Jobs & Volunteering

Step 1: Complete an application form and send it back to us

Step 2: Come in for an informal chat to help us find out more about you, and we’ll explain the role you’re interested in

Step 3: We’ll check your references and… voila! You are ready to go. Your assigned supervisor will be in touch to arrange a start date

Step 4: Complete an induction pack to ensure you are covered by our insurance and you understand our volunteer agreement.

Step 5: You get stuck in and enjoy yourself!

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, give back to the community and boost your confidence. Why not give it a go?

#volunteer #apply now

Bethany provides a suite of services which support people struggling with issues of homelessness helping them to: find suitable accommodation and furnish their homes, tackle addictions, learn new skills and gain employment, develop positive social networks and become active members of their local communities. This role is part of Homelessness Prevention, specifically the community work done in Moredun. The aim of this project is to help children, who come from families where English isn’t the primary language, with their homework, and to support parents to do so.

Summary of the role:

Building and supporting resilient communities is a key part of the work done at Bethany Christian Trust. One way to do this is assisting children from families who have English as a second language with their homework & supporting parents/ carers with mental or physical disabilities.

General responsibilities:

• The volunteer would work one- on-one with families and carers to help them support the children in completing their homework and improving their English.
• The parents may also attend the group and should be supported and made to feel welcome. These adults may have a number of Additional Support Needs.
• Being involved in the planning, preparing and/ supervision of a children’s activity. The volunteer should support and encourage the children to take part in the activity.
• The volunteer would support staff in implementing health and safety procedures and refer to them should they have concerns about an individual or situation within the group

 Important pre-requisites for the role:

• In working with children and their families, many of whom are learning English, the volunteer will need to be an adept & patient communicator.
• Children can get frustrated or distracted and the volunteer would need to be able to guide them to the task at hand, while still making the session a positive experience.
• Ideally, the volunteer would have worked in, or have experience of, the educational field and/or of working with those with English as a second language.
• The volunteer should be enthusiastic and welcoming, whilst also being aware of appropriate boundaries.
• A good level of technology knowledge is required, as the group will be taking place over video software for the foreseeable future
• Volunteers must be comfortable and in sympathy with our mission and values: Our Mission is to relieve the suffering and meet the long-term needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland while our values are to put Christian love into action and demonstrate the transforming impact of the Gospel in all that we do.

Safeguarding:         PVG check required

Location

• The group will be run on Zoom for the foreseeable future, but would normally be run in Moredun, Edinburgh (EH17 7LB)

Pattern of hours

• The group runs on a Wednesday between 4pm and 5pm during term time

Bethany provides a suite of services which support people struggling with issues of homelessness, helping them to find suitable accommodation and furnish their homes, tackle addictions, learn new skills and gain employment, develop positive social networks and become active members of their local communities.

This work is supported by our Income Generation Department- including retail. The purpose of this role is to aid the Sales Coordinator in maintaining Bethany’s online retail presence, which runs alongside our physical shops.

General responsibilities:

Taking clear and informative photographs of stock that needs selling;

• Preparing sold stock for sending; wrapping and packaging carefully to ensure safe delivery, weighing and affixing postage information.
• Taking packages to the Post Office in order to be delivered.

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• Volunteers must be comfortable using their initiative and working independently when required;
• No specific photography experience is required, however, the volunteer must be comfortable using a camera;
• Though the role does not require the volunteer to be a Christian, they must be aware and respectful of the Christian ethos upon which Bethany Christian Trust is founded.

Location

• This role will largely take place at the Bethany shop at 32B Haddington Place, EH7 4AG

Pattern of hours

• The role will take around 4 hours per week, and would ideally be done on a Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. The exact pattern of hours can however be decided between the volunteer and the Sales Coordinator,

The first Bethany Book shop is more than a place to buy books. It is a community hub to chat, relax and grab a coffee!
What will the volunteering role look like?

– Assisting customers in the shop in a friendly and professional manner, whether that be answering enquiries or just having a chat.
-Sorting donated goods. This a large part of every retail role.
-Pricing donated goods
-Replenishing and changing the stock on display.
-Operating the till. This includes processing purchases and being a welcoming and knowledgeable point for customers in the shop.

Summary of the role:

Bethany provides a suite of services which support people struggling with issues of homelessness, helping them to find suitable accommodation and furnish their homes, tackle addictions, learn new skills and gain employment, develop positive social networks and become active members of their local communities.

This work is supported by our Income Generation Department- including retail. The purpose of this role is to aid the Sales Coordinator in maintaining Bethany’s online retail presence by editing the photographs of the stock to be sold.

General responsibilities:

• Editing the photographs of stock using Canva or other editing software. There will be photographs for around 20- 30 items, with each item having multiple images.
• Ensuring that the photographs are edited to a consistent and professional standard.

Important pre-requisites for the role:

• Knowledge of photo editing software such as Canva or Photoshop is useful but not essential, though the volunteer must become familiar with it if they are not already.
• Access to a computer and a reliable internet connection in order to edit photographs and communicate with the Sales Coordinator.
• An ability to work to deadlines: this role will be done remotely and so the volunteer must be comfortable managing their own time in order to have finished editing pictures in time for listing.
• The volunteer must feel comfortable working independently while also communicating with the Sales Coordinator and other relevant members of staff or volunteers.

Location

This role is home based, though the volunteer may need to come into the shop at 32B Haddington Place, EH7 4AG for induction and training.

Pattern of hours

The pattern of hours can be decided upon by the volunteer, as long as they meet the deadlines set out by the Sales Coordinator. The role should take around 5-6 hours a week.

We are looking for trustworthy and compassionate individuals to befriend a person who is socially isolated and may also struggle with addiction, homelessness and mental health issues. The aim is to create a healthy, meaningful relationship, including encouraging and practically helping your befriendee to make at least 2 community connections. You must be person of Christian faith, with a live and active local Church connection. This role will require a PVG check.

General responsibilities:

• To develop a companionship level relationship with your befriendee;
• To accompany your befriendee to social activities and community groups;
• To participate in induction and on-going training as appropriate and adhere to all procedures and policies
• To send number of hours you spend with the befriendee, on a monthly basis, to Community East Support Administrator

Pattern of hours:

• We do not have a fixed number of hours but recommend, in the early stages, staying with the befriendee when visiting a new community group for the whole time, then gradually reducing your time.
• It may be necessary, for the first 2-3 months, to meet up with the befriendee for 1.5 – 2 hours every 1-2 weeks to build a relationship before taking them to a group.

If this sounds like something you could do, fill out the online form and send it to volunteers@bethanychristiantrust.com