What qualifications do you need to be a Samaritan?

I'm 18, is that ok ?

I've had a bit of trouble myself, will you still accept me ?

Isn’t Samaritans a religious organisation?

Are there any jobs that stop me from becoming a volunteer ?

Do you accept everyone who applies to join ?

If I apply to be a volunteer, what happens next?

How much time would I have to commit?

Doesn’t being a Samaritan make you depressed?

Supposing a caller has a problem I can’t solve?

Doesn't it takes years to train to be a counsellor?

Do you screen volunteers ?

Is there any help with expenses ?

What qualifications do you need to be a Samaritan?
Samaritans come from all walks of life and don’t need any formal qualifications. Personal qualities of acceptance, compassion and an ability to listen without judging or giving advice are far more important.

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I'm 18, is that ok ?
Yes - 18 is the minimum age for becoming a Samaritan volunteer and you certainly won't be alone in the Branch. More important than age is your personal qualities and emotional maturity.  If you think that you have what it takes please come and find out more. 

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I've had a bit of trouble myself, will you still accept me ?
Your own experience may have increased your sympathy and compassion – but it may have left you a little too vulnerable to take on other people’s troubles.  It depends on how you coped with your problems, and what they did to you.  We give volunteers their privacy but one of  the qualities that we look for in them is to be comfortable in talking about their own emotional issues.  It is best to talk to us about these things and we can help you to understand if the time is right for you to volunteer.

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Isn’t Samaritans a religious organisation?
Samaritans was founded in 1954 by Chad Varah, who was indeed a Christian minister in London.  However, Samaritans today is not associated with any religious organisation. Volunteers nowadays come from every faith and none.

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Are there any jobs that stop me from becoming a volunteer ?
We regret that we do not accept serving Police Officers, nor Special Constables owing to conflict of interest.  Apart from this special case there are no restrictions. 

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Do you accept everyone who applies to join?
No – it may be that your talents are not appropriate to Samaritans, or the timing is not right for you at present - see the next question.   

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If I apply to be a volunteer, what happens next?
For most people the first step in volunteering is to come to an information evening. This is an opportunity to meet several Samaritans volunteers and to hear first hand about our work. You can ask questions of your own  and afterwards in your own time, you can decide if you want to apply. 

You will have been given an application form at the information evening. You should return it after which you will be invited to a selection workshop. At the workshop you will take part in some group discussions and also you will be asked some questions about yourself on a one-to-one basis.  Its all very friendly, as we do specialise in being nice to talk to!

You will receive a letter shortly after the selection workshop which will indicate if you have been accepted for Initial Training. If you haven't been selected inevitably you'll be disappointed.  We ask you to bear in mind that during  the selection process several different experienced Samaritans volunteers will have met you. They understand the work well and will have everyone's  interests at heart, including your own, when they arrive at their decision.

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How much time would I have to commit?
Listening volunteers give a commitment to perform one duty per week, lasting about 3 hours, and an 8 hour night duty every month.   In addition, there is an expectation that volunteers will attend a few hours training every year. If you have the time and the inclination, there are many additional opportunities to get involved, from committee work to fundraising, from maintenance and cleaning to assisting with recruitment and selection. However, these are all secondary to your commitment to perform your weekly duty on the telephone.

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Doesn’t being a Samaritan make you depressed?
It’s true that some of the calls we receive can make us sad, anxious, even angry and frustrated. We need to be able to deal with these feelings, and there is a wealth of emotional support for volunteers. We never do a duty alone. There are always at least two Samaritans on duty at any time, who, in addition to taking calls, can provide each other with support.  We also have a well defined system of routine support which addresses our emotional well-being proactively so that we don't wait until we get stressed before we receive support.  Indeed, through this pro-active approach we hope never to get too stressed, but it has to be said that we are at times going to feel personally touched in some way by the nature of the work that we do. 

As to being depressed, well we can never get away from the fact that we are dealing with serious issues but if that means that we go around with a miserable look on our faces talking in whispers all the time then you might be in for a surprise!   

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Supposing a caller has a problem I can’t solve?
When someone tells us they have a problem, we can feel that it would be good to try to come up with a nice, neat, pre-packaged solution for them.  As Samaritans, however, we have to realise that life is never that simple, and what seems like the perfect solution to us may in fact be completely wrong for our caller. Therefore we avoid giving advice and telling people what they should do, but instead offer a non-judgemental ear for them to offload their feelings about their situation. Often the mere telling of their story suggests solutions to the caller themselves. If not, then it almost always helps just to be able to talk to someone – they may never have been able to confide in anyone before.

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Doesn't it takes years to train to be a counsellor?
Yes it does but we are not counsellors. Samaritans volunteers are trained listeners who are able to help a person to talk about their emotions and feelings. We are equipped to ask about suicidal feelings, something we are trained to do at every contact with an individual, and just as importantly we know how  to handle the answer. 

Our training is delivered to a professional standard and we have professional input to our methods including the support of consultant psychiatrists, but we don't counsel people nor give them advice. We prefer to help a caller to our service to work out their own options.

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Do you screen volunteers ?
As a Samaritan volunteer, you will be working with vulnerable adults or children. So, in common with a number of other voluntary organisations, we ask for a Disclosure - a document containing information held by the police and government departments - to help us to make safer recruitment decisions.  We provide prospective volunteers with further guidance, and the necessary form, during our selection process.

Having a criminal record is not an automatic bar to becoming a Samaritan volunteer, and ex-offenders retain the protection afforded by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. But we will be unable to allow you to work with us unless you do apply for a criminal record check.

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Is there any help with expenses ?
Volunteers can claim expenses for public transport in connection with getting to and from the centre for their shift, or for other official meetings and duties. Alternatively a mileage rate is paid and when public transport is not available a taxi can be provided.

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