Volunteering at the Seamen’s Church 

Volunteers are an invaluable help in the important work of the Seamen's Church, and anyone willing is welcome as they are. The work will be familiarised, the common language is English and the gesture language. 

Local volunteer refers to those living and living near Finnish or a foreign establishment who have the opportunity to act as emergency helpers in one-off tasks and volunteers who wish to commit to seamen's church work for a longer period of time.  

Seamen's churches in Finnish ports are international centres of their area, visited by people from around 30 different countries. The work is truly international, and it increases language skills and knowledge of cultures. As a volunteer, you get to know different people and see the result of valuable work. As a volunteer, you can get to port and ships; places you wouldn't otherwise get to! The general principle of seamen's churches is that everyone does all the work possible. 

One-year voluntary work is ideal for those who have a gap year in studies or paid work, for pensioners and for those who want international experience, for example. The volunteer year can be spent at the Seamen’s Church in London, Brussels, Rotterdam or Hamburg. Under EU regulations, no wages are paid for the work, but the Seamen’s Church pays for the trips (at the beginning and end of the season), housing (in a shared flat) and food.  

The Church currently has about 900 volunteers, 190 of whom are in Finland. 

If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact the Seamen’s Church closest to you and enquire about a way to get involved in international activities that is just right for you! If you have never visited our churches, you are warmly welcome to visit the activities and other volunteers! You can find more information about local volunteer work opportunities at our offices abroad on each location's own website.