Volunteering FAQ's
Volunteering can be socialable, personally fulfilling and a great way to involve yourself in Liverpool communities. You can also gain new skills and valuable experience for future careers, as well as getting a chance to network within sectors you are interested in.
Volunteering is accessible to everyone, most charities simply ask for enthusiasm and commitment. Some organisations, however, may ask for specific skills or previous experience. This should be stated in the role description.
Contact us at jmsuvolunteering@ljmu.ac.uk and we can log your hours manually, but also see if more students could get involved with your organisation.
Student life is busy. That’s why we only work with volunteering partners that have shown a commitment to being flexible to your schedule. If you don’t have time for a weekly or monthly commitment, check out our one-off opportunities. You will always be able to pause volunteering during exam periods or the holidays if you chat with your volunteer coordinator.
Don’t worry! Please come and visit us in the Union or email us at jmsuvolunteering@ljmu.ac.uk and we’d be happy to help. Please note we are always developing our volunteering programme at JMSU, so new opportunities should appear throughout the year.
Not currently. We can’t offer effective international volunteering opportunities at the moment. We also have a policy of not supporting ‘Voluntourism’ - this means any volunteering opportunities where students must fundraise to travel internationally. We endorse effective fundraising for international charities.
Contact jmsuvolunteering@ljmu.ac.uk and we will get in touch with the community group on your behalf. We want to make sure that the providers on our platform have the capacity to support and welcome new volunteers, and if they can’t, we want to hear about it!
Yes. All opportunities registered on our system are with providers that reimburse their volunteers for any out-of-pocket expenses*. This means that they pay for any expense you wouldn’t have forked out for if you hadn’t been volunteering. This often includes transport and food.
For some volunteering roles, you will be required to have some type of DBS check, which will be organised and paid for through the group you are working with. This is a criminal record check and is needed for roles in which you will be working with children, young people, or vulnerable adults.
Yes! JMSU is here to support you through your volunteering journey. Make an appointment at jmsuvolunteering@ljmu.ac.uk and you can come and speak to us.
There aren’t any restrictions on volunteering for EU students. If you are from a non-EU country and have a Tier-4 student visa the number of hours you can volunteer might be restricted. For more information, read this guide produced by the National Union of Students here.
You can! There are various awards up for grabs offered by the Students’ Union and Liverpool Community and Voluntary Services. To increase your chance of winning them, log your hours, and fill in skills reflections every time you volunteer.
