Click a link to read up on a volunteer role:
Volunteer Adviser
Gateway Assessment Interviewer
Administration Volunteer
IT Support Volunteer
Reception Volunteer

Our volunteer advisers are at the heart of Swansea Citizens Advice Bureau. Without them our service simply wouldn't exist. They play a key role in helping clients with a wealth of issues, from benefits, debts, relationship advice, immigration, housing and many more.

Would you like to see a 12 minute video of the work of a volunteer adviser? It is, of course, a large file. You must have a broadband connection. A computer with a 1Mbs connection takes about 5 minutes to download it. You can of course minimise the download panel and look at other things while it downloads. You will need a flash video player. You can download one from here if you don't know another site.

What do Volunteer Advisers do?
Volunteer Advisers give face-to-face advice to clients and can also deliver advice over the telephone and you can also help out in delivering advice services around Swansea in our various outreach centres; along with attending events to raise awareness of Swansea Citizens Advice Bureau and the service that we offer.

What qualifications do I need to become a Volunteer Adviser?
None, we have a nationally recognised training programme in which you gain a recognised qualification in advice giving. The training can take from 6-12 months depending on how much time you can spare; and during this time you will get to observe some experienced advisers to build your confidence and experience and also deliver our gateway assessments, where you will take clients through a short interview to establish their issues. Once you have completed your training, you will gain a nationally recognised qualification and you will be able to deliver advice to our clients.

How much time will I have to commit and what about expenses?
Volunteering with us, means giving some of your time to help us and your local community, we understand that everyone has commitments and we are very flexible in terms of the amount of time you can spare. When you volunteer with us, any expenses you incur for childcare or travelling to and from the Swansea Bureau we will reimburse, so you won't be out of pocket. Also, volunteering will not effect your benefit entitlements.

What's in it for me?
Volunteering is not always about giving, it's taking a little something too. Volunteering with us is a rewarding and challenging experience where you get to make a real difference to people's lives. You will get to work alongside a very diverse team of people and pick up lots of new skills which can help you in your career or generally your daily life. There's nothing more satisfying than helping someone with a problem, and seeing the impact that you can have on their lives.

Our Gateway Assessment Volunteers are the triage workers of our service. They establish what client's issues are and then refer client's down the relevant paths to deal with their issues.

What do Gateway Assessment Interviewer do?
In the bureau Gateway Assessment Interviewers are generally the first staff to have contact with clients after the reception worker. They work either face-to-face with clients or over the telephone and their role is to obtain basic information from the client. This enables the Gateway Interviewer to identify what is the best possible advice source for the client.

What qualifications do I need to become a Gateway Assessment Interviewer?
None, we have a nationally recognised training programme, which will teach you everything you need to know about advice giving and how we operate as a Citizens Advice Bureau. If you enjoy being a Gateway Interviewer, then the opportunity will be there for you to advance yourself by taking on the full adviser training.

How much time will I have to commit and what about expenses?
Volunteering with us, means giving some of your time to help us and your local community, we understand that everyone has commitments and we are very flexible in terms of the amount of time you can spare. When you volunteer with us, any expenses you incur for childcare or travelling to and from the Swansea Bureau we will reimburse, so you won't be out of pocket. Also, volunteering will not effect your benefit entitlements.

What's in it for me?
Volunteering is not always about giving, it's taking a little something too. Volunteering with us is a rewarding and challenging experience where you get to make a real difference to people's lives. You will get to work alongside a very diverse team of people and pick up lots of new skills which can help you in your career or generally your daily life. There's nothing more satisfying than helping someone with a problem, and seeing the impact that you can have on their lives.

Our Volunteer Administrators are the supporting foundations to our service, they support our advice team and our specialist services team along with maintaining the bureau in general.

What do Administration Volunteers do?
Volunteer administrators get involved in a whole variety of tasks, from answering the telephone, filing, printing, managing bureau stock, updating information, supporting advisers and caseworkers and generally making sure the bureau remains efficient in it's day-to-day operation.

