Getting there, with Citizens Advice!

I'm starting to really enjoy my voluntary work with Citizens Advice.

I had only my second ever morning doing drop-ins this week and it was BUSY, which prompted me to get a shift on with triaging more than I usually do, making sure I only spent 20 minutes with each client so I could move on to the next a.s.a.p.

Even with that the receptionist had to urge some people to either come back tomo or Wednesday or just phone in, as it was standing room only by 10.00 a.m. when the doors open for the morning.

I managed to get through five clients in my 2 hours, although that extended to 2 hours 20 as I could take a bit longer with the final one, and I'm pretty happy I served them all reasonably well.

It really does take 6 months to get settled in...

It really is pretty full-on voluntary work and I guess it does just take, in my experience, six months to start developing a level of familiarity with the systems at C.A.

There are a lot of protocols... they are obsessed with consents of many kinds (for GDPR) and I've only just figured out how to ask these without feeling like I'm pissing the clients off - they just want to launch into their issues, but you're required to go over consents and check basic info with the first.

And then there's simply a lot of info sources you need to know about to be able to direct clients accordingly. For example today I had queries about benefits, employment, consumer complaints, divorce, and mortgages (we can't give financial advice but we can, for example, explain some aspects of how mortgages work).

So this involves not only knowing about rights of all kinds, it means knowing about government policies and systems, with all the nuances, which agencies national local can help with specific issues.

And you have to know this to match the client's needs to whichever of the above apply.

And no, I don't need to commit to memory every aspect of how every ombudsman works, for example, but I'm starting to realise that it helps to have been through, for example, how to appeal to an Ombudsman once with a client when another one comes in with a similar issue.

I had this today, in fact, someone had the exact same query that came up on Friday and I was able to just go 'BOOM' that's where you stand and -BOOM - here's the reference printed off, thank you very much, anything else? No - see ya and NEXT!

I can see how this job is going to get more satisfying with time, but it just takes time.

It's been so useful doing 2 days every other week rather than just one, as the cases you get exposed to mount up more quickly.

But it is work.....

I had a pretty full-on day Monday - drop-ins for the whole morning, then one booked appointment in the afternoon, so six in total and with the case note write ups I wasn't done until 16.00 and I'd got there at 9.45....

And I had that 'tired from work' feeling after.

I'm not sure I'd fancy doing this full time if I was paid, add on another 1.5 hours to the day and times by five, then repeat next week and so on, I'd be knackered by mid-week, it is a strain.

And I think it would still be a little stressful even if you had years of experience, that's just PEOPLE.

Maybe I could cope with three days a week...?

But then again being voluntary does have the advantage that I can take long lunch breaks and have a half day if I'm just not feeling it!

I should finish off the training by mid-spring I'm looking forwards to getting fully signed off, maybe if a regular job comes up in the area I'll go for it, I'll have to see how it goes, it's not a bad thing to be doing for sure!

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