Volunteer With Us

Join our team of volunteers 

Centacare has been working to improve the lives of others in the Perth community for over 40 years and this would not have been possible without our dedicated team of volunteers.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Centacare relies heavily on the generosity of others to help us achieve our mission and we’re always on the lookout for more volunteers to help out across all areas of our organisation.

We are always seeking expressions of interest for volunteer tutor roles. If you’re looking for an opportunity where you can give back and make real, positive changes in the lives of others then we’d love to hear from you.  Send an email to volunteers@centacarewa.com.au or click the button below to express your interest in becoming a Centacare volunteer.

Group of six volunteers

Benefits of volunteering with Centacare

Becoming a Volunteer Tutor is not only beneficial to Centacare and our students but has the following possible benefits for you the altruistic volunteer:

Build self-esteem and confidence
Discover new skills
Meet new like-minded people
Help combat social isolation and depression
Acceptable activity for Centrelink
Potential employment opportunities

Volunteer Tutor Program

Our Volunteer Tutors are the key to providing support to our teachers in the SEE Program and help with a range of activities in the classroom including:

Successful applicants to the Volunteer Tutor Program are invited to participate in a comprehensive 8-10 week training program (1 morning per week) which covers various topics including:

  • Volunteers’ expectations
  • Adult learning principles
  • Strategies for working with adults who are
    • beginning English language learners
    • beginning readers
    • beginning writers
    • beginning to add, subtract, multiply and divide
  • Some strategies for spelling
  • Using collaborative, hands-on materials
  • Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).

Our volunteers' stories

TeresaVolunteer
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Teresa immigrated from Italy at 14 years of age. She attended primary school in Italy but spoke no English. Shortly after arriving in Australia, she commenced work in an industrial sewing factory. She slowly learnt to speak English both at work and with her Australian neighbours, who made her feel part of the community. After a few years she met her husband, they married and together they had two children. Over time, Teresa happily picked up occasional part time work until retirement. It was at this point when she was encouraged to enrol in the SEE Program at Centacare. On completing the course, the Wellington St Coordinator, Anne Murphy, saw potential for Teresa to volunteer as an assistant. It had always been Teresa’s dream to become a teacher and this was an opportunity for her to be directly involved in the education sector. With some encouragement, Teresa completed the Tutor Training Program in 2014 under the guidance of Pauline Beck and Carmel Jennings. From the time she commenced volunteering, Teresa has been a reliable and valuable member of the team at her workplace. She is much relied upon by the class teachers. Teresa loves her work as a volunteer. As an immigrant, she is empathetic and understands the struggles of the students.
TakakoVolunteer
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Takako came to Australia from Japan, she is highly qualified and speaks English well however she has health issues that mean she can only work for 5 hours each week. After completing her SEE course with Centacare she expressed an interest in volunteering. She attended the tutor training course and has been helping Centacare one day a week ever since.
Paul and Justin Volunteer
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These two Australian men, qualified tradesmen who loved their work, have been referred to Centacare because they have ongoing health issues and are looking for work that fits with their changed physical abilities. They attended the digital literacy training, on referral from their Job Actives, and enjoyed that, became informal mentors within the class and were invited to stay on as volunteers until they get paid work elsewhere. They underwent the tutor training course and have been reliable supporters of the digital literacy program for the past year or two. It is really helpful having men in the program, other male students appreciate the male presence. Paul and Justin say they don’t forget the computing they did because they keep revisiting it in class. The teachers really appreciate the volunteers helping answer the questions, reducing wait time for the students, taking comments and passing them back – students don’t always want to criticise the teacher but they feel comfortable commenting to the volunteer. This is very helpful for the teacher to modify the program and their own style.
Sally Volunteer
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Sally has come to us recently. She is moving into retirement and looking for other interests. Sally had been working alongside Literacy professionals in her paid role and found a lot of the training familiar. She has slipped into her support role at a site near her home. She is enjoying the interactions with staff and students on her half day a week volunteering.
SaralaSite Coordinator
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Sarala was working in the schools as a Relief teacher and Teacher's assistant, for a short period of time before joining Centacare. She tells us: “I wanted to move out of school age teaching to Adult Education centres. Centacare was the first place I looked at to help the transition. By joining as a volunteer, I learnt about respecting adults as students who come with prior experience and knowledge in their own fields, be it household work, or professional work. Volunteering taught me skills to motivate and challenge Adults in taking a step further in their pursuit of gaining knowledge." Sarala enjoyed the training, was a great asset in the classroom, developed confidence and quickly upgraded her qualifications to enable her to start teaching in the SEE program. She now has teaching and supervisory roles in the program, working full time.
IsabellaVolunteer
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Isabella was referred to the digital literacy program, she was unable to work due to health issues and needed to retrain. She became an informal mentor to others in her class and participated in all the Centacare activities that she could. She became a much-appreciated member of the team on that site. After completing all the digital literacy that she could, she asked to volunteer with us, as no work was available at the time. She has continued to be a great support on site when she is available. Happily she is often busy with paid work.
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How to Apply For a Volunteer Role With Centacare

Centacare has several intakes of Volunteer Tutors each year, and we always welcome expressions of interest for volunteer positions. If you are passionate about helping others and want to help adults further their education, please contact us at volunteers@centacarewa.com.au.

Volunteering FAQs

No, we don’t require any specific qualifications. Experience in English literacy or teaching adults is preferred but not essential. If you’re interested in joining our team of volunteers, we look forward to hearing from you.

This role requires all applicants to undergo a National Police Clearance check and for volunteers to be consistent and reliable with volunteering their time.

Yes, in fact, our volunteer opportunities are perfect for people wanting to begin a teaching career! Plus, you don’t need to be a qualified teacher to join our team of volunteer tutors.

Volunteering with Centacare is your opportunity to make a positive impact in the local community. You’ll help improve the lives of others and help provide a brighter future. You’ll also meet new people and create meaningful connections. Plus, we care about the development of our volunteers and will provide exceptional training. It is a great opportunity and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Centrecare has volunteer teaching opportunities across the entire Perth metro area. Our locations include West Perth, Cannington, Gosnells, Fremantle, Armadale and Mirrabooka.

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