CAB Volunteers


What's Your Idea of a Volunteer?

If you have spare time on your hands and want to help members of your community, then why not become a Volunteer Advice Worker at the Citizens Advice Bureau?

No previous experience or qualifications are necessary. We will provide you with extensive training and will support you through every step. Our training programme is supplied by Citizens Advice.

You will be shown how to interview and enable clients, solve complex problems, and taught how to calculate social security benefits.

If you are...

  • Open minded
  • Keen to learn
  • Interested in people
  • Enjoy helping others
  • Able to make a regular commitment of your time
  • Willing to learn new skills

Then we would be interested in hearing from you.

To become a Volunteer Adviser you need to give the Bureau at least seven hours a week of your time. In return we will do our best to ensure that you receive thorough training and all the support you need.
We care more about the type of person you are, than what you know before you start training.

What's in it for me?

Working in the voluntary sector for an agency like the CAB can be a rewarding experience. There are many and varied opportunities, some of which are listed below. You are free to discuss any of them with your Guidance Tutor if you commence working for the Bureau:

  • Giving advice and practical help to members of your community - The CAB adviser has to explain the choices that a client has, so that they can decide what to do. You may also be able to give practical help such as filling in forms.

  • Specialist advice - After a period of experience, you may be able to acquire knowledge in a particular field through free specialist training. You could then become involved in specialist advice work and training within the Bureau.

  • Representation at Tribunals and in County Court - You could, eventually, gain experience in advocacy. In addition it is also possible to gain experience of drafting legal documents.

  • Developing office systems - You may be able to bring ideas and experience of the office to the Bureau. You could help to implement your ideas for the benefit of an efficient Bureau.

  • Influencing social policies - An important part of Bureau work is trying to influence policies that affect all communities. You may be interested in developing ways in which we could influence local and national government policies that affect our community.

Many Bureau volunteers have gone on to paid work in the service, or elsewhere: as consumer advisers, housing advisers or legal executives. If you are considering a career change, are looking for work experience or have just retired, then volunteering for the CAB could be for you.

If you wish to learn more, contact details for individual CAB offices in the area are here.