FAQ’s 1. Why should I volunteer? Volunteering offers you the chance to meet new people whilst at the same time gaining tangible experience for the CV and increased employability due to skills gained. Volunteering allows you to do something constructive with your free time and the opportunity to build your confidence, as well as the chance to work towards a nationally recognised award at the end. Travel expenses are paid for and so you have the opportunity to escape for an hour or so from the student bubble and gain experience that could open doors to a career. But most importantly it’s fun!
2. Where is the Volunteer Centre and when is it open?
The Volunteer Centre is located along the 1E level 3 corridor in between the AWARE Centre and Joblink. We are open from 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday.
3. How do I get involved? Volunteering Externally Step 1.
Take a look at the opportunities database on bathstudent.com. Once you have found a project that interests you, complete the Volunteer Centre application form and either email this through to us at volunteers@bath.ac.uk, or drop it into the Volunteer Centre.
Step 2.
We will then provide you with the contact details for the organisation you have expressed an interest in volunteering with so that you can make contact with them.
Step 3.
We’ll add your details to our database so that we can keep you up-dated with information about new and existing projects looking for volunteers and details of how you can get involved.
Step 4.
Once you start volunteering, send an email to volunteers@bath.ac.uk to notify us of where you are doing your volunteering and the date you started.
Volunteering Internally Step 1.
Take a look at the opportunities database on bathstudent.com. Once you have found a project that interests you, complete the Volunteer Centre application form and either email this through to us at volunteers@bath.ac.uk, or drop it into the Volunteer Centre.
Step 2.
We will email the group that you’re interested in volunteering with (for example Rag) and ask them to contact you with details of how to get involved. If you are interested in volunteering with the Student Community Action (SCA) group, you will be added to the mailing list and sent an email as and when projects arise.
With the School Tutoring and Mentoring schemes, places are limited so we ask volunteers to complete a few questions about why they wish to volunteer with the scheme and about skills and experience. Decisions about places on the basis of this.
Step 3.
We’ll add your details to our database so that we can keep you up-dated with information about new and existing projects looking for volunteers and details of how you can get involved.
Step 4.
Once you start volunteering, send an email to volunteers@bath.ac.uk to notify us of where you are doing your volunteering and the date you started.
4. What support can I expect as a volunteer?
As a volunteer you can expect support from both the organisation with which you are volunteering and the Volunteer Centre. The Volunteer Centre is on hand to help should you experience any problems. There is also the opportunity to work towards a nationally recognised award with Millennium Volunteers if you are aged between 16 and 24 years.
5. I would like to get involved with some volunteering but am uncertain about what it is exactly that I would like to do. The Volunteer Centre has over 80 external projects on our books and a number of internal projects that you could get involved with such as Student Community Action (SCA) and Rag. If after viewing the opportunities database you are still uncertain about what you would like to do, pop into the Volunteer Centre and we will try and help you. It would be a good idea though to come with an idea about the types of area that you are interested in and those that you’re not. For example, you might be happy doing some conservation work but not so enamoured with the idea of working with children and young people. It would also be an idea to think about the type of activity that you would like to get involved with such as fundraising, admin or more hands-on work such as advice work. With this information we can try and pair you with a project that would be of interest to you. If we are unable to match you with anything on our books, we might know of a charity or organisation locally that we could approach.
6. Will I have to have an interview with the external organisation?
Some external organisations will ask you to attend an interview, but more often than not this is an informal chat. This allows the charity or organisation to establish where you strengths and interests lie and match you with a position accordingly.
7. Will I have to undertake any training? Most likely yes. Many external organisations will require you to do some in-house training to accustom you to the role and the organisation more generally. This will also depend upon what you are planning to do with the charity or organisation. For example, if you are looking to work with children or young people you will most likely be asked to undergo some training in dealing with challenging behaviour and also in child protection. The charity will be able to advise you as to what training you will need to complete.
If you choose to volunteer on internal projects through the university, we offer training specific to that project. You can find out what training if any you will need to undertake by visiting the page on BathStudent.com for that internal volunteer project.
8. What happens if I start volunteering somewhere and find that I really don’t like it? Hopefully this won’t happen as we endeavour to place you somewhere that you’ll enjoy. However, should you find yourself in this position, please do not hesitate to call into the Volunteer Centre for a chat so that we can work out a course of action.
9. I would like to set up my own project, can you help me?
Yes! If you have an idea why not get in contact with us and we’ll help you in any way we can. We’re always keen to develop new projects in the community.
10. I would like to get involved in some volunteering during the holidays, can you help me? Yes. A good first course of action would be to take a look at our holiday volunteering opportunities database on bathstudent.com. If anything is of interest to you, either email us at volunteers@bath.ac.uk or call into the Volunteer Centre for more information.
However, whilst we can provide you with information about the opportunities on offer out there, it is important to note that we do not endorse any particular holiday volunteering opportunity provider. This means that you will have to do some research into what you’re getting for your money, where that money is going etc. We have provided a list of different things to consider on our holiday volunteering pages to help you with this.