Volunteering with children is one of the most popular categories for people searching the Do-it database, and there are thousands of opportunities across the country.

If you're interested in a career working with children then voluntary experience is often required before you undertake professional training. Volunteering for a helpline or as a mentor can provide you with excellent training and experience.

Even slightly more informal volunteering with an organisation such as the Brownies can give you a valuable insight into work with children and young people, as well as being enjoyable and rewarding in itself.

Recruitment and selection

Most volunteering placements working directly with children will require you to be checked by the Criminal Records' Bureau (CRB). The organisation you are volunteering with will organise this as part of their recruitment process, but it can take some time so don't necessarily expect to be able to start volunteering straight away.

You will also need to provide some kind of personal identification and are likely to be interviewed and be required to undertake some training before you can start.

Similar categories

There's an obvious overlap with other activity categories on the Do-it search, especially 'Education and literacy' and 'Youth'. It's worth spending some time searching the different categories to make sure that you find the opportunity that suits you best.

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