Q. Who can volunteer?

A. Practically Anyone! Your Foyer is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for everyone who wants to volunteer. You can be a student, unemployed, employed, disabled, non-disabled, old and young, and from any ethnic and religious background. We aim to find a volunteering role thats suitable for you, and we screen all volunteers who will have contact with children.

Q. Do you offer training to volunteers?

A. Introductory training will be given by each company you work for to make sure you are able to carry out specific tasks. There may also be opportunities for further training depending on the location and nature of the role.

Q. What will I get out of volunteering?

A. It depends on what motivates you. However this is a list given by past and present volunteers from Foyers...

• If you're looking for work or recently graduated, you will gain valuable work experience for your CV.
• Understand how a specific sector works
• Builds relevent skills and learn new ones
• Boosts your confidence
• Gives you independence
• Shows potential employers you have initiative and desire to work
• Gives you satisfaction from playing a positive role in someone else's life
• Sense of achievement
• Widens your circle of friends

Q. How much time do I have to give as a volunteer?

A. As much as you want. You can simply tell us what you can do and when you can do it. Some people volunteer for a couple of hours a week, others help out at one-off events or during school holidays.

Q. What skills do I need to volunteer?

A. This will depend on what you do. If you don't have the skills needed, where possible, we'll make sure that the company you work for helps you to develop them. More often than not, enthusiasm, the ability to smile and engage are the most important skills required.

Q. Will volunteering affect my benefits?

A. No. Volunteers are not paid for their time but are entitled to be reimbursed for their travel and other legitimate expenses. Please read about the rules below is your receiving one of the benefits below:

• people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) can volunteer as long as they remain available for work and are actively seeking paid employment
• people claiming Income Support and/or Disability Living Allowance can volunteer
• people claiming Incapacity Benefit can volunteer for as long as they want. There used to be a rule that people receiving Incapacity Benefit could only volunteer for 16 hours a week but this rule no longer exists.

Volunteering does not affect your ‘permitted work’.

Volunteering does not affect the benefit payments you receive. However, you should inform your benefits advisor when you begin volunteering.

Q. I’m an asylum seeker, can I volunteer?

A. Yes. Since April 2000, asylum seekers have been allowed to volunteer. You may receive or already have a letter saying that you must not engage in paid work - but this does not apply to roles that are clearly voluntary. You can also help with fundraising projects in your Foyer. However, if you do want to help with a project for children, you will need to undertake a check with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). Asylum seekers who volunteer are entitled to receive out-of-pocket expenses.

Q. I'm a refugee, can I volunteer?

A. People who have refugee status or have exceptional leave to remain are allowed to do any type of work, including voluntary work.