Advisers

Without our trained volunteer advisers we could not continue to meet the demands for advice. We offer a holistic generalist advice service and all advisers are given free formal and on the job training. You are supported every step of the way and all your expenses are paid.

As a Bureau adviser you would:

interview clients help them negotiate with people such as creditors or service providers draft letters make telephone calls on behalf of clients refer them to other agencies represent them in court and at tribunals.

Attention all law students

If you train as a Bureau adviser, you can get up to six months off your solicitor training contracts!

More about Citizens Advice

Administrators

As a Bureau volunteer administrator you would ensure the smooth running of a bureau including: word processing - file management - arranging events using databases and spreadsheets - answering e-mails and phone calls updating local information.

Receptionists

You would be the public face of the Citizens Advice service, meeting clients on a daily basis:

Greet clients arrange appointments answer the telephone provide information on service to clients and manage the waiting room keep records.

Trustees

Because every Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity, each has its own board of trustees, some trustee roles require specific skills but bureaus welcome people of all ages, backgrounds and experience to their trustee boards. Because trustee boards tend to meet in the evenings, you can fit this around a full time job or study. This could be the voluntary role you are looking for to play a key role in a vital community organization.

Manage and plan the bureau's overall strategic direction act as employer for paid staff manage the bureau's finances ensure the bureau complies with the law are responsible for premises, insurance and equipment.

Campaigners

By using evidence collected from the clients the bureau helps, you could help bring about changes in local and national policies and services which can benefit everyone,
even those who have never used a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Complete and collate evidence forms recording clients problems identify and raise relevant issues in the bureau, train staff and volunteers in identifying issues and completing evidence forms conduct research and write reports get involved in media campaigning liaise with other bureaus and agencies. More about our policy/campaign work

IT support coordinators

As a Citizens Advice Bureau IT coordinator you would help bureaus to use IT effectively to provide quality services to our clients. Citizens Connect our ambitious IT programme to introduce a virtual private network right across the service is a high priority for the service over the next few years and will help us to introduce an electronic case management system and provide access to e-government services for the public:

Supporting bureau workers including staff and volunteers trouble shooting web design training bureau workers in IT skills assisting with e-mail advice. More about Citizens Connect and IT in the Citizens Advice service

PR and marketing

Citizens Advice Bureaux need to raise their profile in their local community to attract funding, recruit volunteers, promote local and national Citizens Advice Bureau campaigns and to ensure that potential clients know how to access their services.

 

As a PR/marketing volunteer you might:

Produce promotional materials to use locally tailor press releases issued by the national Citizens Advice press office to use locally build relationships with your local media outlets and"sell in" stories seek coverage for your bureau's work in local papers and on TV and radio identify case studies of clients or volunteers who would be willing to talk to the media write copy for your bureau website or newsletter if it has one be trained to be a local media spokesperson arrange events, displays and talks to promote the bureau identify opportunities for your bureau to get involved in our annual Advice Week or other national events such as Volunteers Week.

Fundraiser's

Every Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity reliant on money from local authorities, companies, charitable trusts and individuals.

 

As a fundraiser you might:

Work with the bureau treasurer or other trustees to meet fundraising objectives help with researching fundraising opportunities organise fundraising events help complete fundraising applications put together presentations to give to potential fundraiser's to provide support to the bureau fundraising group. For example, some bureaux have a Friends of Citizens Advice Bureau group, Read the funding factsheet.

Volunteer recruitment

We run volunteer recruitment campaigns throughout the year either to help us expand our services or to replace volunteers who have left.

In this role you might:

Produce local volunteer recruitment materials – leaflets and posters find case studies about current volunteers for your local newspapers organise stands or displays in local community venues give talks about Citizens Advice Bureau volunteering run open days for potential volunteers ensure the bureau website is updated with volunteering opportunities deal with volunteer enquiries forwarded from this website or from our national volunteer hotline.

Why Volunteer for us ?