1. What is the Charity Sector?
The charity or not for profit sector covers a large number of organisations. These can often include universities, schools and voluntary organisations. The majority of charities are registered with the Charity Commission. The main aspects of the charities sector are that they are separate from business and government and they do not distribute their profits to shareholders. A charity’s main aim is to be of benefit to the public, and many of the major charities have become well known public names.
2. How do I get into the Third Sector?
TPP’s top 5 tips for breaking into the not for profit sector:
Volunteer (please see Q6 & 7)
Be flexible & reasonable
Understand the sector
Attend conferences / courses
Tailor your CV
3. What is it like working in this sector?
Individuals working in this sector are often highly committed to their employer and the organisation’s cause. Working in this sector seems to inspire high levels of motivation and pride. As a sector, it can be one of the most progressive and fulfilling workplaces, offering opportunities for part-time employment, flexibility, work-life balance and volunteering.
4. How big is this sector?
There is a paid workforce of at least 611,000 in UK general charities. This equates to an estimated 486,000 full-time equivalent(FTE) paid staff. The sector now employs approximately 2% of the overall paid workforce in the UK.
5. Where can I work?
A large number of national and international organisations have their headquarters in London and the South East and almost
one third of UK voluntary sector employees now live in these areas. However voluntary organisations operate throughout the
UK and there are indications that the growth of the voluntary sector has been higher outside London and the South East
between 1996 and 2005.
There are also opportunities to work in other countries.
6. How can I become a volunteer?
You become a volunteer by approaching an organisation you would like to work with.
If you do not know of any organisations that you would like to volunteer for, use a search engine to find ‘volunteering roles in
the UK’ this will bring up all sites that host volunteering opportunities where you can browse and see what appeals to you the
most.
Becoming a volunteer is much like applying for a job as references will have to be taken up. You will normally be consulted
on how long and on what days you want to work. Most importantly you need to be sure what skills you will be learning and what
you want to get out of the volunteering.
Check out the ‘volunteer’ section on our website, here you will find help and advice on volunteering in the sector. We also have a volunteer job board which may help you with your next move.
7. Why are people paid if this is the voluntary sector?
The term "voluntary" service reflects the history of the voluntary sector. Many volunteers were the well to do in society with time on their hands. They could afford to conduct voluntary deeds without being paid. The principle of non - paid work has continued, but the task of recruiting, training and supporting volunteers has become more complex, requiring a paid person to co-ordinate all of the unpaid activities. Volunteer coordinators, directors, admin staff etc are now paid. Unpaid volunteers only claiming expenses that provide a service for a few hours a week still exist though and remain the backbone of many organisations.
