FAQ
What is Provide?
Provide Volunteering is the student community volunteering programme at Queen Mary Students’ Union, University of London. Provide offers students from Queen Mary and Barts and the London, a wide range of short and long term opportunities to volunteer with charities and voluntary organisations in the local area and across London.
Where do the opportunities come from?
Provide offers all charities and voluntary organisations who conform to our codes of practice, the opportunity to advertise their volunteering opportunities on the Provide website. These organisations can be local, national or international organisations that ensure at all times both the health & safety of the volunteer and the quality of the volunteering opportunity.
Why use the Provide website?
The Provide website matches the skills, interests and availability you register in your personal volunteer profile with opportunities on the database. The site provides you with a customised list to browse through each time you log on and will inform you via email when a new opportunity has been added to the database that meets your requirements.
If you can’t find anything you’d like to do in your profile, you can also search the entire database and apply for any opportunities you’d like to take part in.
What is volunteering?
The definition of volunteering used in “The Compact Code of Good Practice on Volunteering”, published in 2005, states that volunteering is “…an activity that involves freely spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives”. (visit this link)
Although voluntary work is unpaid, reasonable expenses such as transport or meal costs are normally reimbursed to the volunteer.
Why volunteer?
Different people volunteer for different reasons and no one reason is more valid than the next. Here are just some of the reasons people may choose to volunteer:
- To do something for a cause they feel passionate about or one which impacts their lives or the lives of a friend/family member in some way
- To make a difference - Volunteering gives people the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives or the environment
- To increase understanding of other people and of different communities
- To be able to 'give something back' to their community or the wider society
- To try something completely new, to enrich their lives with fresh experiences or even as a spur to taking a new direction
- To enhance existing or develop new skills
- To gain valuable and relevant work experience for future career choices
- To meet new people and make new friends: volunteering provides an opportunity to meet people you would not normally come across
- To build confidence
- To have FUN!!
How can volunteering help my career?
A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses:
· 73% of employers would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without
· 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills
· 58% say that voluntary work experience can actually be more valuable than experience gained in paid employment
· 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted.
Additionally, volunteering gives you the opportunity to test out potential career choices by giving you hands on experience of how different professions operate.
You may come into contact with all kinds of professionals and people from every walk of life. The networking opportunities volunteering can provide are among the least publicised but most exciting benefits of all. A good network can guide your career pathway right through life and help you take giant steps towards your ideal job. Up to 60% of job vacancies are not advertised and end up being filled internally or through external networking.
Will I get training?
Some organisations offer substantial training and support, but others expect you to learn on the job or have existing skills in that area.
All volunteers should have, at least, an induction session with the organisation to introduce you to the work and to the environment in which you will be placed. If necessary and appropriate, training should also be provided.
Training you receive will also depend on the type of volunteering you will be doing.
For example, if you’re spending one day planting trees, expect a briefing of about 15 minutes before starting, being told what to do, how to use the tools and what health and safety precautions to take.
On the other hand, if you volunteer to be a mentor you should get much more training. You may get an intensive 2 day training session before you are matched with a mentee or half a day training once a week for six weeks, plus ongoing training to keep you up-to-date.
Do I have time to volunteer?
One common misconception is that volunteering is only possible if you have a lot of free time on your hands. This is not the case!
Provide have a number of different volunteering opportunities on offer, to fit in with all your other commitments as a student.
Regular Placements
If you would like to volunteer on a regular basis and have a set time free every week, volunteering on a placement with a local charity or organisation may be suitable. Time commitments vary from organisation to organisation but there may be some flexibility.
- If you would like to volunteer with a particular charity, but the time commitment stated doesn’t fit in with your timetable, it is always worth contacting them to ask if you could come in when you are free on say Wednesday afternoons.
- Depending on the organisation, your hours may not be fixed – you might be able to volunteer Monday afternoon one week for example and Wednesday morning the next.
- All organisations who recruit volunteers through Provide volunteering at Queen Mary, are aware of exam and coursework commitments, particularly during the second and third semesters. If you are concerned about the length of the placement, for example, once a week for three months minimum, again it is worth talking to the organisation to see if there is some flexibility to miss a week etc.
- With some volunteering opportunities, such as mentoring, there may be an agreement in place that the volunteer has to, for example, attend 6 out of the 8 weeks minimum. In most cases, this is because of the service user that you are linked to, or your mentee relying on you to turn up. The relationship and trust between the mentor and mentee may be affected if the mentee is unsure if the volunteer is going to arrive.
- If you are unable to volunteer one week, please contact the organisation so they know not to expect you.
- One-off Volunteering
Provide also run one-off Community Action Days (CADs). These are one day volunteering events where you sign up, usually a week in advance, and then all you need to do is turn up on the day and volunteer!
- CADs are really popular among students who cannot commit to volunteering on a regular weekly basis.
- They usually take place on a Saturday or Sunday and can vary in length, from 2 hours to 8 hours.
- Activities are wide-ranging and include cooking breakfast for the homeless, planting trees, stewarding at various charity events, painting murals and putting on parties for various local organisations over the winter period.
