Will Palmer

Area of work: Charity fundraising
Employer: Wesser & Partners
Qualifications: BA photography, Kent Institute of Art and Design

I enjoy photography and would love to make it as a photographer but it is quite difficult to get started in this field, especially straight from university. So after my degree I was looking for a flexible job that would allow me to earn money and continue my photography when I saw an advert on the Internet for a fundraising position.

I thought it would be great experience and I liked the thought of raising money for charity, plus the flexibility, free accommodation and earning potential seemed ideal. I filled in an online application and then went to a group interview in London before being chosen to join the team.

My job

I’d never worked for a charity before but you are given training and you shadow another fundraiser for a while to see how it’s done. My job is to talk to people normally through knocking on doors to inform them of the work undertaken by St. John Ambulance. The charity needs continuous financial assistance and I have to try to recruit supporters. You have to be comfortable striking up a conversation with a stranger in this line of work and be able to walk a long way every day.

Highs and lows

I live in a shared house with a team of other fundraisers, which is great fun. The work can be hard and it’s very target driven. However it offers good money if you put the effort in and the flexibility means that you can take time off to travel or pursue other activities as well.

I’ve learnt some invaluable skills as a team leader and you meet people from every imaginable background. The downside is that strangers can be quite rude and you do have some funny experiences. A memorable one for me was signing up an elderly man in his underpants in a Norfolk village.