Our Clients Say...
"Agewise provided us with strong candidates (for the two jobs of Sole Accountant and Marketing Manager), most of whom would have been ideally suited to our vacancies. The candidates were well informed as to our roles and prepared for the interviews.It really was a pleasure just to have to decide which candidates would best fit into our team."
Annali-Joy Thornicroft, CEO & Co Secretary, The Insurance Charities
Voluntary work
Volunteering to fill the gap
If you are looking for work because you are unemployed, it can sometimes feel as if the biggest disadvantage you have when applying for jobs is the fact that you are out of work. Nothing fills a gap in a CV as well as a spell of voluntary work. It can teach you some new and valuable skills, give you experience in the not-for-profit sector, demonstrate that you have filled your time in a socially responsible manner and above all, will repay the time you spend by making you feel valued and putting a value on your time.
What voluntary work to do
There is a tremendous range of volunteering work; think of what you want to do, and why, before starting the search. For instance, you may want to volunteer to further an interest like sport, or a commitment to an issue like recycling or civil liberties, or a concern with a particular medical condition. In these cases the cause you support will be very important to you, and what you do may be less so.
However, if you are volunteering to fill your time usefully while you are searching for a permanent job and to further your skills, what you actually do may be the most important factor. For instance office work may add current IT or database skills that you will be able to show on your CV.
- How much time can you give – and when?
- What do you want to get from volunteering, e.g. meeting people or gaining new skills?
- What skills or experience can you offer?
- Will you get out-of-pocket expenses paid?
- Are you receiving any form of state benefit? You will need to check that your volunteering won't risk this. Contact your local benefit office for advice.
If you already know the type of work you want to do, then you can contact relevant organisations direct. For example, if you want to teach, you could contact local schools, colleges or adult education centres. If it’s the cause that’s important, look directly on the websites of the charities that support that issue; most will have a volunteer page and all will have contact details.
And if you want to move into the not-for-profit sector to find a paid post, it is always useful to be able to show on your CV that you have done some voluntary work in a charity or in that part of the charitable sector in which you are interested.
Where to start volunteering
Volunteering England
Comprehensive and helpful website about volunteering. There is also a directory of local volunteer centres.
www.volunteering.org.uk
Do-it
An internet database of UK local volunteering opportunities. Good source – you can search by area, interest and type of work
TimeBank
Advice and support to get into volunteering (helpdesk on contact page) both for individuals and for companies wanting projects for staff. List of volunteering openings by postcode.
WW – Worldwide Volunteering
A non-profit-making organisation whose aim is to make it easier for people of all ages to volunteer. Provides access to information about a wide range of volunteering opportunities throughout the UK and worldwide
Reach
A charity which recruits people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the UK with specific business, professional, managerial or technical career experience and finds them part-time, expenses only opportunities, with voluntary organisations which need their expertise
The Guardian
Includes unpaid voluntary jobs - online.
Media Trust
If you are a media, marketing, communications or digital media professional you can volunteer your skills to help a charity or to act as a mentor.