By volunteering with us, you will be giving companionship to an older person and helping make a real difference for Age UK. We will ask you to commit to setting aside a regular time every week to phone an older person.
Before you sign up, please ensure you take a few minutes to read through the information below carefully and check that you are happy with what we ask of our volunteers.
Basic Requirements - You will need to be permanently based in the UK to volunteer with us and only make calls, be over 18 and have regular access to the internet and an email address.
Time Commitment - We will ask you to commit to volunteering with us for at least one year and setting aside 30 minutes a week calling an older person at a regular day and time.
Personal details - You will be asked to provide a few personal details and tell us a bit about yourself so we can ensure we find a great match for you. You’ll also be asked to read through our Volunteering Terms and Conditions and make sure you’re happy to agree to them.
References - We’ll need two references from people who know you. We’ll send your referees a short online form that should take about five minutes to complete. Please note: You won’t be able to complete the initial application without providing the full names and email addresses of your referees, so have this information ready before you start the sign up.
Your submitted referees should be someone who has known you for one year or more and who isn’t a family member, partner or related to you in anyway. This includes anyone you are related to through a partner.
Your referee must be over 18, living within the UK, and have an email address.
Please seek their permission and ensure you have their details ready when you sign up.
Online Induction - Once we’ve confirmed your references, you’ll be asked to take some online training and complete a short quiz, which should take about 20 minutes. Please make sure you read the information carefully, as you will only get 3 attempts to pass the quiz.
ID Check - We will ask you to complete an ID check for security reasons. The ID check must be passed for you to volunteer with us. Your ID checks will be completed via one of our external third party ID check providers. Your information will only be shared with relevant parties for identification purposes only. For more information, please contact the Telephone Friendship Team.
Interview - You will have a telephone interview with the Telephone Friendship Service team as the final step in your sign up journey. The team will ask you some questions to find out what you hope to get from volunteering with us and make sure you’re ready to start your new volunteer role.
Waiting times - Waiting times to start your calls can vary- it all depends on how quickly we’re able to process your references and when you complete your induction, identity check and interview. Once you’ve fully completed your application, we will find you a match as soon as we can, but please be aware this can take a while, depending on the current demand on the service.