The Student Room Group

HELP!!!

I have recently volunteered at a local charity shop and have been put on the rota to work 6 hours a week this would take up all my Tuesday Friday night and Sunday 2-4, when I would usually see friends. I don’t think I will be able to revise for my upcoming exams, work and still have a social life. How do I tell them that I want to cut down to two hours??

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Reply 1
"you've given me too many hours, sorry I can only really give you X amount of hours at this time, I still need time to study"
Reply 2
Original post by Tubbz
"you've given me too many hours, sorry I can only really give you X amount of hours at this time, I still need time to study"

Ok, thank you I will try that 👍🏻
Original post by beekydog
I have recently volunteered at a local charity shop and have been put on the rota to work 6 hours a week this would take up all my Tuesday Friday night and Sunday 2-4, when I would usually see friends. I don’t think I will be able to revise for my upcoming exams, work and still have a social life. How do I tell them that I want to cut down to two hours??


It’s volunteering. They should be happy you volunteered in the first place - remember that. This should be on your terms. There’s no point jeopardising exams for volunteering.
I don't understand how 6 hours a week take away all of your free time? That's a tiny amount of hours. I'm not sure how few hours you were expecting when you volunteered to work there.

Never the less, if you don't want to commit to that then just tell them.
Reply 5
Original post by SophieSmall
I don't understand how 6 hours a week take away all of your free time? That's a tiny amount of hours. I'm not sure how few hours you were expecting when you volunteered to work there.

Never the less, if you don't want to commit to that then just tell them.


I am at school 7 hours a day then am spending at the very least 3-4 hours on homework/ study every week night and longer at the weekend. I also have other extra curricular activities and responsibilities outside of school. I am a teenager and want to have a life also to maintain my mental health, I already spend far too long sat at my desk. Clearly I want to work 2 hours a week as I said in the original post, I am doing this in my own time and getting nothing from it, so please don’t act as though I am being unreasonable!
Reply 6
Original post by beekydog
I am at school 7 hours a day then am spending at the very least 3-4 hours on homework/ study every week night and longer at the weekend. I also have other extra curricular activities and responsibilities outside of school. I am a teenager and want to have a life also to maintain my mental health, I already spend far too long sat at my desk. Clearly I want to work 2 hours a week as I said in the original post, I am doing this in my own time and getting nothing from it, so please don’t act as though I am being unreasonable!


Besides, how could you possibly know how much free time I have! For the record, working 6 hours a week would leave me with no free time.
Original post by beekydog
I am at school 7 hours a day then am spending at the very least 3-4 hours on homework/ study every week night and longer at the weekend. I also have other extra curricular activities and responsibilities outside of school. I am a teenager and want to have a life also to maintain my mental health, I already spend far too long sat at my desk. Clearly I want to work 2 hours a week as I said in the original post, I am doing this in my own time and getting nothing from it, so please don’t act as though I am being unreasonable!


lol, I don't mean to come across as you being unreasonable.

I just don't see (personally) how 6 hours take away all your free time.

If they are very flexible they may be okay for you to change to 2 hours a week, but I wouldn't bank on it. Most volunteer places/ charities have a minimum commitment time, otherwise it's often not worth having the volunteer there at all.
Reply 8
Original post by SophieSmall
lol, I don't mean to come across as you being unreasonable.

I just don't see (personally) how 6 hours take away all your free time.

If they are understanding they may be okay with you to change to 2 hours a week, but I wouldn't bank on it. Most volunteer places/ charities have a minimum commitment time, otherwise it's often not worth having the volunteer there at all.


If they don’t, then their loss, as I’ve already said you can’t possibly know how much free time I have. Anyway a small amount of help is always worth more than nothing.
Original post by beekydog
If they don’t, then their loss, as I’ve already said you can’t possibly know how much free time I have. Anyway a small amount of help is always worth more than nothing.


