Fill out an application form to and indicate your willingness to volunteer on interpretive projects abroad. There aren’t a lot of projects, but when one comes up, you’ll be considered based on a number of criteria for any given project.

Download an application to place your name in NAI's international volunteer database.

It's easy to volunteer to help your colleagues in other countries. You do not have to speak any other languages - you just have to be willing to donate your time and professional skills. Here's a few details on how the program works.

1. NAI does not support this program financially, nor do we seek out projects. This program is put into action only when a request for assistance is made from another country, and when funding is made available from the host country or a third party. In the past, projects have included:
   1. Badaling Special Zone Administration (Great Wall of China/International Friendship Forest): master interpretive plan, sign plan, sign design and text writing, training in costumed interpretation
   2. Wolong Panda Breeding Center (China): interpretive plan, sign design, text writing
   3. Jilin Tiger Reserve (China): ecotourism plan
   4. Korea: lecture tour, training in heritage interpretation and planning
   5. Hangzhou and Lushan (China): Training Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Planning and Management of World Heritage Sites in China
   6. Sichuan Province (China): interpretive planning training workshop
   7. Beijing Botanical Garden (China): interpretive guide training and interpretive planning workshop
2. There are no guarantees that you will be selected for a project and you must be a current member to be selected. We have 75+ volunteers in the database and very few projects. Those in the database are given preference over other NAI members.
3. Selections are made based on these criteria in priority order:
   1. Appropriate skill set
   2. Availability
   3. NAI Certified
   4. Compatibility with other team members
4. When a project is suggested from someone in a developing nation, and there is established funding (NAI does not fund these projects), a database search for those with the appropriate skill sets is conducted. Those with the appropriate skills are contacted and asked about availability (most frequently requested are training and planning/design projects). Those individuals who are available are then interviewed by phone and a final selection of team members is made. There may be variations to this process made necessary by the specific project parameters or by host request for specific individuals.
5. Keep your passport updated. If you don't already have one, get it soon, because you never know when one of these projects will come up. Passport costs are not covered, but if you need a visa for the country we plan to visit, those costs will be covered.
6. Your time is not compensated by NAI or the host country. We do not expect any honoraria. If an honorarium is offered to you individually, you may keep it or donate it back to NAI (do not refuse it, because that would be very rude to the host). Occasionally, people who do volunteer work are asked back by the host for additional work that may or may not be paid.
7. All travel expenses (air, hotel, food, taxi, etc.) are covered by the host. Individual expenses for souvenirs are not covered. We make sure there is ample time to shop and enjoy the local culture.

Please contact Lisa Brochu, NAI Associate Director, at naiprograms@aol.com for additional information or download the application form and return it to NAI to be entered into the database.