Volunteering can give you a great sense of achievement along with helping you get into paid work
By volunteering you will be supporting others at the same time as:
- learning new skills and making use of the skills you already have
- becoming more confident
- putting some volunteering experience on your CV
- picking up good ideas from other people
- showing employers you can stick to regular hours and have commitment
- meeting people who can help you find paid work
- having things to talk about in a job interview
- getting valuable references
There are some really great volunteering opportunities in Sandwell - take a look at LetsGoSandwell.
How will volunteering affect my benefits?
You can volunteer while receiving benefits as long as you continue to meet all the conditions of your benefit.
Tell the office that pays your benefits about any volunteering that you are planning to do before you start.
This DWP guidance covers volunteering in detail.