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Find out below if we have any volunteering roles available in your area and apply today. You can apply for more than one type of role at a time.
Want to know what happens at each stage of becoming a Guide Dogs volunteer?
You can navigate to our step-by-step guide and FAQs on this page, which can provide you with more information.
However, if you still have any questions, please get in touch with our friendly Volunteering Office team by emailing volunteer@guidedogs.org.uk or give them a call on 0345 143 0191.
Enter your postcode on this page to see what’s available in your area. Select your chosen role(s) and complete our application form. Please note, if you are applying for a role that your whole household would like to be involved with (mainly our dog-supporting roles) each member of the household will need to complete an individual application form, then we can link you together.
Certain roles require a form to complete and the link to this will be sent to you by our Volunteering Office team after you apply. This form is to assess your suitability and circumstances against our essential criteria to ensure the role is the right fit before we chat to you. Please be aware that if the role you have applied for is applicable for a disclosure check, you will also receive a disclosure declaration form to complete.
Our Volunteering Office team will review the ‘Essential criteria’ section of the form and if there’s nothing to query, the team will pass your application onto our Volunteering Care team to book in a chat with you. At the same time, the Volunteering Office team will be working hard in the background, sending reference requests to your nominated referees and requesting a photo from you to produce your volunteering ID badge.
When they receive your application, the Volunteering Care team will send you an email containing a calendar booking link where you can select a slot that suits you to chat to a member of the team.
When it’s time to meet with the team, our Volunteering Care Coordinators use the information from your form to explore your suitability. They can also answer any questions you have about your chosen role. This is all done via Microsoft Teams, so if you're joining from a computer, you can use a web browser or the Microsoft Teams app. If you're using a tablet or phone, please download the free Teams app in advance. During this chat, the team will also conduct a virtual ID check for safety purposes and for dog supporting roles, will conduct a virtual home/garden check to ensure your living space is suitable for our dogs.
If successful at this stage, the team will provide your volunteer manager with your details to arrange training. The style of training depends on the role - there can be elements of online or in-person (‘classroom style’) training, including physical dog-handling assessments. If your role requires a disclosure check, it will be conducted at this stage.
Once your training has been successful and we’ve received everything we need (i.e. two references, a photo for your ID badge etc) you’ll be ready start your role!
When you’re ready to start, you will receive a welcome pack via email, containing lots of useful information. Also, don’t forget to check your letter box within the next few weeks for your volunteering ID badge and branded lanyard!
The details of two referees must be provided on your application form. Both referees must return their references to our Volunteering Office team within four weeks. Separate references will need to be provided for each person in your household for safer recruitment purposes.
We only ask for character references, so our recommendations are (but not limited to) friends, colleagues and neighbours - but if you’d like to include professional ones from educators or employers, this is fine too.
However, we cannot accept referees that live with you, are related to you and those that have known you for less than two years.
Obtaining references is a safer recruitment practice; it supports us to gather a well-rounded view of anyone applying to be part of the Guide Dogs community - As our volunteers often come into contact with vulnerable people, our dogs, and the public, we have to do our due diligence to protect others from harm by ensuring the right people are representing us.
Sometimes our roles (and our dogs!) have certain requirements that people can’t meet. If this is the case for you, we will provide you with clear reasons as to why and if suitable, we can discuss other roles that might be a better fit.
There will be a unique answer every role and individual – some roles have criteria that must be met for the welfare and development of our dogs and puppies. Regardless of the reason, it will be explained to you clearly and sensitively.
Some of our roles require an enhanced level disclosure check to be completed (or PVG in Scotland). These checks form part of our safer recruitment practices and are required for staff or volunteers working with vulnerable groups in certain roles. If this is a requirement of the role it will be stated on the role description.
After application, you will be sent a link to a form to complete which gives you the opportunity to disclose any unspent/non-filtered convictions and give your consent to do the required check.
If you make any disclosures that were not required (e.g. if they are spent), we will not use this information as part of our recruitment process.
We recommend that you read the appropriate guidance prior to making any disclosures:
To supply you with a volunteering ID badge. We value safety and security during volunteering activities so our volunteers being easily identifiable to the public and the public having confidence that our volunteers are who they claim to be is crucial.
We also like to think it promotes a sense of belonging and confidence in our volunteers!
For all roles:
Please have your ID documents within easy reach for your virtual ID check.
For dog-supporting roles only:
Read through our virtual home check booklet, which will be provided in your booking email - this will provide you with what our team need to view and record for our dog experts to review. It will also provide you with information on how any video-capture data is handled.
If you are applying for a Puppy Raiser or Puppy Fosterer role, ensure you have read the information booklet which will be provided in your booking email.
Your ID should be government-issued and have a photo and ideally your current address. The following are the most commonly available types of ID used:
New style driving licence
New style provisional driving licence
National identity card · Citizen card
eVisas
If you can only provide a form of ID that doesn’t contain your address (i.e. passport), please also expect to be asked to provide an extra piece of documentation that lists your current address.
If you cannot provide a form of ID with a photograph, we may ask for several pieces of documentation to ensure we can verify your name and address.