A Waldorf-Kindergarten somewhere in Iceland, the UEFA European Football Championships, the Cabuwazi Circus in Berlin and, last but not least, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) that will take place in May in my hometown, Vienna. What do these places or events have in common? They all require the work of volunteers.

I recently had the “honour” to join the first of two casting rounds to be a volunteer at the ESC this year. Yes, you read correctly, casting to be allowed to work for free! If I get through the application process you might find me standing somewhere in the planned Euro Village or helping confused journalists get their interviews. Before this all even started, I had to agree to dedicate my life to the ESC for up to two weeks.

So why on earth would I voluntarily take part? Certainly not for the reasons someone would do an unpaid internship (making coffee and copying pages for a month just so you can write that you worked at this oh-so-fancy newspaper on your bloody CV…). I do it for the experience (yes, that sounds a bit like the newspaper), but also to make an event like this possible; at least that’s what I want to believe. I want to welcome every guest that comes to Vienna, no matter if artist, fan or technician, and simply make it an awesome event.

Thinking of temporary mega events like championships or the ESC that require a lot more work than a simple concert or a fair, there comes the big question: would those be doable without the motivated people in the background? At the EURO ’08 held in Vienna, how much less of the 700 million € profit would the UEFA, that is listed as a non-profit organisation, make if it paid every volunteer? How much more would a ticket to the final of the ESC on the 23^rd of May cost if volunteers got a few bucks an hour? It’s not about getting rich, of course not, it is more about the general principle or the need to cover the cost of public transport to actually get there.

If we step back from these events and focus on long-term projects like the Kindergarten or the Cabuwazi Circus, that all take volunteers coordinated by the EU in the Program Erasmus+ (former Youth in Action), I believe that their work cannot be done without the help of motivated young Europeans (who, by the way, get accommodation, food and a little pocket money). Taking part in such a European Volunteering Service myself, I can assure you that you indeed gain experiences that would not have been possible in a paid 9-to-5 job. The flexibility, the possibility to try new things and give your work your very own unique touch makes such opportunities outstanding for me. They need our support and give us an extraordinary experience in exchange because that is all they have to offer.

However, I think there is a worrying change to be spotted. Commercial companies unfortunately know that there are so little jobs (for example in the media sector) that highly qualified students would do it for free – just so they can write it on the aforementioned bloody CV. That is just simply not fair! How many more internships, unpaid trial work and traineeships can we take? No more, if you ask me. If we work hard, if we were educated to do so, if we take your company further – then reward us!

So what is the difference between the intern and the ESC, the traineeship and the Waldorf Kindergarten? I believe it is about two things: First, would they have the money or not and second, do you enjoy doing it? And this, I want to urge, is the much more important question. If it is fun for you, if you feel you are making the world a better place, if you get one step closer to the picture in your head of the person you want to be, THEN F@£?!NG DO IT.

I think that it is fair to support small projects that couldn’t do it without our help, but it is not okay to work your ass of all summer for one line on your CV. Concerning the ESC, I am unsure what to think, to be honest. However, whatever you fancy doing: try it out – and so will I and hopefully I’ll enjoy my Eurovision Song Contest experience.

Curious now? Get started here:

• Erasmus Plus: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_en.htm
• Visit the Euro-Village in Vienna: http://songcontest.orf.at/events/stories/2691652/
• Volunteers at the ESC: https://songcontest.orf.at/volunteers/show_content.php?hid=4