Become a Volunteer
Your path to voluntary service
Before you send us a written application, EIRENE invites you to take part in an information seminar to find out all about voluntary service, what it entails, and what the terms and conditions are. During a weekend seminar you will get to know EIRENE better. You will be given information about possible placements. And former volunteers will tell you about their experiences. You are not required to take part in an information seminar before applying to undertake peace service with EIRENE. But we strongly recommend that you do so, because this is the best way for you to get to know EIRENE and the terms and conditions of service. And you will receive information about placements at first hand. The fee for participation in an information seminar is 40 euro. Meals and accommodation are provided. Participants who incur especially high travel costs may apply for a grant.
If you cannot - or do not wish to - take part in an information seminar, you can apply straight away by completing the application form towards the bottom of this page.
If you have any questions about voluntary service with EIRENE, our terms and conditions, the application process, or our placements, please contact Ralf Ziegler (02631-837913), or Thomas Schmidt (02631-837919), .
More information about applying
After participating in an information seminar (or alternatively straight away, if you cannot or do not wish to attend a seminar), you need to write your application and send it to EIRENE. We begin the selection of volunteers - for departure in the summer of the following year - in November. Once a month, on a Saturday or Sunday, there is a 1-day seminar for applicants. It therefore takes EIRENE 2 - 4 weeks after we have received your application to inform you of our decision. If your application is successful, you are not accepted generally as a volunteer, but rather the acceptance is tied to a specific placement. So you will be told straight away not only which country but also which particular placement you have been assigned to. This is a binding commitment for EIRENE, which means that you are guaranteed a place to go to with EIRENE in the summer.
The earlier you apply, the larger the number of placements you have to choose from. You can apply at any time until the middle of June. We do not have an early deadline for applications, but we aim to have filled all the possible placements shortly before our volunteers depart in July. However, in June there are only a few placements left to be filled. And it is not possible to assign anyone to Africa or Latin America at such a late stage. It is therefore advisable to take part in an applicants’ seminar as early as possible.
For placements in Europe, we also offer an orientation visit, which means that you can visit your placement before going to work there. The advantage of this is that if, after the visit, you decide not to take up that particular placement, we can still offer you an alternative.
Your service with EIRENE begins with a preparation course in July. You then depart for your placement after the preparation course. Your term of service is scheduled to end so that you can start training or study afterwards, if you wish to.
You must be over 18 before 15 July in the year of your departure, except that for placements in France, Belgium, and the USA, you must be over 18 before 15 August. You must in any case be over 18 on the date of your departure.