EIL Explore

• The Awards are open to a range of different age categories starting from 15 years (e.g. Secondary School applicant must be at least 15 years on 1st of June, 2026). Please ensure that you are eligible for the Award you are applying for.
• All applicants must be long-term residents on the island of Ireland. An Irish passport is not required.

• For many of the awards, you do not have to be fluent or proficient in the language of the country you want to go to, but making an effort is essential.  Many awards require participation in a basic language course while you are abroad.
• There are two EIL Explore Scholarships that require prior language learning. They require an applicant to have basic proficiency; Japan (Japanese) and Secondary School in Europe (language of your host country you want to go to).

• Applications without a completed reference form will not be accepted. Family members or friends will not be accepted as referees. Ask someone you have worked with at school (teacher, principal), in the community (e.g. community or youth leader, member of the local charity you volunteer with), in the workplace (e.g. your employer) or another person of authority. Also, make sure that the reference form is signed and includes a telephone number. No contact number makes checking the reference impossible.

EIL Explore supports people stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something new. Each award will have different challenges and you need to be willing to accept a certain level of ‘discomfort’ while you are finding your feet, e.g:

• An eco-tourism participant in Mexico needs to be prepared for intense heat and for bugs & insects.
• Secondary School In Europe participants need to be prepared to feel the ‘isolation’ of being in a group and not understanding enough of the language to fully participate, when they first arrive.
• A participant abroad must work under the customs and laws of the country, and not expect them to always mirror the Irish perspective i.e. gender and social norms, education and health approaches.

The Action at Home is the central part of any Explore award. If an Action at Home is not completed or is of poor quality*, the participant will not be deemed to have completed the programme. They will not receive certification for the award, and will not be invited to participate in further opportunities with EIL. They will not be able to use EIL Explore on their CV or receive a written reference from EIL Explore into the future.

*Participants will have the assistance and feedback of the EIL Explore Co-ordinator when both developing and assessing the quality of their project.

Before making your decision to volunteer abroad, we strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the Volunteer Charter drawn up by Comhlámh, the Irish Association of Development Workers. This charter sets out seven principles that aim to encourage responsible and responsive international volunteering. It will help you to consider your volunteering experience within the wider context of global development. Comhlámh has also provides further information on issues to consider before volunteering abroad.

• You can indicate the countries and projects you are interested in. We recommend you to have at least two preferred options.  Advice and expertise from our Explore support team will need to be taken into consideration when it comes to the final decision regarding destinations and projects.
• Nomination must be emailed to EIL Explore by your Access/Mature Officer. Only 5 applications per Office will be accepted in 2026.
• Make sure that all documents are submitted to your Access/Mature Office in one pdf.

• An intensive 4 weeks, the winner needs to be an Irish ambassador for the duration. This involves regular engagements with local dignitaries, school staff and the wider community. The participant needs to be prepared for very long days.
• If you play an instrument, can sing or have Irish dancing experience make sure to include this in your application.

• Only FULL and COMPLETE applications will be accepted. No matter how good it is, if it is not all submitted by the deadline date it will not progress to shortlisting.

How to send your application:

• Fill out the online application form. (Unless application is to be made through another office; eg. Access Application, Hong Kong Award, etc.).
• Email any other required forms or attachments to [email protected] before the deadline is up.

Important: Make sure you have a valid passport. One that does not expire for at least 6 months after you return from your programme.