Volunteer Advisers are a key part of Citizens Advice Oxfordshire. They help clients face-to-face at a number of locations in Oxfordshire, over the phone, and by email. After you finish our Advice Assistant training, you can do more training to become a full Adviser.
Advisers receive thorough training and support from experienced staff. They also have access to regular online briefings, updates, and training opportunities. Plus, we host in-person social events where Advisers can meet and connect with staff and other volunteers.
Click on the links below to learn more about how to advise clients.
If you are interested in applying for this role, please get in touch at volunteer-recruitment@caox.org.uk.
Adviser role
You don’t need any special qualifications or skills, but you will need to:
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Be Friendly and Approachable: Make people feel comfortable and welcome.
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Be Non-Judgmental: Respect and understand people’s different views, values, and cultures.
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Have Good Listening Skills: Pay attention and understand what people are saying.
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Have Great Communication: Be good at speaking and writing clearly.
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Have Basic Maths and IT Skills: Be comfortable with numbers and using computers.
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Understand and Explain: Be able to understand information and explain it to others.
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Be Willing to Learn: Learn about and follow our goals, principles, and policies, including keeping information confidential.
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Be Ready for Training: Complete training for your role.
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Ideally, we ask for a commitment of 8 hours per week, which can be done in one day or spread over two days, for at least 12 months. We can be flexible with the schedule, so feel free to come and discuss your availability with us.
Our volunteers come from all kinds of backgrounds, and we especially welcome applications from disabled people, those with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary individuals, and people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. If you're interested in becoming an adviser and want to talk about flexible options for location, timing, or how we can support you, please get in touch with us.
Donna
Citizens Advice Oxfordshire
"Knowing that you are volunteering for an organisation that is genuinely making a difference to people's lives and the satisfaction you get from solving even the smallest problem for a client. I have learned so much during my short time with Citizens Advice, it's good to know that you can still learn new things. The volunteers and staff at CA Oxford are a really friendly and welcoming bunch which makes it a real pleasure."
Linda
Citizens Advice Oxfordshire
"I've been volunteering for just over a year and I have really enjoyed it. My role is not client-facing, more helping the admin staff who help the volunteers. I've mostly been helping with IT, such as recreating the website so that we could host it more economically. It's great to be part of a team, and to feel that I'm making a contribution, however small, to keep the CAO show on the road. CAO is full of lovely people doing essential work in difficult times, and it's a pleasure to be part of it."
David
Adviser - Citizens Advice Oxfordshire
"I enjoy meeting and helping people and the satisfaction of problem solving. I deal with circa 18 cases per week - Employment, Family, Housing, Finance, Consumer, Immigration etc. Lots and lots of Housing Issues including tenancy deposits, repairs, possession notices etc."