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Voyager2002

MikeJXE said:

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries

My voluntary is to help someone who really needs it. 

A few weeks ago I saw this young lady sitting on the floor in a corner covered in a blanket out side a shopping centre, she couldn't speak English but I got her to understand come with me, there were plenty of people about so I wasn't exploiting her and she wasn't afraid, I took her into a shop and bought her some food.

By the look on her face she was so pleased 

Thats what I feel is helping the ones who need help 

For many years I was an unpaid Director of a local charity. Yes: we did have some salaried staff. We employed qualified teachers (an important part of our work was developing materials to be used in schools) and so our pay rates were similar to teaching salaries, except that we had no pension scheme. And yes: we had an office manager and a CEO, both of whom earned salaries similar to the other staff. All salaries were below £30K.

And a lot of our work was done by volunteers.

calcotti

MikeJXE said:. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries 

I can’t see how the fact that charities need some paid staff undermines the value of volunteering if the cause is one you agree in (although you might not wish to donate money to those who you consider to have overpaid executives).

barnstar2077

calcotti said:

MikeJXE said:. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries 

I can’t see how the fact that charities need some paid staff undermines the value of volunteering if the cause is one you agree in (although you might not wish to donate money to those who you consider to have overpaid executives).

As Mike said, the problem isn't with a charity hiring an accountant, or a teacher for 30k, the problem comes from many bosses of these charities taking home hundreds of thousands of pounds from money that has been donated.

CEO compensation among charities in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

sevenhills

barnstar2077 said:

calcotti said:

MikeJXE said:. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries 

I can’t see how the fact that charities need some paid staff undermines the value of volunteering if the cause is one you agree in (although you might not wish to donate money to those who you consider to have overpaid executives).

As Mike said, the problem isn't with a charity hiring an accountant, or a teacher for 30k, the problem comes from many bosses of these charities taking home hundreds of thousands of pounds from money that has been donated.

CEO compensation among charities in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

Do you think an ordinary working person like myself would make a good candidate for that job, or do you think that the trustees would more likely employ someone with CEO experience?

barnstar2077

sevenhills said:

barnstar2077 said:

calcotti said:

MikeJXE said:. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries 

I can’t see how the fact that charities need some paid staff undermines the value of volunteering if the cause is one you agree in (although you might not wish to donate money to those who you consider to have overpaid executives).

As Mike said, the problem isn't with a charity hiring an accountant, or a teacher for 30k, the problem comes from many bosses of these charities taking home hundreds of thousands of pounds from money that has been donated.

CEO compensation among charities in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

Do you think an ordinary working person like myself would make a good candidate for that job, or do you think that the trustees would more likely employ someone with CEO experience?

Don't put yourself down, even the most experienced CEOs had to start somewhere.  No harm in sending off a CV or two!  :  )

saucer

MikeJXE said:

MalMonroe said:

MikeJXE said:

After reading moist of the posts on here I find it surprising almost everyone retired early, did no one think enough of their job to stay longer, wasn't there no job satisfaction ? I'm 82 and had to retire at 63 because my wife became ill and I had to look after her, I did that for 10 years till she passed. Now I'm raring to go and start again, When I was working in the construction industry I couldn't wait to get up and go to work, I'm not fit enough to do that now but I am fit enough to do something so I applied for a job, if I get it thats when my life will begin again. 

Hi, I wish you all the very best for your job. I think working is a great way to have a good social life - sometimes (I met my two best friends at work years ago) but it's also great to have some out of work social time. Have you ever thought of joining the University of the third age? It's not a university at all but it's a way to meet other retired folk of all ages and stages. And you can learn a lot of things and you can participate as much or as little as you wish. I've not joined as yet because even though I'm retired I've now plunged into self-employment and it's fabulous. I choose my own hours and my boss is perfect. 

But do think about doing something other than work - here's a link for U3A - https://www.u3a.org.uk/ 

Oh and another one - https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/work-learning/education-training/university-of-the-third-age/

You have the internet or you wouldn't be on this site, so you could do a google search of any social activities for older people in your area. Your life really could begin again in an entirely different way. Good luck, anyway. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries

My voluntary is to help someone who really needs it. 

A few weeks ago I saw this young lady sitting on the floor in a corner covered in a blanket out side a shopping centre, she couldn't speak English but I got her to understand come with me, there were plenty of people about so I wasn't exploiting her and she wasn't afraid, I took her into a shop and bought her some food.

