Don't be surprised if your reasons are partly altruistic and partly self-beneficial.  Voluntary organisations are well aware that volunteers need to gain something for themselves from the experience.

What can I offer?

• Personal qualities - projects seeking volunteers tend to value enthusiasm, new ideas and hard work more than specific skills. People skills — cheerfulness, patience and understanding — are most important.
• Expertise - particular abilities will always be welcomed. Conservation projects appeal to those with practical or technical skills. Teaching, advisory and counselling activities demand high levels of communication skills. Being able to drive could be a useful asset.
• Affinity - support for a cause, concern for a special project or group of people or sharing the aims, objectives and values of a specific organisation could lend support to your desire to be a volunteer.
• Time commitment - how much time can you realistically spare? Some voluntary projects may only need you on an ‘as and when available’ basis. Others, particularly when working in a supporting or teaching capacity or when specific training is offered, will look for regular and sustained involvement. You may need to agree a mutual trial period with the voluntary organisation. 

Possible downsides

It is also important to think about what some people regard as the more negative side of volunteering.  For some the lack of contact with the people you are helping can be dispiriting, for example if you are working in the UK office of an overseas development agency.  You also have to think about the work you will be doing and whether you will find it too emotionally distressing or stressful.

You are welcome to discuss any aspects of volunteering with a careers adviser.

Volunteering in the UK

Issues to consider

Before you get started you should be clear about how much time you can devote.  If you are studying you should remember that your workload will vary throughout the year and you do not want to disappoint anyone when you are under pressure and are unable to volunteer.  

If you find an opportunity that you are interested in you should find out as much as you can about it.  Most projects will have a volunteer manager or coordinator and they should be able to give you a good explanation of what your role will be.

If you are keen to volunteer in a different part of the UK, there are plenty of residential placements that exist.  The length of these range from a week to a year.  Find out in advance as much as you can about what the placement will involve so that things like the standard of accommodation or number of hours you are requested to work don’t come as a surprise when you get there!

Volunteering in the Edinburgh area

Here are some starting points for finding out about the huge variety of opportunities that exist to volunteer in Edinburgh:

• SAGE - any volunteering opportunities that the Careers Service is made aware of are advertised on SAGE.  SAGE is updated daily so you should check it regularly.
• Student Volunteer Centre - provides information and advice for University of Edinburgh students (and staff) who are considering volunteering in Edinburgh, the UK or abroad.  The centre can also help student voluntary groups.  They are based at 5/1 Bristo Square and are open for you just to drop in.
• Volunteer Centre Edinburgh - acts as a placement and advice service for volunteers in Edinburgh.  Their website contains a searchable database of current opportunities.
• Student Societies - many student societies are involved in local volunteering projects.
• LEAPS (Lothians Equal Access Programme for Schools) - aims to increase participation in higher education amongst students from non-traditional backgrounds through a programme that includes a pre-application interview and enquiry service, school and university-based events and an eight-week summer school for school leavers.  Student volunteers are welcome and the experience is especially useful if you are thinking about going into a teaching/social work career.
• Power of 5 - this website is aimed at 16-25 year olds in Edinburgh who want to find out more information about volunteering.  The site has case studies of current volunteers and details of how to get involved in volunteering.

Employment Rights

For more information on your employment rights as a volunteer you may wish to look at our information on the National Minimum Wage (NMW).  There is also specific information for volunteers on the Department of Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform website in the pdf 'A detailed guide to the national minimum wage'.

Volunteering Overseas

• Benefits
• Types of work
• Cost and length of placement
• Research and fundraising
• Emergency/relief work

Benefits

Volunteering overseas has all the benefits of volunteering in the UK as well as providing the opportunity to experience a new culture and country.  Many volunteering placements have the option of travelling after the placement has ended.  A large number of placements take place in rural locations and provide you with the opportunity to see areas off the beaten track.  By working and/or living with local people you will learn a lot about the culture of a country and, potentially, a new language. 

You should bear in mind that it will take you longer to organise a volunteer placement overseas than it would in the UK so make sure that you allow yourself enough time.

