Social Work Internship in Mongolia

Gain practical social work experience and expand your knowledge alongside professional social workers

Destination

Mongolia

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

4 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

Requirements

You should have completed at least two years of social work related studies or training.

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

Request Info

Starting at £2,185 for 4 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

Risk Free Booking Guarantee

1200+ verified Trustpilot reviews

Trip Overview

Gain real social work experience

Shadow local social workers, apply academic knowledge to real-life cases, and learn diverse techniques like art therapy in Ulaanbaatar.

Run awareness campaigns

Assist with anti-bullying programs, create educational materials, and engage in daily activities, providing practical support in various placements.

Evaluate social challenges

Conduct research on social issues, propose solutions, and contribute to improving social work operations, addressing challenges faced by local groups.

Immerse in Mongolian culture

Live with a host family, explore Ulaanbaatar, visit nomad communities, and experience the unique culture and history of Mongolia during free time.

Contribute to community wellbeing

Support children with learning disabilities, assist NGOs, and provide vital assistance, making a tangible difference in the lives of those in need.

What you need to know

Overview

This Social Work internship in Mongolia is perfect for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge while helping others. To qualify for this internship, you need to have completed at least two years of social work studies.

You will gain invaluable experience while working with professional staff and qualified social workers. You’ll see the skills and techniques practised in a developing country. This will give your current knowledge a global perspective.

This internship will boost your CV and give you a deeper understanding of social work. You’ll also get a deeper insight into the challenges social workers face in developing countries. This will help you stand out in applications and give you interesting points to talk about in interviews or essays.

This internship is available all year round, so you can join whenever it suits your schedule. We encourage you to stay as long as you can in order to get the most out of your placement.

A Day in the Life

You will start each day of your social work internship in Mongolia with your host family. You’ll eat breakfast with the family and get to know them. Dressed smartly, you’ll make your way to your placement.

Depending on how far your social work placement is, you’ll take a bus, walk, or use a trolleybus. Projects Abroad staff will show you how to use public transport and how to get around during your induction.

A typical day in Mongolia will run from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm.

At your placement, you will have a supervisor who will guide your tasks. Depending on where you are, you can use the mornings to plan or assist your supervisor. You may be asked to:

Create workshops
Put together presentations
Help with awareness campaigns
Set aside time for quality research tasks

Free time and weekends in Mongolia are yours! Plan to meet and learn more about nomad families, plan a trip to Terelj National Park, or visit the Gobi Desert. You can also explore local attractions in Ulaanbaatar with other volunteers or interns, or relax at your host family’s home.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to give you practical work experience while providing staff with an extra pair of helping hands. You will also gain a deeper insight into how a developing country’s social work system works.

Mongolia may have shifted from communism to a more democratic system, but there are still social challenges facing citizens. These include:

Poverty
Domestic violence
Alcoholism
A lack of rights for women or children
Human trafficking

Depending on where you work, you will be asked to research and evaluate the main social problems affecting children and people at your placement. For instance, if you work at a public school, you will work on anti-bullying programmes. These help provide children with a safe schooling environment.

Join our Social Work internship in Ulaanbaatar and gain invaluable experience while helping us provide care to children who need it most.

Activities

You will work in centres for children with learning disabilities, in public schools, or with local NGOs, under the supervision of a social worker. Your work will focus mainly on the following tasks:

Gain social work experience in Mongolia by working alongside professionals
Help run awareness campaigns, projects, or workshops
Research, evaluate and offer solutions to the challenges facing your placement

Your work will be split into three areas:

Gain social work experience in Mongolia by working alongside professionals

You have the opportunity to apply your studies to real-life cases and learn directly from local social workers. This is also a chance to share what you’ve learnt from your studies with them and see how or if it applies to Mongolia. You’ll observe as a social worker evaluates a child or uses art therapy to help people who suffer from depression.

Help run awareness campaigns, projects or workshops

One of your main roles at your Social Work placement in Mongolia is to be an extra pair of hands in daily activities. You’ll do this by running an anti-bullying programme at a school or creating handbooks and education materials on art therapy to reduce stress.

You may also be asked to simply play with children or help carers at your placement. We encourage you to take initiative, ask what needs to be done, and be helpful.

Research, evaluate, and offer solutions to the challenges facing your placement

Depending on your placement, you may be asked to undertake research during your time in Mongolia. This is the perfect opportunity to delve into topics you’re interested in. Speak to your supervisor and the Projects Abroad staff about what kind of research will benefit your placement. You can suggest topics focusing on children, adults, families, or how your placement can operate better.

Map & Location

Mongolia, known as “The Land of the Eternal Blue Sky”, is a true one-off. Discover a country rich in history and culture, where one-third of people live as nomads, moving their traditional ger homes with the seasons. Witness an ancient way of life and enjoy stunning landscapes.

With 250 sunny days a year, it’s perfect for outdoor adventures. Attend the Naadam festival, a showcase of wrestling, horse racing, and archery. And don’t miss the world’s largest equestrian statue, a tribute to Genghis Khan.

Ulaanbaatar

Home to half of Mongolia’s population, the capital city of Ulaanbaatar is a fascinating blend of old and new. Located in north-central Mongolia, it is at a crossroad between it’s better known neighbours, China and Russia.

You will see skyscrapers and traditional tents side-by-side, workers in suits and monks in conversation, and surviving monasteries from pre-soviet occupation.

It is the world’s coldest capital city, but often reaches warm temperatures in the summer!

Food & Accommodation

Settle into your home away from home in Mongolia. We provide everything you need for a comfortable and enriching stay, including a clean bed, three meals a day, and access to clean drinking water. You’ll be welcomed into the home of a carefully vetted local family, hand-picked by Projects Abroad, who will introduce you to a brand new way of life.

Your host family’s house will be safe, secure, and clean, giving you somewhere to relax and rest with other Projects Abroad participants. Speak with your host family, share your culture, and experience theirs while enjoying delicious home-cooked food.

Transport to and from your placement is organised entirely by our team, so you’ll never need to stress about navigating somewhere you don’t know.

Free Time and Leisure

Mongolia is one of the most remote countries in the world. Volunteering here is a chance to experience a completely different way of life.

Our projects are based in Ulaanbaatar, the country’s capital. This city is an eclectic mix of modern and traditional. The Government Palace is a perfect example of this, with it’s old-world style architecture and glowing blue and gold lights.

Even when you’re in the city, you’re never far from the countryside. Just a quick trip can take you out to a nomad settlement, where you can meet travelling families who live in traditional gers. We recommend going on a horse ride or trek to take in the beauty of the endless countryside horizons.

The famous statue of Genghis Khan, the largest equestrian statue in the world, is a must-see. You can also learn about the country’s history at the National Museum of Mongolia.

We run a range of different projects in Mongolia so there will likely be other volunteers in the country with you. So you can travel alone or explore the country with a group of like-minded new friends.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Mongolia Arrival Procedures page.