Dates and how to apply
Information for potential Volunteer Intake Officers about applications and intakes.
Rosters & shifts
There are two rosters per year – Autumn-Winter and Spring-Summer - which start approximately when uni semesters start.
Your commitment:
- You normally work the same shift each week throughout a roster. You can change your shift for each new roster as your uni timetable changes.
- Shifts are weekdays 9.45am-4.15pm with an hour for lunch. You need to work the full shift hours each week.
- Short absences for illness, family, holiday, work and study are acceptable.
- Your commitment is to work for a minimum of 24 full days:
- For your first 6 days - the training period - you need to work one full day per week.
- For your next 18 days, we prefer you to continue working a full day per week, but if that is not possible, then a split shift - 2 half days per week - is acceptable, subject to shift availability.
- After you complete your commitment of 24 days, you can continue volunteering. This can be a full day, a split shift, or a half day per week.
Applying
Dates: All information below is subject to change at any time, so please check back here regularly. When an application round opens, we guarantee a minimum 3 week application period, and after that, applications may close without notice as soon as sufficient suitable applications are received.
Enquiries: Nick Manning, Intake Manager, email: volunteering AT rlc.org.au. Please do not just email your resume, as we only consider applications that include all details listed below.
Upcoming application rounds
Please send an email to volunteering@rlc.org.au.
Your email must have all of A., B., and C. below:
A. The body of your email must include answers to these questions:
- full name
- phone
- university, course, how many years completed; when you expect to finish the course
- are you an Indigenous Australian
- are you an International Student
- languages other than English that you speak
- which full days (9.45am-4.15pm) are you available in the first two months of volunteering: Mondays / Tuesdays / Thursdays (other days are not available).
B. Attach your resume;
C. Attach a cover letter that includes a specific section on each one of the 4 topics below (please use sub-headings to help us find each topic):
- ABOUT ME
Generally, tell us about yourself including things such as the following. You do not need to include every item, but if you have a strength in any of these areas you should say so here - do not rely on your resume to show this.:
- Your lived experience of, or connection to, one of RLC's client groups or areas of legal practice
- Your ability to speak a second language
- Your commitment to social justice causes
- Your experience in volunteering
- Your experience in administration and/or customer service work
- Your experience assisting people who are in high stress
- Your experience in communication of precise and detailed information to the general public
- Anything else that you think we should know about you.
- MY STUDIES OR EQUIVALENT:
Confirm completion of at least two years of an undergraduate degree (law or other relevant discipline), or acceptance into a graduate degree, or relevant experience.
- ETHICAL ISSUES:
Briefly describe the ethical issues which you will need to consider in your own work as a volunteer at RLC.
- HYPOTHETICAL TASK:
This task has no right or wrong answers - it is a chance for you to show us a little bit about yourself and why you think that RLC is the place for you!
Use your knowledge and imagination to describe a possible client of RLC - a client that you would love to assist on Intake:
a) Briefly describe the client and what sort of legal problem they have.
b) Explain why you see it as important for RLC to help this client.
c) Explain what you personally might get out of helping this client.
d) Explain what this client’s situation might tell us about Australia today.
Commitment:
- Start in May 2025.
- Work a minimum of 24 full days, working one day (9.45am-4.15pm) per week.
Applications have closed. Applications will remain open at least until 31 March. After that date, applications will close without notice as soon as we have received sufficient suitable applications.
Please follow all the steps under HOW TO APPLY above.
Commitment:
- Start in August 2025.
- Work a minimum of 24 full days, working one day (9.45am-4.15pm) per week.
RLC expects to open applications in late May 2025. Applications will remain open for at least 3 weeks. After that date, applications will close without notice as soon as we have received sufficient suitable applications.