Studenteer helps Lucy to gain experience for her future career
Please could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about how you came to hear about Studenteer?
I’m Lucy and I came to hear about Studenteer through an email from Stylist magazine talking about volunteering while being on furlough.
What made you want to want to sign up as a Studenteer?
I wanted to sign up to be a Studenteer because it’s a great way to gain experience for a future career and also because it’s a great way to help charities and it gave me something to do during lockdown.
Could you tell us a little about the project you’ve been matched with and your role in helping them?
I have been matched with the charity Anxiety UK as a helpline volunteer. This means that I answer phone calls and emails and speak to people on a messaging service, and give them personalised advice about how to manage their anxiety and information on how the charity Anxiety UK can help them with this.
What was a typical day like?
I will volunteer 4 hours a week, and I spend 2 hours answering phone calls for their helpline and then another 2 hours answering emails and talking to people on a messaging system.
What new skills has this experience given you?
The experience has taught me how to be more empathetic and to listen to people in a deeper way so I can help them. It has also helped me to write more professionally whilst still being personal (a difficult balance) when I’m writing an email. Finally, its helped me to stay calm under pressure as sometimes the situations can be difficult to hear about or it’s hard to identify what would be best for the person I’m talking to immediately so I need to think things through a bit before I tell them anything.
What impact do you feel it’s had on your experience of being a student or graduate during COVID-19, and are you likely to continue volunteering after it ends?
I feel like this experience has really helped me to feel productive during the coronavirus outbreak especially when all of my exams were over, and it has given me a lot of valuable experience I can use during my degree and to a potential future career. So, I will definitely be continuing after the COVID-19 outbreak ends!
Could you give any advice or tips to other people considering signing up to Studenteer?
My advice would be if you are considering being a Studenteer is to be open-minded about what kind of volunteering opportunity you do, as you may not end up doing exactly what you wanted but it could still end up being really good for you. Also, to think about why you’re doing it and what you want to get out of it as that will make it easier when you come to decide what kind of volunteering you do.
Would you recommend Studenteer to a friend who is a Student or Graduate?
I would definitely recommend Studenteer to any friends I have who are students or graduates, it’s a really good way to get volunteer work and it can potentially help out charities as well!
