As a dental student already, you will know how important it is to be able to get worthwhile dental work experience on your CV. For those passionate about the world of dentistry, this dental elective offers a real experience or life as a dental professional in India.

This is the perfect opportunity for individuals who are diligent and committed. It is hard work, but the benefits are worth it. You will get to live with other like-minded interns and you will feel truly immersed in Indian life!

Gaining dental work experience for your CV is vital if you want to stand out from the crowd when it comes to starting your career. Showing experience from your time in India will demonstrate that you are committed, outgoing and have an in-depth understanding of a different type of dental system.

For the dental camp to run, we need a minimum of 5 interns on the elective at one time. So that we can ensure we get a group of 5, we ask for some flexibility with your dates so that we can make this work for everyone.

This elective is ideal for a group of student friends who want to gain experience together.

The dental elective is available all year round, beginning on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month. Generally, volunteers arrive in Palampur on the Sunday, and leave again on the Saturday at the end of their programme.

If you want to join our language and cultural week in Delhi, before joining the internship in Palampur, you will need to be in Delhi ready to start on the 1st or 3rd Monday of the month.

We need a minimum of 5 interns at one time to be able to run this itinerary.

There are a number of airlines that offer direct daily flights between Delhi and Dharamshala.

If you don’t want to fly from Delhi to Dharamshala, there is a 10 hour bus journey you can take from Delhi.

This can be booked on arrival and is operated by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation. Interns will be picked up from the bus station and taken to the accommodation.

The temperature in Palampur ranges between 2 and 15 degrees centigrade (Jan) up to 30 degrees centigrade (May). Summer is usually much hotter, but cool in the evenings. During the winter months, it is usually warm during the day and cold at night. Palampur is located in a valley which means that it feels much cooler and fresher than other parts of India – making it a great place to stay!

The monsoon arrives in July and August. Whilst you should expect heavy downpours, it doesn’t rain all day everyday!

A budget of £60 per week should be more than enough.

Included in that you will need to cover the cost of local transport each day, this would cost approximately £2 per day.

Credit cards are advised for emergencies, as well as enough cash to see you through the first few days, there are ATM’s and currency exchanges at the airport and all over Delhi and Palampur.

The major banks in India are State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC bank, Axis, Kotak Mahindra Band and Standard Chartered bank.

Visas must be applied for before departure. 30 day visas are available to nationals from many countries online. Simply visit the Indian Visa Online website for more information. If you are looking to stay longer than 30 days, you will have to visit the Indian Mission (Embassy or High Commission) in your home country.

You will need to keep copies of the following documents whilst in India:

• Passport
• Flight Tickets
• Insurance
• Visa

Most people who book with Oyster are solo travellers who meet other interns on arrival.

However, for this dental elective, we would be delighted to organise the project for a group of friends who are all studying dentistry.

You should visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out what vaccinations you will need.

Vaccinations are usually recommended for the following conditions: Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Tetanus. Recommendations do change and it is important to discuss your personal requirements with your doctor.

The volunteer accommodation has a perimeter fence with a guard hut at the gate. There is a member of staff responsible for security 24 hours a day. When you are away from the accommodation (on the project), there are always house staff around, cleaning and preparing food.

Palampur is considered a safe place for foreigners. You will get a full safety briefing on arrival. Common sense rules apply and there is a curfew for volunteers. There will be in-country support throughout your stay.

The volunteer house is in a neighbourhood which has access to local markets. The house is a 15 minute walk to the main road and then you can take a bus into town. The bus journey takes 15 minutes.

The main dental clinic that you will work in is on the way to town and only 10 minutes by bus.

Participants will live in a volunteer house in Palampur. The accommodation has fans and WiFi, although WiFi can be temperamental. The houses have single sex, shared rooms with 4 people to a room. Each room has a western bathroom attached.

Typically, for breakfast you will be served tea, bread, butter, jam and eggs. For dinner, you will be served delicious, freshly prepared, Indian food. Typical Indian cuisine consists of spices and herbs, using ingredients such as chillies, nutmeg, ginger, garlic and cardamom.

WiFi is available in internet cafes. There is WiFi at the accommodation, although this can be temperamental. We recommend you get a local SIM card on arrival and use the data from that. The signal is good at the accommodation and in the areas you will be working in.

Palampur is in UTC +05:30.

India 3 pin plug (type D)

Lots! You’ll have plenty of time to explore Palampur and the surrounding area at the weekend. Here are some highlights:

• Visit the famous Tea Gardens
• Tashi Jong Monastery
• Baijnath Temple (Shiv Temple)
• Explore Dharamshala and visit Mcleod ganj – the home of the Dalai Lama
• Trekking in the Himalayas
• Paragliding in Billing

An optional, and highly recommended, language and cultural week can be provided in Delhi before you begin your volunteering. This gives you language training (useful for your project!), cultural awareness training, cooking lessons and the opportunity to visit the tourist hot-spots in Delhi. Also included is a visit to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!

Evenings are free and 2 days a week will be rest days. Some flexibility will be required for the dental camp.

You will be back from the clinic each day by mid afternoon, leaving you with a few hours to relax and enjoy the accommodation before dinner each day.

Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and project-related training. On day one at the project, you will be shown the way on public transport by a member of staff. Once you are comfortable with things, you will travel each day on your own/with other volunteers. On the project you will be supervised by the dental staff you are shadowing. At the accommodation, there will be staff that visit to cook meals and check in with you each day.

Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are at the project. This will start from the moment you are picked up from the airport until the time you are dropped back there. Before and after these times, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk. This is also true if you choose to leave the project during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.