Volunteer work
Volunteer work
How does volunteering improve my career opportunities?
Volunteer work is great to add to your cv. If you have a hard time getting a student job, this could give you the experience you need. And it’s most often fun and inspirational!
When you volunteer you:
- Broaden your network
- Obtain experience – maybe even study relevant
- Learn a lot about yourself
- Make an impact on the people and the world around you
- Practice your language skills
- Increase your employability
Though your volunteer work you could gain relevant experience in e.g.:
- Project management
- Organising events
- Marketing
The sky is the limit – you just have to find the right place to volunteer. Often, you might even get the chance to specialise and do tasks that you find exciting.
How is volunteering a part of Danish culture?
Associations play a major role in the Danish culture. Almost all Danes are part of an association in order to promote and pursue their interest.
It could e.g. be:
- Coaching kids playing handball
- Organising a music festival
- Helping a humanitarian secondhand shop with branding strategy
Does my volunteer work inflict on my benefits when I graduate?
Make sure to read the rules and what you need to be aware of when graduating. Ask the jobcentre or your unemployment insurance fund.
As a rule, time spent working – paid or unpaid – will be deducted from your benefits.
The only exception is voluntary unpaid work in NGOs, associations or clubs that do not exist primarily to generate a profit, e.g.
- Helping in a soup kitchen
- Volunteering at the local archives
- Taking part in amateur theatre
Your unemployment insurance fund has different rules about how many hours you can work – ask them.
Where can I learn more?
Get a guidance session with AAU Career
Throughout your time as a student at AAU, you can get free career guidance on everything to do with your career. You may be in doubt about what you can do with your education, how you can put your competencies into words, or perhaps you need professional eyes on your CV.
Contact the career counsellors and have a chat about exactly what you need.