Advice sessions for volunteers
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These are half-an-hour sessions for students and staff who would
like information and advice on how to match their volunteering
motivation to suitable volunteering opportunities.
You may book a session at any point during your volunteering
journey. Sessions are available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am
to 11.30am at our main office – 101 New Cavendish Street – and on
Fridays at the same times in our Harrow office. To book a session,
please go to the main page - http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-1494
- for instructions.
You can also book a session with a
Careers Consultant for advice on your CV, cover letter, application
forms or on how to prepare for a job interview.
There are plenty of other services that the Career Development
Centre provides – to find out simply click on this link:
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-737
Following up on an application
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- It is sometimes the case that some students do not get any
feedback on their application for volunteering opportunities. Given
that most of the host organisations that we work with are
charities, it is fair to assume that most of them are small and
very light on resources. It is also true that under the current
climate, there are hundreds if not thousands of you looking for
volunteering opportunities making the selection procedure very long
and expensive. It is therefore possible that some of these host
organisations are simply not in a position to reply to each and
every applicant.
Workshops and training sessions available
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- Throughout the year, we organise a wide range
of skills workshops and employer events taking place on all
four campuses. Places are always limited so make sure that you book
a place as soon as you find a session that you are interested in.
To book your place, go to our 'Job Search and Event Booking
system'.
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These FAQs have been collected by our volunteering team and
hopefully you will find these helpful when thinking about becoming
a volunteer.
- Is volunteering really
beneficial for students?
- Who we
are?
- When are we open and where
are we based?
- What support can I expect
as a Volunteer?
- I’ve seen a volunteer
placement that I want to apply for but I have not registered yet.
What should I do?
- What’s in the registration
pack? Is there a lot of paper work?
- What happens once I have
registered with you?
- I’ve heard that I will
have to be police-checked. That sounds a bit scary – what’s
involved?
- Can I still volunteer
while the CRB checks are being made? Or will I have to wait weeks
before I can start?
- How do I apply for a CRB
check?
- Do I have to contact the
organisation myself?
- Will I have to have an
interview with the host organisation?
- Will there be a proper
‘role description’?
- What about training? Some
volunteer placements must require it, right?
- But what happens if I’m
really not happy with the volunteer placement I’m working
on?
- What if I am not sure
what opportunity to go for?
- I would like advice on
volunteering opportunities and would like to book an appointment to
speak to one of our advisors - can you help me?
- I can't seem to find
opportunities in my field - what can I do?
- I have opted t o take a
module this year that requires me to do X number of hours of work
experience. What support can you offer me?
- Do you have any
information about overseas volunteering? I fancy doing some over
the summer holidays?
- So how will I receive
information about current volunteering opportunities once I am
registered?
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If you want to submit your own question, simply email us with your
suggestion – your questions are always welcome!
1. Is volunteering really beneficial for volunteers?
People volunteer for
different reasons. You may want to do it because you want to gain
an advantage over your peers when competing for jobs and show that
through your volunteering, you were able to learn new skills,
increase your knowledge and gain some real-life experience. Or, you
may want to volunteer for social reasons as volunteering is ideal
for meeting new people, making new friends and having fun. Or for
less selfish reasons such as wanting to give something back and
making a difference to the lives of others.
Students who have already
volunteered have reported increased levels of confidence,
communication and interpersonal skills and an enhanced belief that
it will positively contribute to their future career prospects.
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2. Who we are?
We are part of the Career
Development Centre, responsible for brokering suitable volunteering
opportunities for students and staff of the University of
Westminster within the local community.
For further details on
our services, please go to www.westminster.ac.uk/volunteering
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3. When
are we open and where are we based?
Our opening times and locations of services can be found
here:
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-1494
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4. What support can I expect as a Volunteer?
You may expect the
following:
- Induction on
volunteering – where to start, its benefits and how you may use it
to boost your career prospects
- Support in matching your
interests and availability with a suitable volunteering
opportunities
- Access to the list of
volunteering opportunities advertised on our database
- Information on where you
can find support at every stage of your volunteering journey
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5. I’ve seen a volunteer placement that I want to apply for but
I have not registered yet. What should I do?
Our recommendation is
that you come to one of our induction sessions before you start
applying. The content of the induction will include the
following:
- Information on the many
benefits of volunteering
- Simple steps to match
your motivation to a suitable volunteering opportunity
- Information on the types
and sources of support available to you
- Information on how to
access our blog/e-newsletter and access an up-to-date list of
volunteering opportunities
- Information on how you
can present your experience in terms of transferable skills.
