The Citizens Advice Bureau has been a long-standing landmark at Spital Hill, offering free advice and help to all members of the community. In recent years, the service has changed from Pitsmoor CAB to become part of Sheffield Citizens Advice, a single organisation meeting the advice needs of the people of Sheffield.
To enable us to provide the comprehensive service that we do to our community, we rely heavily on our team of volunteers. The Bureau offers a whole host of roles, from receptionists and administrative workers to advisors who work with clients. The Bureau offers comprehensive training and support and we look for people from all walks of life and experience to bring their skills to this unique rewarding role, especially those who speak more than one language.
We are currently recruiting volunteers to support the work of the Bureau. So if you are interested in a hugely rewarding volunteer role working with a dedicated team, please contact Pat or Zaiada on 0114 275 5376 or pop in for a chat and an application form or complete the application form on line at https://www.advicesheffield.org.uk. No previous experience is necessary, although some roles have requirements. We are recruiting across all our sites and volunteers can be placed at a site which best suits them.
The Volunteer Experience – Malcolm Reed
I’ve been a volunteer with Citizens Advice since 2009 when I took early retirement from teaching. I have a background in community education and in mainstream schools, working with young people who have special educational needs. So I guess I’ve always been motivated by a sense that worthwhile work involves helping to secure fairness for people who have been disadvantaged or pushed to one side by ‘the System.’
To be an adviser, you have to go through a training process. The real learning takes place when you talk to other people and in the whole-hearted support offered by the experienced workers. Whole-hearted, because there’s an appreciation that volunteers are the lifeblood of the service and also because there is such a strong shared sense of commitment to a vital community service. There is the genuine sense of being part of a team with a common purpose.
As to what I feel I’ve got out of my time working as a volunteer, I can point to a number of benefits. For a start there’s a feeling that, however small the scale, I can make a difference to the fairness of it all. There’s the knowledge that finishing one career doesn’t mean that your development comes to a full stop. I’m in the happy state where it all feels like a bit of an adventure but I’m in control of where I want it to go. I don’t know how long this phase is going to continue but for the time being I’m enjoying the ride.