Long term (6-12 months)

You can join the Shelter Youth Hostel Ministry for a long-term period of 6, 9 or 12 full months.
We have divided the year in four periods. New staff members can start at the beginning of each period.
With one extra start date on January 1st, there is a total of 5 moments in the year on which you can join our team for a long term period:

• January 1
• March 1
• June 1
• September 1
• December 1

This means, you can join for either two, three or four entire periods:

We provide for you (NEW INFORMATION)
During your time of service in the YHM, we will provide you with:

• Accommodation free of costs
• Training (Ministry Training Program) free of costs 
• Fee for the residence permit (430 Euro) if applicable

Costs for you to pay (NEW INFORMATION)
You will have to provide and pay for:

• 60 Euro for each month of your term
• Travel to Amsterdam and back
• Medical insurance

    Monthly charge: While accommodation at the Community House is provided free of costs, there will be a charge for food. The full amount (number of months x 60 Euro) needs to be paid upon arival, or half upon arrival and half at the start of your fourth month. We'd encourage you to raise some support from your church or friends to pay for this. 

    Medical insurance: It is required that you have medical insurance for the period that you will be serving at the Shelter. This needs to cover medical (emergency) costs of hospitals, doctors, dentist, etc in the Netherlands. You will need to provide for this.

(The new information above applies to volunteers starting on December 1st, 2008 or later)

General requirements
In order to join our team, you need to meet the following criteria:

• be a born-again Christian
• between 18 and 30 years of age
• with a heart for evangelism 
• willing to serve in a practical way
• willing to live in an international Christian community
• desiring to learn more about the Bible, ministry and Christian living
• able to speak and understand English well enough to have conversations
• meeting the visa  requirements (see below)

Visa requirements
We are bound by government regulations regarding visa and permits.

EU: Things are easy when you hold a passport from a European Union (EU) country. Citizen from the EU do not require residence and employment permits in order to join our team (exept for persons from Bulgaria and Romania).

    Young men from Germany can even work in the Shelter instead of doing their military service ("FSJ im Ausland anstelle des Zivildienstes"). Contact us for more details.

Non-EU: If you hold a passport from a country that is not part of the European Union (EU), you can only apply if you hold a passport of a country mentioned on this list. 
To be able to serve with us for a long term period, you will need an employment permit and a residence permit. Without these you are not allowed to work as a staff member. The permits are usually granted if you are

• under 30 years of age, and
• still in school or just recently finished your education.

This legal procedure can take a few months depending on the country that you are from. Click here for a list of countries and requirements.

    Citizen from Australia, New Zealand or Canada can benefit from the Working Holiday Scheme. Under a Working Holiday Scheme the legal aspects are much easier and you won't need the employment permit. Ask our personnel manager about this.  

Questions about the procedures? Ask our .
Go to application forms