Types of work

What you could be doing overseas is very varied.  The main types of volunteer work that students and graduates are involved in are:

• Conservation - projects include monitoring species populations and habitats on land and in the sea.  Some projects also include an educational element, for example you would teach the importance of conservation to local people.  (N.B. Information on careers in conservation can be found in the careers websites section under Natural Resources and the Environment (R)).
• Construction - building places that will benefit whole communities, such as schools, community centres and houses.  (N.B. Information on careers in construction can be found in the careers websites section under Construction, Civil Engineering and Property (Q)).
• Teaching/Education - this includes teaching English, sports and music to young children through to adults.  Health education is also a popular area to volunteer in and can often be done in conjunction with a teaching placement.  (N.B. Information on careers in education can be found in the careers websites section under Education (A)).
• Youth Work - includes working with children in orphanages, children with disabilities and street children.  (N.B. Information on youth work can be found in the careers websites section under Social, Guidance and Community Work (B)).
• Social and Community Work - working in a community, sometimes with specific groups, such as women, to promote awareness of a wide range of issues.  (N.B. Information on social and community work can be found in the careers websites section under Social, Guidance and Community Work (B)).
• Healthcare - using skills already gained in healthcare in projects overseas.  Medical students early on in their studies can be involved in some projects.  (N.B. Information on healthcare can be found in the careers websites section under Health Care and Psychology (C)).

Cost and length of placement

You will find that most overseas placements will require you to pay something towards taking part (sometimes called a ‘donation’).  This is usually to cover things like accommodation, food, travel within the country and insurance (n.b. flights aren’t always included in the cost).  Some placements can be quite pricey so it makes sense to ‘shop around’ and find exactly where your money would be going.  How much you pay is usually dependent on how long you intend to be volunteering for.  

The length of placements varies, from a week to a year.  It is unusual to find placements that last longer than twelve months and those that do are usually for specialist roles such as medics and engineers. 

It is the policy of the Careers Service not to advertise placements on SAGE where costs seem excessive compared to other similar placements.  However, we can take no responsibility for organisations, the work or the costs involved.

Research and fundraising

Research the organisation

Before signing up for anything it is essential that you have fully researched the organisation and what you will actually be doing once you are overseas.  You should read Some Basic Questions to Ask Before Accepting an Overseas Placement.  

Try to get in contact with previous volunteers and don’t just rely on information in promotional literature or on websites.  Some voluntary organisations hold information events where previous volunteers are on hand to talk about their experiences.  

Find out how much support you will have from the organisation when you are overseas and what they do to help volunteers if there is an emergency.  It is worth thinking about whether your placement will result in a local person being denied a job.  Most organisations will strive to avoid this happening.

Fundraising

The amount that you require for your placement will probably mean that you will have to do some fundraising.  Voluntary organisations should be able to help you with fundraising by providing ideas and suggesting possible sources of funds.  You may find it useful to look at our funding information.  We also keep lots of helpful reference books which relate to funding.  We also have the program FunderFinder on our PCs, which can help you identify suitable potential sources of financial help.  The University's Scholarships and Student Finance office may also be able to help.

How you find the funds to be able to do your placement is very much part of the whole experience and you will find that you will gain a wide range of valuable skills from this exercise alone.  It is essential that you allow enough time for your fundraising.

Emergency/relief work

Many people are attracted to the idea of being involved in emergency/relief work overseas.  While this is quite understandable it is important to bear in mind a couple of points.  This type of work is usually carried out by highly qualified specialists which the country in crisis either does not have or does not have enough of.  This will include professions such as firefighters, engineers and healthcare professionals.  Even if there is a need for semi-skilled or unskilled workers it is preferable that these positions are filled by local people.  If you are interested in this kind of work it may be useful to have a look at the RedR website.  RedR is an international organisation which assists frontline organisations with finding personnel.

Finding Opportunities

• To find opportunities for voluntary work use SAGE.
• Worldwide Volunteering is a searchable database with details of hundreds of organisations offering thousands of placements throughout the world (including the UK).  
• There are a lot of 'matching agencies' available allowing you to find the right voluntary work for you.  Matching agencies such as Do-It! and Timebank are available online and others like them can be found in other useful websites.
• Use the directories in the voluntary work section of the Careers Service for contact details of organisations.
• Talking to friends and family (and anyone and everyone else!) can be helpful in finding out about opportunities and organisations that might interest you. 
• Look out for posters in libraries and shop windows as well as adverts in local and national newspapers for volunteers.

Other useful websites