Q

Almost anything you want to do or can think of!  You can volunteer to foster wild animals, design and create a website, restore steam engines, or protect your local community as a Special Constable.

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This is really up to you.  You can find volunteering that only takes an hour a month - there's a trend towards short-term volunteering requiring minimal commitment.  Having said that, obviously the less time you have the harder it can be to find something that's right for you.

You can volunteer on any day of the week, daytime or evening.  Whilst some volunteering takes place in office hours, you can volunteer at evenings and weekends too, again depending on what you want to do.  Typical volunteering out of office hours includes befriending, campaigning, the Samaritans, youth work, conservation and sports.  Deciding how much time you are prepared to commit to volunteering will help determine where you volunteer.

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Yes, there are many opportunities to volunteer that do not require you to be available Monday to Friday during the day.  Don't be put off volunteering because you work full-time!  Many organisations would love to find volunteers that are able to volunteer evenings, nights and/or weekends.

Some examples of out office volunteering opportunities include campaigning, the Samaritans or other help-lines, working with homeless people, befriending, conservation and sports.

It is important however, to check with any organisation you are interested in volunteering for what time commitment they have in mind.  You will need to work out how many hours you will volunteer for and for how long you wish to volunteer.

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Yes, you can but be aware it may limit the number of volunteering opportunities available to you.  Some volunteering is usually done in groups, so two or more people could easily join together.  An example of this in the southern Bedfordshire area is Friends of Linslade Wood who organise one-off weekend projects.

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Yes, you can.  The benefits regulations are clear that you can volunteer.  For detailed and up-to-date information on volunteering whilst you are claiming benefits click here

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Yes, you can.  Most organisations cover your out-of-pocket expenses that arise from volunteering.  That includes the cost of travelling to the volunteering and meals while volunteering, postage and telephone costs (if volunteering from home), care of dependents during the course of volunteering and protective clothing or other essential equipment.

Unfortunately not all organisation do pay expenses.  This could be because they don't have enough funds or because they don't realise that volunteers should be paid expenses.  Before starting your volunteering, ask about expenses.

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You may be asked by the organisation you are volunteering with for information on your criminal record.  Voluntary organisations will run a Criminal Records Bureau check on volunteers working with children and/or vulnerable adults.  Your suitability for a particular voluntary role may have to be assessed considering that nature of the previous offence and how long ago it was committed.  The Criminal Records Bureau have issues a list of 'considerations' to take into account:

• whether the conviction is relevant to the position

• the seriousness of the offence

• the length of time since the offence occurred

• whether the applicant has a pattern of offending behaviour

• whether the applicant's circumstances have changed

• the circumstances surrounding the offence and the explanation offered by the applicant.

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Most organisations will probably not formally interview you before they place you but they will probably want to have an informal chat.  However, if the role has some responsibility, for instance, for money, or if you will be working with people or with dangerous equipment, the interview may be more formal.  In either case this gives you, and the organisation, a chance to assess each other and an opportunity to ask questions.

The sort of questions the organisation will probably want to ask you will vary from organisation to organisation and depend on the type of voluntary work you are interested in.  However, a typical interviewer (formal or informal) may ask any of the following:

• why you are interested in volunteering

• what sort of voluntary work you are interested in

• what your particular skills are

• what new skills would you like to learn through your voluntary work

• how much time you have to offer
  

You can ask them anything that you feel unsure about.  You may want to check some or all of the following:

• payment of expenses

• training/qualification opportunities

• what variety will there be in the work?

• support/supervision (someone to talk to regularly about how you are getting on)

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Usually you don't.  Some very skilled work may demand qualifications, but usually organisations offer training to enable you to do the work.

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You need to ask your organisation this, as it varies a lot.  Some organisations offer substantial training and support, but others don't and expect you to cope.

It also depends on the type of work you will be doing.  So if you're spending one day clearing overgrowth from paths, expect about 15 minutes at the start being told what to do, how to use the tools and what health and safety precautions to take.

But if you volunteer to give welfare benefits advice you should get much more training.  You might get 10 two-hour training sessions spread over several weeks before you see a client, plus ongoing training to keep you up-to-date.

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It's becoming more common for organisations to offer volunteers qualifications such as an NVQ, but it is still unusual.  You may well learn a lot and gain valuable experience, skills and a reference though.  If you would like to gain a formal qualification, ask at interview.  You can also contact the Training and Development Team and Voluntary and Community Action, which provides a range of accredited training, including the ASDAN Certificate in Community Volunteering.

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Volunteering can be an excellent way of gaining experience in social work or working with vulnerable people.  There are many local organisations working in the health and social care field that involve volunteers in frontline roles, for example hospitals, hospices, and organisations for people with a disability.  Contact Volunteer Centre Central Bedfordshire for details of current opportunities.

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Yes, of course. You are under no real obligation to keep volunteering for an organisation or role that you are unhappy in. 

However, it is always worth talking to somebody about this first. This could be your volunteer coordinator (if there is one), your supervisor, someone in the organisation who is responsible for you or someone who you have got on well with. You can then discuss with them why you feel unhappy with and what you feel would improve your time as volunteer in the organisation.

It is also something you may want to talk about with other volunteers in the organisation. You could either do this informally, or at a regular meeting that all volunteers attend.

If you feel that something is seriously wrong or someone is treating you badly it is also worth checking whether your organisation has a grievance procedure.

If you do decide to leave, you might also want to think about volunteering in a different or more suitable role. If so, contact the Volunteer Centre Central Bedfordshire to find out what other opportunities are available.

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