“I had retired from work, not from life”: Marcia on why she volunteers at Citizens Advice LeicesterShire

Our brilliant Volunteer Adviser Marcia talks about how volunteering at Citizens Advice LeicesterShire has provided a welcome challenge during her retirement, allowing her to learn new skills whilst giving back to her community.

A rewarding new challenge

I have been a Volunteer Adviser for Citizens Advice LeicesterShire since 2013. After retiring, I had a strong urge to give something back to the community, and volunteering enabled me to do so.

Upon retiring, people have different ways of filling their time. Some spend it with families, travelling, or gardening. For me, it was very important to find something that was both challenging and rewarding. Don’t get me wrong – challenging doesn’t mean stressful! I had no intention of getting stressed in my twilight years.

I did not want to just stop doing, especially after my challenging previous job at a local university. The thought of doing nothing was not an option for me. I had retired from work, not from life.

Training

Keeping my brain active was equally important as keeping my body active, so Citizens Advice was the ideal choice for me. I knew what the organisation did for people, but I did not know how they did it, this is where the training provided came into force.

Volunteering at Citizens Advice was and still is very supportive, and the training I received helped me to understand what their core values are.

I understood from the training that I did not have to know everything, just where to find it and how to check out what I found. Supervisors are always at hand to check that you are understanding the issue presented and that your response to a client’s issue addresses their needs appropriately. There is ongoing compulsory training as well as relevant advisory training.

Never stop learning

Citizens Advice LeicesterShire helps a wide range of people with a variety of different issues that they face in their day-to-day life. Volunteering gives me a unique insight and understanding of these struggles. At times, we also refer people to other organisations with specific expertise, so I am always learning new things.

Learning is the number one thing that I love about volunteering, which relates back to my previous job in education. Knowing that I can still learn is very satisfying.

Flexibility

I now do my volunteering as an adviser from home and no longer go into the office. Having the option to work remotely is really helpful and allows flexibility.

 

Whilst I sometimes miss the hub of the office, my colleagues are very supportive and the supervisors extremely helpful, so I never feel alone.

If you have recently retired and looking to give something back to the community, or just want to do something different, I would highly recommend volunteering at Citizens Advice. It offers a supportive challenge, one that is rewarding and giving.

You can find more information and opportunities on our volunteering page.