Volunteer with us at Citizens Advice Wokingham
You can volunteer from the comfort of your own home, at our Woodley or Wokingham Town Centre offices or on our Mobile Advice Unit.
Our roles are flexible, the difference we make helps people move forward with their lives, and we cannot do it without you.
PLEASE NOTE THAT RECRUITMENT TO BE A TRAINEE ADVISER IS CURRENTLY ON HOLD UNTIL AUTUMN 2023 SO WE CAN COMPLETE TRAINING FOR OUR CURRENT TRAINEE ADVISERS.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LOOK AT OUR OTHER ROLES AVAILABLE.
Citizens Advice Wokingham is a charity, and ever since June 1977 when we were first set up – the dedication and support from volunteers – people just like you, has kept us going.
Become a Volunteer Trainee Adviser
Are you looking to make a difference in your community and gain valuable skills? Join our team of volunteers as a Trainee Adviser and help individuals who are facing the cost of living crisis and other challenges in life.
Last year, our organisation was able to assist over 5,656 people with 21,103 issues. Just like Sandra (name changed), a client who reached out to our One Front Door advice line for help accessing the food bank and assistance with money issues. Our volunteer, Andy, was able to provide a referral to the food bank and explore an essential items grant from a local funder to replace her broken washing machine. Additionally, an appointment was made with one of our experienced advisers to conduct an income and expenditure check and find appropriate debt solutions to meet her circumstances.
As a Trainee Adviser, you will be fully supported throughout your journey with us by our Volunteers & Training Manager. You will follow the Adviser Learning Plan, starting with an induction and an 8 week core training programme (half a day a week training and half a day delivery). As part of this you will answer phone calls from clients and triage their issues with the support of our Supervisors who are available every day we’re open. You will continue to learn and gain more knowledge by working with clients and shadowing our experienced team. You will eventually be able to deal with more issues independently, by doing benefit applications or debt exploration yourself, with the guidance of our supervisor and expert advice team. You will also be allocated a mentor, receive a weekly briefing and have regular access to a supportive team. Our Volunteers & Training Manager will also conduct 1-to-1 check-ins with you to monitor your progress.
Our core areas of help include benefits, debt, housing, employment and relationships & family. You will learn more about these areas and have access to information and tools on each of these topics when you join us. With more demand than ever before, your help is needed now more than ever.
If you are interested in becoming a Trainee Adviser, fill in the expression of interest above, or email volunteer@cawokingham.org.uk and we can arrange a chat to see if volunteering with us is right for you and answer any questions you may have.
Citizens Advice is special because we help people find a way to deal with their problems, whatever they are. This may involve getting a plan to resolve debts, accessing benefits people are entitled to, clarifying their rights when dealing with housing or consumer issues, or helping them through family difficulties. Help and support is often available and we can identify the right information to allow everyone to access it.
Volunteering at Citizens Advice can be challenging as we deal with a wide range of issues, but the training is good and it is incredibly satisfying when we can help people find a way out of the problems that had previously seemed overwhelming to them.
I feel in a fortunate position compared to many people and wanted to use my free time and access to the internet to help others. I enjoy working in a supportive, organised way to provide this back up to anyone who needs it. I was keen to learn new skills which I believe I have.
The training has been very good - both in terms of courses and workshops. The additional training I receive on-the-job from the Supervisors relating to a real-life case is also excellent. I've been volunteering for 18 months now and I learn something new every week. Sometimes all it takes is to listen to someone else's problems or difficulties with an empathetic ear. Other times it involves research and organisation to help someone and then explain how they can go on to help themselves.
Because of covid I haven't yet been able to meet many of my fellow volunteers but as restrictions ease I am looking forward to that too.....
Our volunteers make a huge difference to the lives of people across Wokingham Borough. From taking the clients first phone call in to our service. helping them lift the weight off their shoulders, through to providing admin support to keep our service going, volunteers are the lifeblood through our charity.
I volunteer because I enjoy helping people and learning new skills.
Volunteering makes me feel that I'm part of a process that makes a difference to people's lives, and keeps my brain going!
Having recently retired I want to keep myself relevant by making sure that I understand what is happening within society more widely than with my immediate circle of friends and contacts. I also feel that, after many years of full time work, I have skills and experience that can be used for a wider benefit to society. Citizens Advice is a well organised and well informed route through which to achieve these objectives.
At the end of each session I feel better informed and also satisfied that I have made a small contribution to other peoples' well-being. Whilst some of the conversations that I will have had on any given day will have been intellectually challenging and, perhaps, emotionally draining I do come away from the day with the stronger sense of purpose and achievement that you get through helping other people.
Why volunteer with us?
If you’d like to make a difference in your community we’d love to hear from you.
Our volunteers range from supporting our work for a few months whilst they look for employment, through to longer-term. However long you’re with us, we want you to enjoy your experience, supported by our friendly and knowledgeable team.
We are the go-to advice and information provider in Wokingham Borough, helping people find a way forward with their problems. Since the start of the COVID pandemic we’ve helped around 1 in 10 households in Wokingham in some way or other, through their issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Well, that’s ok – we’d still be happy to hear from you! We’re looking for people from all walks of live, reflecting the diversity of our communities, to be a part of our team.Â
Upon joining, all colleagues receive a full induction to the charity – and our Volunteers & Training manager will then support you through a training pathway based on your desired role and needs. Most training is online so as long as you’re confident with using the internet, we can help you to train up.
There is a myth that you have to be trained in law/be a solicitor to volunteer for Citizens Advice and that’s not the case!
Many people first join Citizens Advice Wokingham as an Initial Checker – answering incoming calls and helping to unpack the situation – before exploring next options, or as an admin support. After a few months in this role, our Volunteers & Training manager and supervisors are always happy to explore what else you would like to do.Â
We’re looking for people who are happy with engaging with others, when providing our advice, information and support roles. We’ll support you to ask the right questions when triaging a case, to unpack what’s going on, and explore some options to move forward through other parts of the service or our borough.
Each day that our service operates (Monday to Friday) one of our supervisors leads an online video conference call where our colleagues dip-in and dip-out throughout the day to check-in for support. Some colleagues also choose to base themselves at our Woodley or Wokingham office, or out as a team on our Mobile Advice Unit – it all depends on your preference.
We ask for a day a week, for at least 12 months, which can be split over two half-days if that suits you. You can liaise with our Volunteers & Training manager on this when you enquire.
Here are the roles we're looking for people to support with
We hope that you’ve found enough information to feel you can make a decision, but if you’re still not sure – email us via volunteer@cawokingham.org.uk and we can arrange a one-to-one chat with our Volunteers & Training Manager.Â
If you’re interested in taking this forward, please fill in the application form below or email us to get the ball rolling.