Volunteer

Volunteering at LLGS

Being a volunteer for London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard is a rewarding and fulfilling experience and allows you to make a huge difference to the lives of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals trans people and their families and friends. It's also an excellent way for you to develop new skills in life, meet new people and make an active contribution to the LGBT community.

• Telephone Helpline Volunteers make up the vast majority of our volunteers and they operate the helpline, listening to callers' concerns, providing calm words and appropriate support and relevant information when necessary.

However, we sometimes have support roles for people who want to help LLGS but do not want to answer the telephone.

• Fundraising Volunteers help us raise funds for LLGS by attending 'bucket rattles' which regularly take place across London's LGBT venues, or by helping out or organising other fundraising events.
• Information Researchers help us maintain and update our comprehensive database, ensuring that the information we have is both up to date and accurate. This vital role enables our telephone volunteers to have access to the most relevant information during the calls they take.

Become a Volunteer

Applying to become a volunteer is easy: the best way is to complete the application form online or you can also request it via  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or by phone if that's better for you, calling our office on 020 7837 6768.

Decide on the type of volunteering you would like to do:

• Do you want to help on the telephones?
• Do you want to take part in some of the fundraising events in the community?
• Can you accurately research and update information about our community?

Unless you complete the form online you will need to complete the forms included in the recruitment pack and return them to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or by post to

LLGS

PO BOX 7324

London N1 9QS

We will be in touch to acknowledge your application and to arrange an interview if your application is successful.

Interviews for telephone applicants are conducted by existing telephone helpline volunteers, who will assess your ability to deal with some of the problems that our callers ring us about. Do not be put off by this process, as we know that you may be nervous in these types of situations, however it is the best way for us to be able to discuss with you some of the issues and assess if you are comfortable talking about such issues.

Telephone applicants who are successful at interview are invited to attend the Core Acceptance Training course (CAT course). This consists of role-plays, group exercises, information system training, as well as sexual health and HIV training. Initial training takes place over 4 consecutive Saturdays or 8 Wednesdays, and volunteers must be able to attend all sessions.

You will then be provided with a personal trainer, who will work with you on a one-to-one basis for your first 12 hours on the telephone. You will then be able to take calls on your own, at times when a fully trained volunteer is also covering a shift, so that you are able to receive support from them if needed.

After a total of 33 hours on the telephone, if everything is OK, you will be made a ratified volunteer. You will then be able to work on the telephone without the need to have a fully trained volunteer there with you. You will also become a member of the company and receive voting rights in the strategic issues that affect the charity.

Non-telephone volunteers will receive training appropriate to their role, but it will include an induction about LLGS, what we do, and how the role fits into the organisation.