Volunteering & Employment
Opportunities

BANT depends upon an amazing volunteer workforce to contribute to much of what we do, and we are always seeking new recruits. Volunteers can contribute various hours to get involved, typically 2-3 hours a week. Volunteers will be part of one of the BANT workstreams – Communications, Science & Education, Practice Governance, Events and Networks and Membership, or our Student Network.

If you are interested in volunteering for any of the roles listed please simply write to our Volunteer & Networks Manager, Benjamin Richardson at [email protected]. We will be delighted to explore together for a match between your skills and interests and our roles.

Volunteering Opportunities

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Business Support and Self-Care Toolkit Project Contributors

Hours Required: 4-6 hours total in 2024 (depending on ability to contribute)

BANT Lead: Volunteering and Networks Manager

Role Outline

BANT is working to prepare and deliver two new toolkit for members in 2024.

The Business Support Toolkit aims to enable more members to begin practise more quickly, with more confidence, and also assist already practising members with some tools to audit and improve their ways of working.

A Self Care Toolkit aims to raise awareness of the need for self-care, options available, and simple ready to use resources to support and encourage beginning, renewing or maintaining a self- care practice.

For both toolkits, we are seeking and welcoming anyone who has subject matter expertise to share that can be worked into the toolkit. After an initial briefing, this work can be performed anytime that suits you, and or within mini-workshops for the benefit and pleasure of working with others and being creative.

Skills Required

For the Business Support toolkit, if you have good knowledge of any of the following, your inputs could be most welcome: working in the Nutritionist (non-clinical) scope, running Group programmes, providing service to other practitioners, running Corporate programmes, collaborating with GPs, and working as part of an integrated multi-disciplinary clinic team.

For the Self-Care toolkit, again, if you have good knowledge of any of these, your help would be gratefully received: self-care guided practices such as mindfulness, breathwork, journaling, laughter therapy, self-care practitioners and services, and high quality self-care supporting resources (that we would link to from within the toolkit)

Also needed is the ability to work online – mainly using Google Drive – with full support if you are not already confident.

To apply, or just reach out to discuss, please do contact [email protected]

PRACTICE GOVERNANCE

Professional Practice Panel (PPP) Team Members

Hours Required: 2-4 hours per week

BANT Lead: Practice Governance Manager

Role Outline

The Professional Practice Panel (PPP) supports BANT members in all aspects of safe practice including the professional, legal and ethical aspects of their work. The panel has access to frequently asked questions and issues arising for NTs within clinical practice and form part of a team of  experienced NTs offering advice, via the Professional Practice Handbook and through responses to individual queries sent to the PPP.

PPP members gain powerful insight into the challenges presented by clinical practice, from practitioners and from the regulations that govern and impact the profession. In addition to sharing the benefit of their own expertise, PPP members may well be able to apply the insights gained to benefit their own practice and professional development.

Key Responsibilities

Panel members:

  1. Help to update and maintain the BANT Professional Practice Handbook
  2. Collaborate to enable responses to queries from members sent to the PPP team inbox
  3. Support members subject to a complaints procedure

Key Competencies

Must have:  Full member of BANT and CNHC Registered with significant nutritional therapy practice experience.

Nice to have: Virtual team working using collaborative tools

View the Role Profile for PPP Member.

STUDENT NETWORKS

Student College Representative (currently needed for ION, CNM, Uni of West London, Uni of Worcester, NCA)

Hours Required: 1-2 per month for meeting participation and very light rep role actions

BANT Lead: Student Team Lead

Role Outline

Our Student Network is a programme to support BANT student members, engage them with BANT, to help them develop a community and support network and ensure that they feel part of the professional association now and in the future. The BANT College Student Representatives are a key approachable point of contact within each year group/class at each college, receiving feedback and offering advice and signposting to BANT resources for all student members.

We aim to sustain at least one BANT College Student Representative within each accredited Training Provider.

The BANT College Student Representatives will liaise with the BANT Student Rep, who represents BANT students on BANT Council ensuring the student voice is heard. The BANT Student Rep will keep the BANT Student College Reps up to date with relevant information and the latest developments.

Skills Required

  • Be energetic and outgoing
  • Confident communicator
  • Have a good understanding of how the college is structured and how communication could be delivered within
  • Have a good understanding of social media forums (internal college forums, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
  • Have a good relationship with college lecturers and staff

View the Volunteering Brief for Student College Representative.

To apply, or just reach out to discuss, please do contact [email protected]

VOLUNTEERING & NETWORKS

Network C0-Leads (UK wide, all areas, and many non-UK Countries)

Hours Required: 1-2 hours per week

BANT Lead: Volunteer Manager

Work Description
BANT Networks, UK Local and Country, vary in their size and nature but all help mitigate the isolating nature of our profession through being part of a supportive group of peers who meet regularly.

Some networks are tight social groups, others are larger and have semi-formal events with key speakers, some have regular chatter via a social media channel, others meet regularly in-person and or online.

Network Leads, either solo or with a partner, do the wonderful work to organise and sustain a network. This means organising meetings and their content, selecting and enabling the ways to meet (in person or virtual) and chat, sometimes finding venues or speakers. It also involves welcoming in new members and logging network meetings so they qualify for CPD credit.

