Case Study

Q. Why would someone want to volunteer when they won’t get paid?

A. Volunteers don’t get financial remuneration for what they do, but there are so many other benefits! The following case study may illustrate this –

'I'd already been a Cook for 12 years when I became disillusioned and wanted to try something different, however without experience or the right qualifications, moving into 'care work' seemed an impossible task.

I wanted to explore all possibilities before giving up hope and resigning myself to a 'career in food', so arranged to speak with someone who might be able to give me some advice.

I explained I was unable to give up work and return to college to retrain, and he suggested I gain experience through voluntary work and go back to school to improve upon my education.

I spent 8 months volunteering with the (then) Citizens Advice Bureau and got my first paid job in the 'care sector', before I was able to complete the academic courses I had signed up for.

Fifteen years later and I've never looked back. I love working with people and signing up for some 'unpaid' work has paid off a thousand times over and over and over. For fifteen years I've been being paid for doing something I love to do.

Voluntary work not only gave me the opportunity to find my niche, it provided the foundation on which to build a career. This career now pays my bills but more importantly inspires me to go to work. I consider myself so lucky when I picture the alternative and how it might have been for the last 15 years if I hadn't 'volunteered'.

Benefits of Volunteering

Every individual has their own unique reason for volunteering. Here are some of the most popular benefits:

• Practical work experience.
• To increase educational attainment (volunteers can access professional /certificated training courses).
• To increase social interactions.
• To build a bank of professional contacts, and potential referees.
• A focus for potential when there is no other.
• To do something worthwhile with 'Time' (particularly during long periods of unemployment).
• To participate in something that's 'stress free' and interesting.
• To learn something new.
• To enjoy 'freedom of choice' over what you do, where you do it, when you participate. And if you decide to continue, once you've started!
• To be appreciated improves both confidence and self esteem.

Volunteering is a practical example of who you are and what you do.

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