Volunteers
There are volunteer opportunities for advisers, gateway assessors, research staff, administrative support staff and Trustees.
Volunteer roles
What do volunteer workers do?
Gateway Assessors & Advisers
- Interviewing – You will learn interviewing techniques, how to listen, and then talk to clients and ask questions to make the issues clear.
- Giving information – Training will enable you to access information from our computer systems and reference books.
- Giving advice – Your job is to give the client all the courses of action available to them so they can decide what to do
- Giving practical help – Completing forms, making telephone calls, writing letters. You will also be trained in calculating benefits, tax and debts.
- Case recording – You will be shown how to record your interviews to enable another advice worker to carry on further work for a client should they return for more help.
- Research and Campaign – Identify issues where clients have been unfairly treated.
What do volunteers gain ?
- Rewarding and stimulating work that is so varied it can never be boring
- The opportunity to update skills and learn new ones
- A comprehensive training programme is provided which will be tailored to individual needs
- Job specific IT training
- Help for those wishing to re-enter the job market by :
- providing experience in a caring supportive environment
- a reference for future employers
What we ask from a volunteer adviser
- Are you prepared to honour our committment to impartiality ?
- Can you agree to observe our strict rules of client confidentiality ?
- Will you carry out the Citizens Advice’s policy on anti-racism ?
- Are you willing to undertake extensive training ?
- Are you prepared to attend our monthly staff meetings ?
- Are you prepared to keep yourself up to date with new information ?
- Are you available to volunteer for 10 hours each week ?
- Are you willing to be flexible in the days that you work ?
- Are you willing to continue to attend courses after your initial period of training is over ?
How to find out more
If you are interested in joining our friendly team then please contact Jo Hansen-Cole, Manager, Citizens Advice Mid Bedfordshire, by email: recruitment@midbedscab.cabnet.org.uk