If there is already a network near you, you may be able to join it or partner with the current lead. If there is not, why not try starting one? You can do so with coaching and support and some great resources to help.

View our existing Networks and their Leads on the following pages (member login required)

UK Local Networks

Country Networks

Skills required

Confidence and energy to network, organise, encourage and facilitate are the key qualities. Whilst connection remains mostly virtual, comfort with ways of connecting e.g. Zoom, Google Meet, Clubhouse, WhatsApp and similar, are very useful but can also be learned.

There is no one ‘right’ way to begin and run a network, but if you have the energy to give it a go, everything can be learned with support, so please do reach out if you would like to.

SCIENCE AND EDUCATION

Nutrition Evidence Database (NED) Expert Reviewers

Hours Required: Minimum of 25-30 hours, but distributed over a year, and with capacity to contribute more if desired and feasible

BANT Lead: Science & Education Manager

Role Description

The Nutrition Evidence Database (NED) is the UK’s first scientific database dedicated to nutrition and lifestyle medicine research. It is an open-access resource with a growing base of subscribers. NED focuses on human research and is designed as a comprehensive platform for practitioners, academic researchers, policymakers, and students

Expert Reviewers provide expert reviews, opinion pieces and expert input within their specialist area. Expert reviewers also contribute to the on-going growth and development of the NED platform and widen the dissemination of high-quality published research to support an evidence-based approach to the Nutrition profession

In return, Expert Reviewers are publicly credited on the NED platform and through BANT communications for publishing original opinion pieces and expert reviews and will be key to promoting the standing of the profession as an evidence-based practice.  All expert comment is shared with a growing subscriber base and the wider public through monthly alerts and via BANT social media.

Key Responsibilities

  1. Complete a minimum of three ‘Expert Reviews’ per year, comprising a selection of high quality published articles complemented by a summary synthesis and ratings for the articles selected using a standard template
  2. Provide a minimum of one ‘Opinion Piece’ per year, comprising a translation of research into a resource of value for nutrition practice
  3. Providing other expert input ad hoc, as opportunity and need arises during the year, for example, for live ‘Ask the Professional’ sessions

Key Competencies Desired

  • Minimum degree level qualification in nutrition or related area (e.g. dietetics, medicine, public health, etc.)
  • Minimum 2 years clinical practice or applied experience
  • Experience in critical appraisal of nutrition and medical research
  • Able to provide an evidence-based, non-biased view of research quality and translation
  • Skilled in written communication in English
  • Expert Reviewers will be expected to declare any conflicts of interest on joining the panel

Expertise is sought within all of these areas –

  • Immune and Inflammation
  • Cardiovascular
  • Hormone and Neurotransmitter
  • Metabolism
  • Structural
  • Nutrigenomics/genetics
  • Digestion and Microbiome
  • Cognition and Brain

Also within these specialist areas –

  • Oncology
  • Paediatric health
  • Sport and exercise nutrition
  • Pain management
  • ME/CFS

Key Features & Benefits

  • 5 hours CPD credit per Expert Review and 10 hours CPD credit per Opinion Piece
  • Accreditation & promotion on the NED platform and via BANT social media channels
  • Making a high impact, high value contribution to the NED platform and promotion and standing of the wider profession

How to learn more and express interest?

For an expanded role profile and description, and or to express interest and arrange a friendly chat, please send a message to [email protected], attaching a CV and stating your area of expertise

VOLUNTEERING & NETWORKS

Local Networks Team Lead (Virtual)

Hours Required: 1-2 hours per week

BANT Lead: Volunteer & Networks Manager

Work Description

Individual Network Leads directly create and sustain the opportunity for BANT members in their area to meet, virtually and in person, and to have between-meetings connection.

Leads vary in their initial confidence and capabilities and many welcome and benefit from strong partnership to support their preparation, contact with members, and activities in pursuit of an active, supportive, valued Local Network. All Leads benefit from strong ongoing support including knowledge and good practices sharing, provision of information resources and connection both with each other and BANT.

Hence, we have a opportunity for a Networks Team Lead to play a major role in supporting the growth and value of our networks and ensuring that Network Leads themselves feel supported.

Key Deliverables

  • Deliver high touch, high impact, role specific onboarding for new Local Network Leads, enabling them to launch a network with confidence
  • Facilitate regular and frequent Local Network Lead knowledge sharing and connection
  • Ensure key resources for Local Network Leads, including a database of speakers for Local Network meets, remain current and accessible

Skills Desired

  • High energy and enthusiasm for delivering through others, and helping create connection and community
  • Coaching & development
  • Kind, engaging communication, verbal & written
  • Virtual working technologies, including virtual meeting, shared drives, and various scheduling, polling and interaction tools
  • Any experience of running or supporting a social community, for example via volunteering, or meetup, is highly welcome

Employment Opportunities

We do not currently have any employment opportunities but when we do, they will be advertised here. Also, when we have a new job a mailout will be sent to all members subscribed for recruitment emails.