Foundation  
• Link Overseas Exchange  - Scottish charity
• Projects Abroad  
• Travellers Worldwide  
• WorkingAbroad  

The following international charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operate in Sri Lanka and may be able to offer volunteering opportunities:

• United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)  
• International Committee of the Red Cross  
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent  
• Oxfam  
• UNICEF  
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka  
• World Food Programme (WFP)  
• World Health Organisation (WHO)  

Casual work

Casual work for overseas students does not exist unless they have a visa that permits them to work, and in many cases casual work is given to local people as a priority over foreign workers.

Short-term opportunities

Short-term opportunities in the education sector and short-term volunteering roles are available. There are vacancies advertised online at Devex  for short-term educational positions in Sri Lanka, specialising in electronics, automotive and mechanical engineering, civil engineering, agriculture technology, ICT, and languages. The British Council in Sri Lanka  will also be able to help with details of short-term opportunities.

Gap year opportunities

Students looking for voluntary work placements in gap year can work in a range of roles including teaching, conservation, health, social care and IT.