Volunteering

Make a difference, develop new skills and meet new people!

Getting involved in volunteering here at Heriot-Watt Student Union couldn't be easier. Not only do we offer in-house volunteering opportunities, but we also work with external organisations to help find the perfect position for you. From helping out at Freshers Week and other Union events to helping run a society, there are so many opportunities that not only keep you busy, but make you SO MUCH MORE EMPLOYABLE! Volunteering can help you build interactive skills that are transferable to any role, more than just your standard ‘teamwork’ and ‘communication’ (although these are vital too!). Many volunteer positions offer hard skills that will help you stand out from the crowd in the future.

Whether you volunteer at the Union or with an external organisation, you can log any volunteering hours with us and we'll get them accredited by the Saltire Awards, an internationally recognised scheme. These logged hours of volunteering activity will then feed back into your academic record and be present on your transcript upon graduation, alongside your grades.

I've got questions about volunteering

Union Opportunities

Academic - Executive Member, Class Reps

Activities - Executive Member, Activities Officers (halls, charities and societies), Society Committee Members, Charities Campaign Volunteers/Committee, Halls Reps, Freshers Helpers

Equality & Diversity - Executive member, Liberations Officers (PG, ethnic minority, women's, LGBT, international, disabled students), Liberation Group Committee Members/Volunteers

Events - Executive member, Events Crew, Event Hosts, Regular Performers at Events

Scottish Borders Campus - Executive Member, Campaign Volunteers, Society Committee Members, Class Reps

Welfare - Executive member, Advice Hub volunteers

Want to chat or get involved?

You can contact Polly Glynn with any volunteering questions - at 📧 p.glynn@hw.ac.uk

Or Kieran Robson Renner - VP Community - at 📧 union.vpcommunity@hw.ac.uk

If you'd like to chat with us in person, we're based in the Representation and Engagement Office and Sabbatical Office in the Student Union - just ask for us at reception.

Opportunities in Town

Use Volunteer Edinburgh's fantastic database to see opportunities in the community: https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/

Volunteer Awards

Log your volunteering hours with us, using our online system, and you will receive Volunteer Awards in recognition of your time.

The Volunteer Awards up for grabs each year are:

New Society of the Year
Liberation Event of the Year
Liberation Volunteer of the Year
Cultural Event of the Year
Freshers Helper of the Year
Society of the Year
Most Improved Society
Event of the Year
Newcomer of the Year
Leadership Award
Certificate of Outstanding Contribution
RAG Society of the Year
Guiding Hand Award (awarded in conjunction with the Disabled Students Office)
Principals Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Student Community
Principals Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community

The following awards are available: 🏆

Bronze Award - 50 hours
Silver Award - 100 hours
Gold Award - 200 hours
Gold+ Award - 300 hours
Gold++ Award - 400 hours
Platinum Award - 500 hours

With each milestone, you will be able to set up a meeting with the VP Community, Kieran. He can then refer you to the Careers Service which will then help you translate your log book into points for you CV in order to exemplify the skills you’ve gained throughout your voluntary work. That way your volunteering will be truly rewarding!