Working in the charity/voluntary sector (sometimes referred to as third sector) doesn’t necessarily mean working in a voluntary or unpaid capacity. There are jobs within the sector for paid and permanent roles, though salaries may be lower than those in the private sector in some cases.

Graduate roles within the sector

There are a variety of jobs within the voluntary sector, including:

• Administrator
• Campaigner
• Charity officer
• Community development worker
• Fundraiser
• International aid/development worker
• Public relations officer
• Youth worker.

Find out more about these at www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm

Required skills

While (ideally) you’ll need the usual skills graduate recruiters seek, some of these listed skills will be particular sought after:

• Enthusiasm
• Motivation
• Good communication skills
• Commitment and resilience
• Creativity and innovation
• An interest in the issues facing charities and the cause of the individual organisation.

For more information about skills and how to gain them, see the Your skills page on the Careers website.

Further resources

Have a look at these resources for further information:

• Professional Connect networking event with York alumni from the Public and Voluntary sectors (Tues 25 Feb, 6.15 – 8.30pm)
• Volunteering pages – York Students in Schools, York Students in Communities, @Work and ideas for other volunteering opportunities from Careers
• Considering voluntary sector information sheet
• Careers’ Voluntary sector Facebook sector page
• Prospects website – occupational profiles, industry insight and vacancies in the voluntary sector
• Third Sector magazine – current edition and back copies available for reference in Careers
• Third Sector Jobs – jobs site
• Charity People – jobs site
• www.do-it.org.uk – volunteering opportunities throughout the UK.