How it works

How volunteering with The Academy works

You bring some time and curiosity. We bring a real project, a mentor who knows it, and honest feedback.

Five steps

Pick one of the projects and read what you could work on there.
When a project is taking volunteers, fill in a short form. There are eight questions, no CV and no documents.
Have a short, informal intro call so we can agree a first piece of work that suits you.
Work at your own pace, with feedback from a mentor who knows the project. There are no required hours or deadlines, and you can stop any time.
If you want one, get a factual reference describing what you did. It's private by default, and a public page is optional.

The volunteer terms, in plain English

It's volunteering. There's no pay, no fee, and it isn't a job, an internship or a course.
You're in charge of your time. There are no required hours, deadlines, targets or penalties.
You choose. You pick the project and what you work on, and you can change your mind.
You can stop at any time without giving a reason. That doesn't affect anything you've already been credited for.
Your work is credited to you if you want it to be, and you can show it in your portfolio.
Nothing goes live without a review by your mentor. You never get passwords, production systems or other people's personal data.
It's for adults. You need to be 18 or older.

Your mentor

Your mentor is Brian, who built and runs these projects, so he knows the history, the decisions behind them and what's worth doing next. Expect feedback on the work you share and an optional weekly check-in. We never ask for a diagnosis or medical documents. If something would make it easier for you to take part, just say.

What the reference does — and does not — say

If you'd like one, we write a factual reference describing what you actually did: the project, the dates, your contributions and what we saw you do well. It links to your work where that's appropriate. It isn't a qualification or a promise of a job, and it says clearly that you volunteered. If you stop early, you can still get a truthful reference for what you did.

Reference for [volunteer's approved name]

[Name] volunteered on [project] from [start date] to [end date]. They chose to work on [what they worked on]. Their contributions were [specific contributions, with links].

I saw [skill, with an example] and [second skill, with an example]. After feedback, they [specific improvement].

This reference describes volunteer work I mentored. It is not a qualification or an offer of employment. The Academy, Raven Design and Built In Ireland are related projects.

[Mentor name], [role]. Issued [date]. Reference ID: [id and version].

Reference privacy

By default, your reference is private: it's yours to share with whoever you choose.
A named public page on builtinireland.ie is optional. We only ask once you've finished, about the exact wording, and the answer starts as "no".
Whether search engines can list that page is a separate choice, also "no" by default. A page kept out of search is still public to anyone who has the link.
If we change the wording later, you approve it again before it's shown.
You can have a public page taken down at any time.

Welfare payments and courses

If you get a social welfare payment, check with Intreo before you start. Volunteering can be affected by the rules for your payment. If you want it to count toward a course, ask your college first: only they can decide. See the FAQ for more.