Volunteering

Making a positive contribution to society while building experience, gaining transferable skills and expanding your contacts is a sure-fire way to impress potential employers. Whether at home or abroad, learn more about available voluntary opportunities

What is volunteering?

Volunteering is where you freely give your time to help and support others. For example, you can volunteer with an organisation, such as a charity or community group, or an individual.

Voluntary work is a free act, meaning you're not obliged to do it, but many choose to do so to make a positive impact.

How many people volunteer in the UK?

According to the UK Civil Society Almanac 2024, an annual report published by the NCVO, an estimated 14.2 million (just over a quarter at 27%) people volunteered through a group, club or organisation at least once in 2021/22.

Levels of formal volunteering, where people give unpaid help to a group, club or organisation, are continuing to decline and remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

What are the benefits of volunteering?

In addition to giving back to society, on a personal level volunteering gives you the opportunity to:

boost your CV with real work/life experience

gain valuable transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, time management, organisation and decision making
demonstrate your initiative and proactive nature to employers
build confidence
explore different areas of work
expand your network of contacts.

As a volunteer, you may get the chance to attend training courses. These could be project-specific or more general - for example, a first aid course. This additional training may prove useful when applying for jobs and it could help you to stand out from the crowd. What's more, if you impress as a volunteer you may be able to name your supervisor as a reference on future job applications.

How long should I spend volunteering?

The amount of time you dedicate to voluntary work should depend on your existing study, work or family commitments.

Any period of time spent volunteering will be useful to you and greatly appreciated by the recipients. Whether it's one day, a couple of hours a week, a few days a month or the entire summer break, there's no limit - but be realistic and ensure that it doesn't interfere with other areas of your life.

How can I volunteer in the UK?

Many UK charities and non-profit organisations are in constant need of volunteers. For example:

Age UK
Barnardo's
British Red Cross
Cancer Research UK
King's Trust
the National Trust.

You can also volunteer at:

animal shelters
community centres
food banks
hospitals
nursing homes
schools.

Volunteering is possible in most roles, but not all. Some organisations may require experience and knowledge, while others may be unable to offer opportunities due to the sensitive or confidential nature of their work. Conduct thorough research before applying.

To find voluntary opportunities in the UK, search:

Can I volunteer abroad?

Yes, if you'd like to venture further afield, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer abroad. You could get involved in projects involving:

animals
children
conservation
community
education
medicine
sports.

Overseas voluntary work can last from a couple of weeks to a year. It's common for students and graduates to make a voluntary position the purpose of a聽gap year, especially during or after their studies.

For international opportunities, search:

Before committing to a project, check that you're able to travel safely to your chosen destination. For all the latest information and updates, see聽GOV.UK - Foreign travel advice.

Learn more about聽volunteering abroad.

What about volunteering online?

Also known as virtual or remote volunteering, this type of opportunity is increasingly popular as it enables participants to complete a period of volunteering from home. Often, all you need is a computer and a stable internet connection.

Online volunteering is ideal for those unable to travel but who still want to give their time to a worthy cause.聽

Virtual volunteering is possible in a range of roles, but duties differ depending on the project.

Find online volunteering opportunities at:

What type of volunteering opportunities are available?

Conservation volunteering

For community projects, get in touch with聽The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), an organisation that works across the UK to create healthier and happier communities by conserving local green spaces.

For animal and environmental volunteering, see organisations such as聽The Wildlife Trusts聽and the聽Woodland Trust. With The Wildlife Trusts, you can care for nature reserves and get involved in habitat management and species surveying. The Woodland Trust provides opportunities to support wildlife, plant trees and campaign to protect vulnerable woods.

You could also help out at the聽Marine Conservation Society. Other voluntary conservation opportunities exist with the聽National Trust, where you can help to conserve historic houses and gardens.

If you would like to get involved in conservation volunteering in exotic locations,聽Pod Volunteer聽has a range of projects.

Volunteering with animals

A variety of organisations, from wildlife trusts, conservation societies and animal sanctuaries, rely on the help of volunteers. You could volunteer in the UK, with the RSPCA, for example, or further afield on conservation and rescue projects. This kind of experience is particularly relevant to aspiring:

animal nutritionists
technicians
vets
zookeepers.

To find out more, see聽volunteering with animals.

School experience

For aspiring teachers or teaching assistants, volunteering at a local school is a good way to gain experience. Voluntary work in schools gives you practical examples to use at interviews, the opportunity to learn from experienced teachers and evidence of your commitment.

Read up on聽gaining school work experience and volunteering with children.

Social care

If you'd like a career in聽social care, relevant experience is vital.

If you can spare a couple of hours a week you could become a befriender. This involves supporting isolated individuals, usually the elderly or disabled. Services are available with charities such as聽Age UK听补苍诲听Deaf Blind UK.

Alternatively, help to combat poverty with聽Trussell. Through the charity you can locate local food banks and donate your time as a:

warehouse volunteer
food bank centre volunteer
supermarket collections volunteer.

Volunteer social care opportunities are also available with:

Mental health volunteering

Suited to compassionate people with good listening and communication skills, mental health volunteering can provide great experience for those looking to break into health or social care roles.

Both national and local mental health charities are always in need of volunteers. Positions can be found at:

Working with both children and adults, you could:

man helplines
volunteer as an online counsellor
assist with local gardening or craft groups
provide a listening ear during drop-in talking sessions
become a peer mentor.

You could also work in a charity shop or fundraise for mental health charities.

Arts and culture groups

National and regional arts festivals are a great place for creatives to make industry contacts. Some of the events that recruit volunteers include:

Edinburgh Art Festival
FUSE International Kingston
Manchester International Festival
Oxford Festival of the Arts.

You can help with the preparations, work front-of-house or fulfil steward roles. Art festivals usually take place over the summer months, so do some research into what's available in your community.

Volunteering in museums is also a popular option. Both regional and national museums welcome volunteers. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum (all in London) recruit volunteers all year round. Long and short-term projects are available, and you can help front-of-house or behind the scenes. Learn more about museum jobs.

Sports coaching

Work experience is essential in the competitive field of sport and volunteering positions often lead to more permanent employment.

You can volunteer at local sports clubs through聽Sport England. You can dedicate your time on an ad-hoc or permanent basis by helping out at coaching sessions, assisting teams and managing and moving equipment.

Find out more about sports graduate jobs and sports coaching courses.

Emergency volunteering

This involves helping out in emergency situations such as:

natural disasters
fires
floods
individual medical emergencies
transport accidents.

As an emergency response volunteer you'll support the emergency services, provide first aid and transport assistance, offer practical and emotional support to people in crisis and help to organise evacuations.

To get involved, visit:

United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme

UNV sends professionals with specialised experience to serve on assignments with a variety of UN agencies to support peace and development. You can volunteer in your own country, abroad or online. There are a number of requirements that volunteers must meet - for example, to volunteer abroad you'll need to be 25 years old with a university degree and a minimum of two years' work experience. To volunteer in your home country, you'll need to be 22 years of age. Discover聽UN Volunteers.

How do I apply for volunteering opportunities?

Many voluntary opportunities are advertised and have set processes you need to follow. This may include completing an application form or submitting your聽CV and cover letter, followed by an聽interview.

If you have a particular organisation and volunteer role in mind, you could send a speculative application. You'll need to explain why you want to volunteer with them, state any previous experience and outline what you could offer their organisation. Make sure you find a contact name and address your letter or email directly to them. Learn聽how to write a speculative job application.

If you plan to work with children or elderly people, expect to go through security checks with the聽Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Find out more

Learn more about the different types of work experience you can do.