Voluntary experience

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Hello everyone I am new to this forum,

I just wanted to ask I am final university student studying IT. I want to volunteer so I can get experience. Preferably I want to volunteer at the school or college during the summer holidays. So how do I get voluntary opportunities with schools and colleges?

 

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You ask them, things won't come to you, you have to go out and find the opportunities.

 

This. Worked for me.

 

Thanks for the reply. Where did you volunteer? and how did you get into the volunteering position

 

Agree'd. I landed a position at the company I'm working for now by offering to do voluntary work. The script went as follows:

Me: looked on yell.com for all the local I.T companies
Me: phoned them all asking if there were any jobs going
Company: send your CV to us (only one out of loads said this, rest said nothing going sorry)
Me: sent CV
Company: Sorry we have no positions at the moment but may we keep your CV on file?
Me: Of course you may, could i ask about the possibility of voluntary work?
Company: come in and see us and we can have a chat

After an initial chat which you could sort of call an interview i guess, they allowed me to do Voluntary work for them over the holidays (6 week hols). 2 weeks into it they said they wanted to pay me for it (back dated i think to day 1). 4 weeks in and with 2 weeks to go they offered me a permenant position.

Still working there now and progressed a little within the company.

Just goes to show, if you dont ask you dont get.

 

Think I used something similar to Do-it - Volunteering made easy .

I just volunteered for a local charity, got noticed by an IT company who were providing IT support for charity - got interview and got the job, I would do it again if I had to and will always recommend it. Some people have the wrong attitude as doing free work... you have to get noticed and get yourself out there pimping yourself so to speak. Blogging/linkedin/twitter are also good to interact with people if you put the effort it.

 

Just to put in my little bit about working in a school or college - It is very hard these days to get a placement in a school as CRB checks must be carried out before you can come on site. Unless you will be 100% supervised at all times when on site you will need one of these.

As schools must pay to have the CRB check carried out they are less and less likely to offer up voluntary positions, unless it is for something that they want. People getting placements in schools / colleges tend to be with a training provider who will cover the cost of the CRB checks.