Volunteering is an amazing way in which you can enhance your future as well as offering to support to others who need it.
Volunteering is an activity which takes place for a community of organisation but is not for profit in money terms. It is done to benefit the community, organisation and the volunteer them-self. The volunteer will agree volunteer for a set amount of time by their own free will and will not receive financial payment.
Volunteering can be done in many ways whether it be for a charity or for a company to get yourself some work experience. There are many different opportunities in which you can volunteer such as;
- Accounting
- Administration Assistant
- Advertising
- Catering/hospitality
- Counselling
- Communications
- Community Support
- Charitable Work
- Disability Support
- Events Volunteering
- Fundraising
- Gardening
- IT
- Merchandising
- Reading Support
- Research
- Tutoring
- Visiting
- Writing and Editing
There are many more opportunities this is just a small list to give you an idea!
Anybody can volunteer, you may still have to undertake an interview like you would a job but this is precaution by the company/charity to make sure the volunteers are serious and really want to help.
Volunteering can be done in many places, locally (local community) for example in a near by youth centre, nationally in companies across your area and it can even be done internationally with charities set-up to help the needy in countries all across the globe.
Volunteers have a big effect on peoples lives especially those who volunteer for charities. It is so vital that charities receive help from volunteers to keep them up and running so they can offer all their support where needed i.e. WaterAid providing clean, safe water for less developed countries to drink.
My Volunteering Experience
Back when I was unemployed I was given the opportunity to volunteer for The AoC. It was offered to me through an employment agency where I was told to go by the Job Centre. At first I was unsure whether it would be good for me as I wanted paid work so I could sign off & be earning my own wage to support myself. However, when I was applying for jobs I did not have any experience as I had just left college & had never had a job before. It proved to be a big stumbling block for me so by volunteering I got some much needed experience in a working environment.
It didn’t stop there, I managed to learn new skills, build my confidence as well as prove I could do the job I was volunteering for – administration. It was important for me that the volunteering was for something I would like to continue and make a career of as I studied business through both secondary school and college where I achieved X3 distinctions, so I wasn’t willing to let those qualifications go to waste!
I continued volunteering for a good 4-5 months with The AoC & I was enjoying it immensely meeting new team members, learning new skills, completing new, exciting work each day I was in. Then it got even better, I was offered a part time – paid position as the companies administrator. I was overwhelmed and extremely happy with this as I could then begin to support myself and was earning my own wage as well as being able to sign off from the dreaded job centre!
All in all I have a lot to be thankful for when I was given the opportunity to volunteer. It opened new doors for me and gave me a new lease of life! I can’t stress enough how much it has changed my life for the better, I am still here now at The AoC writing this blog which is many of the daily tasks I do throughout the week and have learned to do efficiently in my time here. I think anyone who was in the same position I was has nothing to lose when volunteering, you gain so much from it as well as helping others such as those you are volunteering for or the charity you may choose.
If you are interested in volunteering for The AoC we are always welcoming new recruits to join us in many different ways, we have recently had Josh join us to do some voluntary marketing and there are many more opportunities that are arising as our business grows. To get involved email your CV and an up to date DBS to support@theaoc.org.uk or alternatively you can give us a call Monday-Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm to find out more on 01384 211 168. We look forward to hearing from you!
