A day in the life!
1st -7th July 2024 is #WeAreCitizensAdvice week and we are taking this time to celebrate! We’re able to provide so much support to others because of the staff who commit themselves to helping people in the community. So what does a typical day look like for one of our team?
Today we spoke to Heather, our Macmillan adviser! We’re looking at what a day in the life at the office looks like for Heather.
What is your role at Citizens Advice and how long have you been here?
My role as the Macmillan Adviser is to help clients who have been diagnosed with cancer. I help people maximise income through applying for benefits, appealing benefit decisions if they are rejected and looking at support to access grants. I started volunteering in 2019, then was offered a role as a paid adviser 2 years ago and then moved to the Macmillan role about 18 months ago.
How does your day start?
It starts early! I wake up at half past 6 to get to the Leigh office. I’m usually at my desk at about 8:30 am which gives me time to have my breakfast which is usually a breakfast bar of some kind. I’m not really huge on hot drinks but I’m loving iced tea at the moment with plenty of ice cubes!
Getting to work early gives me a chance to review for the day. My clients come in differently than the rest of the advisers so I check my emails to see what my clients need and how I can help. I also take the chance to plan for my morning appointment. My appointments range from client to client as different clients have different benefit forms to complete, different histories and different accessibility needs. Taking time to prepare for each appointment in advance lets me know the client and what the best course of action is.
My morning appointment is 10am, and it can last between 1 hour and 2 hours, depending on the client’s situation and what they need assistance with. Afterwards, I write up what happened. We do this for all the clients the advisers see. Some clients come back so having the notes typed up means that clients aren’t repeating themselves.
What can you usually be found doing in your lunch break?
I’m really a creature of habit when it comes to lunch! Because of my appointments I take my lunch break between 12 and 12:30pm and you can find me in the kitchen eating my Tesco meal deal. They sometimes vary but at the moment I’m loving the chicken and stuffing sandwich.
What is your afternoon like?
My afternoon is fairly similar to my morning with my second appointment. I do also get to call clients to provide information over the phone and over emails. The job isn’t just face to face. I get to speak to people in lots of different ways.
What do you think is the best part of your job?
In this job, I see a lot of people who are overwhelmed and it's understandable. Knowing that I can help take some of that stress away with financial help is the best part of this job. Clients often get back in touch letting me know that their claims have been successful. This week, someone let me know that they had got their Attendance Allowance awarded which is an additional £108.55 each week, and they’re getting a back payment of £868.40. Knowing that I’m getting people the financial help they need is so important to me.
If you would like to speak to Heather about benefit eligibility checks, form filling and help appealing benefit decisions, call us on 01942 709709 or visit https://www.cawb.org.uk/contact for our full contact information.
