Any chaplains here?

[Rosieposie101]

I have recently been feeling a calling towards chaplaincy, but am finding it difficult to find specific information about how to get into it. (I am living abroad and am an active member of a church here, but they are unable to help me as the role doesn't exist here, and I am hoping to work towards this when I return the UK).

Any chaplains here with any advice or information? Would love to hear from you!

Many churches in the UK have websites with contact details for clergy, can you email a few (perhaps in the area you're likely to move back to or have a connection with) and ask them?

I’ve recently trained as a licensed lay reader in the Church of England and chaplaincy is one of the varied roles that LLMs do so that might be a route to explore.

I"m in the same position - our curate advised me to get some volunteering experience, so I was all set to volunteer with the local hospital chaplaincy....and then covid.... and it's still not happened yet.
I'd suggest maybe the same - see if there's some volunteering you could do for starters; in a hospice, or hospital, or contact a local uni to see if they have chaplains and could you talk to them, or see if your town does any workplace chaplaincy. Chaplains work in a whole variety of settings, so I think maybe thinking about what sort of setting you'd like to work in (or not) could be helpful.
Here where I live (UK) our city's got a good workplace chaplaincy set up, and they run courses every year for people interested in workplace chaplaincy - open to anyone. Some Higher Education instutions here in the UK also offer more formal qualifications in chaplaincy.

You also don't have to be ordained to be a chaplain in the UK - lay chaplaincy is also a route that's there - though many chaplains were ordained priests before going into chaplaincy. Are you thinking of going down the ordination route?

I've been a chaplain in hospice and hospital settings. The best way to find out if it is for you is to volunteer and see how it goes. It is possibly the best job in the world if you are called to it. You don't have to be ordained.

Many churches have information on their website. Or you can always call or email them in order to find out more information. Think about where you want to work. And why too.