Guide to Volunteering as a Couple September 2015 1
Introduction Volunteering overseas can be a truly life changing experience. There are obvious benefits, but also challenges to sharing the adventure with your partner. This booklet captures some of the things we encourage you to consider when thinking about this opportunity as a couple. If you are also thinking about taking children, we have a booklet that more closely addresses the experience of volunteering as a family that you should read. Some information is provided about eligibility criteria and funding options for our programs that you could consider. You are also encouraged to speak with a recruiter after reading through this booklet for more information. There are a range of reflective questions through the document that you should consider as you make your decision. Many of the questions we ask you to reflect on here will also be drawn on throughout the recruitment process. 2
Bringing Your Partner You are able to apply for your partner to accompany you on a limited number of assignments under the Australian Volunteers program. The Australian Volunteers Program The Australian Volunteers program supports capacity development on request from host organisations. You need to demonstrate that you will achieve the stated objectives for the assignment over its full duration. Accompanying partners need to show they will be able to support you in this commitment. Couples and families have often contributed great value to the goals and level of partnership with host communities The resilience of volunteers is recognised as strong when partners accompany them - given their ability to rely on each other for support Within the funding constraints of the Australian Volunteers program, a limited number of accompanying partners and dependants are supported. These are known as Approved Accompanying Dependants (AAD s). Eligibility To be eligible for the Australian Volunteers program, AAD s need to be: Australian citizens Australian permanent residents or New Zealand citizens, residing in Australia Assignments must be for at least 12 months and your partner is required to commit to accompanying you for at least 6 consecutive months. (The program allows for one break of up to 4 weeks, if discussed with and approved by the Country Manager). If your partner is not eligible under these categories, he/she can still accompany you, but they will not be financially supported by the program. For non-married couples there are some restrictions. In some countries it is not possible to obtain a dependant visa or it could be considered disrespectful to deploy non-married partners. There is no provision for part-time assignments or formal job-share. 3
Approved Accompanying Dependants (AADs) When you apply for a volunteer assignment, we ask you to notify us if you would like to also apply for your partner to accompany you. There are different ways partners can be involved: You volunteer and your partner accompanies you as an AAD You volunteer and your partner accompanies but not as an AAD You both work as volunteers (Both partners may identify assignments in the same location and would need to be the successful applicants. If one partner was unsuccessful, they could then apply to be an AAD). If you are short-listed for an assignment, your partner will also be assessed for approval to join the program as an AAD. Your partner will go through the same assessment as you; the only difference is that AAD s don t need to be assessed on technical competencies. All adults are required to formally agree to the Australian Volunteers program Code of Conduct. All volunteers and AADs are required to have police, health and vaccination clearances. Status to Work There are program and visa constraints on activities that AADs are allowed to undertake particularly paid work. In some countries, even unpaid volunteer work cannot be undertaken by dependants of people who have been provided with visas through the program. Our recruiters can provide more information on the restrictions your partner may need to negotiate as an AAD or accompanying you independent of the program. In some cases, after mobilising as an AAD, a partner may find formal work. They may be able to withdraw from the Australian Volunteers program, with appropriate notice and consultation with the Country Manager. If this occurs, the AAD must make their own arrangements for visas, insurance, security and emergency evacuation contingencies, and return home airfares. 4
Key Considerations If your partner accompanies you without being a part of the Australian Volunteers program (i.e. not as an AAD), they are not eligible to receive any funding or other support. If this is the case, please explore the issue of emergency and medical insurance and evacuation carefully. We would not be able to assist a partner who is not part of the Australian Volunteers program, in the event of an emergency or an evacuation. There exists a duty of care to explore issues pertaining to the partner that may impact on the volunteer candidate's ability to successfully carry out their assignment. A common expectation around the program s Code of Conduct would need to be reached with both partners. Issues that might impact a volunteer's work or standing in the community might include a partner engaging in activities that did not abide by the host country s laws; their involvement in political, cultural or religious matters; disrespect for national or religious symbols; or involvement in proselytising. Funding for AADs The following support is provided for each volunteer: Vaccinations Airfares within Australia to attend pre-departure briefing Airfares to and from the assignment Medical and emergency insurance In-country orientation Security arrangements Re-entry support Living allowance applicable to that location Settling-in grant of $1000 Return Home Allowance of $1200 Housing may be provided by the employer, or through the standard accommodation allowance applicable to that location (to afford modest, secure, single housing within the community. In some high- cost locations this may only cover rent in a shared house). 5
The following support is provided for each AAD: Vaccinations Airfares within Australia to attend pre-departure briefing Airfares to and from assignment Medical insurance Emergency insurance In-country orientation Security arrangements Re-entry support 25% of the combined living and accommodation allowance for that location Please Note: - Accompanying partners who are not AADs on the program are not eligible to receive any funding or support. 6
