Are there age restrictions for volunteering? We ask that volunteers in the hospice are over the age of 18. Expand Due to the sensitive and sometimes emotionally challenging environment we work in, we ask that volunteers in the hospice are over the age of 18. The minimum age to volunteer in our charity shops, warehouse or retail office is 16. For insurance purposes, our volunteer drivers need to be aged between 25 and 70.
Can I still volunteer if I am not a British national? Trinity's rules around volunteering for people who are not British nationals Expand If you are not a British national, you can still volunteer with us. You will need to ensure you have an appropriate visa or provide confirmation that you are able to work in the UK, even though volunteering is not paid employment. Please note that we are not able to provide sponsorship for anyone wishing to come to the UK to volunteer.
Can I volunteer if I have been recently bereaved? Volunteering at Trinity if you have been recently bereaved. Expand If you have recently experienced a bereavement (whether this was somebody under the care of Trinity or not), and you wish to take on a patient-facing volunteer role at Trinity, we will ask you to wait for a minimum of 12 months before volunteering with us. Although this can seem like a long time to wait, feedback from volunteers suggests that this is an adequate adjustment time for those who have lost a loved one. We do have non patient-facing roles available in our shops and at our retail head office. You can find out more about these opportunities on our volunteer roles page.
Can I volunteer if I or somebody I know is under Trinity’s care? Expand Unfortunately you cannot volunteer if you or somebody close to you is presently using Trinity’s services.
Do I need any special skills to become a volunteer? More about what skills you might need in order to volunteer at Trinity Expand For most roles you don't need any special skills to apply to be a volunteer. If specific skills, experience or qualifications are needed we will provide details in our volunteer role profiles.
What is the application process? Expand All volunteers should first complete an application form, which you can do online for both hospice and shops roles. In addition, you can apply to volunteer in one of our shops by filling in a paper application form instore. You will then be asked to attend an interview and taster session (depending on the role applied for). You will also need to supply two satisfactory references. Depending on the role, a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check may need to be carried out before you can start.
What is the time commitment for volunteering? Helpful information about the time commitment we ask you to make when applying to volunteer at Trinity Expand We understand that people have busy lifestyles, so we offer flexible volunteering opportunities which work around you. In the hospice, we ask for our volunteers to commit to a minimum of 6 months. The weekly commitment will vary depending on the role but on average it is no more than 3 hours per week. In our charity shops, there's no minimum commitment, you can start your volunteering from as little as one hour per week.
What training do you offer volunteers? The training you will receive as a volunteer at Trinity Expand All volunteers will receive a full induction and training to get them started in their role. This will be through a mixture of e-learning, face-to-face training, and on-the-job learning.
What volunteer roles do you have available? How to find out which volunteer roles we're currently recruiting for Expand All our current volunteer opportunities can be found on our roles page. If you can't find what you are looking for, please email the volunteering team or call us on 020 7787 1000.
Will volunteering affect my benefits? For people concerned about the impact that volunteering at Trinity might have on their benefits Expand Volunteering should not affect your benefits, but it's best to let your benefits adviser know, just in case.
Will volunteering cost me anything? How reimbursements work for volunteers at Trinity Expand No. We will reimburse reasonable travel and lunch expenses. We don't want our volunteers to be out of pocket through choosing to volunteer with us.