Searching for opportunities on do-it.org.uk under 'Education and Literacy' will bring lots of crossover with the 'Children' category and may also overlap with others such as 'Mentoring' and 'Youth'.

It covers a broad range of volunteering and the first thing you'll realise when you do a search is that many of them have nothing to do with schools.

For example, there are opportunities in Adult Education, with the National Trust and at sports venues.  You can get involved in schools as well – how about becoming a school governor?

Most opportunities don't require previous experience working in education but you will be expected to demonstrate an interest in helping people to learn and a might need to make some commitment over a period of a couple of months. You should get a proper induction and training, as well as support once you've started.

Most volunteering placements with children will require you to be checked by the Criminal Records' Bureau (CRB). The organisation you are volunteering with will organise this as part of their recruitment process, but it will take some time, so it's worth applying several weeks before you want to start volunteering.

In return for volunteering you'll get the satisfaction that comes with helping someone learn and, with some opportunities, the chance to get accredited training (useful if you're looking to pursue a career in education).

Useful links

Volunteering Reading Help

National Literacy Trust

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