Browse Opportunities

Face-to-face opportunities are available in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Southport, Wirral, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, London and Sussex. You can tutor online from anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales. Please note we do not currently accept tutors who live outside the UK. 

Volunteering for just one hour per week is a rewarding way to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people. You will be directly supporting them to build their confidence and help ensure they leave school with the grades needed to build a bright future, all while developing your own experience!

Skills required

We look for volunteers who have or are studying for a degree (in any subject) and have a B grade (or above) at A Level (or equivalent) in the subject they wish to tutor. 

If your qualifications do not match these requirements, we still encourage you to apply and we would love to hear about any other qualifications/training/work experience related to the role. Once we review your answers, we may then arrange a call with you to find out more. We take all previous experience into consideration, so please include anything you think might be relevant.

You need to be a fluent English speaker, and enthusiasm for the subject you’re tutoring is important. Experience working with young people is helpful but not essential. You’ll need good communication skills, patience, commitment and resilience. 
 

While volunteering in our shops, you will:

• Serve customers, take payments, and provide good all-round customer service
• Sort donated items and price up stock
• Keep our shops looking great with excellent visual merchandising
• Keep the shops tidy, clean, and well organised

You do not need to have worked in a retail environment, or as a volunteer before, as we offer full training. It is much more important to us that you are friendly, reliable, and able to commit to at least a shift or two.

In return, you will receive:

• A warm welcome from St. Joseph’s Volunteers and Staff
• Gain transferable skills and experience in the retail and charity sector
• Improve your CV
• Build your confidence
• Do something you enjoy and believe in, and add value to your community
• Have your expenses reimbursed for travel within TFL Zones 1 - 6, and a meal allowance up to the value of £5 when you volunteer for 3 hours or more per day in the shops

How to apply:

All we ask is for you to complete a taster session in one of our shops, which should take about an hour, give you a chance to meet the Retail Supervisor and other members of the volunteering team, allow you to learn more about the role and what to expect on a ‘normal’ day, give you a chance to discuss your availability and what works best for you, and to complete a short application form.

Please contact the Volunteering Team by email vol.recruitment@stjh.org.uk to book a taster session at a time that suits you.

We are seeking a volunteer to assist in the provision of therapy to patients in the local community. The role may include supervising a patient in carrying out an exercise programme, providing a patient with relaxation/massage and talking to them about their concerns and worries.

Our trained and supervised volunteers visit people regularly to provide Namaste Care in their own homes; in nursing and care homes; in hospitals; and in the hospice. No previous experience required for this very rewarding role – full training and support will be provided.

Why we need your help 

We provide free games and activity sessions with tailored support for children with additional needs and disabilities. We support over 100 children, known as our ‘athletes’, with a wide range of additional needs, including autism, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and global development delay. At KEEN London, we strive to use fun and games to improve young people's wellbeing, and personal, social and emotional development as well as broadening experiences to increase skills and confidence.

Purpose of the role

Our Volunteer Coaches are the backbone of a KEEN London session! You’ll provide one-to-one support to an athlete, helping them to access all the activities on offer, achieve their personal development goals, and of course have tons of fun! You can expect to get involved with a wide range of playground games, ball games, nature walks, and creative activities. From time to time we also run trips for our athletes, and previous trips have included trampoline parks, high ropes courses, pedalo boating and slime-making classes.

Tasks and activities 

• You’ll support our athletes to engage with the session, and have fun while they’re doing it.

• You’ll help our Service Coordinators develop goals for our athletes, track their progress, and give them lots of encouragement along the way.

• You’ll work with your Service Coordinators and fellow Coaches to come up with new games, develop resources, and plan activities.

• We want our athletes to enjoy being active, making friends, and trying new things - and we want you to join in the activities with them!

• Our athletes love working with energetic and enthusiastic people, and we’ll ensure that all your hard work will be rewarded with a great time.

Why Volunteer with KEEN London?

KEEN London would not be what it is without the volunteers who support our work, and we want to ensure that all our volunteers gain just as much from their volunteering journey as they put into the charity. Here’s what you’ll get in return for supporting us:

• Regular volunteer social events, and opportunities to meet other coaches

• We will provide you with ongoing feedback and support to enable you to reach your full potential at KEEN, you will receive an induction and handbook prior to starting your role and you will receive access to a virtual training portal with additional resources. 

• We will give you opportunities to access other roles to help you broaden your skills, such as becoming a Captain or Session Leader.

• Long-term volunteers receive t-shirts, badges, and advance sign-ups to our popular events

• We have a budget set aside to cover volunteer expenses (see Volunteer Agreement below)

• We will provide job/character references to volunteers after a reasonable period of volunteering with us. 

Volunteer Agreement 

All KEEN London volunteers are asked to observe the Volunteer Agreement. This agreement is binding in honour only, is not intended to be a legally binding contract between us and may be cancelled at any time at the discretion of either party. Neither of us intends any employment relationship to be created either now or at any time in the future.

As a volunteer with KEEN London you can expect:

• To be a part of a unique and evolving charity that is providing a valuable service to children and young people with additional needs.

• To be introduced to how the organisation works and your role within it.

• A supportive and reciprocal environment that ensures a positive experience for you as a volunteer.

• To be invited to volunteer at special events and fundraising activities.

• Reimbursement of any reasonable travel expenses.

• To be treated fairly and equally with dignity and respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, age, (dis)ability, religion or sexual orientation.

