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Volunteering

Volunteers play a vital role within advice agencies, undertaking a variety of roles ranging from reception and administration to providing the first point of access and advice for clients. Volunteers may also undertake specialist roles such as telephone helpline assessor, debt adviser or employment specialist.

Volunteering is highly rewarding and a great way to learn new skills, increase your confidence and build your CV. Some agencies can offer training and the opportunity to gain qualifications, and wherever you are in your career, volunteering provides you with work experience in a supportive professional setting. Many volunteers go on to secure paid advisor roles, or use the skills they have developed as a platform for exploring other employment and learning opportunities.

Volunteering is ideal for people who are finding it difficult to get into paid work. Perhaps you have been bringing up children or caring for someone, or have a disability or health condition that you feel is preventing you from accessing opportunities? Becoming a volunteer can help you overcome such barriers.

Finally, one of the main reasons why people volunteer is because they find something they are passionate about and want to do something good for others. People who volunteer in their community have a personal attachment to the area and want to make it a better place for themselves and for others. Many people who volunteer think that they are very fortunate to live the way they do and want to give something back to society, as a way of balancing the scales.

If you are interested in volunteering and would like to know about our volunteering programme please follow the links to the right or alternatively contact our helpline for an informal chat.

A Volunteer’s Story – Tasha: Gateway Assessor

Why I Volunteer

I became a volunteer with Citizens Advice to broaden my horizons; I had lived a somewhat sheltered life with my parents and wanted to expand my knowledge of other communities and the issues they face. I had also completed my law degree so wanted to gain experience of giving advice and working with the public, whilst giving something back to my community and working on my confidence.

Learning and Training

My first day of training was daunting as I was not sure what to expect, but every person there had a smiling face which makes you feel very welcome. I was given all the information I needed including key facts on most common areas and key questions to help when doing our gateway assessments. The booklets that we received were great, for someone like me who had no idea about benefits or debt it was a great insight into how to approach the client and what questions needed to be asked. We were also able to ask a lot of questions, which I felt was a key part of the training.

Making a Difference

On my first day I was very nervous and after listening in to some calls I very hesitantly took my first. That call turned out to be one of my most complicated, but being thrown in the deep end was probably the best way to learn! Since then, and many phone calls and sessions later, I feel like I am making real progress. I feel confident in my ability to work within the bureau and have been amazed by the array of issues which we deal with within the bureau, and how lovely the people you help and work with are!