Post Title: Voluntary Regional Organiser

Job Description

 About 95% of RO work is done at home. If you are looking for voluntary work which gets you out of the house, this may not be for you.

 RO work does not lend itself to short-term volunteering. If you are looking for something to do for just a few months, we regret that we are not for you.

 The nature of RO work is such that it cannot be relegated to, for example, one evening a week. It is best suited to someone who checks their email once or twice almost every day, and can cope with keeping many balls up in the air, taking things forward little by little throughout the week.

 ROs need to be able to communicate by email with international students whose command of the English language, and knowledge of the geography, travel systems, and culture of the UK are not always very thorough. A sympathetic approach and good communication skills are therefore vital.

 ROs are ‘the human voice’ of HOST to the hosts in their region. Contact with hosts is mainly by telephone, although email is also used. Hosts are volunteers who are not obliged to offer us invitations for our students, so ROs need tact, patience, enthusiasm, and a genuine interest in people, to keep the interest and commitment of hosts alive.

Main Responsibilities  Linking students with hosts. By far the largest part is the ‘match-making’ between students requesting HOST visits, and the hosts who will be asked if they would like to invite them. This goes on throughout the year, although the summer months tend to be quieter, and the busiest period is from October—December.  Recruiting and maintaining good relations with hosts. Although publicity for new hosts is largely undertaken centrally, we need ROs to follow-up all enquiries, initially by phone. All new hosts must be visited in their homes by the RO before receiving their first guest. New host visits may arise between 3 and 20 times a year. ROs are also encouraged to arrange an occasional get-together for the hosts in their region, perhaps once every 1 or 2 years.  Participation in university orientation events. Some universities like to invite a representative from HOST to their events for newly-arrived international students: this may involve giving a short presentation about HOST, or manning a stall and chatting to passing students.