By the look on her face she was so pleased 

Thats what I feel is helping the ones who need help 

Sadly I don’t think that individual acts of kindness are going to offer the sustained help that is often needed. I really don’t see what charities end up paying their most senior staff in order to fulfill their role has to do with the level of need a lot of ordinary people find themselves in, and who rely on the VCSE sector to provide. 

saucer

I would add that I say that as someone who works in NHS mental health services and who has a very good understanding of the level of demand and the difficulty we have in scratching the surface of it. 

zagfles

saucer said:

MikeJXE said:

MalMonroe said:

MikeJXE said:

After reading moist of the posts on here I find it surprising almost everyone retired early, did no one think enough of their job to stay longer, wasn't there no job satisfaction ? I'm 82 and had to retire at 63 because my wife became ill and I had to look after her, I did that for 10 years till she passed. Now I'm raring to go and start again, When I was working in the construction industry I couldn't wait to get up and go to work, I'm not fit enough to do that now but I am fit enough to do something so I applied for a job, if I get it thats when my life will begin again. 

Hi, I wish you all the very best for your job. I think working is a great way to have a good social life - sometimes (I met my two best friends at work years ago) but it's also great to have some out of work social time. Have you ever thought of joining the University of the third age? It's not a university at all but it's a way to meet other retired folk of all ages and stages. And you can learn a lot of things and you can participate as much or as little as you wish. I've not joined as yet because even though I'm retired I've now plunged into self-employment and it's fabulous. I choose my own hours and my boss is perfect. 

But do think about doing something other than work - here's a link for U3A - https://www.u3a.org.uk/ 

Oh and another one - https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/work-learning/education-training/university-of-the-third-age/

You have the internet or you wouldn't be on this site, so you could do a google search of any social activities for older people in your area. Your life really could begin again in an entirely different way. Good luck, anyway. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries

My voluntary is to help someone who really needs it. 

A few weeks ago I saw this young lady sitting on the floor in a corner covered in a blanket out side a shopping centre, she couldn't speak English but I got her to understand come with me, there were plenty of people about so I wasn't exploiting her and she wasn't afraid, I took her into a shop and bought her some food.

By the look on her face she was so pleased 

Thats what I feel is helping the ones who need help 

Sadly I don’t think that individual acts of kindness are going to offer the sustained help that is often needed. I really don’t see what charities end up paying their most senior staff in order to fulfill their role has to do with the level of need a lot of ordinary people find themselves in, and who rely on the VCSE sector to provide. 

Well a lot of people make a big deal of how much politicians are paid, generally far less than charity CEOs, and far more people rely on the state than on charities!

MikeJXE

p00hsticks said:

MikeJXE said:

My voluntary is to help someone who really needs it. 

A few weeks ago I saw this young lady sitting on the floor in a corner covered in a blanket out side a shopping centre, she couldn't speak English but I got her to understand come with me, there were plenty of people about so I wasn't exploiting her and she wasn't afraid, I took her into a shop and bought her some food.

By the look on her face she was so pleased 

Thats what I feel is helping the ones who need help 

Even in cases like that you need to be a bit careful. It's not unheard of for such people to be dropped off by their 'minders' at the start of the day, spend the day huddled in a corner begging as you describe, and then get picked up at the end of the day with a demand to hand over their (often substantial) takings.

It's an entire industry driven by some very unsavoury types....

(I'm obviously not saying that all homeless are part of such schemes, but I understand that there are many unfortunates, particualrly illegal immigrants, who end up being put out begging, minding cannabis farms etc, in order to pay back their fares.)

Thats why I bought here food instead of giving her money

sevenhills

barnstar2077 said:

sevenhills said:

barnstar2077 said:

calcotti said:

MikeJXE said:. 

I'm not a great believer in voluntary work or even charity for the simple reason someone further up the pole is not voluntary and collecting massive salaries 

I can’t see how the fact that charities need some paid staff undermines the value of volunteering if the cause is one you agree in (although you might not wish to donate money to those who you consider to have overpaid executives).

As Mike said, the problem isn't with a charity hiring an accountant, or a teacher for 30k, the problem comes from many bosses of these charities taking home hundreds of thousands of pounds from money that has been donated.

CEO compensation among charities in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

Do you think an ordinary working person like myself would make a good candidate for that job, or do you think that the trustees would more likely employ someone with CEO experience?

Don't put yourself down, even the most experienced CEOs had to start somewhere.  No harm in sending off a CV or two!  :  )

I do believe that I, as a sixty year old have a lot to offer, but I am not a risk taker and I do not want change.