FAQ

Hello and welcome!

Here you will find some useful information about VTeam - forms, procedures and bits and bops about the team. If you can't find what you are looking for, then drop us a line at vteam@essex.ac.uk, or pop by our office between SU Reception and SU Bar (through the double door at the end of the corridor).

Why volunteering is beneficial?

Doing good and giving back to the community is one of the most important, but not the only beneficial factor of volunteering; it also boosts your own mental health by increasing your confidence and giving you a sense of pride and accomplishment. Volunteering doesn’t just keep organisations afloat, but brings people together, allowing you to make new friends and extend your social circle. It helps you acquire new skills, which could advance your career and nail that job you’ve been dreaming of since high school…

Volunteering with VTeam counts towards your Big Essex Award, which recognises all the activities you complete during your time at Essex and shows future employers that you really stand out from the crowd. So, if you haven't done it yet, why not register with us now? We have plenty of opportunities to offer, read on to get started...

Your gradintel Account

To be able to sign up for opportunities and to record your hours once you're done, you'll need a Gradintelligence account.

Account activation, registering for projects and logging hours

1. Activate your gradintel account

Sometimes new users struggle to log in to Gradintel, which, in most of the cases, is a matter of activation. Don't worry, we got your back: here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it!

1. On the Gradintel home page, enter your email and password.

2. You should see a screen that says "Username and password do not match or you do not have an account yet". To recover your account, please "Click here". Click it.

3. You should now see a screen that says "Lost account details". It asks: "Do you know and have access to the email address linked to your account?" Hit "Yes".

4. It should then have three options: I've forgotten my username / I've forgotten my password / I've forgotten both - hit the one that says both.

5. It will ask you for your student email - enter it and prove you're not a robot.

6. Now the site will ask you to enter your birthday. Fill in the boxes.

7. If a black error box shows up and asks if you're a student or a graduate, hit "Click here".

8. You will now find a page that says "Find Your Account". Fill out all the info: University of Essex, your student ID (the number on your student card that has 5 letters of your surname followed by 5 numbers) and your birthday again.

9. A verification page will pop up telling you they've identified your account. Out of the three options, only the email will be highlighted. Click on it.

10. A covered version of your student email will be shown. Just confirm it by entering it in the box.

11. Now an email verification page should show up with a box for a passcode. It says an email has been sent to you with a passcode in it. You will receive one email that is NOT the one you need, saying your account has been reset. A few minutes AFTER the first email, you will receive a second one with your passcode. Enter it into Gradintel and hit "Submit".

12. You will see a page that says "Oops! Your account is not activated!". Hit the "Activate now" button.

13. You'll see a very long page about account information. Scroll down and fill out all the information.

14. At this point your account should work and you should be able to explore the site and register for any projects you might be interested in. If you still have any issues with the activation, email us at vteam@essex.ac.uk.

2. Choose an opportunity

We have three kinds of opportunities for you to get involved in, placements, regular projects and one-offs. Find something you like the look of and register your interest (look for the big orange "Register" button at the bottom of the page of each project) - we'll get back to you as soon as we can. If you have signed up for a regular project, you will receive a welcome email asking you to pop by our office for a goodie bag and a safeguarding training. The first one contains a VTeam T-shirt that you can (and should) wear to the sessions, while the latter is a meet and greet with one of the VTeam members, and a laid-back chat about our policies (don't worry, we won't bite). After this, we will send a volunteering agreement for you to fill in, sign and send back to us via email (no need to print it out, let's save the trees). If this is done, you're ready to volunteer - just keep an eye on your emails from your Communications Officer for session dates and meeting points.

If you would like to volunteer at a one-off, you don't have to come for safeguarding or sign an agreement. We will send you an email one or two days before the event with all the information you need to know. Just turn up and have fun!

3. Do it!

This is the fun bit - once you've been added to a project, get out there and help the community.

4. Record your hours

You've done the hard work, now make sure it's added to your Gradintel profile. Below are some videos on how to do it!

Regular Projects: Sports Clubs: Societies: Peer Mentoring:

Part Time Officer: Essex Abroad: Student Parliament: Student Reps:

For one-off projects, we add the hours on your behalf as you complete them.

5. Review your year

At the end of the year, you can download your skills template which lets you keep all of your skills in one place and will help with job applications.

Information and Policies

Here you can find some important information and policies. Download these useful guides if you need some help understanding how to claim your expenses and travel costs. Any questions, drop us a line at vteam@essex.ac.uk.

Forms and Procedures

Expenses Policy Travel Expenses Incident Form Example Expense Form Signing Sheet

Volunteer Handbook

Committee Structure

Our Regular Projects are powered by students, who can engage in three different roles: Project Leader, Session Leader and Communications Officer. Their task is to plan the volunteering sessions, ensure they run smoothly and that all the related information is passed on to the participants. Below you can find detailed guides that help you get organised if you want to immerse yourself in any of the roles, or just find out more about the committee structure. You can download some pretty cool session planners too!

