Deciding to volunteer some of your time and energies to a charity or not-for-profit organisation can be one of the best decisions you make!
Choosing the right assignment for you - and regularly assessing how it's working for you - is equally important. After a while, you may realise you've not chosen the right kind of work, may not be working the right hours or number of hours, the environment (place an/or people) may not be helping you, or your needs may simply have changed. Staying with an assignment which isn't right for you, and which can't be improved with good communication, can be draining (or even damaging) to your self-confidence, which is the last thing you want !
My second voluntary work assignment, found via a search on www.do-it.org.uk, became a life-changing experience for me, leading (almost a year ago) to part-time employment with a local charity who've been incredibly supportive and understanding of the difficulties caused by returning to employment after a long period of time. I'm pleased to say that I've settled in well, thanks to my boss' loyal support.
My first voluntary assignment, was very valuable in terms of work experience, because I was in a familiar field of work .... but the working environment - place and people, and especially with my boss who wasn't very appreciative, meant it ceased to really help me after a while, and in fact frustrated me a lot - so I wish I had sought out a replacement assignment sooner, instead of "sticking with the devil I knew" (which I now realise was because of the anxiety).
I wish you happy volunteering days ahead ....
Choosing the right assignment for you - and regularly assessing how it's working for you - is equally important. After a while, you may realise you've not chosen the right kind of work, may not be working the right hours or number of hours, the environment (place an/or people) may not be helping you, or your needs may simply have changed. Staying with an assignment which isn't right for you, and which can't be improved with good communication, can be draining (or even damaging) to your self-confidence, which is the last thing you want !
My second voluntary work assignment, found via a search on www.do-it.org.uk, became a life-changing experience for me, leading (almost a year ago) to part-time employment with a local charity who've been incredibly supportive and understanding of the difficulties caused by returning to employment after a long period of time. I'm pleased to say that I've settled in well, thanks to my boss' loyal support.
My first voluntary assignment, was very valuable in terms of work experience, because I was in a familiar field of work .... but the working environment - place and people, and especially with my boss who wasn't very appreciative, meant it ceased to really help me after a while, and in fact frustrated me a lot - so I wish I had sought out a replacement assignment sooner, instead of "sticking with the devil I knew" (which I now realise was because of the anxiety).
I wish you happy volunteering days ahead ....