ROLE OF VOLUNTEERING

Dream GET THAT JOB

BY JANE HATTON

THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERING

These are good things to bear in mind when trying to find a good match.

It’s the age-old paradox, how on earth can you gain experience in a role if no one will give you a job in order for you to gain that experience? One way to go about breaking this catch-22 is to do work experience. However, outside of school and in any field that requires client confidentiality this can be hard to arrange. This is where the charity and voluntary sector excels. Like any occupation the right voluntary placement can do wonders for your work and wider life, but the wrong voluntary role or the right role at the wrong charity might not fulfil your needs. This article explores how to find your perfect match.

WHY SHOULD I WORK FOR FREE?

Essentially, volunteering should not ever be ‘working for free’. If your volunteering placement feels like this then something has gone wrong. Volunteering should be a mutual exchange, in this case exchanging your time and skills for experience. Organisations who offer volunteering should offer as standard:

Travel expenses (usually restricted to bus fares) Any training necessary to do the role A reference for employment Support to make sure you are able to get the most from your role B efore we start looking at the thousands of options available, we need to nail down one key question – what are you looking to get out of volunteering? Some common goals may be to:

Gain experience in a new field

Develop transferable skills such as administration and IT

Network in a new sector

Build up your stamina in relation to health and wellbeing

Build your portfolio on real life projects to enhance your CV

Explore ways to overcome barriers to work (unfortunately

Access to Work does not cover volunteering expenses at present) There are a few different factors to consider when looking for a voluntary placement so let’s go through the pros and cons of each.

WHICH CHARITY SHOULD I CHOOSE?

A few rules of thumb when choosing places to approach:

The smaller the charity the more they will need volunteers in a wide range of roles with greater responsibility

The more national the charity’s reach (especially for smaller charities) the more likely they are to be set up for remote working

The smaller the charity the more flexible they are able to be

As tiny charities and social enterprises often have little time to train staff, they are also more likely to hire from their volunteering pool

The larger the charity the more likely they are to have a formalised process and dedicated department working with volunteers.

HOW CAN I ENSURE THAT I GET THE MOST OUT OF MY VOLUNTEERING?

Like with most things, the more you put in the more you will get out. However, the better fit you and the organisation are for each other the more likely you are to come out with what you need. A good volunteer coordinator will ask you what you want to achieve, but if they don’t there is no harm in taking the initiative and telling them. If you feel the charity is able to be flexible then take in your ideal job description/person specification and work towards gaining evidence for each one.

WHO CAN HELP ME EXPLORE ALL THE OPTIONS?

The best place to go for advice on finding the right voluntary opportunity for you is to contact your local Volunteer Centre, you can find your nearest centre at NCVO.org.uk. Be clear and honest about your needs and they will help you get connected. Here are a few sites that also provide voluntary opportunity listings:

ReachVolunteering.org.uk

Volunteering.ThirdSector.co.uk

Do-It.org

VolunteeringMatters.co.uk

To find jobs from inclusive employers who are looking to attract more disabled candidates, have a look on the Evenbreak website: Evenbreak.co.uk. To find relevant and accessible careers support for disabled candidates have a look on Evenbreak’s Career Hive: Hive.Evenbreak.co.uk.

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