Volunteer with us
10 great reasons to volunteer
Get to know your community
Boost your confidence
Meet new people
Share your talent with us
Enjoy free training
Make a difference
We need you!
Do something interesting
Improve your prospects
Gain office based work experience
Seventy five per cent of the people who work in the Citizens Advice service are volunteers, and we simply wouldn’t be here for our clients without them.
All sorts of people volunteer for many different reasons, but one thing that unites them all is that they find it challenging, rewarding and varied. Volunteering provides an opportunity to learn new skills and to develop existing ones.
​It is also a chance to put the skills and experience you have to good use helping others. We need people of all ages and backgrounds. For many people, the best thing about volunteering for the Citizens Advice is getting to meet a wide range of people and making new friends.
There is a real team spirit in our organisation, and we provide a supportive environment to make sure that you get the most out of your time with us.
For others, the best thing is the opportunity for learning and development, and the challenge of taking on something new. There are lots of opportunities – you never stop learning!​
Above all, it is a chance to make a real difference. By volunteering for the Citizens Advice you will be playing an active part in improving the lives of millions of people and influencing the development of national and local policies and service. And you will not be out of pocket - we will cover any travel costs incurred by volunteering.
The benefits of volunteering
Not only do our volunteers give up their time to help their community, they also benefit from their experience of working with us.
Volunteers get involved in their community, make new friends and gain confidence. Retired volunteers believe it keeps them mentally active and 9 in 10 unemployed volunteers say it helps them move into employment or education.
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All Citizens Advice volunteers receive free and comprehensive training, develop new skills and increase knowledge of a range of issues.
This training is highly respected among employers and many volunteers have used their time with us as a springboard into paid employment.
If you are a law student and train as an Adviser with us, you can get up to six months off your solicitor training contracts.
Opportunities Available
Could you join us?
Central and East Northamptonshire Citizens Advice is supported by around 60 volunteers, in a wide variety of roles.
We are currently looking for these volunteer roles:
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Trained Advisors
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Receptionists
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Telephone Assessors
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Administrators
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Fundraisers
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Campaigns Assistants
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Comms and Marketing Assistants
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Client Feedback Assistants
Trustee Vacancies:
CENCA is recruiting trustees!
You must share the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service and its equal opportunities policies, please see the link to our aims and principles.
We are looking for people with the following skills and backgrounds:
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Conveyancing
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Accountancy
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Equalities
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Legal
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Research
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Teaching
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Social Policy
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Social Work
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Campaigning
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Property Management
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Health and Safety
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HR
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Fundraising
If you have worked in any of these fields, want to give back to your community and have up to 8 hours per month to offer us (including time to read and review documents and attend meetings).
Please complete our online application form and provide in the comments which role you are applying for.
Becoming a volunteer
To volunteer with CENCA you need to be open-minded and non-judgemental. You also need to be able to listen, learn and work as part of a team. You will need to be able to support our aims and principles which you can read on our homepage.
We need you to commit to a minimum of 8 hours per week, for at least 6 – 12 months after training, and attend monthly team meetings.
Most roles do not require you to undergo a DBS check, however we do ask for two references. These do not have to be from employers, personal references are acceptable. Please provide contact details for your referees on the application form so that we can contact them.
Volunteer training will take place in your local branch. Travel expenses are paid.
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Training Provided:
Volunteer Training
All Citizens Advice volunteers receive free, comprehensive training for their role. The training you receive can be varied, depending on your previous experience and your volunteer role.
We provide quality training from the Citizens Advice national organisation. We use computer-based learning, such as bitesizes, e-learning and self study packs.
​Depending on the type of volunteer role you apply for will cater to other training / skills you will be taught and learn, such as you may have to attend observation sessions, where you will be sitting in or listening to client interviews. There may also be group training sessions to attend.
The first session is an initial induction, covering:
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Aims and principles of Citizens Advice
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Working with clients
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Research and campaigns
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Introduction to internal systems
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A training plan for your role
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Learning journals
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Access to websites
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Confidentiality
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Data protection
CALL US ON 08081969443 TO ASK ABOUT VOLUNTEERING