Volunteering Opportunities with BSAVA
8 December 2016
Whilst the Association has a core of permanent staff based at its Headquarters in Gloucester, it could not function without its volunteer community. Volunteers help in all areas of the Association and at all levels, some taking on Trustee/Director roles as they progress. We are always delighted to hear from any potential volunteers about areas that they would be interested in working in, alongside like-minded colleagues. We are currently looking for volunteers in the following areas:
Trustee and Director Posts
There are currently 5 Trustee/Director positions available: Junior Vice President, International Affairs Incoming Chair, Education Incoming Chair, Public Relations Incoming Officer and Regional Representative.
The Junior Vice President role will commence in April 2018 and we invite applications from within the current volunteer core. The proposed JVP will have the opportunity to attend some Officer meetings throughout the year and undergo identified training in the 12 months prior to joining the Officer team. It is anticipated that the volunteer appointed to the JVP role will progress to the Vice President, President and Senior Vice President roles, making the time commitment a 4 year period. An honorarium is paid during the year of Presidency.
The incoming International Affairs and Education Chairs would join the relevant committees from April 2017 and will shadow the current Chairs, learning about the remit of the committees to enable them to take over as Chair in April 2018 for a 3 year term, renewed annually at the AGM. The incoming Public Relations Officer will be able to shadow the current postholder and will have the support of the PR and Communications Manager based at Woodrow House, similarly a 3 year term, renewed annually. The Regional Representative will be the 5th member of a group of regional support volunteers and should ideally come from within the current regional structure so as to have some understanding of the regional structure within the Association. All of these positions will be ratified at the Associations AGM in April 2017 and those appointed will have a 12 month period of shadowing the current post holders to learn more about the remit of the particular committee and the wider structure within BSAVA. More information on these roles and application process can be viewed here. (Members will need to log in to view). For an informal discussion please contact the Volunteer Manager on volunteer@bsava.com or call 01452 726717.
Volunteer Posts
Currently there is one further vacancy within the volunteer core, for a Student Liaison Coordinator, required to start immediately. This post is vital in providing a link between the formal committee structure of the Association and the student representatives at the 8 veterinary universities, including Dublin. This role is supported by the Volunteer Manager and the Marketing Manager at Woodrow House.
Time commitment: members of committees are asked to attend meetings (the amount will depend on the relevant committee and post), appointments are for one year, renewable annually for up to three years but progression through the volunteer structure is encouraged and any training requirements are met.
Rewards: in exchange for your time you may be eligible for a variety of rewards ranging from free attendance at CPD to complimentary registration for BSAVA Congress.
Application:
To find out more about these opportunities, please visit the BSAVA website: and look at the role descriptions. You can email any questions or queries to volunteer@bsava.com.
The application process is:
- Submit a covering letter explaining why you are interested in the role and outlining your volunteering experience whether within the organisation or within any other organisation
- Provide a brief CV
- Applicants must be current members of the Association
Applications will be reviewed by the Appointments Committee in January 2017 and applications should be submitted no later than Thursday 19th January 2017. It is likely that candidates will be asked to answer up to 5 written questions to assist with the selection process and these will be provided after the closing date.