- Volunteering with Student-led Projects are set up, run and led by students at Queen Mary and Barts and the London.
- Volunteering with the READ Book Project or Language Skills Pool will enable you to be a part of a project which has flexibility in its volunteering.
- You will be contacted as and when the project leaders need volunteers to carry tasks out, and these are generally fairly flexible if you are busy for when they want you.
- In some instances, the volunteering you may sign up for may require you to volunteer from home, for example, written translation work as part of the Language Skills Pool. This way, you can carry out the task in your spare time at home, when you have an hour or so free.
Can I volunteer for more than one opportunity?
As long as you have the time, there is nothing to stop you volunteering for several opportunities. It’s a good idea to start with one and see how you get on, before taking on the time commitment of another as, obviously, it’s best to avoid starting something and then having to drop out because you’re finding it difficult to manage.
However, some people do successfully volunteer for 2 different roles, perhaps half a day a week providing administrative support to a local charity and one evening a fortnight mentoring a young person…neither takes an excessive amount of time and both can develop your skills.
You can also volunteer on as many Community Action Days as you like. These are only a one-day commitment so you may want to volunteer on a CAD on a monthly basis, or sign up for just one.
What if I change my mind about volunteering?
There are no obligations for you to continue volunteering for an organisation if you are unhappy or if your circumstances change to an extent that makes volunteering no longer possible.
If you do find yourself in this situation, it is best to talk through your concerns with your contact person at the organisation and give them some notice if possible if you intend to stop.
If you wish to leave because you are unhappy then let Provide know of any problems, as we may be able to help and support you.
If you sign up to volunteer on a Community Action Day, but are unable to make it, please inform the Volunteer Coordinator as soon as possible, and at least 24 hours in advance of the project so that you space can be offered to other interested volunteers.
What expenses will be paid?
You will not be paid for any time that you do volunteer, but you can claim back your out-of-pocket expenses.
Please refer to the Provide Expenses Policyfor further details.
Can I volunteer if I have a disability?
Yes, there are disabled volunteers in all kinds of volunteering roles. If you have particular concerns, or are unable to find an opportunity, please contact us.
Can I volunteer if I am an international student?
This depends on your visa type. A student with a genuine ‘student visa’ should not need permission to volunteer. There are some restrictions, including a limit of 20 hours per week during term time. A student with a ‘visitor visa’ or a ‘student visitor visa’, on a course of study for six months or less, unfortunately cannot volunteer as the UK Border Agency Rules do not allow this. Please contact the UK Border Agency for further information and clarification or the UK Council for International Affairs.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/
http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/student/working_during.php
If your visa does allow you to volunteer, you may not be able to volunteer with organisations with children or vulnerable adults as service-users. All people in the UK who work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults, are required to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check, carried out by the Police, to ensure that you do not have any criminal convictions which could put these users at risk. This is checked by your previous UK addresses only. Checks on your previous addresses abroad, cannot be carried out, and it is then dependant on the organisation to take you as a volunteer or not. For more information on CRB checks, download the document by clicking on the link
When can I start getting involved?
As soon as you register on the website you can start applying for opportunities.
For some opportunities you will be able to start straight away, others might need you to provide references, or have a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check if you are volunteering with children or vulnerable adults, and then you will be able to start participating! If there is a wait before you get started, many organisations will start training you or you may be able to start under supervision.
What skills do I need/can I develop?
This depends on the volunteering opportunity. Some roles don't require any particular skills, while for others it may be important, for example training or experience in web design would be needed to help a charity build a new website. Every volunteering opportunity through Provide gives students the chance to use or develop a wide range of skills and these are listed in the opportunity details for you to check before you apply to take part.
What are CRB checks?
For some opportunities (usually a project that involves working with children or vulnerable adults) volunteers will need to apply for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure or Police Check. These are carried out directly by the organisation, who will provide you with a form to complete. You will be asked to provide various forms of personal ID (guidance will be provided on both the completion of the form and the types of ID required). The form is then sent to the CRB, where your details will be checked against the Police National Computer system. If you have a criminal record it will be stated on your CRB disclosure certificate, 2 copies of which will be sent out, one to you at your home address and one to the volunteering organisation. The clearance process can take some time and, although there are organisations willing to take on volunteers whilst the check is in progress (as long as they are never left unsupervised), others insist on the clearance being received before the volunteering starts. Therefore, it’s a good idea to complete the form as soon as possible after you decide you’d like to take part in an activity for which CRB clearance is deemed necessary. If you do have a criminal record, this does not automatically prevent you from volunteering but if you are concerned or have any other questions, please refer to: www.crb.gov.ukor contact us.
For more information on CRB checks, download the document by clicking on this link CRBVOLS2008
Who can I talk to?
If you experience any problems in your use of the Provide website, or the organisation you have applied to volunteer with doesn’t contact you or stay in touch, we are here to help. Also, if you aren't clear about anything, or feel in any way uncomfortable about what you have been asked to do, or want some assistance in choosing an opportunity, please contact Provide.
You may also be contacted occasionally by Provide to check how your volunteering is going and to make sure you are ok.