If you want to know what to expect from your volunteering experience and what the organisations will be expecting from you as their volunteer please download our “Volunteer Expectations” information sheet.
Link pls to downloadable PDF of our “Volunteer Expectations” info sheet (attached)
You may also find our “Frequently Asked Questions” below helpful which covers a lot of the common questions prospective volunteers ask us.
Questions
- How much time do I have to give?
- What experience do I need?
- Will I be out of pocket?
- How long will it take to start volunteering after I have contacted you?
- What is a “CRB” Check and do I need one?
- I work full time – can I still volunteer?
- I am under 18 – can I still volunteer?
- I am an asylum seeker – am I allowed to volunteer?
- Can I volunteer if I am claiming benefits?
- Will I have to have an interview before I start volunteering?
- Can you help me find an overseas volunteering opportunity or a gap year placement?
- My school/college has said I need work experience – is that the same as volunteering?
- I don’t live in Bexley – can you still help me find a volunteering role?
- Can I leave if I don’t like it and still go away on holidays?
Answers
- How much time do I have to give?
As much or as little as you can….some tasks require volunteers for sessions of 2 – 3 hours whereas others can be longer ie 5 – 6 hours. A lot of volunteering takes place during office hours throughout the week but there is still a wide variety of tasks for volunteers on an ad hoc basis (including events volunteering, environmental volunteering), during the evening or at the weekends - What experience do I need?
Most people have a variety of skills and experience without even realising it – from the ability to be a good listener to more practical skills like driving. Many people volunteer to gain experience in a particular field of volunteering especially if they are considering a career change or they may need to get practical experience in a new skill they have learnt, possibly to get back into paid employment. If you have not been able to work for a while due to family commitments, ill health etc then it is also a good way to gain some current experience and, if everything goes well, to get a reference after a qualifying period of volunteering - Will I be out of pocket?
Most organisations will reimburse your travel expenses and may also offer reimbursement to a set amount to cover your lunch if your volunteering takes place over a certain number of hours. Reimbursements are usually made against your receipts/bus tickets etc and if you use an Oyster card you will be advised how you can access your travel statement details. Any conditions regarding expense payments should be checked with the organisation concerned before you start volunteering – ideally volunteers should never be out of pocket. - How long will it take to start volunteering after I have contacted you?
It may take a while before you can start your volunteering depending on the opportunity you have chosen. If you have made a “do-it” enquiry through the national website then we will receive your registration form and we aim to send you the contact details of your chosen organisation within 5 days. Please note that this only applies to organisations whose opportunities we have “posted” on the website so always make a note of the name of your chosen opportunity and who “posted” the role so that you know who to contact if for some reason you don’t receive a reply. If you have come into our Drop-In you will have been given the contact details of your chosen role before you leave.
It is also important to remember that the organisation you have selected may be a small one without any paid staff (ie run by volunteers themselves) so do let us know if you don’t get any response to your initial enquiry and we can offer to pass your details through to the organisation concerned with your permission or simply chase them for you. - What is a “CRB” Check and do I need one?
Some roles will require a Criminal Record Bureau check (“CRB”) and this can sometimes take up to 4 weeks to come through. This is undertaken for roles which involve one-to-one unsupervised contact with either a vulnerable adult or child. You will be asked to bring in designated identification documents by the organisation you have chosen together with other paperwork so that a check can be made in respect of your identity and to see if you have any convictions recorded against you. If this is necessary, the main thing is to be patient and liaise with the Volunteer Centre if things do not move as quickly as you had hoped. Where ever possible organisations will try to start you as a volunteer in a supervised setting while waiting for the check to come through but this is not always possible. If you have a criminal record this would not automatically bar you from volunteering although it may restrict your choice – you can discuss this in confidence with the Volunteer Centre and we advise you or help you choose a more suitable opportunity.
This process will be changing over the coming year due to the new Safeguarding Authority process – which you have probably read about or seen on the television – we will update this section as soon as we have any more information on this.
For more information, download the CRB Checks Information Sheet (PDF 128k) - I work full time – can I still volunteer?
There are a number of opportunities which need volunteers in the evenings or at the weekend; there are also various “one-off” events that take place where you can opt in or out of helping on a given date or for a specific charity. More roles are becoming available as “virtual” ones but this is still a developing area so although your choice will be more restricted, you should still be able to find something suitable and if you can travel over a wider area that will help your search as well. A lot of national charities in London, local museums and heritage sites offer weekend volunteering opportunities. - I am under 18 – can I still volunteer?
You can still volunteer if you are under 18 but difficulties with insurance cover can sometimes mean that charities cannot take younger volunteers. However, there is a national organisation for youth volunteering for people aged 16 – 25 years – www.vinspired.com which may be able to give you some more ideas. There is also a section on the national volunteering website – www.do-it.org.uk – for volunteers under 18.
A number of local charities offer youth volunteering programmes and there are also some opportunities in Bexley libraries at certain times of the year. If you are at school, it would be worth asking your teacher or Head of Year if there is anything you can get involved with at school ie fundraising events for charities, peer mentoring, school councils.
