This summer we were delighted to welcome Charlotte Simms, a second-year Politics and International Relations student at the University of Reading, as a research intern. Read Charlotte’s farewell message below – report to follow soon:

As my internship with Reading Voluntary Action comes to an end, I wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made my time here so enjoyable.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to people across the voluntary sector, learn more about the incredible work happening across Reading, and explore the different pathways that can lead people into charity-sector careers. I’ve learned a huge amount, not just about the sector itself, but also about research, interviewing and working independently.

A key part of my internship has been bringing all of these conversations and insights together into a research report exploring career pathways into the voluntary sector and what motivates people to work in it. I’m really pleased to be able to share the findings with RVA and hope when the report is published, it provides some useful insights for the organisation and the wider sector.

I’m particularly grateful to Steve for his support and guidance throughout the internship, while also giving me the independence to take ownership of my research and grow in confidence. Thank you also to everyone who took the time to speak to me and share their experiences, your insights have been invaluable to my research.

Thank you, RVA, and goodbye!