• A safe and healthy environment for you to volunteer in.

• Any problems or complaints to be investigated quickly and resolved fairly.

• Recognition for your efforts and successes – celebrating achievements and rewarding loyalty and dedication.

• To receive, if required, a reference after a reasonable time of volunteering. 

• Access to free Charity Worker Discounts after 5 completed sessions.

Our expectations of volunteers:

• To maintain and uphold the reputation and good name of the charity.

• To treat other volunteers, staff and service users fairly and with dignity, and to respect everyone equally, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, age, (dis)ability, religion or sexual orientation.

• To ensure appropriate levels of confidentiality and data protection are upheld.

• To uphold our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. This includes ensuring that when out of sight of other adults a ratio of 2 adults to 1 athlete is in place, and that you report any concerns you have about the safety and wellbeing of athletes to the Coordinator as soon as possible.

• To adhere to all health and safety instructions.

• To be punctual and reliable when attending sessions, and inform the coordinator via phone call as soon as possible if you are unable to attend.

• To attend at least 2 sessions per month for at least 6 months.

• To bring energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn to all sessions.

Would you like the chance to: go camping, climbing, instruct archery or air rifles, lead community projects, all while helping prepare young people with skills for life?

As a leader or helper with The Scouts you will do all of this and more, sharing your skills and interests and learning new ones!

Our Scout Groups help plan and deliver a safe and exciting programme for young people, making sure every young person gets the chance to spend at least one night away each year.

You’ll use your energy and creativity to help young people have fun, develop their potential and earn a wide range of badges and awards, including the prestigious Chief Scout Awards or Duke of Edinburgh's Award for older members.. 

Of course you won’t have to do this alone – a team of supporters, parents and the young people themselves will help you plan and deliver the programme. But it’s your enthusiasm and sense of fun and adventure that will inspire them.

Age groups

The Kids Network supports children aged 8-11 years old in the transition from primary to secondary school by connecting them to a volunteer mentor who supports them for a year.

"I’ve had the best time with my mentor because I haven’t been outside that much. And on the weekends I don’t go out so I’ve had the best of my life being able to go out" Mentee after 12 months

The Role

We are looking for enthusiastic, curious, and fun volunteers that are eager to learn new skills and support local children. The Kids Network will support you with valuable training and experiences that will enhance both your personal and professional development.

As a mentor, you will be trained to deliver weekly 1:1 sessions for the duration of 12 months. You will help build confidence, resilience, and help your mentee manage feelings through a series of fun experiences. Whether you’re playing games or discussing goals, you’ll be making a difference in a child’s life by developing the tools for a positive future.

Mentoring a Little Londoner can help support your professional development, with 57% of mentors reporting the programme helped them progress in their career. We will support you to develop and enhance a wide range of transferable skills.

What’s in it for you

Training, Support & Certificate:

•             All volunteers will attend a day of in person training as well as an online module to complete, covering areas such as safeguarding, understanding mentoring and skills to bring to the role.

•             We also offer additional training throughout the year, with up to 30 hours of free training and development available.

•             Upon completion of the mentoring programme, Mentors will receive a Badge of Excellence Certificate in Child-led Mentoring.

•             Mentors will have a direct contact at the organisation, their Programme Manager (PM). PM's provide support, encouragement and advice throughout the whole year of your mentoring.

Volunteering with us will look great on your CV and you will gain demonstrable experience in:

•             Building project management and teamwork skills: Collaboratively plan fun and engaging sessions.

•             Commitment: Attend weekly sessions and meet deadlines by submitting session reports on time.

•             Communication: Adapt your communication style to meet the needs of the child.

•             Professionalism: Comply with all TKN policies and procedures, particularly regarding safeguarding.

•             Working with children: Gain firsthand experience working with children aged 8-11.

Socials:

•             We hold mentor meet-ups, providing an opportunity for you to meet, socialise, and share experiences with our diverse community of mentors.

•             We run frequent group mentoring sessions where you can connect with other pairs while enjoying a fun and free activity. Previous sessions have included football games, theatre visits, trips to the zoo, art workshops, and kite making and flying.

Commitment

• Volunteer once a week, either during the week or on weekends for a full year.
• 6 consecutive weeks from your first session - after this you will be able to take holidays as normal.
• Attend our training course with other mentors to learn new skills

What are we looking for in mentors?

• Positivity: Embraces fun and positive thinking
• Commitment: Attends all mentoring sessions and demonstrates patience and understanding in the face of challenges
• Communication: Communicates well with children, young people and The Kids Network using compassion
• Resilience: Meets challenges with optimism, seeing them as an opportunity to learn
• Professionalism: Complies with all of TKN policies and procedures particularly regarding safeguarding
• Non-judgemental: Demonstrates kindness and openness and does not impose personal values
• Solution-focused: Offers guidance and constructive feedback with compassion and understanding.

Safeguarding

We are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of the children we work with. We have a zero tolerance approach to any harm or exploitation of a child by any of our staff, volunteers, partners or trustees. We are looking for mentors who will promote the safety and wellbeing of the young people in our network.

Diversity

We are looking for mentors who embrace and value diversity. The Kids Network is committed to diversity and inclusion. We want to reflect the society we live and work in by representing a diverse pool of mentors. You can't be what you can't see. By providing children with access to diverse opportunities, people, professions and perspectives, they can have positive experiences and make meaningful connections to increase wellbeing and resilience for positive futures.