Is this enough volunteering?

I'll be volunteering in a charity shop (Oxfam) for about 7-8 weeks. I can work as many hours as I want- what would be the right amount per week (4 hours or should I do more?). I hope to get a part time job at uni so want to maximise my chances in securing a good one

Reply 1

username1799249

There is no threshold of experience required to move from one job to another. It is about the skills you have to offer your new employer, your attitude and whether they like you. I certainly wouldn't consider someone with 7-8 weeks working in a shop as being experienced at anything in particularly. Give it a few months at the very least.

Good luck!

Reply 2

Guybrush Sheepgood

Original post by bobbricks

2 months working in a charity shop for 4 hours per week isn't a lot of experience to be honest. 4 hours a week is fine but I would say do it for several more months than that, if not a year (as long as the money goes towards worthwhile charities / the atmosphere is nice, etc.)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

Milkround Student & Graduate Careers

Official Rep

Original post by bobbricks

Hi,

It's less about the amount of time you spend in a job/volunteering - but more about the responsibilities you had and the skills you gained.

If you want to make the most of your experience volunteering, try and take on a breadth of different responsibilities/projects so that you gain as much experience as you can whilst at Oxfam (if possible). That will be more valuable to you when it comes to interviews/writing your CV, as you will have a variety of examples to draw from - which is more useful than simply having spent a long time doing very similar things.

Hope that helps!

Chantelle & The Milkround team

Reply 4

username1494226

I did some volunteering back when I was doing A levels. I did about 10 hours a week for 2 months at the British Heart Foundation and it was worth it in the end. If you do 10-12 hours a week for 2-3 months, I think that would be suitable experience