Work the World

( 10 Reviews )

Activities: Community Volunteer Projects / Medical, Health, Medicine / Career Break
Location: Multiple Destinations
Location: East Sussex

At Work the World we specialise in tailoring overseas healthcare elective placements in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

We offer the following electives:

Medical
Nursing
Midwifery
Physiotherapy
Paramedic science
Radiography
Pharmacy
Occupational therapy
Dentistry

Our elective planning and support service removes the hassle and avoids the pitfalls of independently organising your placement. It also gives you the peace of mind knowing that you’ll enjoy full support and clinical supervision overseas.

Choose from destinations including Mexico, Vietnam, Ghana, Tanzania, Peru, Nepal, Sri Lanka and The Philippines. Each of our destinations provide unique and exciting insight into healthcare in the developing world.

In terms of accommodation, you’ll live in one of our spacious, social, and secure private houses. Living with other Work the World students from a range of countries and healthcare backgrounds creates an atmosphere of friendship such as you’ve never experienced before. You’ll also enjoy meals freshly prepared each day by our in-house chefs, as well as our now famous weekly barbeques.

Twice weekly language lessons in the house help you communicate and interact with patients more effectively to get the most out of your placement.

Your clinical experience runs from Monday to Friday. Your weekends free for exploration and adventure. Our expert ground teams will offer tips for sightseeing and trips that you can take whilst you’re away. Think safari in the Serengeti, treks to Everest Base Camp, sunbathing on beautiful beaches, and exploring ancient temples and monuments.

Get in touch and we’ll begin exploring how to create your perfect overseas experience.

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Work the World - Kathmandu, Nepal.

I did a 4 week placement in Kathmandu organised by work the world. It was an amazing experience. The house is very good: fresh food, safe, a lot of space & even a garden. It was like home to me. We got a lot of guidence with us regarding traveling & hospital related. There was always someone there for you to talk.
The hospital was very interesting. I couldn’t imagine how different it was until I was in hospital. This placement will open your eyes and change the way you look at healthcare. We can learn from them and vice versa.
4 weeks was for me the ideal amount of time and I got to travel around the country as well.

By: Olivia
Nationality: Belgian

Student Midwife

In June 2018 my friend and I decided we wanted to go volunteering abroad and found work the world through research and reviews. I was glad we did find work the world as I had a life changing experience while I was there and the support they showed was exceptional. I spent 4 weeks in Takoradi, Ghana on a delivery unit. This was challenging at the best of times but it was extremely eye opening into how people cope in situations in Ghana compared to at home. My advice to students would be to put yourself forward and show enthuasim during your time volunteering, as you are out there to help people not stand back and observe.by putting yourself forward you get to make the most of your time there. I put myself forward and got to deliver a baby with the technique I was show in college which was different to the way I saw the midwives deliver babies. The midwives were intrigued by the technique I used so I explained it to a few of the midwives. However the mother and father were forever greatful and to show there gratitude they named the baby after me claude. This is a story I will get to have for life and I am very proud of it. With the help and support of the work the world staff, it made my time in Ghana an amazing and life changing one. I personally think everyone doing healthcare should at some point go and volunteer in third world countries. I would definitely go back and volunteer again and this time while packing my bags I'd pack half a bag for me and the rest of my room will go towards donations, as they where forever grateful for the small things you gave them. I really enjoyed my time in Ghana was unsure about going but once I got there I loved it and I will definitely go back.

By: Claudia Hayes
Nationality: Irish

Iloilo Philippines psychiatric placement!

I was looking for a 4 week placement abroad. I specialist in mental health nursing in the UK and was looking for overseas psychiatric wards.
I decided to choose Iloilo with work the world. From the very beginning work the world were brilliant, doing phone calls to ensure you are placed in the right area and getting you prepared to go abroad and the different practice that you may expect to experience and constantly replying to emails consistently. The my trip online website was also brilliant to ensure I was up to date with my preparation!
I couldn’t have asked for any better at the house that I stayed at, everyone I lived with was great and made some great friends during my time there. The staff in the house were amazing, they prepared amazing food and constantly checked how days at the hospital were going. (They were also very attentive when I had a few days of illness, and couldn’t have done more for me)
Finally the hospital experience was great. It was very different to back home within the UK. Eden at the hospital was amazing and set time up for me to spend in the HIV ward and the cancer ward to discuss the possible mental health issues that individuals with these illnesses may have. Also on the ward the OT called quennie was amazing, she included me in a number of different activities on the ward with the patients.
Travelling at the weekend was a must and you get plenty of time to see the Philippines!
I would suggest anybody go ahead and book with work the world as it was worth every penny!

By: Emma
Nationality: English

It’s more fun in the phillipines

I had an amazing time with work the world in the phillipines! Amazing staff here and great team over there. Such a beautiful country and so many amazing things to do and see. They staff are so supportive and help you as much as you need. The work placement was great and you get to see lots of different stuff!! Couldn’t recommend more to anyone who wants to go ! Definitely save lots of money to do traveling at the weekend !

By: Abbie
Nationality: British

Tanzania - Dar es Salaam

Right from the start, Work the World was incredibly supportive with setting up my physiotherapy placement in Tanzania. The online timeline made it very easy to keep track of which tasks I had to do in my preparation coming up for the trip. When you're in university and working hard to meet deadlines, assignments and placements, this really made preparation a real life saver. Rachel from WTW always emailed and called to check if everything was going smoothly and if I required any assistance.