What qualifications do I need to become a Administration Volunteer?
None, although we do ask that you have an interest in administraion, we can teach you everything you need to know and you will be given on-hand support and guidance when ever you need it.

How much time will I have to commit and what about expenses?
Volunteering with us, means giving some of your time to help us and your local community, we understand that everyone has commitments and we are very flexible in terms of the amount of time you can spare. When you volunteer with us, any expenses you incur for childcare or travelling to and from the Swansea Bureau we will reimburse, so you won't be out of pocket. Also, volunteering will not effect your benefit entitlements.

What's in it for me?
Volunteering is not always about giving, it's taking a little something too. Volunteering with us is a rewarding and challenging experience where you get to make a real difference to people's lives. You will get to work alongside a very diverse team of people and pick up lots of new skills which can help you in your career or generally your daily life. The work experience that you can gain with us as part of our administration team, can be a good stepping stone to a new career or promotion and we will help you every step of the way.

Fundamental to almost any type of work these days is Information Technology. Our IT Support volunteers play a key role in maintaining the bureau's IT systems along with providing technical support to our staff.

What do IT Support Volunteers do?
IT support volunteers contribute to the day-to-day maintenance of the burea's IT systems, ensuring that the network is operational and that all users are problem free. The bureau's utilises some of the most latest technology and with that comes the need for technical support and maintenance. Purchasing new computers to our standard specifications, maintaining our server and network and providing technical support to users are some of the key tasks IT Support Volunteers get involved with.

What qualifications do I need to become an IT Support Volunteer?
None, although we do ask that you have experience or an interest in IT. We have an experienced IT administrator on site that can offer on-hand support and guidance to you, to get you accustomed to the bureau's technology.

How much time will I have to commit and what about expenses?
Volunteering with us, means giving some of your time to help us and your local community, we understand that everyone has commitments and we are very flexible in terms of the amount of time you can spare. When you volunteer with us, any expenses you incur for childcare or travelling to and from the Swansea Bureau we will reimburse, so you won't be out of pocket. Also, volunteering will not effect your benefit entitlements.

What's in it for me?
Volunteering is not always about giving, it's taking a little something too. Volunteering with us is a rewarding and challenging experience where you get to make a real difference to people's lives. You will get to work alongside a very diverse team of people and pick up lots of new skills which can help you in your career or generally your daily life. The work experience that you can gain with us as part of our IT Support Team, can be a good stepping stone to a new career or promotion and we will help you every step of the way.

Our front-of-house is where our client's first experience the Swansea Bureau and it is one of the most important roles within the bureau.

What do Reception Volunteers do?
Reception volunteers are the face of our organisation, they deal with a whole host of enquiries from client's who come into the bureau and they provide a key role in managing and maintaining our waiting area.

What qualifications do I need to become an Reception Volunteer?
None, although we do ask that you have an interest in Reception work, we will provide you with all of the training you need to get you accustomed to the role. To be a receptionist, you need to be open to dealing with a diverse range of people and also be equipped with good people management skills.

How much time will I have to commit and what about expenses?
Volunteering with us, means giving some of your time to help us and your local community, we understand that everyone has commitments and we are very flexible in terms of the amount of time you can spare. When you volunteer with us, any expenses you incur for childcare or travelling to and from the Swansea Bureau we will reimburse, so you won't be out of pocket. Also, volunteering will not effect your benefit entitlements.

What's in it for me?
Volunteering is not always about giving, it's taking a little something too. Volunteering with us is a rewarding and challenging experience where you get to make a real difference to people's lives. You will get to work alongside a very diverse team of people and pick up lots of new skills which can help you in your career or generally your daily life. The work experience that you can gain with us as a Recptionist, can be a good stepping stone to a new career or promotion; and we will help you every step of the way.