Volunteering

[Nasreen]

Does volunteering help with gaining paid employment? I've been job hunting for a couple of months now and volunteer with CAB and at a food bank to learn new skills and meet new people. However I am aware that I need paid work for pension and money!

I am really enjoying the CAB work and hope to find a job in a similar area later on once I've built up some experience. I also quite enjoy working with children and was thinking of doing volunteering at a local secondary school to listen to children read. Is there such a thing as too much volunteering? I need the adult stimulation and things to keep me focused whilst I look for paid work. In fact there are loads of organisations would love to volunteer for!! I'm just thinking that if Isis get shortlisted for interviews, the volunteer work would give me something to talk about.

Definitely, especially if you are enjoying it.

Job hunting can be pretty soul destroying and the volunteering can help to give you structure to your week. It may lead to a job with the organisation you are working with. It may put you in contact with someone who can offer you a job. It may put you in a better light with future employers.

Let's put it this way, you are more attractive as a candidate than someone without that experience and has potentially sat at home watching daytime tv for three months!

I volunteered with victim support which pushed me to go to uni to study counselling, i then went on to volunteer with 2 charities as a counsellor. I now have paid and secure work as a residential childrens worker which i love. If i hadnt started volunteering my cv would have had nothing on it for around 9 years but with the volunteer work it means there is only a 4 year gap. I strongly believe if i hadnt start volunteering then i would still have no idea what i wanted to do with my life

Thankyou both for your replies.
It just so happens that i have also applied to become a victim support volunteer Mamma. Could you share your experiences of volunteering with me? What did it entail?

I really enjoy volunteering, it gives me a great deal of satisfaction at the end of the day/ session.

I have a job interview on Monday as a wellbeing officer. Nervous is an understatement!!

I mainlu made phone calls to bictims of crime that had been referred by the police or had self referred. I would call them at the same time everyweek arranging a good time for them and myself (i would always call after 7pm when my girlies were in bed) i know they do like it if you do home visits but i wasnt able to and it was never an issue for them and i was there for 2+ years. It was great work and huge satisfaction when you helped them through the crime that had been commited on them, it could be frustrating when they just never answered your phone call though but im glad i did it

Stupid fat fingers making my spellings awful

Just the fact that you enjoy it is worth it, surely? So many charities/organisations are crying out for help.

Best of luck for Monday! Let us know how you get on.

yes, someone I did volunteer work with was my most recent reference when I got a job, invaluable.