I requested outpatients and paediatrics, and WTW made sure I got this and a lot more, with regular visits to ITU, private wards, operating theatres and cerebral palsy clinics. Lucas and the whole physio team in Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute was very welcoming and happy to translate patients for us so that we can understand everything going on.

The WTW house was very spacious, complete with a pool, and only a few minutes from the beach down the road, on top of being security-guarded 24/7. I didn't feel unsafe at any point I was there. The whole in-country team working in the house, including Mo, Edito and the chefs were all very friendly and made sure that everything was going to plan.

I would highly recommend WTW if you were considering a placement abroad, their setup from start to finish was flawless, and I consider this as one of the richest experiences I've ever had.

By: Nandu
Nationality: British

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Ayubowan 👋

Volunteering with work the works has changed my outlook on nursing and how privileged we are back in the UK with readily available resources and equipment. Working in Anuradhapura opened my eyes and brought me back to the basics of nursing and how important it is to just be there for your patients; be a hand to hold or a person to listen to their problems from the delivery room to the theatre suites. The staff are extremely welcoming and want you to get the best out of your experience, from placement to exploring Sri Lanka’s finest and most beautiful destinations! I learnt so much about myself in the 4 weeks I spent there and found my love for nursing and travelling. I highly recommend work the world.

By: Lowri Thomas
Nationality: British

Iloilo, Philippines // Medicine Placement // Summer 2017

I had originally planned to go to Dumaguete in the Philipones, where WTW ran another programme. Unfortunately this was closed and instead I ended up in Iloilo.
I stayed in a house with 40 other girls, and I cannot fault the WTW staff - they made a house full of strange people in a foreign country feel like home. The food was phenomenal and they went out of their way to help you with everything - from placement difficulties to planning weekend trips.
Due to the closure of the Dumageute programme and the village weeks being cancelled last minute, the house was full to capacity and the hospital was overloaded with students. The popular specialties (eg paeds and O&G) had multiple WTW students in addition to the Filipino students, and this made it difficult to get good clinical experience. I spent 2 weeks in O&G and found it very difficult to get integrated into the team and get valuable learning experiences. However, I spent two weeks in orthopaedics (which wasn't an overly popular specialty), and I had a very positive experience - the doctors were enthusiastic and keen to teach and get me involved - scrubbing in to assist in theatre.
I spent 6 weeks in the Western Visayas hospital (with my final two weeks in General Surgery), and I would say that although I didn't get the clinical knowledge and experience that I would have liked, it was a good placement for experiencing a different culture.
The Philippines is an incredible country to travel around, and the staff at WTW really helped us organise great trips at the weekends. It was invaluable to be able to explore new areas with the advice of the locals.

By: Alice Quinn
Nationality: British

Nursing in the Philippines

Work the world were absolutely incredible and made my dream of nursing in the Philippines come true! They were so supportive right from enquiring about the trip, to preparation and supporting me during my elective placement as I ended up in hospital myself. They made sure my family in the UK knew what was happening and a staff member had to stay with me in hospital which meant I was never alone. Right through until I came home they were amazing, I am now an ambassador for work the world giving presentations to hundreds of nursing students and also have my blog published in the Nursing Times so it really does open up so many opportunities!

By: Josie Morgan
Nationality: British

Arequipa, Peru - Dental Elective Placement

I had the opportunity to experience an elective placement for three weeks in the beautiful city of Arequipa, last September 2017. I've researched about other companies offering placements abroad but Work the World has a good offer with good reviews, although it doesn't come that cheap. Even though I booked for this placement last minute(a month before-not advisable), they still made the trip possible. The team replied to my inquiries through mail, answered all my questions and they will call you once or twice before departing, to ensure you have everything ready for your placement. When I got to the WTW House, it's like home away from home! The home staff catered to our needs and made sure that we had a comfortable stay. Peru is a Spanish-speaking country and English is not widely spoken by the locals. I don't speak Spanish at all but before the trip, I tried learning some of the basics and I took the 1 week Spanish Medical Course offered by WTW & it was very helpful. Most of the people who were with me in WTW house were students from different countries but WTW also offers placements for professionals like me. As for the placement, it is not an assurance that it would be always busy everyday because it all depends if there are patients but I learned a lot from how they practice dentistry in Peru. Everyday after placement, you have a lot of free time and you can roam around the city, go to the gym, take cooking lessons and etc. On weekends, you can do travel excursions around Peru. So all in all it was a nice experience. You can have the best of both worlds- traveling while working at the same time!

By: Julianne
Nationality: Filipino

Nepal Kathmandu

WTW were fantastic. Everything was so well organised from the start or the trip right through to the end. Amazing support when planning and selecting the location. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed and the set up was fantastic. Their house is stunning. Very big with great facilities in a convenient location. Very safe. Great food during the stay. Staff were wonderful. Lota of support on the ground, with any feedback acted on. The hospital was an eye opening experience and provided good opportunities to learn. The village experience was a challenge, but in a good way. It is a great chance to see how other people live with very little. Overall fantastic value for money, the programmes seem expensive, but when you take it all into account, the entire thing was worth every penny

By: Stephen
Nationality: Irish