Are you a good listener?
100,000 people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK. Every one of them shares the uncertainty of life with MS.
People are most likely to find out they have MS in their thirties, forties and fifties; news that can be scary and heart breaking. MS can get steadily worse, or symptoms can come and go unpredictably throughout your life.
Could you spare a few hours a week to provide emotional support and information to those affected by MS? If so, the MS Helpline team would like to hear from you.
We’re the UK charity for people with MS. We’re fighting for better treatment and care to help people with MS take control of their lives, and we’re funding research that we believe will beat MS for good. We’ve already made important breakthroughs, and big advances in MS treatments are possible within our lifetimes. With your support, we will beat MS.
Time and Commitment
The MS Helpline is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm. All of our MS Helpline volunteers carry out their MS Helpline volunteering from home and give emotional support and information to people affected by MS by telephone.
We are looking for volunteers that can commit to a 3 or 4 hour telephone shift a week.
You’ll receive full trainingstarting on May 15th. The first training session will be a two day training session in London on the 15thand 16thof May. The remainder of the training is carried out by weekly teleconference sessions. You will need to commit to attending a weekly training session every Wednesday, during the daytime, over an eight week periodand pass two assessments before being accepted onto the MS Helpline volunteer programme. The training sessions will be around 90 minutes long, plus there will be reading and some tasks in-between sessions.
About you
We do not ask for previous experience although we are looking for people with good listening skills and a clear, warm telephone voice. You should have good IT skills as the role will require use of Microsoft Office such as Word and Outlook, internal databases and call handling system. You will receive training on the internal databases and call handling system.
We also ask that you have access to a confidential and comfortable working space, computer and broadbandsuitable for MS Helpline volunteering. We also ask that you have a landline for teleconferencing training sessions. If you are shortlisted for an informal chat, we will ask you about your home and equipment set up, as unfortunately not everyone may have the appropriate set up and equipment for MS Helpline volunteering.
What will you get from volunteering with us?
- A chance to learn new skills
- Meet new people and make new friends
- Be part of a supportive, caring team
- Ongoing support for your development as a volunteer
Before applying please ensure you will be able to meet the following considerations:
If you are shortlisted, there will be an Informal chat between 8-16thof April over the telephone – this will take approximately an hour. This will also include a short role play. Successful candidates will then need to attend the first training sessions in London on 15thand 16th May.
Following the initial two days of training, successful candidates will need to commit to attending weekly telephone/online training for eight weeks every Wednesday during the daytime (training approx. 1.5 hours per week).
Please note we will be able to reimburse travel expenses for the training in London.
If you think you meet the criteria and would like to find out more about volunteering, please contact Emma Chudley at Emma.Chudley@mssociety.org.uk or Tel: 020 8438 0837
The deadline for applications is the 1stApril at 9am.