Long-Term Volunteer Opportunities

Coordinator Positions (2025-2026)

The BEST Management Team is looking for current university students, recent university graduates or young working professionals to join our team for the 2025-2026 school year.

Available positions:

  • Tournament Policy Coordinator

  • Judge Co - Coordinator 

  • Debate (Program/Tournament) Co-Coordinator

  • Balkan Voices Co-Coordinator

  • Tournament Administrator

  • Speech Department Coordinator

  • Student Leader Program Co-Coordinator

Interested? Here are a few things you need to know:

  • Coordinators must be at least 18 years old.

  • Coordinators must be at least a 2nd year in university. 

  • Application requirements differ for each position. 

To apply:

  • Send a cover letter to info@bestfoundation.bg explaining your motivation to be a BEST coordinator. Please tell us which volunteer position you are applying for, why you love BEST, and why you are a good fit for the position. You may apply for up to two positions. We will be accepting applications until the positions are filled but we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

  • Include the position that you are applying for in the subject line of the email (ie: “Translation Intern Application”)

  • Check each position for special requirements! If a position lists “Special Application Requirements” you must submit these with your cover letter.

Tournament Policy Co-Coordinator

Responsibilities:

  • Handle reports and rule reinforcement during tournaments;

  • Handle all related communication to policies;

  • Run plagiarism check prior to tournaments;

  • Implementing any policy changes voted by MT in the summer 

  • Assist during judge and coach trainings

  • Support the Tournament Administrator/Debate Coordinator during tournaments when questions arise regarding resources/ citations or specific rules.

Requirements:

  • Behave unbiased towards everyone;

  • Basic knowledge in working with Microsoft programs;

  • Be part of every tournament; 

  • Be responsible.  

Benefits: 

  • Gaining practical experience in tournament management and communication; 

  • Working in international and highly professional environment; 

  • Participation in all tournaments, trainings, camps of BEST Foundation (travel and food covered); 

  • Building leadership skills.

Suitable for: 

  • Anyone with legal or speech & debate background

Judge Co-Coordinator

Responsibilities:

  • Prepare yearly program proposal 

  • Review and update trainings and training surveys for speech, debate, and Balkan Voices

  • Write email and text communications to judges for recruitment, training, and week of tournament information and reminders

  • Lead judge Q&A session at tournaments and collaborate with Tournament Administrator for judge assignments

  • Shadow judges during rounds and guide judges through unique scenarios with students, violations, and behavior challenges

  • Attend weekly MT meetings and support MT as needed for grant statistics about judges, tournament accommodations and other related documents, media releases, and judge awards

  • Send out feedback forms & certificates to judges and manage/share noteworthy information with team members

  • Develop a strategy for judge retention and organize special events or program enhancements for this specific purpose

  • Provide final program report and proposals for the next academic year; 

Requirements:

  • Excellent time management, communication, & organization skills; 

  • High level of English (C1 and above preferably); 

  • Ability to coordinate with a team and co-coordinator

  • Competency in public speaking

  • Possess working level of G-suite  (Gmail, Word, PPT, Sheets, etc);

Benefits: 

  • Experiences in international and professional environments and working in a team 

  • Participation in all tournaments, trainings, and camps of BEST Foundation (travel, accommodation, and food covered)

  • Building leadership skills and networking opportunities

Suitable for:

  • BEST alumni, people with experience in training/coaching, managing a team

Debate Program Co-Coordinator

The position is shared with our current Debate Program Coordinator - Rosen Razpopov

Responsibilities:

  • Serve as debate content and curriculum leader including training debate specifics to coaches and students;

  • Lead debate motions planning committee and submit debate motions to Management Team 1 month prior to tournaments at the latest;

  • Plan and lead online workshops and events during the academic year;

  • Lead and plan online debate cups during the year

  • Select and support the International Debate team 

  • Support the Bulgarian National Debate team created in collaboration with the Bulgarian Debate Association. 

  • Seek out and facilitate international debating opportunities;

  • During tournaments:

    • Answer any motion-related questions and concerns at the tournament;

    • Train judges for debate;

    • Announce motions;

    • Assist Debate Tournament Coordinator as needed

Requirements:

  • Have debate knowledge;

  • Argumentative person;

  • Basic knowledge of Microsoft programs. 

Benefits: 

  • Gaining practical experience in tournament management and communication; 

  • Working in international and highly professional environment; 

  • Participation in all tournaments, trainings, camps of BEST Foundation (travel and food covered); 

  • Building leadership skills.

Suitable for:

  • BEST and/or Bulgarian Debate Association alumnus with debating background and knowledge of parliamentary debating styles, particularly World Schools Debate, or

  • Law/Political Science university students

SL Program Co-Coordinator

The position is shared with our next year SL Coordinator - Vyara Bagryanova

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate equally (50/50) with the other Co-Coordinator to manage the Student Leadership Program.