- A chance to meet fellow
volunteers and share experience
- A chance to ask
questions
- A chance to register as
Westminster Volunteer
Please note, the first time
you use this system, you will need to 'opt in' and wait 12 hours
for your account to be created. You will then be able to return to
the system and access our events by selecting ‘View and Book Events
and Quick Queries’ where you will find all of our inductions
listed.
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6. What’s in the registration pack? Is there a lot of paper
work?
No, it’s very simple and quick. You will need to fill in a short
form, which takes about five minutes. You will then be asked to
read and sign a Volunteer Agreement, which is half a page in
length.
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7. What happens once I have registered with you?
Once you have attended
the induction session, filled in the registration form and signed
the Volunteer Agreement, you can then look through the volunteering
opportunities that we advertise, and decide which ones interest you
and apply directly. You will also be able to access our
volunteering blog/e-newsletter which will provide you with relevant
updates.
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8. I’ve heard that I will have to be police-checked. That
sounds a bit scary – what’s involved?
It’s not scary at all. It
is a police check to identify candidates who may be unsuitable for
certain work, especially work that involves children or vulnerable
adults.
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9. Can I still volunteer while the CRB checks are being made?
Or will I have to wait weeks before I can start?
This is up to the
organisation, but generally once your CRB form is being processed,
you should be able to start volunteering. In exceptional
circumstances the organisation might want to wait for the results
of your CRB check before you can volunteer with them, but they will
advise you about this.
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10. How do I apply for a CRB check?
Complete information on
the CRB check process is usually provided by the organisation that
requires this check and we recommend that you contact them for
details. Usual procedure requires you to either telephone the CRB
application line on 0870 90 90 844, in which case you will need to
provide the Registered Body name and number (Please have this
information to hand when calling), or complete a paper application
form handed to you by the person who asked you to apply. In both
instances, you will have to provide evidence of your name, address
and date of birth, along with the Registered Body name and number,
and the level of CRB check. This will help the person who asked you
to apply, confirm your identity.
A guidance booklet on how to complete the form is available
here.
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11. Do I have to contact the organisation myself?
Yes. The contact details
will be available on each of the opportunities that we advertise
under the section ‘How to apply’.
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12. Will I have to have an interview with the host
organisation?
In some cases yes – but
this is mostly an informal chat and nothing more. They just want to
get to know you and see where your interests lie. Sometimes they
might assign you a different task if you both decide that it would
be more beneficial.
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13. Will there be a proper ‘role description’?
It is one of our
essential requirements that we ask of every organisation that wish
to advertise a volunteering opportunity with us. A role description
complete with person specification spelling out the knowledge,
skills and experience they require from a candidate is submitted
and advertised with every vacancy that we place on our system. If
you felt that a certain vacancy does not have enough detail, please
let us know.
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14. What about training? Some volunteer placements must require
it, right?
Yes that’s true – some
will. Any specialist training (such as operating small pieces of
equipment, codes of conduct etc) will be given to you by the
organisation itself. It is their responsibility to look after you
while you are volunteering with them.
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15. But what happens if I’m really not happy with the volunteer
placement I’m working on?
If, for whatever reason,
you become unhappy and you are not enjoying the placement or
suddenly discovered that you might not be able to commit to it, you
should come and talk to us immediately.
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16. What if I am not sure what opportunity to go for?
It is sometimes difficult to find an obvious match between the
available list of volunteering opportunities and your motivation to
volunteer. If you have such a dilemma, making use of our ‘Advice
Sessions for Volunteers’ slots might just be the answer.
Alternatively you could drop us an email (careers@wmin.ac.uk) or call us on
02079115184
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17. I would like advice on volunteering opportunities and would
like to book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors - can
you help me?
It is simple and straightforward. It is all done online now
using our Vacancy and Events System. The first time you use the
system you will need to Opt In to the service (Note: the initial
registration process can take up to 12 hours). You can
then access and book onto all our events by selecting 'View and
Book Events and Quick Query Sessions'. You will then access all of
our forthcoming events. To see ‘Advice for volunteers’ event select
'Show Regular Activities'. Click
here to be taken to the vacancy and
events system, and book a session.
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18. I can't seem to find opportunities in my field - what can I
do?
The fact that you can’t find a suitable opportunity today
doesn’t mean you won’t find one tomorrow or in a week’s time. Our
database is updated on daily basis, so we recommend that you keep
checking it regularly. In addition to the list of opportunities on
our website, there are many more on http://www.do-it.org/. If you still
can’t find a suitable vacancy, please come and talk to us, we might
be able to help you.
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19. I have opted t o take a module this year that requires
me to do X number of hours of work experience. What support can you
offer me?
We do not deal with work
experience directly. Our main area of service is brokering
volunteering opportunities from third parties, mainly charities.
