MRSN’s advice service offers advice on welfare benefits and tax credits, debt, housing, asylum support and access to health services to refugees and asylum seekers in Manchester. It runs drop-in advice sessions and appointments. Volunteers support the advice service through reception work, administration, advice support, and interpreting for clients who don’t speak English. Advice support staff provide basic information and make telephone calls on behalf of clients. Volunteers may also undertake an advocacy role for clients, accompanying them to appointments and interpreting, if necessary.
Volunteers can also train to give advice: we can arrange training in advice skills, welfare rights, health, asylum support, and other issues. Volunteers need to be available for at least six months.
Skills/experience needed:
- Good spoken English is needed for all roles.
- Good written English is needed for advice and form filling.
- Volunteers who speak Kurdish, Arabic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Somali or other languages are particularly needed.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills and confidence to deal with the public.
- Basic admin skills and ability to undertake simple tasks on behalf of clients.
- Comfortable using Microsoft Excel, Word, basic databases and internet browsers.
How to apply to be a volunteer?
If you are interested in one of our current vacancies please download the Volunteer Application Form and email the completed application to alex@mrsn.org.uk. (Note: After clicking the link above, the form needs to be opened from the bottom of the screen.)
Our partnership to support our volunteers
We want to ensure our volunteers get the support they need to enable them to do this role. Therefore we have partnered with Manchester Volunteer Advice Partnership (MVAP).
Are you interested in volunteering in community advice centres? Want to increase your skills, confidence and gain work experience?
MVAP provide free training to empower you to support people in your community. When you apply to work at MRSN, Alex will consider your application and will offer you MVAP training if it is available.
Training is 6 hours a week for 9 weeks and participants are asked to volunteer half a day a week alongside this. For full details about MVAP please click here.
The start of the next training period is February 2022.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at MRSN.