Listening volunteers are there for anyone who needs someone. Every year, they spend over one million hours responding to calls for help and they can change the course of someone’s life.
This page is for students and staff of Anglia Ruskin University who are interested in joining our volunteer team at the Chelmsford campus.
Please read the following information and then complete the form at the bottom of the page if you would like to apply.
Help people at difficult times
Every 10 seconds we can help someone turn their life around. As a listening volunteer you get the chance to make a real difference to someone’s future.
Get support every step of the way
You’ll receive full training to prepare you for the kinds of conversations you’ll have. And you’ll always be on shift with someone else so you’re never on your own.
Learn to do something valuable
You’ll gain a range of new skills and the confidence to use them, including the ability to understand people and manage difficult conversations. Many employers value these kinds of skills
What it’s like being a listening volunteer?
- It’s always different and always interesting – no two conversations are the same.
- It feels like a privilege to have people confiding in you.
What will I be doing?
You will support our callers by offering emotional support on the phone or via online chat. Your training will prepare you for both types of contact by our callers.
What kinds of conversations might I have?
- People contact us for all kinds of reasons. We listen, give them a chance to get it out, and talk things through with them. Only about 1 in 5 calls or messages are from people feeling suicidal, and you will be trained to know what to do in that situation.
- These stop and think statements are based on real life situations that, as a volunteer, you may experience when supporting our callers. Please take the time to read them
Who are we looking for?
- Open minded. You’re willing to understand someone else’s point of view, even if it’s different from yours.
- Supportive. You’ll help maintain a friendly and supportive atmosphere
- Empathetic. You’re comfortable with your own feelings and able to share another person’s feelings.
- Discreet. You’ll be careful with any information you're told, and never share it outside Samaritans.
- Accepting. You won’t discriminate against anyone for any reason, including gender, race, sexuality, disability or political views.
- Honest. You’re able to tell the truth even when it’s difficult – for example about the type of support we can offer people, even when they want more.
Can anyone be a listening volunteer?
It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’ve gone through difficult times yourself, what matters is that you want to help people – all kinds of people, from all walks of life.
Serving police officers and special constables can’t be listening volunteers because they have a duty to report crimes, which might conflict with our policies, although they can volunteer in any other role.
When will I be volunteering?
Shifts are around three hours and we ask volunteers to do one shift a week, although we do try to be flexible when needed. Currently they are mostly on weekday evenings, although there will be more shifts as the hub grows.
What’s the recruitment process?
- At the end of this page you will be asked to complete a form if you would like to progress your application.
- You’ll then be invited to a welcome session so you can meet some of the team and ask any questions. Please read the stop and think statements before attending.
- You’ll then be invited to book an interview.
- If you are selected, we will carry out a criminal record check and obtain references – we will be in touch after your interview to organise this.
- If selected, you will need to attend and complete our CORE training.
- Following the training, you will be supported by a mentor who is an experienced volunteer, who will guide and support you as you start taking calls.
What is CORE training?
You'll be given high quality training to prepare you for the role, along with other new volunteers. This takes place over 7 sessions and is online via Zoom. You’ll be asked to complete some digital topics as well as attend the sessions.
You need to be able to attend all sessions when you book your course.
Next steps
Thank you for taking the time to carefully read the information on this page. If you're ready to apply then we're keen to hear from you. Please click on the button below.
If you have any further questions please contact trainingschool@samaritans.org.