Monday nights, teenage boys, baking and basketball. This was a weekly combination for me some years ago, when I volunteered with a youth-work charity.

Once a week, I would assist with a youth club for vulnerable and disengaged local young people aged 13-16. I volunteered alongside an inspiring woman, whom I soon discovered was a teaching assistant, which told me something about the calibre of people working in local schools.

Aged almost 30, I swiftly realised I was no longer “down with the kids”. Nonetheless, the people I met and the experiences I had during my time as a volunteer consolidated my decision to pursue a career in teaching.

The benefits of being a charity trustee

Once I was working as a teacher, however, I no longer felt able to dedicate three hours a week to this group. So, deciding to make use of the management experience I had accrued during my previous career, I applied to join the charity’s trustee body instead.

In many ways, this was an odd decision, as the trustees have the overall legal responsibility for a charity. It is, therefore, a serious and responsible role - much more so than simply volunteering at a youth club.

However, the time commitment was less initially; a two-hour meeting every two months, with additional reading, research and thinking to be conducted in my own time.

I have now been a trustee over four years and it has been beneficial to me both personally and professionally.

Preparation for school leadership

The Charities Act 2011 describes charity trustees as: “The persons having the general control and management of the administration of a charity.” The role therefore involves the elements of leadership, administration and organisation, all of which have been beneficial to my professional development.

To anyone aspiring to any school leadership role, whether pastoral or academic, I would recommend becoming a charity trustee, because you will develop strategic oversight in a way not normally available to a classroom teacher.

You will participate in - and possibly even chair - meetings, analyse data and financial forecasts, and make decisions. You will be dealing with much larger budgets than a head of department ever would, and making decisions of greater magnitude.

You will be aware of legal constraints and recent legislation, in my case with regards to safeguarding, and may become conversant with safeguarding recording software, such as CPoms or MyConcern.

And you’ll be doing all of this while developing soft skills, such as teamwork, problem-solving, and learning how to ask difficult questions.

The boundaries of my comfort zone

My time as a trustee helped me to become more aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and I discovered the boundaries of my comfort zone.

Trustees also deal with staffing issues - including contracts, promotions and sanctions - and, most recently, some tough decisions around furloughing staff. These experiences have equipped me to better manage staff in future.

Being a trustee ignited my interest in pastoral care, as I became aware of the charity’s work with young people who had been excluded from school, with families with substance-abuse concerns, and with large families living in small basement flats.

But I also found joy in seeing young people develop their confidence, leadership skills and even baking prowess. The young people inspired me, and it is for them that all the trustees serve.

Not daunted

All of this meant that when I applied - and was appointed - to be head of year, I felt well-prepared for the role, and not daunted by any elements of it.

Being a trustee had given me the confidence to apply for the role, despite being new to the school at the time.

And overall, as a charity trustee, I felt I was contributing to a worthwhile cause. I didn’t embark on trusteeship intending for it to be a stepping stone to school leadership. But, with hindsight, the professional benefits are clear.

My experience is unique to a local youth-work charity, though I would expect some parallels with being a school governor.

There is much to gain from becoming a trustee of any charity, or even of your subject association. I would recommend it to any teacher looking for a new challenge.

Charities recruiting volunteers can be found here, and school governor vacancies can be found here or here. Or you could simply approach a local charity that matches your interests.

Gemma Hargraves is a history teacher and head of lower school at an independent girls’ school in the Midlands