As an advice and guidance volunteer, you will be providing general support or sector-specific support in Birmingham, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Liverpool or London. You will lead 1:1 advice and guidance appointments with refugees, helping them navigate the UK job market and achieve their career goals.
Contact [email protected] for more information, otherwise visit our FAQ page.
Working as a sector-specific volunteer allows me to use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in my career to help clients navigate the UK’s complicated and often impenetrable legal profession.
Emma - advice and guidance volunteer
Sector-specific support
When someone has identified an interest in a particular career path, we pair them with a volunteer who has knowledge and experience of that sector to provide targeted support and address specific goals. This can involve:
- Creating tailored CVs and cover letters
- Signposting to specific job websites and networks
- Providing in-depth knowledge of the client chosen sector
- Advising on progression within the sector
Requirements
- Previous UK work experience
- Ability to act with compassion and adapt your approach to suit clients at various points in their journey to employment
- Reliability, flexibility and problem-solving skills
- Computer literate and access to a laptop or computer with webcam
- Fluent/native level of English
- Beneficial: language skills (including Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali, Pashto, Tamil)
- All sectors are welcome but particularly useful experience includes: HR, construction, accountancy, law, NHS, engineering, hospitality, customer service, teaching, business and apprenticeships
- Alignment with BB’s mission to help refugees acquire the knowledge, confidence and experience to get stable, fulfilling employment
Commitment
- For general support, we ask for a commitment of 2-4 appointments per month (a typical appointment is 1-1.5 hours long) for a minimum of 6 months
- Sector-specific appointments are arranged on an ad-hoc basis and we therefore do not ask for a minimum monthly hours commitment for this role
- Please note, volunteering takes place Monday-Friday, 9.00am – 5:30pm
Location
This role can be remote and/or at one of our offices:
- Birmingham: Landmark, 2 Snow Hill Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6GA
- Glasgow: Coming soon!
- Greater Manchester: Landmark Office Space, Chancery Place, 50 Brown Street, Manchester,M2 2JG
- Liverpool: Coming soon!
- London: WeWork, 71-91 Aldwych, London WC2B 4HN
Benefits of volunteering
- Have a genuine impact on Breaking Barriers and the lives of refugees
- Increase your understanding of the barriers refugees face in accessing employment in the UK
- Develop your knowledge and skills
- Gain an insight into how Breaking Barriers works
- Be part of an innovative charity that is growing all the time
- Meet other like-minded volunteers
- Full induction and training provided
