UK Volunteering

Volunteering is an important part of community service all over the
world and without volunteers many non-profit organisations would not
be able to carry out their worthwhile functions. In the UK anyone who
is a citizen and lives in the country can volunteer to help out. There
are many societies that recruit volunteers to give some of their time
or talents to help others. While there are no age limits for
volunteers, organisations can encounter difficulties with insurance
for those who do not fall between the ages of 16 and 65.

There are rules governing volunteers who are not citizens of the UK.
Employers cannot legally hire a person for work if they are not
legally in the country and the same applies to volunteers. A volunteer
must have a Visa and there must not be anything on that Visa that
would keep them from volunteering in any capacity. An organisation
should check this out when approached by a non-UK citizen who wants to
volunteer his/her time.

There is no legal requirement for organisations to reimburse
volunteers for any expenses they incurred in the activity. On times,
there may be a paid position arise in the organisation and it is
perfectly acceptable to offer this position to a volunteer who has the
qualifications for the job.

According to statistics, there are many people who do volunteer their
time and talents in the UK, although there has been a drop in the
numbers. There is a equal number of men and women doing volunteer
work, but a survey in 1997 revealed that number of men volunteering
was up from a previous survey taken in 1991. The average age of
volunteers is from 45 to 54 years of age, with the lowest levels
occurring among those over the age of 75 and under 24.

The most common type of volunteering involves raising money for
charities or for community projects. Others included serving on
committees and providing transportation. The areas in which there are
always many volunteers are sport and exercise, and children's
education.