How to find COVID-safe volunteering work for Duke of Edinburgh Award and to boost your CV

Hi, I’m Olivia from EasyA, and I’m a Classics and English student at the University of Oxford. It has been a crazy past 18 months, and it can seem like the odds are stacked against you when it comes to getting work experience or volunteering work. Even as the world starts opening up again, COVID secure volunteering work can be quite difficult to find. But never fear! I’m here to give you some advice on finding COVID conscious, yet fulfilling work experience and volunteering work to boost your CV, personal statement, or to put towards your Duke of Edinburgh award.

EasyA

EasyA is on a mission to help school students get back on track after more than a year of disrupted learning which has widened the attainment and opportunities gap. Founded by recent grads, EasyA is a free app that gives all students access to tutoring via chat, and needs STEM tutors to help!

Unlike other tutoring opportunities, EasyA is so flexible for both students and tutors - it could literally be when you have a spare 15/20 minutes on the bus!

We are looking to grow and expand out from our current set of tutors. We would love some STEM undergraduates and school students in their GCSE and A Level years to sign up on a totally flexible basis. Not only a great addition to the CV, EasyA is also an amazing way to simultaneously give back and gain new skills – perfect for increasing your employability!

As this opportunity is entirely digital, and you can do as much or as little as suits you, this is the perfect way to give your CV a well needed boost, as well as counting towards volunteering hours for Duke of Edinburgh and other awards! Just fill out this super quick form to get started!

Ask your school

If you are looking for online volunteering work, your best bet is to volunteer your time for your school! Drop a teacher an email and ask if you could be of assistance in creating resources - perhaps they need a hand making a PowerPoint, or could do with some help with uploading their lessons online.

You could even compile your notes to create a revision guide for younger years, and ask the teachers at school to share it around. This keeps your volunteering local, and is a great way to give back to the people who helped you so much throughout your education!

Charities working from home

Many charities have had to change the way they operate during the pandemic, and COVID has brought its own unique set of challenges with it everyone, but particularly for certain groups in society.

Many charities are looking for volunteers to chat to elderly people on the phone, to help combat elderly loneliness and isolation following the lockdowns. You could also ask family friends or post on social media asking if any children need help with their homework while they isolate, if their parents are busy working from home or struggle with giving their children a hand.

Many more established charities are also keen for fundraising - the cancellation of major fundraising events such as marathons has been really detrimental for them. Perhaps you could set yourself a fundraising challenge for a charity close to your heart. Set a fundraising target and run a 10k, or have a COVID secure cake sale!

Volunteering can be at home

You don’t always need to go outside of your immediate circle or home to volunteer. Maybe your younger siblings need babysitting while your parents are at work, or perhaps they need entertaining during the summer holidays as your parents are working from home? Offer to watch a film with them, or do some arts and crafts - your parents will really appreciate it, and this counts as volunteering work!

After a really disrupted year, you could help your younger siblings catch up on some school work. Maybe you could encourage them to download the EasyA app to help with their maths, or you could offer to go through their History work with them - this is a great way to share your skills, as well as to keep your own mind sharp during the summer holidays!

You could also do some chores around the house - could the shed do with a lick of paint, or maybe the cupboard under the stairs needs clearing out?

For the Duke of Edinburgh award, your assessor cannot be a family member, but perhaps a family friend or neighbour can attest to your DIY skills?

I really hope these tips to find COVID secure volunteering experience help, and that you found them useful. Be sure to check out our other EasyA blog posts, and to download the EasyA app.

If you’d like to tutor for EasyA, that’s awesome! You can just fill out this super quick form and we will be in touch shortly!