‘Experienced cyclists needed to take front position on a tandem to enable visually impaired people to enjoy the pleasure of cycling. Cyclists need not have experience of tandem riding as training will be provided.’ 

One of the varied and unusual opportunities that volunteering can offer, but apart from the joy of riding tandem, why should, and how can, students give up their time to volunteer?

Charlie Ball, Deputy Research Director of Prospects, one of the leading graduate recruitment sites in the UK said: “Volunteering in the relevant sector really does boost your career opportunities”.

He explains: “Volunteering gives you relevant  work experience in your chosen field, for instance, if you want to go into environmental services, then working in a bar is not relevant.  Secondly, volunteering shows determination, commitment and motivation.  Thirdly, many volunteering and internships are competitive to get into and proves that you already have a level of employability.  Fourthly, you get to meet people, network and make contacts.”

According the Prospect UK’s figures for 2007, the main sectors in which people chose to volunteer were in the health sector, education, community work, media and the church.  Most volunteering by students takes place during their undergraduate degree, but,  approximately 1% of the graduate population went into volunteering after they graduated, of them one third were in London.

But, how can already debt ridden students, those from not so wealthy backgrounds and mature students, all of whom may need to work, afford to give up their time during or after their degree? 

The Sutton Trust which works towards improving educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds and increasing social mobility are concerned with this dependence by some sectors on undergraduates gaining unpaid work experience.  James Turner, Policy Director, said: “A lot of industries and sectors, particularly politics and the media, depend on gaining experience from unpaid work and are very London-centric.  They have less formal and unstructured means of recruitment and therefore, it is harder to address those issues.  Some of the bigger industries, such as the law profession, are trying to draw on the wider pool of talent and this is easier with a structured route into the profession.”  He added that with an increase in student debt, there are concerns that not only will graduates be drawn to the higher paid professions when they graduate, such as city jobs, to pay back their debts, they will also be less likely to go into those crucial sectors such as teaching and charitable organisations.  This is, he added, also of concern for the prevalence of volunteering amongst undergraduates: “The higher the debt, the less likely students will be able to volunteer.”

However, www.do-it.org.uk, a UK wide database of volunteering opportunities advises you to research the right person to send your CV to explaining how many hours you are able to commit to.  Volunteering opportunities range from full-time year long placements to as little as a couple of hours per week.   Expenses should also be negotiated and most organisations will offer costs towards both travelling and lunch. 

Rhiannon Lewis, a final year history student at Kingston University who volunteers as a Learning Mentor at a local junior school, said: “I think it's important to find a balance between all your different commitments and it's also important to be honest about how much you can take on.  When I felt I had a bit more time I increased the amount of hours I spent volunteering each week and reduced my volunteering time when I needed to.”

Volunteering England’s website advises: “There are more volunteer opportunities than there are volunteers, so it is worth searching around to find something that is suitable. Any good organisation will not mind you asking them about training, supervision, accessibility, support and so on before you start. If an organisation is awkward about answering your questions, then you may well decide that it would not be a good place to volunteer anyway.”  Paid internships are also available and are usually designed to cover the summer holidays whilst an undergraduate (www.internsnetwork.org.uk).

But it’s not all about improving your career prospects.  Maria Jarvis, Centre Manager of the Kingston Volunteer Centre said: “People volunteer for many different reasons, to meet like-minded people or conversely to meet people from different backgrounds, feeling that they are contributing to society” and let’s not forget for just, plain old fashioned, fun.  If you don’t fancy riding a tandem, how about going to Glastonbury Festival as a Green Police Officer or drawing art mosaics across Kingston to prevent graffiti?  Volunteering opportunities can range from community radio, helping in places of worship, working with youth groups, charity campaigning, political agitation or helping set up exhibitions at a local museum.  The variety is immense and the benefits could be not only social, but also going to the top of that big pile of job applications sitting on a potential employer’s desk.