My time as a student volunteer at Citizens Advice

My name is Sukhpreet, and I’ve been volunteering with Citizens Advice Wokingham as a placement student for just over 9 months. I decided to apply for the volunteer position as I live in the area and wanted to carry out my placement close to home. I didn’t know much about Citizens Advice initially but my interest was piqued by the fact that it was a completely free service, independent from any government body.

I’ve been involved in some interesting projects, such as development days, which are dedicated to improving volunteer knowledge and skill set; stands creating public awareness about current projects and initiatives, such as scams awareness week; assisting with Citizens Advice Wokingham’s first council tax arrears drop-in evening; and celebrating Citizens Advice Wokingham turning 80 in style, by being involved in the creation of a video where members of the public were asked about their experiences and memories.

I’ve also met some fascinating individuals whilst helping with these projects, such as local MP, Sir John Redwood.

Being a student placed me in the unique position of being able to experience many different aspects of the organisation, allowing me to see firsthand how different roles came together to work cohesively and best support the client.

My role within Citizens Advice on a day to day basis included admin work, reception and telephone/ email assessment once I completed full assessor training, which covered every base Citizen Advice tackles: ranging all the ways from issues such as debts, benefits and universal credit through to issues involving families and divorce.

However I was also often in a position of support, aiding and assisting different members of the office, such as Jasmine Waters the Office Assistant to re-organise the office and create an up to date inventory or with Sue Cornish the Debt Advice Supervisor to put together client debt files.

The experience and knowledge I received throughout has been invaluable, as a young person I feel most of my peers have not been directly exposed to some of the issue Citizens Advice works to tackle. The placement opportunity allowed me to gain valuable insight about problems and pressures many people are facing today.

As a law student, I feel that this placement has fit perfectly with my legal studies route. Being able to tackle client’s cases first hand over the telephone or via email, whilst always being supported by a supervisor gave me practical knowledge which I may not have received had I been interning somewhere my role was limited to admin alone. Many cases were also often linked with, if not directly involved with legal issues, in which case the issue in question was discussed and passed on to the visiting solicitor, if the assessor felt the problem qualified.

I was also involved in creating a brick for the wall, which read as achievements and experiences we are proud of. I wrote

“I’ve enjoyed seeing everyone come together to solve seemingly difficult problems. This attitude of optimism and encouragement within the office has helped me grow massively in confidence! Its encouraging seeing clients grow in confidence too”

As my placement draws to an end and I reflect on my time here, I can confidently say that I feel I have had some small part in improving the various situations of the local community and feel immensely proud at being able to contribute as the volunteers at Citizens Advice do, in a variety of ways, every day. I’ve greatly enjoyed my time here and look forward to hearing about the continuing developments and achievements of Citizens Advice Wokingham.

Thank you to all my helpful colleagues old and new, who have supported me, encouraged me, laughed with me, smiled at my achievements and helped me tackle my problems in ways I did not think possible in a working environment. From the CEO of the organisation who was involved and supportive of each individual at every stage, through to management, supervisors, office assistants and every volunteer, who really do form the backbone of the organisation.