Not always (I volunteer also). Sometimes it actually makes things more difficult for them to have someone only in for 2 hours. They have to still dedicate training time to you, when they could just get someone else instead who is willing to put in more hours. Therefore if you can only commit to 2 hours, but they realistically need 6. Then they have to train 2 people (you and someone else to do the other 4 hours), that can be difficult for a non profit organisation with limited resources. This could end up making you more of a hindrance than a help, makes more sense for them to just train 1 person who can commit to more hours.

Sorry but that's just the way it is (in most places).
Reply 10
I am already trained and the shop is literally desperate for volunteers to work any amount of time - I asked how I should tell them I wanted to cut my hours, I already knew I could if i wanted to - as I’ve already said 😂 you don’t know the situation
Then just tell them the truth? I'm not understanding what the problem is then.
Reply 12
Original post by beekydog
I am already trained and the shop is literally desperate for volunteers to work any amount of time - I asked how I should tell them I wanted to cut my hours, I already knew I could if i wanted to - as I’ve already said 😂 you don’t know the situation


And at the end of the day, if they don’t want me, which they do, then there’s nothing I can do to change that without adding hours to the day
Reply 13
Original post by SophieSmall
Then just tell them the truth? I'm not understanding what the problem is then.


I was never planning to lie, the problem is you acting as though I am making excuses for cutting my hours when I genuinely have no free time.
Original post by beekydog
I was never planning to lie, the problem is you acting as though I am making excuses for cutting my hours when I genuinely have no free time.


Never said you were planning to lie.

By telling the truth, I mean just that. Just tell them how it is. "I don't want to commit to that many hours because I will not have any free time, I would like to cut it down to 2 hours". Not seeing the confusion?

I'm not acting like anything, I don't understand why you are getting so defensive. I said that because I just genuinely can't see how 6 hours takes away all your free time. You're in high school, not working 45 hours a week in a bank lol. But if you say it does, then fair enough. You do you.
Reply 15
Original post by SophieSmall
Never said you were planning to lie.

By telling the truth, I mean just that. Just tell them how it is. "I don't want to commit to that many hours because I will not have any free time, I would like to cut it down to 2 hours". Not seeing the confusion?

I'm not acting like anything, I don't understand why you are getting so defensive. I said that because I just genuinely can't see how 6 hours takes away all your free time. You're in high school, not working 45 hours a week in a bank lol. But if you say it does, then fair enough. You do you.


I’m not in high school - again showing you genuinely have no idea about my life, I didn’t ask for your comments I asked how I should tell them, nothing you have said has answered that. I actually do have a paying job also - again showing you have no idea about my life. Of course I am going to be defensive when you suggest that I am not being truthful which you clearly are doing.
Original post by beekydog
I’m not in high school - again showing you genuinely have no idea about my life, I didn’t ask for your comments I asked how I should tell them, nothing you have said has answered that. I actually do have a paying job also - again showing you have no idea about my life. Of course I am going to be defensive when you suggest that I am not being truthful which you clearly are doing.


Did you tell them you could only volunteer for two hours? If you were clear about that then just tell them.

Ignore some of the answers - I bet some of them don't do any volunteering.
Original post by beekydog
I’m not in high school - again showing you genuinely have no idea about my life, I didn’t ask for your comments I asked how I should tell them, nothing you have said has answered that. I actually do have a paying job also - again showing you have no idea about my life. Of course I am going to be defensive when you suggest that I am not being truthful which you clearly are doing.


My bad, I mixed your thread and someone else's together in my head, which made me think you were in high school. Sorry about that.

I literally just told you how to tell them?

Not once did I call you a liar, don't be so silly.
Reply 18
Original post by Muttley79
Did you tell them you could only volunteer for two hours? If you were clear about that then just tell them.

Ignore some of the answers - I bet some of them don't do any volunteering.


Thank you, I was clear that I was very busy and couldn’t work more than a couple of hours. I am planning to go and tell them tomorrow ☺️
Reply 19
Original post by SophieSmall
My bad, I mixed your thread and someone else's together in my head, which made me think you were in high school. Sorry about that.

I literally just told you how to tell them?

Not once did I call you a liar, don't be so silly.


I said that 6 hours would leave me with no free time you said that this couldn’t be true clearly saying that what I said was not true.

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