If you fancy a voluntary job, which takes all your attention - that is a perfect choice for you…read more they pay £10/h If you know a little bit of English and you fancy to mess someone's life while 'interpreting' from your language and into it - the job is for you.They do not expect to show any qualifications or references. Employment contracts are designed against any common sense of employee - employer relationship. If I was to compare it to any other interpreting/translation agencies I have worked for - this one was the weirdest I have ever came across.

Did you know that the Botanical Gardens offer courses on everything from portrait photography to…read moregrowing plants (kind of an obvious one that I guess) to yoga? I always presumed this space was used for school groups but I was lucky enough to attend classes here recently - it's a tranquil setting with views of the lovely gardens and the ideal place to loll around on a gym mat (I did yoga in case you're wondering). You can approach the building directly from Westbourne Road (it's a little bit hidden away so look out for the signs) or through the Gardens during later summer opening hours. There's limited parking available at the Study Centre so you may prefer to use the main Gardens' car park. It boasts a number of rooms - they all seem pretty light and airy and they're often decorated with collages made by visiting kids. Looking at their website it would appear that their Summer courses are on hold, which seems a real shame given how much I enjoyed attending classes here and especially in light of the closure of the nearby Adult Education Centre (The Clocktower in Harborne High Street) - with this in mind, its worth phoning ahead to make sure whatever it is you fancied lending your hand to, is still running.

Common Purpose is a charity that runs leadership courses. The objective is for people to have…read morebetter leadership skills whether for work or just for themselves. One of the main areas of interest is for people to have civic and social responsibility with the long term aim that all of the public benefit. They even have courses for young people aged 18-25 that enable them to have better leadership skills resulting in better job offers. 'Young Million' is run through donations of money and donations of time and this is the area I'm looking to potentially get involved. I thoroughly recommend having a look at Common Purpose whether you are young and unemployed, a professional looking to sharpen your leadership qualities or a professional looking to donate time. Oh and ask for the amazing Louise Teboul in Birmingham.

If you ask someone whether they know where the Birmingham Conservatoire is, they're most likely…read morecompletely oblivious that such a place exists. That's because it's a 60s retro building hidden in Paradise Circus but showcases some amazing musical talent. I went there for six years whilst learning to play the sitar and was amazed at the number of concerts that are held there. Most of these are performed by musicians who learn here, but the Conservatoire has also played host to some big classical artistes from around the world. The nearest parking is the Town Hall car park close to the Mailbox so if you have others with you that find it difficult to walk, you're better off dropping them nearby first. The building is in desperate need of a facelift and the facilities are outdated. A large coffee shop or bar would be useful for concert-goers too.

Birmingham Conservatoire is one of the UK's top music schools, along with the Royal Academy in…read moreLondon and the Northern College of Music in Manchester. In fact, it was ranked top first with the Royal Academy last year, in a national student survey. Nuff said. It continues to produce world-class performers and composers, such as John Webb, Jean Rigby and, errr, Rhydian. As you would expect from a conservatoire, there is a very practical focus to the courses studied here, with numerous concerts and gigs for the students to gain experience in performance, and ensembles, orchestras, choirs and bands to get involved in. The conservatoire was the first music school in the UK to have an active research programme, and is internationally recognised for its developments in electro-acoustics. All in all - top dollar.