Volunteering

Volunteering means working for free to help others. You are not paid, although some organisations pay back reasonable costs such as travel. People volunteer because they want to help, but it is useful for them too. You meet new people, practise your English, learn skills for work and have something to add to your CV. Paid work, such as delivering takeaway food for an app, is a job and not volunteering.

There are many kinds of volunteering. You could care for animals at a rescue centre, help at a youth club, or join a group that clears litter from a park. Other people help at a homeless shelter, sit at a hospital information desk or visit older people in a care home. Some volunteers mentor people who have just left prison. Charities and councils advertise roles online and in local papers.

The UK has thousands of charities, large and small. The British Red Cross is part of an international movement. Age UK works with older people, the NSPCC protects children, and Crisis and Shelter help homeless people. Cancer Research UK pays for medical research. The National Trust and Friends of the Earth look after the environment, and the PDSA treats sick animals. Some charities, such as Oxfam, also take volunteers at summer music festivals.

People under 18 can volunteer too, in roles that suit their age. Organisations may need a parent's permission and must follow safeguarding rules. For several years many 16 and 17 year olds took part in the National Citizen Service, but that programme ended on 31 March 2025. Young people can now find roles through charities, schools, youth groups and local volunteer centres.