There are cases where charities advertise volunteering
opportunities that they sometime agree to turn into a work
experience project. However, that is entirely left for the student
to negotiate. In other words, you may treat any of our volunteering
opportunities as work experience projects if you are able to secure
a position and persuade the host organisation to accommodate your
work experience needs.
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20. Do you have any information about overseas volunteering? I
fancy doing some over the summer holidays?
Our focus is supporting
students and staff of Westminster to volunteer in the local
community. However, we do have lists of organisations that do
specialise in sending volunteers overseas so contact us if this
interests you.
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21. So how will I receive information about current
volunteering opportunities once I am registered?
Once you have registered
on our online vacancy and events system, you will receive
information on opportunities advertised that may be relevant to
your interests. Additionally we send out a monthly email to all
registered volunteers listing a selection of suitable volunteering
opportunities.
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Internal Links
External Links
Action Link Direct provides information
about London voluntary groups. Information can be sorted according
to types of Organisation, target groups they work with, areas of
London they serve and areas they work in. Action Link direct gives
the user the ability to sift through all these Organisations easily
and locate exactly which Organisation would be of interest to the
user.
Community Service Volunteers (CSV) works to reconnect people to
their community through volunteering and training and so to enrich
people’s lives. CSV has new solutions and innovative ways to tackle
society’s needs and it was founded in 1962 by Mora and Alec Dickson
who also founded the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). Their
philosophy guides CSV today – everyone should be able to take part
in the life of their community.
Our long term vision is to be an internationally recognised,
independent source of information and support to voluntary and
community sectors worldwide. Why? Because we believe the activities
in which voluntary and community organisations engage are crucial,
both to the causes they serve and the social environment in which
they operate. We believe we are able to contribute towards positive
social change by supporting these organisations to succeed. We are
a resource for these organisations.
Do-it makes it easy to find out about volunteering in your local
area. Just enter your postcode and you'll get a list of current
opportunities to choose from. You can search by category and,
without making any commitment, find out more about any vacancy that
interests you.
E-Volunteerism is a quarterly "publication," in which a table of
contents is posted at the start of each quarter. Combining the
characteristics of a printed professional journal with the
potential of Internet technology, e-Volunteerism caters to
volunteer leaders/managers who want to go beyond the mundane in the
volunteerism field.
The Institute for Volunteering Research is an initiative of the
National Centre for Volunteering in association with the Centre for
Institutional Studies at the University of East London.
An essential on-line resource for volunteer managers, potential
volunteers and anyone seeking up to date information on
volunteering
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) works
with and for the voluntary sector in England by providing
information, advice and support and by representing the views of
the sector to government and policy-makers.
The Agency provides a comprehensive suite of training and
information on all issues of volunteer management. The Agency is
committed to producing and disseminating high quality, up to date
information about volunteering by staying in touch with the
membership, identifying their needs and responding to them quickly,
producing high quality, practical information materials and
disseminating information widely in an accessible format.
VolResource aims to make it quick and easy
to get to useful information on anything to do with running a
voluntary organisation (whether a community group, charity or other
non-profit body).
The Voluntary Sector Skills site is full of
information on skills and workforce development for staff,
volunteers and trustees working in the voluntary and community
sectors.
Working For A Charity exists to promote the
voluntary sector as a positive career option for those seeking paid
employment and to promote the opportunities and benefits of
becoming a volunteer to people who wish to do unpaid work. The
vision for the organisation is of a world in which the voluntary
sector is seen as a significant and worthwhile sector in which to
work
The Charity Commission for England and
Wales is the statutory organisation that regulates charities. Our
aim is "to give the public confidence in the integrity of charity".
We are not a grant-making organisation and we do not provide money,
either to charities or individuals. The Charity Commission seeks to
ensure that charities operate within a framework that enables them
to work effectively for the purposes for which they were set
up.
The CRB - an executive agency of the Home
Office - is set up to help organisations make safer recruitment
decisions. By providing wider access to criminal record
information, the CRB helps employers in the public, private and
voluntary sectors identify candidates who may be unsuitable for
certain work, especially that involving contact with children or
other vulnerable members of society.
Student volunteering is a unique opportunity for students: to
increase their knowledge, skills and abilities, to understand and
appreciate the diversity of our society, and to work in partnership
with communities for mutual benefit.
CSV creates opportunities for people to take an active part in
the life of their community. Virtual volunteering enables the
participation of people who, due to mobility issues, home
responsibilities or work commitments, are often excluded from
volunteering because they are unable to work on-site during office
hours.
Time Bank may also be able to find you online opportunities.
Updated: 8/31/2010 By:
John McMenamin