Some positions demand a certain amount of experience and qualifications. The organisation will be able to tell you straight away if this is the case with the position you are interested in doing. However, some organisations will offer you the training to enable you to do the work, for example mentors are trained before they are allowed to work.
It’s becoming more common for organisations to offer volunteers qualifications such as an NVQ, but it is still unusual. Don’t dismiss an organisation just because it doesn’t run an accredited volunteer programme. You may find that no matter what the opportunity you still learn a lot and gain valuable experience, skills and a reference.
Training and support
Some organisations offer substantial training, but others don’t and expect you to learn on the job or contribute existing skills.
Training can depend on the type of work you will be doing. So, if you’re spending one day clearing overgrowth from paths, expect about 15 minutes at the start being told what to do, how to use the tools and what health and safety precautions to take. But if you volunteer to give welfare benefits advice you should get much more training. You might get 10 two-hour training sessions spread over several weeks before you see a client, plus ongoing training to keep you up-to-date.
You should be supported formally through supervisions, when, where and with whom should be set out in your induction. These are opportunities to talk about things you might want to learn and to comment on how your volunteering work is going.