Ask for the papers early. Ask for the date. Ask for one person to contact. Ask what you are being asked to do.
How the programme meets
LUNA holds team meetings online, every few months, for about ninety minutes. Ask the programme coordinator for the next date, the papers and the joining link.
Papers usually arrive a few days before. If they arrive the night before, ask for them earlier next time. That request is reasonable, and it is part of making the programme accessible.
Ask for these five things
- A written agreement. Hours, pay, tasks, supervisor, and what happens if the study changes.
- Training before the first task. Not afterwards.
- A named person you can contact, with a reply time you can rely on.
- A supervision date in the diary before you start.
- Adjustments you need, agreed in writing. More time. Written questions in advance. A quiet room. An assistant. Whatever makes the work possible.
The money question
You should be paid for your time. NIHR publishes the rates it expects public contributors to be offered.
- About 27.50 pounds for an hour of activity.
- 55 pounds for about two hours.
- 82.50 pounds for about half a day.
- 165 pounds for a full day.
- 5 pounds extra per meeting held from home.
Travel, childcare and phone costs should be paid on top. Payment should be in money, not vouchers, unless you prefer vouchers.
Payment can affect some benefits, and it is taxable. NIHR funds a free and confidential benefits advice service. Ask for the contact before your first paid session, not after.
Your first meeting
Bring four questions
- What can I decide, and what can I only advise on?
- What am I being asked to do first, and am I trained for it?
- Who do I contact if something goes wrong on the day?
- When will the community hear what the research found?
Keep your own record
Keep a simple note of what you did, when, and what you noticed. It helps you in supervision, and it is your evidence for the assessment.
One line per task is enough. The useful part is what you noticed, not only what you did.
If something is not right
Say it early, in writing, to your supervisor. A late payment, a task you were not trained for, a meeting where you were the only person without the papers. These are fixing problems, not complaints.
The one thing this course cannot give you
The qualification for this role is your standing in the community. People trust you. You understand what aphasia does to a conversation. No course can award that, and no certificate replaces it.
Where the full course is
The longer course has more detail: ethics, data and records, analysis, and the twelve criteria used for the full certificate. It is at share.k3llar.com/crlw.
You do not need it to start. Read it when a task raises a question you cannot answer.