Bexley Council also has dedicated Youth Council pages on their website - http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4744 with more ideas and also information on the UK Youth Parliament which is open to 11 – 18 year olds.
If you are 16 or over and a Bexley resident you could also join the “Talkback Panel” where residents can give their views on various issues to the Council. The surveys aim to find out what you think about their services and the importance you place on them. They can then take your views into account when making decisions that affect you, your family and your local community – http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2471
There are also lots of opportunities in local charity shops which can be useful if you want to gain experience in a retail environment or get customer care skills for future employment!
Our Drop-In Facility is also available for people under the age of 18 to come in and speak to an Advisor – please return to the home page of “I want to volunteer” and click on the first link to arrange an appointment. Alternatively you can email us at bexleyvc@bvsc.co.uk – please mark the subject line “Volunteering enquiry from a young person” - I am an asylum seeker – am I allowed to volunteer?
Yes – you can volunteer as many hours as you want because there are no restrictions on asylum seekers volunteering. You are not allowed to do “unpaid work” but volunteering is different. You can volunteer for a charity – if you need more help, please contact us - Can I volunteer if I am claiming benefits?
Yes you can. Volunteering shouldn’t affect your right to benefits, as long as the only money you receive is to cover your volunteering expenses, such as travel from home to the volunteering location. There are no limits on the amount of time you can volunteer for as long as you continue to meet the conditions of the benefit or tax credit you are receiving. For example if you receive Jobseekers Allowance you must still be actively seeking a full-time job, able to attend job interviews at 48 hours notice and available to work at one week’s notice. It is always advisable to discuss your choice of volunteering role with your benefits adviser before you start.
In terms of benefits and tax credits, you will be considered as being a volunteer if you:- do not receive any money for the work you do (this does not include expenses)
- do something for a not-for-profit organisation (ie a charity or community group)
- do something for someone who is not a family member
For more information please download the Job Centre “Volunteering while getting benefits” leaflet – http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp1023.pdf
If your Advisor is unsure about volunteering please ask us to help because we work closely with all the Bexley Job Centres and are happy to liaise with them on your behalf. - Will I have to have an interview before I start volunteering?
Most organisations will follow up your enquiry by asking you to come in for an informal chat unless it is a specialist role which might require something more formal. In either case, this is simply an opportunity to meet each other to see if you are suited to each other. You will have the chance to find out more about the role, ask about any training or what support you can expect to get. They will want to know why you are interested in volunteering with them – if you are looking to get back into work then you can tell them this because many people volunteer for that reason – how much time you have available, what experience you have and what new skills you would like to learn through volunteering or put to use. They need to understand what is motivating you to volunteer for them because that is part of helping them to retain their volunteers. If you have specific time commitments then you can tell them – it is better to be honest than say you can do something which actually is a problem for you such as the volunteering needs to be within school hours or on certain days due to other demands on your time. - Can you help me find an overseas volunteering opportunity or a gap year placement?
The Volunteer Centre does have some publicity materials from organisations that offer this type of volunteering but the best place to search is on the national website – www.do-it.org – which has a special section on overseas/gap year volunteering. There is quite a lot of choice but we are happy to help signpost you to various resources if you need assistance. - My school/college has said I need work experience – is that the same as volunteering?
No, volunteering is completely separate to work experience. In the main, volunteering takes place in charities and for not for profit organisations for short period of times over several months at least. Work experience is condensed into one or two weeks of full time hours with any business or company – including private profit making ones – that are willing to take work experience students. - I don’t live in Bexley – can you still help me find a volunteering role?
We are funded to help people who live in Bexley or who want to undertake their volunteering in Bexley perhaps because it is more convenient for them or they have some other link to the borough ie work here, visit relatives here frequently, want to help a particular charity.
If you are a student who normally resides in Bexley but are away at University we can either signpost you to your local Volunteer Centre (because it is a national network), give you the contact details of your university volunteering programme if they have one or help you find something in Bexley for when you are back at home. Alternatively you can search under your chosen postcode on the national website – www.do-it.org.uk which will produce volunteering opportunities near you.
If you live in Greenwich and prefer to volunteer there you can contact them at:-
http://www.volunteerscentregreenwich.org.uk
020 8853 1331 Email info@volunteersgreenwich.co.uk
If you live in Bromley and prefer to volunteer there you can contact them at
http://www.communitylinksbromley.org.uk/vc/vc_home.html
020 8315 1905 Email dianed@communitylinksbromley.org.uk - Can I leave if I don’t like it and still go away on holidays?
Yes you can stop volunteering but it is important to let the organisation know if you decide to do this. If it is because you have a problem with your role or there are any issues with other team members it would be better to talk them over with your volunteer manager to see if the situation can be resolved before you take the decision to leave. If your circumstances have changed, you are unwell or find a job, the organisation will understand and will appreciate you letting them know promptly.
You can still go away on holiday but unlike being at work, you don’t have to ask to take “annual leave”. However, it is still important to give your organisation as much notice as possible that you will be away so that they can arrange cover for you particularly if you are involved in direct services with clients. If you enjoy going away for long weekends then it might be better to avoid volunteering on a Friday or Monday – you can choose the best day to give your time that suits your lifestyle!