What do you (really) have to do to volunteer with the Citizens Advice????

top_drawer_2

hi,

I completed a application last september to volunteer at a branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau. I went to an interview and spoke at length with the manager about it. She asked questions about how I would travel there (train, no transport costs would be paid until I qualified she said), my paid work (can do Tues but could be altered to another with agreement of boss).

About a month or so after she telephoned to offer me a position on a Monday which I said I would have to speak to my boss to alter my days of work. I did and my boss said yes ok, I then tried to get in touch with the bureau - the bureau telephone was always engaged and the private line and emails were never answered.

In febuary I chased up the application again. She said she was under the impression I was getting back to her as I was hoping to work less hours per day, I pointed out that since I live around hour away and work 9.30 onwards and they finish at 2.30 that would be pointless .... she agreed and said Ok there must have been a misunderstanding .......

I chased up the application again last week and now they say that my application states that I have "transport issues" this is rubbish as I live right by a train station and the train station near the bureau is 15 mins walk so to work 9.30 - 2.30 would be no problem at all.

It just seems she (the women who interviewed me) is against me volunteering there, she did say at the time that they werent short of volunteers and can pick and choose.

This bureau isnt my neareston but my local one (Preston Central ) doesnt recruit it seems or hasnt in the past year. This one is next nearest one which I really wanted as its a nice area and they seem a lot more professional or Blackburn (where I come from and having visited them they werent nearly as good imo). Blackburn are also asking for a minimum of two years.

I'm just so frustrated as I wanted to get some experience together to go on and do other things and I have been waiting on this for so long.

Jen

LittleVoice

You have got further than I did. I've actually got an Advice & Guidance qualification and CAB didn't bother to get back to me.

Ianna

Hi Jen

This is an incredibly frustrating experience - kudos to you for keeping on at them! Voluntary work can be hit and miss just like job applications, work and anything in life. It sounds like you're having a really hard time of it with this CAB which isn't fair. Have you thought about arranging an appointment to see this manager and just politely asking her if there's a problem with your application, and is it that you don't have the skills that you need for this bureau? If you explain that you really want to work there but really need to know what's going on any decent person would understand. It may be that there's no openings right now but she wants to keep you incase there's one soon which might be why she's not given you an answer. It may also be that the bureau is just disorganised and your application has fallen through the cracks.

I understand how frustrating this is mate, they should treat you better than this. It's really disappointing. Just remember that just because this experience has been lousy doesn't mean every one will be!

Savvy_Sue

Just wondering what their management structure is like and whether you can take it higher? Might not make you popular but it doesn't sound great ...

top_drawer_2

I already have stated that I wished to make a complaint and the person came back saying that the issue "could simply be that the times you were available did not fit in with the spaces available."

I replied stating that it didnt change that I had been left for a year under the impression that I was on a waiting list for which it turns out I was not even being considered due to a "communication issue." It now seems to have been passed on and this is the reply I have received from them today.

"Please be aware that last year when you applied we did not operate a waiting list. The list we have now was only started after the publication of a recent article in the press advertising our new service, which prompted a huge response. Applicants who applied several months ago, it was assumed, were likely to have moved on to other opportunities or maybe would contact us to reapply.

As I have said I cannot comment further on your previous application, but I will ask our Guidance Tutor to call you when she returns from holiday later this week."

Its good to know how "Valued" volunteering for them makes you that they cant even be @rsed to write/email/telephone (all of which were provided on the initial form and have been used to contact me for the first offer) me to confirm their assumption.

Jen