Terms & Conditions

By submitting your application to join Global Lanka Volunteers Programme, you (the “Participant”) accept these terms and conditions of the Global Lanka Volunteers

Hours and Flexibility

1. As long as you stay within the constraints outlined in paragraphs 2 and 3 below, you and we are expected to exhibit appropriate flexibility in scheduling your work hours.

2. When you join our volunteer programme, you may be expected to work the normal school or office hours you have chosen, although exact working hours will vary between programme and even individual placements. Your hours will typically be spread over a five-day working week, and should not normally exceed 8 hours a day. You should never be required to work for more than a maximum of six days a week.

Accommodations and Food

3. Our Sri Lankan team is responsible for providing your accommodation and food for the period of your placement.

4. If you choose to travel at the weekends our Sri Lankan team will not pay for your food and accommodation costs. We will only provide your food and accommodation while at your placement.

5. Sri Lankan team has to obtain permission from and register you with local Police and immigration authorities to enable you to stay in local accommodation during your placement. It is a condition of their permission that you should not invite guests (either local or foreign) to stay overnight at your accommodation without prior approval from the relevant authority. Failure to adhere to this condition will be a disciplinary matter and will be dealt with according to ‘Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures’ below.

Insurance

6. You’re required to obtain appropriate travel and medical insurance that will cover you for the entire duration of your project and travels abroad.  Your travel insurance policy must include emergency medical including repatriation, personal accident, personal liability and loss of baggage.

Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures

7. We will be flexible, helpful and friendly - in particular, we will try to help you with your work if you’re trying hard, but still getting into difficulties. Nevertheless, formal complaints procedures (by you) and disciplinary procedures (by us) are necessary.

8. If you have a complaint about the procedures leading up to your departure, contact us UK office via email (info@globallankavolunteers.org) and we will deal with it as quickly as possible, whether it be about our central administration or about any of our Destination Experts. When you are on your placement, please bear in mind that you need to show a high level of independence and initiative in dealing with problems yourself as they arise. 

If you have a issue or complaint to do with your work, please discuss the matter first with your supervisor at the project programme. If it is not resolved in this way or if it is to do with your accommodation, please discuss the matter with our team member in your, or one of their assistants. Any complaint made or concern known to our overseas team members at any time will be recorded. Individual situations are then discussed and resolved appropriately. Finally, if you still feel dissatisfied when you are on your placement, you may contact our UK head office via email.

9. Every reasonable effort will be made to resolve any disciplinary matter before it becomes serious. This includes behaviour such as serious rowdiness or drunkenness, failure to turn up to work, or leaving work without any adequate reason, or in the event of an unreasonable inability, from whatever cause, to do the work expected.

10. A disciplinary problem would be brought to your attention. It would be at the discretion of our team to suspend you from your work during any disciplinary process. You are under the authority of our team throughout the period of your programme.

11. If our staff agrees that there is an unacceptable amount of incompatibility between you and the host family and we consider it the right decision to change your host family, it may be necessary to provide you with hostel accommodation for a short period. 

Amendments, Cancellations and Curtailment and Late Payment

12. Amendments or cancellations may be notified to the head office; they must be confirmed in writing. 

13. If you desire to stay at your placement over your invoiced duration, we’ll charge you an additional amount per day to cover your food, accommodation, and support. Please contact us as early as possible to make arrangement. 

14. We allow reasonable amendments to your start date, programme, or duration free of charge. You will have to pay the difference in price if or for any additional costs incurred by us.  

Exceptions are entirely at the discretion of GLV and must be agreed in writing at the time when any postponement or cancellation is made.

15. If you curtail your programme for any reason other than for a breach by us of our obligations, we cannot pay any refunds and you would be responsible for any additional costs involved, including the cost of repatriation, subject to any claim that you may have under your insurance policy. At our sole discretion we will consider a request to refund any savings that we might make (such as on your board and lodging). We reserve the right to charge you an administration fee.

16. You must pay programme fee soon after your formal application is successful.

Responsibility and other matters

17.  Please note that your placement is approved on the understanding that you come on the programme at your own risk. It is not possible for us to be responsible for the actions or omissions of those involved in your programme over whom we have no direct control, such as employees of airlines, transport undertakings and others. Equally we are not responsible for loss or expense due to war, riots, strikes, terrorist activities, natural disasters, or bankruptcies (or similar) of unconnected third parties. 

Our Sri Lankan team is not liable for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or other irregularity which may be caused by defect of any vehicle or other equipment, other than its own, or the negligence or default of any company or person engaged in carrying out or performing any of the services involved, other than our own team.

18. Some programmes, treks and other activities are provided by independent third parties. You should note that Sri Lankan team can arrange bookings for these activities, treks and other activities on your behalf but are not appointed agents or representatives of these third parties and cannot accept liability for them or their activities.

19. Please note that we give you all reasonable assistance to obtain visas, visa renewals when they are needed. However, these are arrangements between individuals and a State and are not under our control.

20. Please note that our participants are issued with visas, where applicable, and are registered, where applicable on the basis that their work is purely voluntary. Doing paid work while on a programme is illegal; if the relevant authorities find you have organised paid work they may take action against you, and this would also be a disciplinary matter.

21. Please note that all services and accommodation are subjected to the in-country law. Our team reserves the right to make changes in the agreed itinerary whenever, in their sole judgement, conditions warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of the participant. 

22. Please note that our staff reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a participant, or to require any participant to withdraw at any time, when such action is determined by the appropriate our team representative to be in the best interests of the health, safety, and general welfare of the programme or of the individual participant. In such a case, our team accepts no responsibility for any airline cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket or any other cost that you may incur.

23. We occasionally offer promotions and discounts. A discount may not be used in conjunction with any other sales discounts or promotional offers and also has no cash redemption value.

24. Dates, schedules, programme details and cost are given in good faith, based on information available and in force at the time they are given and are subject to change and revision in the event of a change of circumstances. In the event that our Sri Lankan team is unable to provide a suitable placement of the type requested, we will instead offer an alternative placement and will refund any difference between the price paid for the programme placement and the price charged for the alternative placement.

25. Global Lanka Volunteers will share the information submitted on the application form with its partners (Sri Lankan team and the relevant authorities in Sri Lanka). This information is not used for marketing or solicitation purposes, and it is never rented, sold, given or traded to other companies. For more information, please read our privacy policy.

Changes to Terms & Conditions

We may update our terms & conditions from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with a revised "last updated" date.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about our Terms & Conditions, please contact us at info@globallankavolunteers.org