Challenges Facing Couples There are obvious benefits to going on assignment as a couple. However, in our experience couples can also face challenges, and it helps to carefully reflect before you apply, and as you progress through the recruitment, mobilisation and deployment stages. Couples fare best when both members are highly committed to the volunteering experience and are well-prepared. The following pages include some advice and reflection questions to help you decide if volunteering is the best choice for you at this time, and to begin preparing for a successful assignment together. Your Partner s Role If your partner will be accompanying you, are they prepared for the role they will play? If they have not stayed at home before, there might be adjustments they need to make to this new role. They need to plan how they will build a satisfying lifestyle without a formal role. Another difficulty for both of you is adjusting to the place of volunteers among the expatriate social strata. Limited financial resources and the volunteering ethos make it hard to make friends amongst expatriate peers who may have greater access to money and organisational resources. Adjustment Sometimes one partner finds it much easier to adjust than the other. When a partner is on the program as a dependant their experience can be very different. One partner may be working and enjoying success, being accepted by the community, developing language skills and a sense of purpose. The accompanying partner can feel disconnected from this or isolated at home. Are we ready for roles to shift in our relationship? What will I do with my spare time as an AAD? What activities or hobbies can I take? What support can my partner expect from host community or expatriate community structures? How will we check in with each other through this change? Do we have strategies for responding to our different experiences of the adjustment? What s our plan B if the AAD feels they can t stay on? 7
Isolation No matter where your adventure will take you, it is very likely that the living arrangements in your assignment location will be different from home. Issues that volunteers have identified include being isolated from friends and family; spending more time together because of work circumstances or the smaller size of your community; limited social activities for you to engage in outside the relationship; cultural attitudes about how couples should behave. How much time are we used to spending together/apart? How do we foster our relationship now? Will we be able to continue to do things that are important to us as a couple in the new setting? Cultural Influences Cultural influences may include different expectations of conduct in your new environment that may place pressures on you as a couple. Consider things like whether you can touch each other in public, or even how you speak to one another. In some contexts communities may misinterpret your interactions with members of the opposite sex (platonic friendships across genders might be difficult). In some countries Westerners are considered attractive potential partners for reasons like financial security and increased social status in the community. This can cause tensions in your relationship from feelings of power, powerlessness, jealousy and insecurity. What research have we done about appropriate conduct for couples in our new community? How will we prepare for external pressures on our relationship? Have we discussed how we will respond to external pressures on our relationship with friends and family? 8
Gender Norms Gender norms in the countries where the Australian Volunteers program operates usually differ from Australia and can subtly impact your relationship. Volunteer couples have often encountered difficulties in communities that recognise and relate to men and women differently or have particular gender-based behavioural expectations. For example, women may not be expected to work outside the home (and conversely men must), women may be expected to be more subservient, or not have equal decision-making input in a relationship. These tensions can impact couples on two levels; one about adjusting to the new context, and the other at a deeper level as these external values may impact on how you negotiate your relationship. What do we know about gender norms in our new community? Have we discussed the potential impact of different gender norms on our relationship? Have we thought about the behavioural adjustments we are and are not prepared to make? What support can we engage locally and at home on gender issues during our assignment? LGBTI Volunteers For LGBTI couples, there are increased complexities for volunteering in many countries and in adapting to different legal and cultural contexts regarding homosexuality. LGBTI couples have successfully participated in the Australian Volunteers program, however you need to factor in a range of things when considering placements. LGBTI couples are generally required to adapt their behaviour. There may be barriers to your normal expectations around advocating the human rights of LGBTI people. In some countries there are national laws prohibiting homosexuality which can include severe penalties. Have we researched the context for LGBTI people in our new community? Are we comfortable with the changes we may have to make to our behaviour? Are there connections we can establish with friends/community at home for support during our assignment? 9
Starting or Adding to a Family There are implications involved in starting a family while on assignment. In most locations, there will be more limited access to medical services, and possible safety risks that you would otherwise not experience in Australia. Our programs work with the expectation that you will complete the full term of your assignment. Host organisations are under no obligation to alter the terms of assignments and you should not expect flexibility should you or your partner fall pregnant. If you or your partner fall pregnant You will be expected to accept responsibility to prepare a Health Management Plan for the pregnancy through consultation with your health provider. The plan will include a letter from your consulting doctor advising the expected due date. The plan will be provided to the heath consultant for approval and clearance. You must accept the responsibility to follow the plan. Candidates who are pregnant when applying would also be expected to prepare a Health Management Plan and must disclose the implications of their approved Health Management Plan to their recruiter and Country Manager. The program does not place families in some high risk locations and would also not accept pregnant volunteers or AADs in these locations. If you became pregnant in one of these locations, you would be expected to finalise your assignment and return to Australia as soon as is practical. Have we thought carefully about the financial, health and social implications of starting a family on assignment? Many neo-natal services in Australia are free or subsidised, how will we afford these in our host community? Will our new baby be able to receive her immunisations? How much will that cost us? How will we cope away from the support structures that family and friends often provide to a couple with a new baby? 10
Insurane Volunteers with an approved Health Management Plan are provided with insurance coverage for unexpected medical complications or emergencies related to the pregnancy, occurring up to the end of the 28th week of a pregnancy. No other pre-natal care is covered by the insurance policy. There will not be any medical or emergency insurance coverage of any pregnancy related services after the 28th week of pregnancy. Pregnant volunteers or AADs must finish or suspend their assignment or their AAD status and return to Australia by no later than the 28th week of their pregnancy. Medical Clearance for both mother and child is required before return to the assignment location. Extensions to the four week break of service may be negotiated for a pregnant AAD. Dependant allowances will continue to be paid to the volunteer during the time that the mother and child/children are in Australia, but intending to return, if the volunteer is still on assignment. 11