What does The Prince's Trust do?

The Prince’s Trust is the UK’s leading youth charity offering 14 to 30-year-olds opportunities to develop confidence, learn new skills, get into work and start businesses. The Prince’s Trust targets those not in education, employment or training; young offenders; and those in or leaving care.

Last year The Prince’s Trust supported more than 40,000 young people. More than 26,000 of these we had not helped before and almost 14,000 were existing clients. It could not achieve these results without the support of its volunteers.

The Prince’s Trust runs seven core programmes to support young people to achieve their goals – Team, xl, Enterprise, Get into, Get Started, Development Awards and Community Cash Awards – as well as a number of pilot programmes. More detailed information can be found here.

Who do we help?

Our clients are those who struggle at school, are in or leaving care, are unemployed particularly long term or who have been in trouble with the law. We also target help at those with disabilities, single parents or those who have had problems with drugs and alcohol and underrepresented groups including those from Black and Minority Ethnic communities (BMEs), refugees and those from the travelling communities.

What does The Prince’s Trust expect from me and what can I expect from them?

Above all, to honour the Trust’s core values and to be reliable, yet flexible when needs change.

Most of our volunteers learn new skills whilst others enjoy the benefits of working in new and challenging environments. The Prince’s Trust hopes your volunteering experience is rewarding, inspiring and something you wish to continue.

To allow us to best support both our young people and our volunteers we follow a needs-led approach across The Trust. Depending on the local needs in the area, your Prince’s Trust contact may ask you to take on a different or additional role due to funding or programme changes.

Which volunteering roles are available in my local area?

Each region and country post the available volunteer roles on their website. The role descriptions are designed to help you understand the key tasks and responsibilities that the chosen role involves, including time commitment, person specification and reporting requirements.

How much time do I need to give?

It depends on the volunteer role, some of our opportunities involve dedicated time each week, and other roles just require six hours per month.

Each of our volunteer role descriptions will include the time commitment we request for the role. As a volunteer, you agree how much time you are prepared to give which will help us determine which opportunities would be suitable. If your circumstances change, please talk to your regional contact.

I am not a British national. Can I still volunteer with The Prince’s Trust?

Our opportunities are open to people of all backgrounds and nationalities, though most of them require that you are resident in the UK.

There are no restrictions on volunteering by nationals from the European Union (EA) or European Economic Area (EA, including Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland). If you are from outside the European Union or European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland), you must check your visa or entry clearance conditions and demonstrate to YouthNet that you are allowed to volunteer.

If you have refugee status (or have exceptional leave to remain) or are an asylum seeker, you and your family members may volunteer. See Volunteering England's information sheet on volunteers from overseas for further details.

Can I claim benefits while volunteering?

Yes. The benefits regulations are clear that you can volunteer, but you should notify the relevant agency before you start volunteering. Do check the jobcentre website as there are specified requirements to follow.

See Volunteering England's information sheet on benefits for further details.

If I don't have experience working with young people can I still apply?

You don't need to have any experience, specialist skills or qualifications for the majority of our roles. The qualities we look for in volunteers are:

  • Reliability
  • Ability to relate to and empathise with young people and their aspirations
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, especially listening skills
  • Ability to be non-judgemental, self-aware, patient, understanding, flexible, positive and supportive attitude in all situations
  • Ability to challenge own assumptions and negativity

Plus you will receive full training and ongoing support by The Trust

Do I need lots of experience?

The skills and experience you'll need depend on the role. While some of our roles might make use of volunteers' special skills, many are perfect for people who want to get some work experience or try something completely new. This information is always described in our role descriptions.

What happens if I change my mind?

Volunteers must honour their current role. The option of changing roles should be for the benefit of not only the volunteer but the young person and the needs of The Trust.

Once you register as a volunteer you can sign up to receive opportunity alerts. Simply use the subscribe button top right of the webpage to receive information about opportunities to work with young people, and you'll get the latest volunteering roles.

New volunteering roles often come up – so it's worth checking.

Are the time commitments in the role descriptions set in stone? What if I spend more time?

We acknowledge that it varies depending on the relationship and the need of the young person. These are just averages, meaning some may need more and some may need less time. There will still be local flexibility around the roles and the requirements to make sure that we are still meeting the needs of the young people. Volunteer roles and their requirements will be reviewed annually.