  • Plan program activities, prepare training proposals/checklists, and coordinate booking of training sessions.

  • Organize Student Leader Training, Wrap-Up Seminar, mid-year conferences, and year-round remote engagement activities.

  • Organize workshops to help Student Leaders develop their Community Projects and leadership skills.

  • Arrange volunteer schedules, manage volunteers at tournaments, and collect feedback for improvement.

Requirements:

  • Strong verbal and written communication.

  • Teamwork, leadership, and emotional intelligence.

  • Excellent organization, time management, adaptability, and problem-solving skills.

  • Proficiency in Google Workspace.

  • Must be an SL alumnus/a and at least a first-year university student.

Benefits:

  • Work in an international, professional environment.

  • Participate in BEST Foundation tournaments, trainings, and camps (travel and food covered).

  • Build leadership and technical skills.

Suitable for:

  • University students or working professionals, including BEST Alumni and previous SLs.

Balkan Voices Co - Coordinator

The position is shared with our current Balkan Voices Co-Coordinator (working online from the USA) - Kelsey Walock

Responsibilities: 

  • Review and enhance the Balkan Voices procedure manual

  • Handle application and registration process for Balkan Voices

  • Ensure all application and registration material is sent out to coaches in a timely manner

  • Review coach training material and schedule training sessions

  • Follow up with team members about project tasks and remind everyone about upcoming deadlines

  • Work closely with BEST Management and AUBG representatives on preparing suitable activities for the event

  • Create a tournament schedule ensuring all speakers and workshops are assigned

  • Regularly check the tournament website page and the portal and ensure all information is updated and links are active

  • Administer pre and post event surveys and produce reports

  • Write a final closing report for the BV grant. 

Requirements:

  • Be a communicative person;

  • Have a knowledge in organizing events;

  • Leadership skills;

  • Basic knowledge of working with Microsoft programs. 

Benefits: 

  • Gaining practical experience in tournament management and communication; 

  • Working in international and highly professional environment; 

  • Participation in all tournaments, trainings, camps of BEST Foundation (travel and food covered); 

  • Building leadership skills.

Suitable for: 

  • University students in various disciplines, preferably second year or higher. 


Tournament Administrator

The position is paid on еvent basis

This is a combination of long-term volunteer and a part-time paid position to handle all tournament platform operations and related communication. The role will be shared with another Tournament administrator, so the candidate would be required to be only on half of our tournaments. 

Time commitment: Less busy months 5 hours a week, busier months: 10-15 hours a week. Must commit to attending all tournaments (6+ throughout the year). 

Suitable for:  IT/Tech/Event Management University Students/Professionals. BEST Alumni

Responsibilities:

  • Act as the main lead for Speechwire matters, before, during and after the tournaments;

  • Handle coach and team registrations on Speechwire;

  • Work in coordination with the Balkan Voices program coordinator and handle registration and tabulation;

  • Assist with project planning and execution monitoring for any tournaments (online or in-person); 

  • Review any registration-related documents and forms and suggest edits for improvements;

  • Assist with any ad hoc matters when possible as requested by E.D.

Requirements:

  • BEST experience preferred;

  • Senior in high school or above;

  • Able to attend most tournaments this year;

  • Willing to be committed for 1/2 more years; 

  • Have knowledge in Microsoft programs (especially Excel). 

Benefits: 

  • Working in international and highly professional environment;

  • Participation in all tournaments, trainings, camps of BEST Foundation (travel and food expenses covered);

  • Building leadership skills and gaining professional experience.

Suitable for: University and 12th grade high school students interested in the programming field. 

Speech Department Co-Coordinator

Responsibilities:

  • Serve as speech content and curriculum leader including training speech specifics to coaches and students

  • Plan and lead online workshops and events during the academic year;

  • Lead and plan online speech cups during the year

  • During tournaments:

    • Answer any questions and concerns at the tournament;

    • Train judges for speech; 

Requirements:

  • Have speech knowledge;

  • Basic knowledge of Microsoft programs. 

Benefits: 

  • Gaining practical experience in tournament management and communication; 

  • Working in international and highly professional environment; 

  • Participation in all tournaments, trainings, camps of BEST Foundation (travel and food covered); 

  • Building leadership skills.

Suitable for:

  • BEST alumnus with speech background and knowledge

  • University students

Our internship positions are designed to directly support and learn from the coordinator positions on the BEST Management Team. Interns are expected to attend all tournaments and some of the Management Team meetings unless informed otherwise. 

Interns can be promoted to coordinators in their respective positions for the following year based on their performance throughout the internship.