Helen Tirebuck spills the beans on her role at Challenges Worldwide.

What does your organisation do?
I work for Challenges Worldwide, which is an international development charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our role is to develop a working relationship with small non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local government departments; establish their need for volunteers; then recruit, select and train appropriate volunteers for three, six or nine-month placements.

We organise overseas volunteering opportunities in skills or degree related fields for undergraduates, graduates, post graduates and those wishing to take a career sabbatical.

What does your role involve?
My job as the head of volunteer recruitment is to recruit people to work overseas as Challenges Worldwide volunteers. Individuals are placed with local organisations on a voluntary basis. Because of the individual types of placements we offer, we have to ensure we are getting the right kind of person for the job. My role is to assess each person's suitability, interview, prepare and train them and administer the process until they go overseas.

I am responsible from start to finish of the process. When the applications come, I phone all suitable applicants for a telephone interview, which may then lead to an interview in person. If they are successful at the interview I administer offer letters, preparation documents, research information, fundraising advice and the necessary documents in the lead up to their two-day training course.

A lot of my work is admin, however there is obviously a lot of direct contact with people as well. My areas of work range from health and safety and website updating, to recruitment and conducting presentations at universities and careers fairs across the country.

What is a typical day like?
There really is no such thing as a “typical” day for me! I have been at Challenges Worldwide for 18 months now and everyday something new surprises me. But generally, first thing in the morning I check my emails and answer any urgent messages. From this I can assess what needs doing that day for our existing volunteers, find out who needs which pieces of paperwork and when, make any phone calls to new applicants, arrange interviews, answer phone enquiries, update the website with new volunteer reports.