Suitable for -
What will you do?
Complete an introduction to Citizens Advice and training for your role
Talk to clients over the phone, face to face, or online to explore what problems they have come for help with
Find information about the clients’ problems and help them to understand their options
Support clients to take action to resolve their problems. This might include drafting or writing letters, making phone calls, or referring the client to another organisation
Write a summary of the clients’ problems and what action you’ve taken
Look out for problems’ that are common, or are unfair, and write a short report about the problem or a letter to an elected official like an MP, AM, or local councillor
Some examples of what you could do:
Help client with debts work out a reasonable amount to pay back and make a phone call to an organisation they owe money to.
Explore what benefits a client is entitled to and help them to complete a benefit application form.
Help a client who has problems with their landlord to understand their housing rights.
What is in it for you?
Make a real difference to people’s lives
Learn about a range of issues such as benefits, debt, employment, and housing.
Build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and problem solving, and increase your employability
Work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.
Have a positive impact in your community.
And we will reimburse expenses too.
If you are training to be a solicitor and you train and volunteer as a local Citizens Advice adviser, you may be able to get up to six months off your solicitor training contract. See Solicitors Regulation Authority for more information.
What do you need to have? You do not need specific qualifications or skills, but you’ll need to: Be friendly and approachable Be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own Have good listening skills Have excellent verbal and written communication skills Have good maths and IT skills Be able to understand information and explain it to others Be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection Be willing to undertake training in your role
How much time do you need to give?
Ideally, we ask for a minimum of 8 hours per week, which can be over one day or spread over two days, for at least 12 months.
We can be flexible so come and talk to us.
Valuing inclusion
Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we particularly welcome applications from disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
If you are interested in becoming an adviser and would like to discuss flexibility around location, time, ‘what you will do’ and how we can support you please contact us.
