Volunteer With Us
Across the Citizens Advice network, there are over 20,000 volunteers – volunteering at Citizens Advice is a unique opportunity to support local communities, learn new skills and feel part of a valuable team.
At Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton, people of all ages give up their time to volunteer with us. Our volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds, including young people, professionals who want to broaden their horizons and retired people who want to give something back. A number of staff at Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton started out at volunteers themselves!
Quotes from our volunteers:
- “It’s great being able to help people in so many different ways, being able to learn from and appreciate what others are experiencing, and there’s a real co-operative spirit.”
- “The training was extremely thorough. The support is fantastic from everyone at Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton, I find being an adviser rewarding, stimulating, at times humbling, and very enjoyable.”
- “I get a sense of being involved. I like being part of the activities and keeping up with issues, and we have a laugh too.”
What does volunteering with
Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton look like?
All our volunteers are trained to enable them to perform their duties. You do not need to have any particular qualification or experience, but the following abilities will help:
- A commitment to the aims and principles of Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton.
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
- Excellent listening skills.
- Ability to maintain a calm, professional and empathetic manner.
- A confident and articulate telephone manner.
- Being open and approachable.
- Ability to quickly sift through information and extract what is relevant.
- Basic mathematical skills, including percentages.
- Competence in using IT.
- A positive attitude to self-development and assessment.
- Ability to work as part of a team.
- Respect for views, values and cultures different from own.
- An understanding of why confidentiality is important.
- Ability to recognise own limits and boundaries in the role.
Volunteers will be expected to commit to a minimum of 1 day a week, or 2 half days a week (6 hours) when training and subsequently when on rota. We expect volunteers to be able to provide their services for a minimum of 6 months after the training is complete.
The training will consist of some or all of the following as appropriate:
- Learning journals
- Computer-based bite-size exercises
- Computer-based e-learning
- Podcasts
- Participative observations
- Group sessions
- Portfolio assessments
- Face to face training courses
The duration of this training is approximately 3-6 months. You can complete some of the training at home if you so wish, e.g. computer-based bite-sizes and e-learning. However, you will still be expected to attend the office for training on a regular basis. This will enable you to meet fellow volunteers and members of staff, and benefit from the assistance and support of training supervisors.
Please note we are unable to provide training during the evening or at weekends.