Documents for Regular Projects

Committee Member Roles Project Leader Session Leader Communications Officer Emailing Volunteers

Session Checklist Session Planner

Our office

You can find us between SU Reception and SU Bar (through the double door at the end of the corridor), busy dealing with all things volunteer-y. We are open between 10AM and 2PM Monday to Friday. After 2PM we are closed as we are in private appointments or completing scheduled work. We politely ask you to respect these times. If you wish to book a private appointment after 2PM, please email vteam@essex.ac.uk with a brief explanation about what you wish to discuss. Please do not come in the office after 2PM unless you have an appointment.

Meet the Team

Meet the volunteering team, we all have the same aim - to help you get an amazing degree and job! We work with schools, local charities, community centres, and libraries where we help you guys make your fantastic ideas come to life and we also ensure that you get support to put together a kick-ass CV, so you land that dream job. Pop by to say hello!

Volunteering Manager

tomas kasiulis

After finishing his Masters, Tomas joined us in September 2016 to build community links and increase student participation in community projects. Tomas creates opportunities for you to develop skills and have more fun! He's not new to volunteering as he led a huge project in Lithuania and delivered a whole day event all by himself. He is a hard worker and is not new to SU's Promises, so expect him to help you get an amazing degree and job. P.S: He loves basketball and Excel spreadsheets.

Get in touch: tkasiu@essex.ac.uk

Volunteering Coordinator

Raquel Farmer Ruiz

Raquel is addicted to chocolate bourbons, so you will often see an open pack on her desk. She is also the proud mother of a very handsome blue budgie. Unlike most other staff, she is not a University of Essex graduate, so if you see her lost around campus, please help her out…

Get in touch: rf18477@essex.ac.uk

Events officer intern

Petko Liskov

Petko is a recent graduate from the university, he studied BSc Finance (yes, yes, sounds very interesting, I know...). He's into video games, movies and TV shows (way too much), but also enjoys a good conversation and friendly people. At VTeam his job is to organize one-off projects, help with the admin bits and, overall, whatever else needs doing.

Get in touch: pl16292@essex.ac.uk

Regular Projects Frontrunners

Jennifer Li

Jennifer helps to look after some of VTeam’s regular projects and has a fondness for dad jokes, cats, and sitcoms. She enjoys being creative and studies Film and Creative Writing, which is why she really likes potatoes. You can get really creative with potatoes.

Get in touch: jl19744@essex.ac.uk

Joseph Ford

Joe, is a current student at the University of Essex and is studying BA Politics. His interests are Politics, Rugby and food. He also enjoys meeting and helping new people, but most of all debating people on anything and everything. His job is to help oversee a number of our regular projects.

Get in touch: jf17697@essex.ac.uk

Sustainability Frontrunner

Adam Wright

Adam's role in VTeam includes handling the Conservation and Sustainability regular project. He's currently in his second year at Essex, studying Philosophy at undergraduate level. He's originally from Nuneaton, a town in the East Midlands and has lived there most of his life. He's currently President of the Green Thumbs Society, the university's Gardening Society, and also a member of the Kickboxing Sports Club.

Get in touch: aw18800@essex.ac.uk

Wellbeing Ambassador Frontrunner

Jana Klaric

Jana is a student here at Essex University, doing Psychology BCs. She is helping out with our Wellbeing Ambassador Regular Project as a Frontrunner. Besides working for VTeam, she loves dancing and is on the competition team of the Flames cheerleading squad. She is also a fan of Harry Potter books, photography and Croatian music and happy to answer any questions about Wellbeing Ambassadors!

Get in touch: jk19178@essex.ac.uk

Marketing Frontrunner Plus

Lily McKechnie

Lily is currently in her 4th year of studying English and United States Literature, and last year she studied abroad in Pennsylvania, USA. In her spare time she loves to visit the theatre, bake cakes and write poetry.

Get in touch: lm16253@essex.ac.uk

Communications and marketing Assistant

Anna Burai

Anna is currently doing her Masters in Advertising, Marketing and Media, and she's also a Student Rep of the Sociology Department. She's into all things creative, from writing animated stories to writing songs, singing and playing the guitar. At VTeam, she deals with all the emails, newsletters and social media channels - to say that she's graphomaniac is an understatement.

Get in touch: ab18965@essex.ac.uk

Recruitment and Selection Assistant

Louisa Futcher

Louisa, yes, you guessed it, also joined us in September 2017. She is in charge of organising the Come and Try sessions and recruiting the volunteers. Louisa is busiest bee there is. She is President of the DIY Society, the Art Club Project Leader, Treasurer of Choir Society, an active volunteer for Animal Protection and a SU student staff. She is directing a play this year, Far Away, which will be produced at the Lakeside Theater, all the while, you know, studying Accounting! Oh, and the most imporant: Louisa is Campus Cat's NUMBER 1 fan. And she's really friendly!

Get in touch: lf16565@essex.ac.uk