Volunteering

A volunteer is a person who freely undertakes an activity:

• That is chosen either by themselves or by a group they are a member of
• That provides a benefit to a community or another person
• There is no purpose or intention of private financial profit

• Consolidates and enhances academic learning
• Helps develop transferable skills such as teamwork and leadership
• Enables you to learn more about a particular field/job/employer
• Demonstrates your willingness to give your time in order to learn valuable skills
• Builds knowledge and experience of the world of work
• Provides experience for inclusion in CV and job applications
• Gives you a chance to find out what kind of work you like and don't like
• Builds a network of contacts
• Builds character, maturity and confidence

Your voluntary work experience should provide course or career-related duties and tasks that are at, or slightly above, your skill level. Ideally, there will be a structured programme, with committed resources and an assigned supervisor or mentor.

When considering a placement, check out:

• What knowledge and skills can I expect to learn?
• What responsibilities will I have?
• Who will supervise and evaluate my work and how will they do this?
• Who will set my schedule?
• What training and support will I have?
  

For more information about best practices for volunteer organisations visit: Volunteering NZ - Volunteering Best Practice Toolkit

Maximise your learning from the experience by:

• Seeking opportunities to get involved and learn
• Talking to colleagues about their roles and experience
• Maintaining a 'placement diary' and recording what you're doing and learning

When the placement ends, ask your manager or supervisor to act as a referee for your future job applications. Make a note of their contact details.

It is important to spend some time reflecting on how the placement went – what did you learn, how has this affected your career plans.