How to become an advice worker | Salary, skills, requirements

You'll support clients by providing quality, independent information and advice to help them address their problems and prevent them from escalating.

You'll deliver this advice in a range of ways, such as:

face-to-face appointments
telephone
email
web chat (often known as live chat)
video calls (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams).

Clients may present with a single issue or more complex, linked problems that require specialist support. With your help, they can move forward and resolve their issues.

You could be based in a variety of settings, including community centres, doctors' surgeries, courts, prisons and dedicated advice services or call centres.

Job titles vary depending on the employer and type of advice you're providing and may not include the word 'advice'. If you're unsure, check the job description to understand the role.

Types of advice

You'll typically start as a generalist adviser, covering a range of topics. You could then move on to specialise in a particular area, such as:

complaints and appeals
consumer rights and utilities (for example, energy)
debt and money
disability rights
employment
family and children's rights
health and social care
housing
immigration and asylum
legal rights
welfare benefits.

What do advice workers do?

You'll need to:

gather information from the client to assess the type and extent of their problems
carry out research where necessary to find more detailed information
consider options and identify the best course of action
provide practical help such as writing letters, making phone calls and helping clients fill in forms
calculate entitlement to benefits or other forms of financial support
signpost or refer clients to other services and sources of help where appropriate, for example to a solicitor or social worker
represent clients where appropriate, for example by contacting financial institutions, housing providers or public bodies
empower clients to act for themselves
keep accurate and confidential client records
liaise with colleagues and external organisations to support clients
keep up to date with relevant legislation and policies.

Senior advisers and managers will typically need to:

manage and support a team of both paid and volunteer staff
manage and develop advice services and referral pathways
manage budgets and grants from funders
develop, review and implement key policies and procedures
contribute to service reviews, quality assurance and strategic planning.

What salary can I expect as an advice worker?

Starting salaries for trainee or entry-level advice workers are typically between £23,000 and £26,000, rising to £28,000 to £30,000 with experience and a full caseload.
Experienced or senior advice workers earn in the region of £28,000 to £36,000.
Senior or strategic roles, such as team leaders or service managers, can earn around £40,000 to £55,000 or more.

You're likely to start in a volunteer role before moving on to a paid adviser role.

Salaries vary depending on the employer, location, your experience and whether the role requires any specialist knowledge or qualifications. Salaries are often dependent on external and sometimes unpredictable sources of funding.

Additional benefits may include a pension scheme, employee assistance programme, flexible working, and opportunities for training and development.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

What hours do advice workers work?

Working hours are usually between 35 and 37.5 hours per week. You'll typically work a 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, pattern. However, some organisations offer telephone advice and web-chat services outside normal office hours and advice sessions are sometimes offered in the evenings and at weekends.

What qualifications do I need to be an advice worker?

You don't need a degree to work as an advice worker, and employers generally look for candidates with relevant skills and experience. However, many people do hold a degree, and in some cases a postgraduate or professional qualification as well. Depending on the type of advice you're providing, the following subjects may be useful:

business and/or finance
community studies, cultural studies and youth studies
counselling
law and legal studies
politics
psychology
social administration, social policy and social work
sociology.

Entry with an HND is possible, especially in any of the following subjects:

business studies or administration
communication
finance
law
public administration or social sciences
social work.

You don't need a postgraduate qualification, but subjects such as law or social work are particularly relevant. Qualifications in areas such as counselling or advice and guidance are also valued by employers.

Advice workers may come from a range of related backgrounds, such as:

customer service or public-facing roles
education or youth work
housing
legal or paralegal roles
social care or support work.

Some specialist roles, for example money advice and debt caseworker roles, may require accredited professional qualifications.

Skills you need to become an advice worker

You'll need to have:

strong interviewing and active listening skills to gather accurate information from clients and understand complex situations
excellent communication and interpersonal skills to provide clear, practical advice on issues such as debt, housing or employment, and to liaise with external organisations
written communication skills for drafting letters, completing forms and maintaining accurate records using case-management software
numeracy skills to calculate benefit entitlements and support clients with financial matters
tact and diplomacy to manage sensitive and confidential information
resilience and emotional awareness to support clients in challenging or distressing situations, and manage a varied caseload under pressure
a strong awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion issues.

Community language skills are also valued by employers. You may also need a driving licence and access to a car if you're working in the community or at more than one location.

Do I need advice work experience?

Volunteer experience is an important, and sometimes essential, factor in securing paid employment. This can take place in person or remotely, for example through helplines or web chat services. It's also a good way to make contacts and demonstrate your commitment and enthusiasm for the role.

There can be strong competition for paid positions, as it's common for advice work to be delivered by volunteers. You can find out more about volunteering opportunities with organisations such as Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland.

Experience of dealing with people and using administrative systems is also valuable. Relevant experience includes working in a customer service environment, support roles, helplines, charities or community organisations, volunteer management or supporting your local community. Legal experience is useful for some specialist roles.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Who employs advice workers?

One of the main sources of employment for advice workers in England and Wales is the Citizens Advice service, which helps millions of people each year. The service is delivered through a network of independent charities, offering free advice online, over the phone and in person. The service employs around 10,000 paid staff and over 19,500 volunteers, providing support in approximately 1,900 locations across England and Wales.

Citizens Advice operates independently in Scotland. For more information, see Citizens Advice Scotland. In Northern Ireland, advice is provided by Advice NI.

You can also search Advice UK's member directory for other independent advice centres offering general or specialist advice across a wide range of areas.

Other employers include:

charities such as Shelter, Mind and Age UK
further education (FE) colleges, universities and students' union welfare offices
housing associations
local authorities
National Health Service (NHS)
specialist advice organisations (for example, in areas such as welfare rights, debt or immigration and asylum)
trade unions.

Some positions, particularly those in the voluntary sector, are only available on temporary contracts due to short-term funding.

Look for job vacancies at:

Where can a career in advice work lead?

There are opportunities to remain in client-facing roles or to progress into management or service development. Promotion is often linked to taking on additional or different responsibilities, such as:

recruiting, training and managing volunteers or paid staff
moving into roles coordinating services or supporting service delivery
managing an advice centre
promoting advice centre services and developing marketing strategies
income generation and financial management.

Promotion opportunities can be limited, particularly in smaller or non-hierarchical organisations where there are relatively few management positions. Progression may depend on:

gaining additional qualifications
developing specialist expertise in an area such as housing or debt and finance
gaining supervisory or management experience
being willing to move between organisations or locations.

Organisations usually offer their own training programmes, covering both general and more specialised areas of advice. Training typically involves a combination of induction, on-the-job training and mentoring.

Keeping your knowledge up to date through continuing professional development (CPD), particularly in relation to changes in legislation and policy, is important and can aid career progression. Advice UK provides a range of training and qualifications, including the 'Learning to Advise' programme. You can also work towards qualifications such as the Level 3 NVQ/SVQ Certificate and Level 4 NVQ/SVQ Diploma in Advice and Guidance.

You may also move into related areas such as counselling, law or social care through further training and professional qualifications.