Learn More About The Volunteer Role
You will identify how to enable clients to move their situation forward through one-to-one client interviews.
What Will You Do?
- Complete an introduction to Citizens Advice and training for your role
- Talk to clients over the phone, face to face, or online to explore what problems they’ve come for helpFind information about the clients’ problems and help them to understand their options
- Support clients to take action to resolve their problems. This might include drafting or writing letters, making phone calls, or referring the client to another organisation
- Write a summary of the clients’ problems and what action you’ve taken
- Look out for problems that are common, or are unfair, and write a short report about the problem or a letter to an elected official like an MP, AM or local councillor
- Help clients with debts work out a reasonable amount to pay back, and make a phone call to an organisation they owe money to.
- Explore what benefits a client is entitled to and help them to complete a benefit application form.
- Help a client who has problems with their landlord to understand their housing rights.
What's in it For You?
- Make a real difference to people’s lives.
- Learn about a range of issues such as benefits, debt, employment and housing.
- Build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and problem solving and increase your employability.
- Work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.
- Have a positive impact in your community.
And we’ll reimburse expenses too.
If you’re a law student and you train as a Citizens Advice adviser, you can get up to six months off your solicitor training contract!
What Do You Need to Have?
You don’t need specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to:
- Be friendly and approachable.
- Be non-judgemental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own.
- Have good listening skills.
- Have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Have good maths and IT skills.
- Be able to understand information and explain it to others.
- Be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection.
- Be willing to undertake training in your role.
How Much Time Do You Need to Give?
Ideally we ask for 8 hours per week, which can be over one day or spread over two days, for at least 12 months. We can be flexible, so come and talk to us!
Valuing Inclusion
Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and with a range of experiences.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
Contact Us Today
Get in touch via email, phone or our live webchat.
Office opening hours, drop-in times and locations can also be found on our contact page.