What can I expect when I volunteer?

As a Prince’s Trust volunteer, you can expect a clearly defined role within our organisation. You'll have a dedicated volunteer manager to provide you induction, training and ongoing support so that you are given feedback and opportunities to develop your skills. And, we'll respect the knowledge and experience you bring to the role, ensure you have a voice within the organisation, and appreciate your contribution.

Is training available outside ‘normal’ business hours?

We are trying to make our training more accessible by looking at when it is delivered and how so that we can make better use of distance learning and workbooks.

Will I get my expenses paid?

The Prince’s Trust will reimburse all reasonable, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by you in relation to your volunteering. All expenses need to be agreed in advance by your volunteer manager. If you do not wish to claim your expenses, you are welcome to donate them back to the organisation.

Will I be insured?

Volunteers are covered by Prince’s Trust insurance policy while in our office or engaged in any work on Prince’s Trust behalf.

Why do I need a CRB check?

United Kingdom legislation and guidance relating to the welfare of children has as its core principle that the welfare of children and young people must be the paramount consideration. The Prince's Trust fully supports this principle and therefore requires that people who come into contact with children or young people or personal details of children pass a CRB check. This is to ensure that children and young people’s welfare is safeguarded.

A Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure check is required for volunteers wishing to be:

  • Progression Mentor (for those under 18-years-old)
  • Transition Mentor – Leaving Care and Leaving Prison (for those under 18-years-old)
  • Awards Assessor
  • Outreach & Recruitment volunteer

Is face-to-face mentoring the norm?

Face-to-face meetings are our preferred method of mentoring. However to keep our opportunities open to as many people as possible and to meet the needs of our young people we also recommended mentoring via phone and email.

What should I do if I am going to be away or out for extended periods and so not contactable?

Please let your Prince’s Trust contact know.

Can we job-share for volunteer-co-ordinator?

Yes in principle but this will be at the discretion of how a region or country and will depend on how they use this volunteer role to meet their needs. There will be some extra capacity built into the volunteer team to cover holidays etc as well.

When will mentors be linked to clients?

We try to link young people to mentors as early through the programme as possible. Moving forward this is still the aim and the Enterprise Programme gives volunteers and mentors the opportunity to work with young people from the beginning of their participation on the programme.

For those young people who do go on to start businesses we are trying to link them to mentors as soon as possible.

What are the annual reviews for?

Reviews are set times to support the ongoing process of having open and honest conversations, giving and receiving feedback and recognition and focusing on opportunities for continuous improvement and development.

Volunteer reviews are designed to be an opportunity:

  • to be clear and agree on what volunteers have to deliver for The Prince’s Trust to be successful
  • to receive feedback on your role and your opportunity to feedback on The Trust to improve our performance
  • to discuss your volunteering in the future
  • to discuss other support needs

You will have an initial review within six-months of becoming a volunteer with The Trust. This is an opportunity for you to discuss how the role is going and any concerns there may be, to make any revisions and to decide whether to continue with the role or look for other volunteer opportunities within The Trust or elsewhere. You will also have an annual review and possibly end of assignment review depending on your role.

How do I find out about other volunteers doing the same role as me?

Contact your local volunteer manager who may be able to provide details of local networks in your area. There are specific networking dates which will be posted on the volunteer web page.

Most communication from The Prince’s Trust is by email. This helps us keep costs to a minimum and so help more young people. Your Prince’s Trust contact will let you know about volunteer network meetings in your area, volunteer conferences, any training opportunities and any news or major policy changes. Please contact them to let them know if your details change, or if you are having any issues. Also check your local page at www.princes-trust.org.uk/volunteers for upcoming events and news stories in your area.

Can I get a reference?

As appropriate, we can provide a written reference after you have been volunteering with us for a while. Please note this will be a character reference only.

How can I give feedback?

We welcome your feedback and we would like to hear from you as it helps us improve what we do. Please visit our feedback page to contact us or speak to your Prince’s Trust contact.

Where does The Trust get its money from?

To continue running the programmes, we need to raise around £1 million every week. We rely upon donations and fundraising from a huge variety of people, including challenge events. See our £1 Million a Week? Article to find more about how The Trust raises funds.