Careers in the Voluntary Sector

Information Sheet Summary

In the last 10 years the number of people working in the voluntary sector has increased by over a quarter, making it a viable option for both those embarking on their first job and those looking for a career change. The reason for this increase is largely due to local authorities contracting out more work to organisations that are better-placed to deliver public services. Not surprisingly, then, there are now a number of roles that involve some aspect of 'social' work.

This Information Sheet covers the following areas:

The pros and cons
First steps
Tips for applying
Where to look for voluntary sector jobs
Using volunteering as a step to employment

The terms ‘charity’, ‘third sector’, ‘not-for-profit’ and ‘voluntary and community’ are all ways of referring to the same sector, and the organisations within it range from huge international concerns handling multi-million-pound budgets to tiny local community groups with few - or no - paid staff. The sector itself addresses a vast range of issues, and this, in addition to the Government’s increasing interest in the sector, means that new employment opportunities are broader and even more varied than before.

Pros and Cons

The downsides of working in the voluntary sector are that pay rates are not always as high as in the private sector, and that the sector is still largely characterised by short-term contracts and project-based funding, making it a less favourable option for people who place a high value on job security. However, voluntary organisations often make up for this with innovative, flexible working practices and opportunities for personal development, and many people report that not only is their work enjoyable and rewarding, but that they also have a good work-life balance. Undertaking work that is socially meaningful and enables someone to make a difference can be the deciding factor for those who take the plunge.

First steps

Having decided that you like what the voluntary sector has to offer, it’s time to work out what you can offer in return. Although the sector is often perceived as cuddly and ‘soft’, in reality the skills and qualities required in voluntary organisations are no different from those sought elsewhere. One third of voluntary sector employees now hold a degree or equivalent qualification, although there are still skills shortages in IT, fundraising and legal knowledge. Across the sector there is a wide variety of job opportunities, ranging from administrators, journalists, designers, caterers, receptionists, bricklaying instructors and recruitment specialists.

To find out what kind of skills organisations are looking for, you can study job advertisements in the newspapers, and if you have access to the internet you can look at online application packs. By looking at those criteria deemed ‘essential’ or ‘desirable’, you can gain a good idea of the skills, qualifications and personal qualities that are in demand. By comparing these with your existing skill base and experience you can identify your own training needs and go about filling any gaps.

Applying

The key to finding a fulfilling role within a voluntary, or any other, organisation is knowing both what you want from a job and what you have to offer. Bear in mind, also, that it doesn’t hurt to apply for a job for which you don’t appear to be 100% qualified if it’s something you really want to do. You may still turn out to be the right person for the post – employers often advertise for an ‘ideal’ candidate when they would actually be happy to employ someone who has most of what they are looking for and who is prepared to train for or develop the remainder.

You may find that the paperwork involved in applying for a job in the voluntary sector seems rather excessive, but don’t be tempted to send your CV instead or to miss out any sections of the application form. The sector prides itself on adhering strictly to equal opportunities procedures and in practice this means that no one is given the benefit of the doubt in this respect. All applications are judged on the basis of the same criteria, so if you have failed to follow instructions (for example to match your personal statement with the person specification), the selection panel will not try to work out what you have to offer from the information that you have provided. You need to be very clear and tell them everything you think they want to know. This can be a tedious and time-consuming process, but it saves time in the long run since it means that your applications are much more likely to reach the shortlist for interview, so you should have fewer of them to do.

Where to look for voluntary sector jobs

The Guardian newspaper: Wednesday (Society Guardian), Saturday (General)
Local newspapers
Recruitment agencies that specialise in the third sector
Charity Press: publications such as Third Sector have job advertisements, and you may be able to access them through your local library. If you are already involved with a voluntary organisation they may well be on the mailing list for some of these publications. (Third Force News is the best one for jobs in Scotland.)
The Big Issue usually has quite a good selection of jobs in voluntary organisations
If you are looking for work in a specific profession such as marketing or publicity, you could check the trade press and professional associations’ magazines.
Many voluntary organisations advertise vacancies on their own website, so if there’s an organisation that you’re particularly interested in working for, it’s worth book-marking the page and looking at it frequently to make sure you don’t miss any vacancies.

Some websites advertise a range of voluntary sector vacancies:

NB: Due to the tendency within the voluntary sector to adhere to strict equal opportunities procedures, it is very unlikely that speculative applications and CVs will be welcome. You are much more likely to be advised to wait for vacancies to be advertised.

Volunteering as a step to paid employment

Among the many reasons that people volunteer, its ability to act as a bridge to paid employment is one that many people find attractive. Some professions such as social work will not consider candidates who have not demonstrated their commitment to the field by undertaking some form of relevant volunteering. For others, volunteering can provide the training and experience without which they would be ill equipped to compete in the open employment market.

While it can happen that a paid post becomes available in the organisation with which you are volunteering, it would be unwise to join on the basis that you hope this will be the case. It would be more realistic to look upon your time as a volunteer as an opportunity to strengthen your existing skills and develop new ones, and to find out whether or not a particular kind of work is suited to you. Volunteering can also help you to prepare for paid employment by:

providing good-quality training, some of which carries nationally recognised qualifications
enabling you to maintain existing skills, acquire new ones and identify which ones are transferable between sectors
building your confidence about being able to operate in a work context
helping you to remain active and involved in something while seeking work (which can be isolating)
allowing you to gain insight into how voluntary and community organisations operate
providing you with a source of up-to-date, relevant references to offer prospective employers.

Bibliography

Careers 2008, Third Sector Extra. Winter 2007/2008.

Last reviewed: April 2008

We have made every effort to ensure that this Information Sheet was correct at the time of publication. It is intended as a summary of relevant issues and suggests further sources of information. Legal advice should be sought where appropriate.

For more information on managing volunteers, please visit
The Good Practice Bank at www.volunteering.org.uk/goodpractice

All of Volunteering England’s Information Sheets are available at: www.volunteering.org.uk/information

Or please contact Volunteering England Information Service
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