Have you ever thought about becoming a Samaritan?
There are many different ways you could help us support our callers. We always welcome applications from people interested in providing our Listening Service. This role involves offering emotional support to people who may be experiencing distress, loneliness or despair.
We sometimes have opportunities for Support Volunteers to help with fundraising, IT support and building maintenance, for example. These roles play an important part in enabling our listening service to run effectively.
Why volunteer with us?
We are a friendly and supportive branch and comprehensive training is provided for all Listeners, alongside ongoing support once you are on shift.
It’s a great way to meet new people, develop your confidence and listening skills, and make a real difference to someone in distress.
Becoming a Listening Volunteer at Chesterfield
The journey to becoming a Samaritan begins with an online application on the national website.
Once we receive your application, we will make contact with you to provide more information about our branch. We often have to keep a waiting list of people wanting to join us and will advise you if this is the case.
Once we are able to take your application forward, we will invite you (and other potential volunteers) to an information session held at the branch. This is an opportunity to hear more about what we do and how we train and support you. It’s also a chance to meet a couple of our volunteers and ask questions. If you like what you hear and want to proceed, then we will invite you to an interview.
Following a successful interview, we will arrange initial training for you with the Samaritans Training School. There are weekly 3-hour Zoom sessions for 7 consecutive weeks, alongside digital learning modules to complete in addition to this. Depending on availability, there will be a choice of daytime or evening courses. Everyone who starts in-branch must complete this training in full.
Starting in-branch as a Listener
After successfully completing their training, new volunteers start shifts with a mentor. This is an experienced Samaritan who will show you how everything works and help you to put what you have learned into practice. Once you and your mentor are confident in your skills, you become a Probationer and can then sign on for regular shifts with any experienced Samaritan.
During this time, there is further training to enhance your skills – a supportive mix of trainer-led Zoom sessions and digital learning modules.
It can take 9 months to a year to complete all the training and gain enough experience to become a full Samaritan.
The branch is run entirely by volunteers, and we are always grateful to volunteers who take on additional roles to help the branch operate safely and sustainably.
The Volunteering Expectation
Our volunteers offer their time to be there for our callers. We recognise that people have many demands on their time, so we have a flexible rota system. There are listening shifts of varying lengths each day of the week. Volunteers can sign up online to do shifts at the times that work best for them.
Volunteers are asked to contribute a minimum of 14 hours per month, but we fully understand that this may not be possible all the time and are happy to discuss your individual circumstances.
Heavy demands are made on our service in the late evening and overnight. For this reason, every volunteer is asked to do one late evening shift as part of their monthly contribution. Again, we appreciate that not everyone will be able to meet this expectation, and we encourage open conversations with us about what feels manageable for you.