I felt that it would be the best way to enhance my CV and to gain an experience that I wouldn't be able to get in any other way.
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The application process was simply a form which included some questions about why your skills would suit the job and what you could bring to the team.
I was responsible, as part of a team of volunteers, for building a community hall for the people in the village. Tasks would include building portal frames out of timber - using drills, circular saws, drop saws and plenty of other equipment. We also built doors, stud walls, windows and put down flooring and cladding.
My Fijian family would make breakfast for us every morning which set us up for a long and hot morning on site! Every day was different depending on how far along we were with the build, but it always involved manual labour and a lot of sawing, drilling and hammering.
I loved the fact that we were building something that we had had an input in designing. It was great seeing it come to life!
The biggest challenge was probably having to think on your feet a lot. We weren't working with professional builders so we had to make decisions on our own of the best way to do something - we didn't always make the right choice but it was a great way to learn.
My advice would be to jump straight in to any opportunity you get - even if it is on the other side of the world. It may seem scary but it will absolutely be worth it!
Form completed: 03 Oct 2017