Volunteering

Volunteering not only makes you feel good about yourself and the impact you are making but also develops valuable transferable skills.

Employers regard good quality voluntary experience just as highly as experience from paid positions and even more so in some cases. Producing quality work in your spare time and for a good cause demonstrates your personality and passion, over and above the technical skills required.

Finding a volunteering position

There are multiple ways you can find a volunteering role during your studies:

The Student Opportunities Hub facilitates a range of voluntary internships with registered charities throughout the year.

SRC Volunteering supports many popular volunteering opportunities, one-off and ongoing as well as on and off campus. You can register online for their volunteer database, and they'll help you to find an opportunity that best suits you.

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SVCO) is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. They offer support and learning, events, services and information on funding, policy and research. Use their jobs portal Goodmoves to browse paid amd unpaid jobs in the charity sector and to research smaller organisations you might not have heard of.

The following websites are other reputable third-party organisations that can help you find the right opportunity:

Speculative approach

If you wish to help at a particular organisation, you can try approaching them directly. Simply ask in person at your local branch or check their website for any voluntary opportunities available. 

Consider volunteering in a sector where you see yourself working professionally in the future. 

Thinking of volunteering abroad? View our guidelines before making a decision to get involved.