Initial booking arrangements:

You can apply for one of our projects by selecting your ideal start date on the availability calendar for the project you have chosen, then completing the fields below with your information.

When you apply, we request a deposit payment of £180 towards your programme fee. In the unlikely event that we are unable to offer you a place on an Oyster programme, we would return this £180 to you.

Once we have received your application, one of our project experts will be in touch with you by email to find out a bit more about you and answer any further questions that you might have.

For our paid work programmes, there is a longer interview process to go through, which can also involve a phone call.

Confirming your booking:

Once your booking has been confirmed by our overseas partner, we will send you access to your ‘My Oyster’ customer portal via email.

To confirm your booking, you will need to create a password and complete a medical declaration. You will then have full access to your My Oyster account, inside of which you’ll find lots of detailed and useful information, which has been designed to help you prepare for your time away (i.e. visas, vaccinations, kit list). This is also where you will upload any details that we need from you (i.e. passport details, insurance details, next of kin information).

You can also contact us at any time if you have queries or concerns.

Payment:

The payment schedule will be outlined in the email that shares access to My Oyster. You will also be able to see a summary within your My Oyster account.

The payment schedule works as follows:

• £180 on booking your programme
• One or two instalments, scheduled in between the time of booking and 90 days prior to arrival
• Final balance due 90 days before arrival*

*Please note, if you book at short notice, you may be asked to pay the remainder of the full fee on confirmation of your booking

Instalment payments are made by bank transfer, we will prompt you when a payment is due and share the relevant bank details with you for the transfer.

Pre-departure briefings:

For certain programmes, including our paid work programmes in Canada, we will also run online briefing workshops to help get you ready for your time away. It is extremely important that you attend these workshops, so that you know what to expect and what is expected from you on your trip.

 

‘I felt you really got to know me throughout the process. Thanks for all your help and advice. I was glad that I’d met you at the interview. It gave me loads of confidence in the Oyster team and this amazing project.’

– Jenny