Advice needed working for charity

ecoelle

Hello all, i'm thinking about leaving my present job in the summer and am interested in working with a charity or association which helps people get back into work, find their own home, get themselves out of debt...i know this is pretty broad at the moment but i'm hoping advice from others may help me narrow this down. Does anyone on here presently work for a charity? Does anyone work with the homeless community? What about CAB? I don't know where to start just know i need to change my present job soon as am not enjoying it and want to do something which helps others, any advice greatly received. Cheers

mountainofdebt

Hi

I think the first thing you need to do is to realise that working for a charity can be like working on a knife edge (especially a small one) and that funding will always be at the forefront of everything do. In connection with this, bear in mind that alot of jobs within the charity/voluntary sector are fixed term ie the jobs only exist so long as the funding does and when that dries up, the job disappears. (I don't care what they say - the 2012 Olympics is affecting the charities funding and if Lord Coe wants an arguement then he can have one!)

You don't mention what experience you have so it might be worth volunteering for a charity in an area that you want to get involved in so that when a posiiton does come up a) you have the experience and know what issues your clients face and b) your face is hopefully known to the prospective employer!

flutterbyuk25

This industry is very hard to get into without any experience so I would advise that you do as much volunteering as possible, and try to do it in the charity field that you want to pursue a career in, so you have a foot in the door.

Does your employer run any schemes that you can participate in? I am currently seconded from my job (civil service) to work with the Prince's Trust for 3 months - which is amazing! My employer also works with local schools too.

Maybe look in your local paper for volunteering information.

Good luck

x

ecoelle

Thanks for the replies, i'm a teacher at the moment, i went part time this year and am looking to do some volunteer work. I'm thinking of offereing to help out in our local homeless shelter as i think this is a good place to start. Plenty of people there with money, educational, and obviously housing problems. I think it may give me more of an insight into this type of work and give me a chance to see if i think it would be for me before i jump in with both feet. They have a soup kitchen and a local charity shop both within half an hours walk . I have retail experience, and various part time student jobs, i volunteered for an environmental charity and obviously have the education experience but am looking to move on. Thanks again for the advice.

If there's anyone on here who works or has worked for a charity linked to homelessness i'd appreciate any gems of wisdom. Thanks again.

SSB

Hi
I am working for a charity linked to homelessness and have done so for the past 10 years. It is incredibly interesting and can be very rewardind, I really enjoy it. As for advice, never blag and if you are not sure of something, just ask. Homeless individuals are often experts when it comes to people, they will know if you try to blag or otherwise appear wiser than you are.

When I first started, my most valuable information came from the homeless individuals themselves. I asked a lot of questions, nobody thought any less of me when I admitted my ignorance. I have a degree in criminology, which is useful for factual stuff but was no use when it came to self-harm, substance misuse, feelings of loneliness, anger etc.

It is also good to remember that, when you are new to this kind of work, some people will lie and are less than honest regarding their situation. Therefore, understanding and keeping strict professional boundaries is essential. When people ask you 'for a favour', always think 'will I be able to do this for everyone if asked?'.

By all means, try this line of work out, you will soon find out if it is suitable for you or not.

ecoelle

Thanks SSB i'll bear this in mind, going to get in touch with our local homeless shelter this friday and go from there.

PayPeanuts_2

Shelter have a lot of vacancies at the moment, depending on where you live:

https://www.shelter.org.uk

susiebaby2008

Ecoelle I have just done what you are planning to do! I have just started volunteering as an advisor at my local CAB bureau (today was my first day and I'm so buzzing from it!!). I started by checking their national website where you can send a message to your local CAB to say your interested in volunteering. You then go to a information session, send in an application form, sit an interview then if all go well you start your training. You start off with a four month period of class room based training and observing then move on to be a trainee advisor. It takes about a year to be qualified, depending on how much time you can give. That is roughly the basics. If you're not interested in the advisory side of things they also need admin and help raising funds. Pop ino your local CAB for more info. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

ecoelle

That's really useful susie keep in touch and let me know how you're getting on.