The perks of volunteering in pricey Switzerland

The view from the accommodation offered to volunteers at the Caprice festival. Gaurav Singh

Hanging out with DJs, rubbing shoulders with VIPs and cruising on a party ship. Volunteering gives Gaurav a chance to let his hair down in style.

While finding a part-time job in Switzerland is difficult, volunteering for different sort of activities is quite easy. There are many music festivals and seminars that occur around Switzerland and usually look for volunteers to assist. They do not pay much but there are other advantages. You get to enjoy the festivals, which are quite expensive to enter, and to travel to some amazing locations and meet some wonderful people.

One such music festival is CapricesExternal link and takes place in Crans-Montana in western Switzerland in spring. I had the opportunity to volunteer there. The festival is in a ski resort and as a staff member I had the opportunity to live in a chalet.  It was magnificent and has some amazing view of the Alps. My work was to control the access to the VIP area which was not that hard a job. I was able to enjoy the music festival which was a remarkable experience for me.

Another great volunteer experience I had from volunteering was on a cruise ship. It was also for a music festival organised by the people behind the Caprices festival. They needed help installing their equipment on board. The concept of the festival was 24 hours of electronic music a day on a cruise ship for four days. The ship cruised from Genoa in Italy to Barcelona, Mallorca and Ibiza. I was able to visit these places which would have otherwise been difficult to accomplish. I did not get paid but was able to enjoy an experience that would have cost me around 700 euros. In total, I had a wonderful time and it was a perfect ending to my summer holidays.

A snapshot of the ambience on the cruise in the middle of Mediterranean Sea. Gaurav Singh

It is not all dancing to the beat though.  Business and academic seminars are also on the lookout for volunteers. I had the opportunity to assist at a seminar on sustainable finance which was great as I have a finance background. I was able to learn about current developments and met some very successful people, including a member of a Nigerian royal family.

Volunteering may not be very attractive from a financial point of view but it can sometimes offer unforgettable experiences for a university student like me.

For more blog posts and information on studying in Switzerland visit our dedicated page Education Swiss Made.