Overview
Interns are placed in dental clinics in the region and work with professional dentists. The program is highly suitable for dental students who are looking to gain valuable working experience in the dentistry field. While first and second-year dental students assist in basic tasks and shadow the doctor, fourth and final year students are given hands-on tasks such as extractions, fillings, and scalings depending on their skill level.
This program is designed for dental students who have good knowledge of dentistry and are confident enough to work in a rural setup.
The 2 Week program is designed to give comprehensive dental hands-on opportunities as well as shadowing/ assisting experience to the students. The idea of the program is to set a rural dental clinic in the village or the village school and provide dental checkups and dental treatments to people of the community free of cost.
Program Requirements
Interns must be 18 years or older at the time of joining the internship. As an intern, you should have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. Dental interns must provide a clean criminal background check report, CV, Passport Copy as well as other documents and credentials pertaining to their qualifications prior to joining the program. The program is available for only dental students looking to gain valuable exposure by doing dental elective abroad.
Intern Work Schedule
Week 1: Observation / Shadowing Week
Day 1 - Monday: Orientation and visit to the town and knowing the area.
Day 2 - Tuesday: Visit the placement and observation in various private and government clinics begins.
Day 3 - Wednesday: Again visit various clinics and observing the local dentist work and interacting with them.
Day 4 - Thursday: Visiting the clinics on a rotational basis and making notes on the different ways of practice in India which are different to those back home.
Day 5 - Friday: Same as other days.
Day 6th and 7th - Weekend Off
Week 2
Day 1 - Monday: Visit the village where the camp will be set up and meeting the people and organizers.
Day 2 - Tuesday: Setting up a clinic and doing examinations and scanning of patients and giving treatments on the same day if possible.
Day 3 - Wednesday: Starting treatment for the scanned patients and doing more examinations for new patients.
Day 4 - Thursday: Follow up for the treated patients; continue the treatments started on prior days and new patients.
Day 5 - Friday: Final treatments, follow-ups, and advice on dental health and hygiene.
Living
We do not compromise on your living standards and tour arrangements. From arranging airport pickups to taking care of your volunteer placement, to putting you at the right volunteer house and helping you take up weekend travel, we help you plan and execute everything in a structured way.
Airport Transfer
Volunteers are picked up from Gaggal Airport in Dharamsala by a member of the local coordinating team. The airport is served with daily direct flights from Delhi. For those participants choosing to travel from Delhi to Palampur by bus, they will be picked up from the bus station and transferred to the volunteer home base.
Accommodation
You would be provided accommodation in our volunteer home base in Palampur. The accommodation offers spectacular views of the Himalayan mountains and provides a safe living environment for the participants. At the house, we provide same gender sharing dorm style rooms with attached western style toilets, lockers, TV, hot water, internet and a large common area for the volunteers to enjoy their free time. The volunteer house has a huge front and backyard with beautiful gardens where the volunteers can relax and even play outdoor games and activities such as badminton with other participants during the free time.
Orientation
An orientation and briefing session will be provided by our staff in Palampur. We cover areas like culture, safety, locations, transportation etc. Volunteers also have the option to start their program by joining the 1 week Language & Culture Orientation week in Delhi.
Meals
The volunteer homebase in Palampur has full time cooking staff for preparing fresh meals for the volunteers. Volunteers are provided with three meals a day for six days a week. A sample of the meals you can expect are below:
Breakfast - Parantha, Bread, Tea (chai), Jam, Butter, Porridge etc.
Lunch/ Dinner - Dal (lentils), vegetable, rice, roti (Indian bread), pickle, yogurt may be provided along with some sort of curry.
During your Free Time
Volunteers can go and explore the market in Palampur and take long pleasant walks. The area in and around Palampur is very safe and volunteers generally prefer to walk down the nearby locations. You can also visit the beautiful tea gardens, temples and Tashi Jong monastery which is located in Palampur. Volunteers are also given a tour of the Palampur market, Tea Garden and Tea Factory and a Yoga class once a week.
Program Cost
Please Note: -An application fee of £149 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment.
What are you Paying for?
- Pre departure information and support
- Airport Pickup and drop from airport
- Orientation
- Three meals a day
- Welcome dinner
- Accommodation in a home stay
- Local market tour
- Visit to Tea garden and Tea factory
- Visit to nearby tourist attractions within 20 kms
- Yoga and meditation class once a week
- 24*7 staff support
- 100% Financial Protection
- UK Based Support
- Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)
What's NOT included?
- Airfare
- Visa fee
- Vaccinations
- Any personal expenses (You would need around $40 per week for your personal expenses)
Program Dates
| Months | 2021 | 2022 |
| January | - | 0923 |
| February | - | 1327 |
| March | - | 1327 |
| April | - | 1024 |
| May | - | 0822 |
| June | 1327 | 1226 |
| July | 1125 | 1024 |
| August | 0822 | 1428 |
| September | 1226 | 1125 |
| October | 1024 | 0923 |
FAQ's
FAQ's Application and Program Details
16-year-old volunteers can participate in Childcare projects with a Letter of Consent from the parents.
Volunteers need to have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. India is a country of different culture and traditions, though it is modernized, the cultural sensitivities need to be kept in mind before volunteering in India. The volunteers should bring energy and enthusiasm to make a difference.
Participants joining the Medical Program, must be either Pre-Medical, Medical or Nursing student.
Participants must be in good health.
On the next day, you will be given a short orientation and told about the program, daily schedule, safety guidelines, market tour and weekend trip options.
Flights and Visa
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air India, Jet Airways, Etihad Airways, United Airlines, Swiss Air, KLM Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian, Air France, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Finn Air.
From Delhi, you can take a connecting flight to Dharamsala Airport (Airport Code: DHM). Air India and Spice Jet have daily flights between the two cities. Pickup by our local project coordinator is provided from Dharamsala Airport. Volunteers can also choose the option to take the direct overnight bus from Delhi to Palampur. Overnight air-conditioned bus service operates between the two cities. You will be picked up from Palampur bus station and transferred to the accommodation.
Health and Safety
If you already have a valid Travel and Medical insurance, you can email us a copy of the same. It is also advised to bring along the Insurance documents during your trip.
Accommodation and Living
The local market is not far away and in the evening you can also head out for a pleasant walk in the vicinity.
Palampur is a great location for volunteering since you also have ample options for quick weekend getaways. Hill stations like Mcleodganj, Dharamsala, and Manali are nearby which can be visited over the weekend. Adventure activities like trekking and paragliding can be taken up during weekends. Billing, which is a few kilometers away from Palampur, is a world famous site for paragliding.
To add to the project experience while you can also join the Language and Orientation Week in Delhi before beginning the program in Palampur. It's an optional week, besides that we recommend participants to brush up their Hindi skills (learn basic terms and phrases, greetings) before traveling.
Connect with Past Volunteers
To read alumni interviews from past participants, visit the ‘Meet a Volunteer’ section on our website.
