FAQs

There’s a volunteer opportunity for almost everyone committed to the charity’s purpose of saving lives at sea. A wide range of people from many different backgrounds volunteer for us, we have volunteers who are in education, working, unemployed, retired, old and young and from diverse community backgrounds.  As a charity we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for everyone who wants to volunteer with us.  Whatever your skills and wherever you are in the UK and Ireland, we aim to find an RNLI volunteer role for you!

Giving your time, knowledge and skills can make an amazing difference no matter what type of volunteer role you choose to take on; from fundraising in your local community to being part of the crew of a lifeboat or station.  Volunteering with the RNLI will not only give you the opportunity to have fun and make new friends, you will be making a measurable difference to the charity’s purpose of saving lives at sea. If that’s not motivation enough, you could also be gaining valuable work experience and new skills to add to your CV.

If you have an enquiry, idea or can’t find a current volunteer opportunity to suit you and you would like to express your interest in volunteering for the RNLI then please complete our Get in touch form or contact the RNLI Volunteering team:

Telephone: 0845 122 6999

Web: rnli.org/volunteering

Facebook: Share ideas on our Facebook group

Address:

Royal National Lifeboat Institution
West Quay Road
Poole
Dorset
BH15 1HZ

As much or as little as you choose. The RNLI has a wide range of volunteering options available to suit most peoples work/life commitments, from becoming a RNLI Deck Hand, by registering as an occasional volunteer (as little as one hour a month or even a year!), to opting for a project based or longer term volunteering role.  Some roles require more specific time commitments; each Volunteer Role we advertise for has a Role Profile which clearly indicates the required time commitment.

Prospective volunteer crew members need to recognise being part of a lifeboat crew is a major commitment, which could ultimately include risking your life. Your commitment isn't only measured in the time spent involved in rescues,regular training programmes also account for much of your spare time.

For more information and detailed descriptions of role commitments please see current volunteer opportunities.

This will depend, to some extent, on the type of volunteer role, but whatever your skills and wherever you are in the UK and Ireland, we aim to find an RNLI volunteer role for you! Many of our volunteer roles do not require you to have any experience or specialist skills, just your time, energy and enthusiasm and a commitment to the cause of the RNLI. Some of our volunteering opportunities require you to have particular skills, but these will be clearly stated in the role description.

​We rely on more than tens of thousands dedicated volunteers:

• 4,600 volunteer crew members

• 3,000 volunteer shore crew and station management

• 21,500 volunteer fundraisers

• 120 voluntary lifeguards

who each contribute their time, energy and skills, without salary and of their own free will, to support the RNLI and to help save lives at sea.

We welcome applications from any member of society, and we have volunteering opportunities that can be tailored to each person, no matter what amount of time you’re able to commit. We offer our volunteers relevant guidance, support and training.

Meet some of our volunteers. 

​We give all volunteers new to the RNLI a general induction, including a copy of ‘Welcome to Volunteering’ leaflet. Guidance and support is available to all volunteers from the relevant RNLI staff member/volunteer manager.  The level of training really depends on the volunteer role and its specific competencies as outlined in the Volunteer Role Profile. Obviously training to become a lifeboat crew or volunteer lifeguard demands very different training to what’s required to volunteer in an RNLI shop for example. The RNLI has a duty of care to all its volunteers and part of this is a commitment to provide the appropriate training and right equipment for the task. Find out more about volunteer training.

​Throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland the RNLI needs volunteers. Our lifeboats cover 19,000 miles of coastline, across 234 lifeboat stations. Our lifeboat crew and lifeboat station volunteers are supported by a wide range of additional volunteers who help raise vital funds and awareness throughout the country.

We also have volunteer opportunities at our head office in Poole as well as our regional offices and Divisional Bases in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

There are many other roles you can carry out in your local area or even from home. Take a look at the varied roles available and the latest volunteer opportunities. 

From crewing the lifeboats to raising vital funds or awareness, or using your professional skills in our offices or Divisional Bases there are a wide variety of volunteer roles available. We also run a successful Internship programme which is open to both Graduates and those with work experience.

To find out more about the different types of volunteer roles and current opportunities or please get in touch with the RNLI’s Volunteering Team. 

​Take a look at our current volunteer opportunities or get in touch.

In addition, the RNLI runs three 12 week internship programme’s a year (depending on roles available):

• Spring: (February–April) applications open December

• Summer: (June–August) applications open April

• Autumn: (September–December) applications open August.

No. Volunteering does not affect the benefit payments you receive. However it is important to let your benefits adviser know you're volunteering. People claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) can volunteer as long as they remain available for work and are actively seeking paid employment. Volunteers are not paid for their time, but are entitled to be reimbursed for their travel and other legitimate expenses.