In this blogpost, we collect information from one of our charity partners about how students can best prepare for applying to jobs within the charity sector.

In honor of Lent term coming to an end, we wanted to shift our focus towards what charitable work might look like post-graduation. Of course, volunteering can be a lifelong commitment but it may be of interest for students to find work within the charity sector itself. So, the Volunteer Centre connected with one of our charity partners and asked set of questions to learn more about what they look for in candidate for charitable work. Keep reading to hear more from Liv Bailey from CoachBright!

Question 1: In your opinion, what kind of person would thrive working in the charity sector?

Liv: Working in the charity sector, everything you do is driven by empathy and understanding; these qualities are a must for aspiring charity workers. Having worked in the sector for 3 and a half years, the main things that have helped me thrive in different roles have always been understanding the motivations of the young people we work with and the barriers they are facing. Whether it’s because you’ve been through something similar yourself or you’re passionate about a particular issue, I’ve seen this motivate countless people to feel fulfilled and motivated at work.

Question 2: What kind of experience helps prepare someone for a role in the charity sector?

Liv: Before working in education charities, I was driven by wanting to build academic self-confidence and wishing I’d had accessible role models helping me to pursue higher education. If this describes you, it could be a good fit – I’d also suggest volunteering. This is the simplest way to get an insight into working in the sector. Giving up as little as an hour per week to volunteer will look great on your CV and leave you with loads of transferable skills to bring to any charity after university. It’s also a great way to get your foot in the door – many of our staff at CoachBright started as volunteer coaches and now work for us full time!

Question 3: What is one thing you wish you knew before entering the charity sector?

Liv: That even though you might work for one small charity, working on one specific issue, you are not tied to that at all! While working in charities you get to get involved in so many different projects and pick up a really varied skill set. You get such a great set of tools to progress into different sectors if you choose to! It is really interesting to see colleagues who all started in the same role as me branch out into completely different things.

If you’re inspired by this information and want to continue your journey into the charity sector, we would highly recommend using the wonderful resource available thanks to the Alumni Centre, Ask an Alum, which makes matches between student questions and alumni who are best placed to share insights and advice. The Alumni Centre is able to connect LSE students with many alumnae in the charity sector, including leaders like Chi Nguyen, the Executive Director at Equal Voice. Chi recently shared her top tips for getting started working in an NGO, which you can watch on their Instagram!

If Liv has inspired you to volunteer or connect with organisations within the charity sector, check out one of our other ongoing opportunities or book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager if you have more questions. And why not follow us on Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.