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Budget Advisor

The Central Otago Budgeting Service aims to provide a free non-judgemental service to families and individuals within the Central Otago Area.  The service provides help to clients whilst liaising with government and social service agencies as required.

Provision of Budget Advice and money management skills to clients of the Budget Service is undertaken by the Budget Advisor who have attained a Certificate of Competency in Budget Advising.

The Budget Adviser is responsible for:

  • Assisting people with budgeting difficulties, enabling them to take effective control of their own financial affairs.
  • Working within the practices and policies of the Budget Service.
  • Maintaining close and regular contact with clients as required.
  • Making contact with client within 24 hours of receiving the referral (working within a small team)
  • Assessing the financial situation of individuals and families and setting objectives and goals for subsequent visits if need be.
  • Supporting the client (and family if applicable)
  • Carrying out all necessary functions and negotiating any changes associated with the clients financial situation.
  • Maintaining good working practices
  • Attend meetings/ongoing training as required
  • Keeping records as required and make timely returns as requested.
  • Imparting money management skills to clients as requested.

In return for their commitment and time volunteers will gain enhanced interpersonal skills including communication, empathy, and negotiation skills.  Greater knowledge of financial management, social service availability and referral processes will be gained and many advisors get a great deal of satisfaction assisting people with a life skill and goal setting.

Requirements

We are seeking volunteers with a positive, non-judgemental attitude who are able to relate to clients from a range of backgrounds.

Volunteers should have:

  • The ability to read, write, use a calculator and do basic maths.
  • Good listening, communicating, organizational and administrative skills.
  • A commitment to work sensitively and appropriately with a range of cultural  and ethnic groups.
  • A commitment to working within the guidelines and Code of Ethics of the Budget Service
  • An ability to maintain confidentiality.
  • A commitment to full independence and self determination for clients

Volunteers should be over 25 years of age with access to their own car (with WOF and REGO) and a drivers license.

A Police background check is required for this role.

Time commitment

Training is usually via correspondence and working alongside an experienced advisor over approximately 12 months.  Due to this investment a commitment of at least 12 months post-training is required.  Following training most advisors maintain at least 1-2 clients at any point in time – each one requiring approx half a day for initial consultation plus weekly follow-up for a period of time. We ask that volunteers accept ongoing support and supervision for the duration of their role.

Getting started

The first step is to express your interest by filling out the form below. We will then put you in touch directly with the organisation for more information on the role and how to proceed.

Ref: 1756


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