What’s it like being a volunteer? Back to Volunteering Page
Who can volunteer? How much do I have to commit? Do I need qualifications?
We ask volunteers to commit to a day a week, with five weeks’ holiday a year. If volunteers take longer away than
this we ask that they fit in extra time when they are available.
There are no qualifications we require from prospective volunteers, though trainees join us with a wide range of skills
and experience. An interest in people and the desire to learn are the most important factors.
Can I advise people straight away? Do I get any training?
Because being a CAB adviser is a skilled job, there is a fair amount of training involved. It is six months before a trainee
sees the general public and they remain a trainee adviser for at least another six months. Please see “Volunteer Advising
at North Somerset CAB” for further details.
Taking a break on a training day
What’s advising like? What resources do I have?
Advisers are all generalists, which means that they will tackle any sort of problem, though there are certain issues CAB
cannot deal with and has to refer on. This seems really daunting, but advisers are not expected to remember everything,
but just have to know where to look it up.
In the interview room
In addition to Advisernet, which is the CAB computerised advice system (equivalent of 11,000+ pages), advisers can also
access various specialist books or the internet.
What if I don’t know the answer?
Every advice session has an Advice Session Supervisor, who supervises the session and supports advisers. S/he also monitors
all case records to check that the advice given is correct and that there is no further information which could be given. Advisers
are encouraged to access the Advice Session Supervisor if they are unsure or if they want to double check the advice they are
giving is correct.
Consulting the supervisor
So the job’s about seeing individual clients, is it?
Well, yes it is, but that’s not the full story. One of the twin aims of the CAB service is
“…to develop a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services both locally and nationally”.
Working on social policy
This means that we work on behalf of people who haven’t even crossed our doorstep. We collect evidence, produce reports and
take action in areas where we feel clients are being treated unfairly, to try to bring about changes which will affect everybody in
that particular area. Recent matters have been tax credits overpayments (nationally) and council tax bailiffs (locally). Volunteer
advisers are vital in providing evidence for this work.
We work in close collaboration with the Citizens Advice Social Policy Unit and also with organisations like the Office of Fair Trading.