It is generally accepted that the key features of a volunteering arrangement are that the individual gives up their time to do something, unpaid, for the benefit of others. For the international students at the University of Sheffield, it is one of the important ways of gaining working experience under the current circumstances while they study in the UK or remotely in their home countries.

Remote voluntary project opportunities for international students aim to help international students gain experience that they may have missed out on during the lockdown and to compensate in some way for the current lack of internships, jobs or placements opportunities. Equally, we hope that the projects provide valuable support to organisations that are looking to develop international markets or build international connections amid Brexit, but may be struggling for resources in the pandemic - such as charities, SMEs, and public sector organisations.

The main requirement is that projects are flexible enough to allow the student to complete the work alongside their studies, allowing them to work from their home and not incur any costs. Volunteer hosts will use the Volunteering Agreement to set out the expectations of the parties, and make the arrangement as flexible as possible, open for discussions and subject to changes when necessary.

We've compiled a brief survey (completion time: no longer than 5 minutes). We would like to understand if organisations in the Sheffield City Region, like you, would like to become an international student volunteer intern host, and your suggestions on how this programme should be delivered to best benefit both the hosts and the students.