Voluntary Work

Volunteering is simple. It's about giving your time to do something useful, without getting paid (apart from expenses).

In return you get the satisfaction of time and effort well spent. In addition, volunteering can be a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, gain useful experience and hopefully have fun!

There are no age-limits on volunteering, but there can sometimes be difficulties for people under-16 or over-65, mostly for insurance reasons. If you have any concerns, ask the organisation that you are applying to.

Once you start volunteering you can usually expect:

• payment of out-of pocket expenses (for example, travel)
• a clear idea of what your role will be
• appropriate training and support.

If you aren't clear about anything, don't be afraid to ask someone.

If you are interested in volunteering in Southend take a look at the pages below which give details of various local voluntary organisations and schemes. Also, please see the links in our useful websites section on the right of this page.