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Helpline Volunteer

MS Society
VO99968

Are you a good listener?

More than 130,000 people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK. Every one of them shares the uncertainty of life with MS. People are most likely to find out they have MS in their thirties, forties and fifties; news that can be worrying and heart breaking. MS can get steadily worse, or symptoms can come and go unpredictably throughout someone’s life.

Could you spare two or three hours a week to provide emotional support and information to those affected by MS? If so, the MS Helpline team would like to hear from you.

We’re the UK charity for people with MS. We’re fighting for better treatment and care to help people with MS take control of their lives, and we’re funding research that we believe will stop MS for good. We’ve already made important breakthroughs, and big advances in MS treatments are possible within our lifetimes. With your support, we will stop MS.

Time and Commitment

The MS Helpline is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm. All of our MS Helpline volunteers carry out their volunteering from home and give emotional support and information to people affected by MS by telephone.

We are looking for volunteers that can commit to a 2 or 3 hour telephone shift a week.

You will be attending comprehensive helpline volunteer training programme throughout May 2024. The first training sessions will take place 7th-10th May of two full day training sessions, then the rest of the trainings will take place from 13th-31st May as three 1½ sessions every week - including two assessments you need to pass before being accepted for the MS Helpline Volunteer role. All training sessions will be remote via Zoom during weekdays between 10am-4pm. There will be pre-reading and exercise tasks to complete in between training sessions.

About you

We do not ask for previous experience although we are looking for people with good listening skills and a clear, warm telephone voice. You should have good IT skills as the role will require use of Microsoft Office such as Outlook and Teams, internal databases and call handling system. You will receive training on the internal databases and call handling system.

We also ask that you have access to a confidential and comfortable working space, computer and broadband suitable for MS Helpline Volunteer role. If you are shortlisted for the role interview, we will ask you about your home and equipment set up, as unfortunately not everyone may have the appropriate set up and equipment for MS Helpline Volunteer role.

What will you get from volunteering with us?

A chance to learn new skills
Meet new people
Be part of a supportive, caring team
Ongoing support for your development as a volunteer
A rewarding role supporting the MS community
Before applying please ensure you will be able to meet the following considerations:

If you are shortlisted, there will be a 30 minute role interview w\c 22nd April 2024 on Zoom – including a short role play.

If you think you meet the criteria and would like to find out more, please contact Ahra An, Helpline Services Volunteer Manager at Ahra.An@mssociety.org.uk or Tel: 020 8438 0704

The deadline for applications is Sunday 14th April 2024.

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