[ID:6446]There are about 172,000 charities in the UK, but only a small percentage work on an international scale. In general, internationally-oriented NGOs in the UK fall into one of three categories: 1) NGOs based in the UK and carrying out projects abroad, 2) international NGOs with their headquarters in the UK, and 3) think tanks based in the UK and working on international issues. And although the UK (especially London) is home to a large number of international NGO headquarters, you will notice that a considerable amount of them also have additional national offices in the same country. Oxfam International, for instance, has both its global headquarters and its UK national office in Oxford. And although the offices do work together, Oxfam Great Britain operates independently from Oxfam International. This is why you’ll find that our UK NGO resource list sometimes includes profiles both for international NGOs and for their UK branches.

For those with limited experience, participating in a challenge event or insight volunteer trip with a UK NGO might be the way...