Advancement without pay

Mention voluntary work and many people will picture a jolly housewife doing meals on wheels, serving behind the counter in a charity shop or packing up food parcels for Christmas. Yet voluntary work should never be considered to be second rate.

Company Directors frequently choose to divide their time between working on one board pro bono and another for a salary. Few would suggest that the work they do for free is of lower quality.

For women taking a career break, either to have a family or to follow an employed partner on an international posting, voluntary work can be the only sensible or available option.

"When we lived in Manila, I worked on a voluntary basis for a spouse employment centre," says Marion Payne-Bird. "I chose this option because it meant I could maintain and improve my skills while retaining the right to dictate that I worked the hours I chose and that I could take long holidays."

Lesley Marston first embarked on voluntary work, as a telephone counsellor for Parentline, when her children were small. "I felt I wanted a break from the home and knew that as a parent with few academic qualifications the one thing I could offer was empathy," she says.

Many similar work options are available for willing volunteers, including Home Start, Relate and the Samaritans. They are not soft options, for there are rigorous selection and training procedures and many applicants fail to be accepted.

"Over the years I developed strong interpersonal skills," Ms Marston continues. "When my children were old enough to be independent I found paid employment and am now customer services officer with Business Link."

Voluntary work often offers a valuable yet flexible training ground for later employment, but even on an informal basis it can be of enormous benefit.

Jill Kilby is currently taking a career break from her work as a personnel consultant. She believes that voluntary experience is more important then ever. "When an interviewer asks you about teamwork skills, for example, the fact that you are a weekly helper at Beavers, or an active member of the school PTA, can really impress," she says. "When I was considering work as an outplacement counsellor, the company would only hire me if I spent a year doing voluntary work first."

Elspeth Wedgwood is a personnel officer for Leicestershire Health Authority. With her experience in recruitment she endorses the value of voluntary work. In the health service voluntary work can tie in quite closely with paid employment.

"It depends, of course, on when you do the voluntary work in your career path," she explains. "Combining it with an acceptable career break illustrates that you are versatile and motivated. Doing it for no valid reason can have the opposite effect."

Yet voluntary work is not just for the career-minded. People lacking in confidence or self-esteem can benefit from being needed and recognising that they can make a difference to other people. Even gardening or dog- walking can be therapeutic.

Sarah Govan hauled herself out of a period of depression by working voluntarily for a community taxi service. The job forced her to pick up the telephone and speak to people. Ms Govan found the work so demanding, requiring quick thinking and diplomacy, that she was soon in recovery.

Glenda Lewin has worked in a variety of voluntary and paid employment over the years. She has worked with children, undertaken research, worked for organisations and is now heavily involved in recruiting volunteers for her current project.

"Voluntary work is invariably a valuable stepping stone but I think it is important to bear in mind that the position you choose should provide opportunities for personal and professional growth," she says. "Volunteers often show great strength of character. They are willing to adapt, to learn and to take on a challenge."

Ms Lewin has seen countless volunteers go on to satisfying and lucrative careers, smashing that glass ceiling and overtaking their colleagues.

Anyone considering voluntary work should have a reason for doing so. Whether the motive is experience, satisfaction, growth, desire to empathise or to build a client base, what matters is that the timing is right for you and that you view it as a stepping stone and not a step back.