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Other people's reaction to your job title

By Kate Bowgett - Posted on 10 September 2007

Had an experience over the weekend which illustrates the status of volunteer management!

I've got Power of Attorney over my Grandmother's estate and am in the process of adding myself as a signatory on all her accounts, so I'm having a lot of contact with banks at the moment. One question they all ask is what I do for a living - to which I obviously say that I'm a Volunteer Manager. People's reactions to this are genrally not that great.

This weekend the bloke dealing with me gave me a deeply peterbued look and then wrote 'Volunteer' down in the box, I explained I was paid to manage volunteers, but he looked at me like I was mad. I had to insist on him changing what he'd written down (he eventually added 'manages' in brackets). Obviously people hear the word 'Volunteer' in your job title and then assume you're not paid, which potentially can be quite problematic.

Has anyone else had this reaction from banks etc.?

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I have been lucky enough not

Submitted by zombo09 on Thu, 23/07/2009 - 6:12am.

I have been lucky enough not to come across this sort of behaviour.

Recently I went for an

Submitted by Sheila McPherson on Wed, 11/03/2009 - 1:35am.

Recently I went for an interview with a large national volunteer involving charity and it was quite worrying when the CEO interviewing me asked when I had last been in paid employment. At first I didn't understand what he meant as my CV was clearly in front of him, but I realised that because most of my jobs for past 12 years had a title that included "Volunteer or Volunteering", he assumed I had been a volunteer.

Another charity assumed I was a fundraiser and struggled with the concept of a "Volunteer Manager" in spite of this being what they had advertised for. My family also struggle with my role, they explain it as works for charity and does something with volunteers. I've found that the easiest way to explain and for someone to understand is I do the the equivalent of an HR manager+, depending on the organisation and role. People can relate to this unless they are older ( like me!) and then I change it to similar to a Personnel Manager- this they understand.

Sheila McPherson Volunteer Resource Adviser RNID Scotland

Sheila McPherson Vice Chair The Miscarriage Association c/o Clayton Hospital Wakefield

My father has a difficult

Submitted by jasonla on Mon, 09/03/2009 - 7:14pm.

My father has a difficult understanding of what network engineer is. He has a construction company and still has no clue on how to use a computer. He has a calculator and a sell phone and written contracts. He'd be surprised that there are actually payroll services to help him pay all his employees along with another million uses out of a computer for his job.

I have given up using my job

Submitted by dawn.iverson on Tue, 31/03/2009 - 10:55am.

I have given up using my job title. (which doesn't actually involve the word 'volunteer', but is just as difficult to describe!) I always say I'm a 'project manager / coordinator' when asked in insurance forms etc. It's roughly similar and nobody is interested when you say that!

I must confess that

Submitted by paddaniels on Fri, 21/09/2007 - 7:39am.

I must confess that depending on the situation and whether I reckon I can make it clear I usually latch on to some other aspect of my role. I think I've been a 'teacher', 'charity worker' and 'development manager'. Many times I think people don't understand anything more than a generic job title. From now on though I'll make a point of saying 'volunteer manager' :-)

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Patrick Daniels

Online Volunteering - YouthNet

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Patrick Daniels

Online Volunteering and Advice Manager - YouthNet

I did find out recently that

Submitted by Kate Bowgett on Fri, 21/09/2007 - 9:52am.

I did find out recently that my grandmother, having completey failed to grasp what I did for a living, had told all her friends and neighbours that I was a nurse. It led to some very confusing conversations!

Glad it's not just me

Submitted by Alex W on Thu, 03/01/2008 - 2:07pm.

I try to avoid other people bringing up the question in the first place, but when they do I feel the need to explain in no less than 5 sentences what I do and that I am paid. Most my family focus on the fact I am a law degree student when talking about me and ignore my job (though I am not considering a career in law). It is kind of annoying, in the sense that while I love my job, I don't want to 'talk shop' in my free time. The most annoying occasions for me have been when i've been dating as my job seems to be the subject of discussion for large chunks of the time.

I tend to find that even

Submitted by PeterTraid on Thu, 13/03/2008 - 4:04pm.

I tend to find that even with people who I see regularly and who know me fairly well, it takes about 3 months before it sinks in that I am actually paid, and then another 3 months of banging on before they accept that I am paid in actual money and not broken biscuits or something. As for banks, I've had similar experiences. They tend to look at their set list and fit me in. I think usually as something like social worker.

www.traid.org.uk

Its the same with car

Submitted by Alex W on Tue, 18/03/2008 - 3:53pm.

Its the same with car insurance too, I always wonder if I tried to claim with the job titles that I put down whether i'd be covered or accused of fraud or something. You'd think that considering there used to be a tax break for workers in the voluntary sector, and that banks are always sending out pre-approved loans, credit cards and other debt devices, that they would have been keen to accept our job titles.