Many people view the reward for work as being a huge big salary and lots of benefits. But there are other ways of looking at work as well and these should not be underestimated. Job satisfaction can be worth a lot of money. This is often the main reason people employed in the voluntary, or non-profit making sector cite as the principal reason that they work in the sector. They enjoy making a difference to other people’s lives, the environment or simply having fun, working with children, disabled people etc. For them the satisfaction is not in terms of financial reward but in changing things for the better and that is often ‘priceless’ and something that money really cannot buy.

Many people like to undertake a new career in the voluntary/not for profit sectors because they have decided that they want their career to mean something and so even late on in life, many people embark on a career change whereby they leave the world of business and instead embark on a career where money is not the driving force and instead work for a charity. Age or experience need not be a barrier: what employers are looking for is drive, passion and a willingness to make a difference, in whatever way possible.

There are various different ways in which you can try working in the voluntary/not for profit sectors. A good way to test (without commitment) is to enrol with a recruitment agency and start getting some practical experience. This should help you to be able to find out what client group or ‘cause’ you wish to work for. You will however, for some jobs, be required to undertake a Criminal Records Bureau check, just to ensure that you are free from a criminal record. But once this has been undertaken you are then start to finding out just how rewarding job satisfaction can be.