Working Abroad: Don't let a mortgage curb your altruism

It's a nice idea, but is voluntary work abroad really an option for property owners, asks Robert Nurden

hen she moved out of her two-bedroom flat in Edinburgh to work for two years as a health educator in The Maldives, Angela Jackson thought that she was prepared for every eventuality. But not even the most meticulous planning could have equipped her to cope with the tsunami, which struck the atoll where she was living.

A 2m-high wall of water swept up the street, yards from the compound she shared with Maldivians. Living only 300 metres from the Indian Ocean meant that the full force of that devastating wave could have wrecked her concrete bungalow. But, luckily, the hospital where she worked blocked its path and reduced its height to half a metre by the time it crashed against her garden wall.

"No one drowned but, not surprisingly, there was masses of damage all around," says Angela, 31. "My house, which was a bit sturdier than some of the others, didn't suffer any serious damage. But I didn't expect to encounter anything like this when I applied to be a health worker with the VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) for two years!"

There are many such altruistic people who consider quitting their comfortable homes in the UK to take up posts as aid workers with African and Asian communities. But the financial considerations - not least, how best to pay off the mortgage - often prevent them from taking the plunge. It's only the more enterprising ones who, undeterred by the possible complications, forge ahead.

Angela employed a letting agency to find suitable tenants, collect the rent and keep an eye on the property. For that they charged 15 per cent of the rent, which, at £500 a month, more than covered the monthly mortgage payments of £300. In addition, her father agreed to have power of attorney over her financial affairs while she was away. This meant that he, as well as the agents, was taking care of it.

"Because my flat is near the university, the agency had no difficulty in renting it out to students," says Angela. "To make it more presentable, I had double glazing, central heating and new carpets put in. It all worked pretty smoothly. And my lenders - the Yorkshire Building Society - didn't add any interest because I was letting it out, as is the normal practice."

How aid and development workers manage their affairs, particularly their mortgages, when they're away is a vital consideration for the aid agency concerned, too. Organisations such as Oxfam, Save the Children and VSO cannot survive on people's altruism alone. Indeed, failing to sort out one's financial commitments can ruin the most promising of projects abroad. Many have had to return home early because of such complications.

But some people are so keen to work overseas that they just sell up to avoid any hassles while they're away. Others rent out, either privately or through an agency, while a third group gets a member of the family to move in. "We will point out the pitfalls," says Peter Creane of VSO. "But putting potential volunteers in touch with others who have returned to the UK after working abroad has proved very useful. There is only so much we can do."

Austen and Louise Worth are both doctors in their thirties who moved to a job- share position in a hospital in The Gambia for a year. But not before they'd experienced considerable hassle over their UK home. They decided to let their three-bedroom flat in London's Streatham to a friend but, just before they left for Africa, he pulled out. It was too late to find another tenant, so Louise had to leave that to her father. Meanwhile, the couple were eating into their savings to meet mortgage payments. "There was no question of us pulling out," she says. "It was a job we both wanted to do. But it was a worry."

Eventually, her father contacted not just one but several letting agencies, and within a few weeks a tenant, who stayed there for the duration, was found. This time, the agent's share was 10 per cent because the management was to be carried out by Louise's father. Despite this, the rent of £750 a month did not meet the £800 mortgage payment.

"What I would advise anyone in a similar position to do," says Louise, "is use several agents at once. You only have to sign a contract with the one who finds the tenants. The loss of income was a worry, particularly because, as paediatricians working on a volunteer basis, we were already losing a considerable amount in salary."

The home they moved to was certainly different but, as Louise is quick to point out, they loved it. They lived in a town called Serekunda and commuted every morning by bush taxi to the hospital in the nearby capital, Banjul. Their two-bedroom concrete bungalow was in a compound under the shade of mango trees that provided a near-constant supply of delicious fruit.

There was running water, but only between midnight and 6am, so at night they had to fill up buckets for use the next day. They had electricity, too, but only for about six hours a day, thanks to the frequent power cuts. And the front door was only just hanging on, as chunks of it were missing, victim to armies of termites.

"You never know what a move like that is going to bring up," says Louise. "We loved the simplicity combined with the excitement of working in a new country. But you have to be prepared for things not to work out, both at home and abroad, and ensure that you have a contingency plan."