Testimonials

CharityJOB is a very effective way of recruiting. I've used it to advertise vacancies many times in the last few years, including in 2012 when the Standing Committee for Youth Justice recruited a new policy and parliamentary officer. The web interface is easy to use and CharityJOB staff are always helpful.
Penelope Gibbs, Chair, the Standing Committee for Youth Justice

I feel that your site is one of the best - as you are able to put in all / any criteria that is pertinent to the individual and therefore you only see the jobs that you want - not like some other sites: where I've put London and get Nottingham, or put in Administrator and get Welder ! Keep up the good work CharityJOB
Jobseeker

Wikimedia UK has always found that the staff go that extra mile to get us what we want.
Jon Davies, Chief Executive, Wikimedia UK

We were very pleased with the response to the advertisement, we were able to shortlist and make an appointment from an excellent range of candidates solely from CharityJOB. The interface for placing the ad was also very user friendly. Altogether excellent!
Nive Hall, Street Child United

As a small charity we were extremely pleased with the service we recieved from CharityJOB. They made the whole process so straightforward, staff were incredibly helpful and the cost was very reasonable. We were very impressed with the volume and high calibre of applicants as a result of advertising with CharityJOB and successfully recruited an excellent candidate. We would have no hesitation in recommending CharityJOB and would certainly use them in the future.
Jane Edwards, Operations Manager, Abbey Community Centre

The response to our advert was incredible. We narrowed our search down to just two and you will be pleased to hear, decided to employ them both! An excellent service and one we shall definitely be using again.
Vicky Andreas, React

I've used CharityJOB for the last 7 or so years in various jobs, and will continue to do so moving forward, as I've always found it the best place to recruit for the voluntary sector. We have no more positions at present, but if we do I'll obviously advertise on CharityJOB.
Phil Pyatt, Director of Engagement - Localgiving.com

We have just offered the position to one of the applicants who came through CharityJOB. We had a good response and the quality of the applicants from your site was very high. We will consider using your site again for future job adverts.
Helen North, Chief Executive, Endometriosis UK

This was the first time we’d used this site for recruitment. We were extremely pleased by the results. The process worked well for us, the candidates were excellent and we had a good batch of people who we could have appointed but sadly we just needed one person. We will use the site again.
Barbara Scott, Dulwich Helpline and Southwark Churches Care

I got my job via the charity job website. I must say that using the site and applying and uploading CV's etc was really simple, and the diversity of jobs on offer was really useful. I'll certainly recommend CharityJOB and I will let you know if we have any vacancies.
Ewan Flack, Manager, Mental Health Support Association

We advertised with you last week for our Volunteer Coordinator post, and the first thing I noticed when I got back from my hols after the closing date was that you had sent a helpful summary of clicks on our ad. So thank you for that. The second thing I noticed is that almost a quarter of our applications said they had seen us on CharityJOB. And the third thing that caught my attention is that of the six people we have shortlisted for interview, four of them say they came through CharityJOB. I was so impressed I wanted to thank you, but your Stats email is NoReply. So I went back to your website and thought that while I was there I would look at the Testimonials – which of course I hadn’t read before because everyone knows they’re not real – and what do I see but they’re all saying exactly what I am now thinking: that you’re inexpensive; that ‘your’ candidates are pretty much the pick of the bunch and that we really won’t be bothering with anyone much else in future. Perhaps you didn’t pay the others to say those things after all… With many thanks for your brilliant service, and if I had any suitable friends I would certainly recommend them to advertise on your site!
CK, Administrator, Fairweather

I have now completed my MSc and currently looking for a part time finance role. I have found some fantastic roles via your great website. I have got a few interviews lined up for coming weeks. I just want to let you know that Charityjob.co.uk is a great website with fantastic real jobs with great charities. I have realised that many leading websites just have many fake jobs just to attract traffic. Your site is easy to use and it looks professional. Keep up the good work. wishing you all the very best!
V.N. Jobseeker

As a web design company that specialises in charity websites, it's really important that our staff have experience in the charity sector. We were very pleased with the quality of the applications, all of the CharityJOB applicants met our long list for interviews and 3 were interviewed. The other 3 interviewees had found the job through researching charity web design and regularly checking our website for jobs, so no other job board performed as well as you did. Very happy customer, we will be coming back!
Rachel Fleming, General Manager, Fat Beehive

Save the Children uses CharityJOB to recruit most of its roles, particularly within fundraising and marketing. The price is excellent value and applications are of good quality. Uploading jobs via the web site is easy to do and there is always helpful support should we need it. We now use Top Jobs and Featured Adverts to further improve our response. CharityJOB is the leader in the field and I would not hesitate recommending them to anyone in the non for profit sector.
Quinton Seemann, Recruiting Manager, Save the Children

CharityJOB is now my provider of choice!
Paul Rompani, CEO, Lattitude Global Volunteering

CharityJOB seems to be pulling away from the pack in terms of their ability to find good candidates. We have been very impressed with the response to our ad for a part-time Head of Operations. Not sure I’ll bother with any other channels in future.’
Carolyn Hayman OBE, Chief Executive, Peace Direct

We have consistently found that CharityJOB delivers the best standard of response to our adverts of any job board, providing us with high-quality candidates with sector experience. The support provided has also always been very helpful and friendly.
Natalie Ponting Marketing Manager | TPP Not for Profit

Thanks very much for getting in touch. We received about 70 completed applications in the end, all of a very good standard and many closely aligned to our requirements. I have been delighted with the response from CharityJOB. I should also like to thank you for your friendly and super efficient service. If we have any more recruiting needs, we will certainly use your site again.
Rosie Coutts, Executive Director, Soroptimist International

My view is that this has been, so far, a cost efficient and effective way to recruit for our post.
Andrea Watson, Grants Director, Masonic Samaritan Fund

I used CharityJOB to do something I have never done before and hope never to have to do again: recruit my successor! Not only was the response immediate and remarkable but the advice, help and support received was excellent: customer service at its rare, genuine and personal best.You have made me feel cared about and for which means a great deal.
Ann Height OBE, Chief Executive, Apex

When I looked at the applicants we had from CharityJOB in the first half of 2008, only 5% also applied to either the Guardian or Third Sector. So 95% were unique candidates that we wouldn’t have got elsewhere.
Sam Turner, Senior Online Marketing Executive, Badenoch & Clark

Extremely effective and with a better response than our 3rd sector advert. We will use you again.
Rik Child Director - Furniture Now!

We have had an excellent amount of responses since placing the ad (one of the highest application rates for one of our recruitment cycle). We will definitely be using CharityJOB again when we have similar post to advertise.
Oliver Debono,Office Manager,Citizenship Foundation

Advertising our part time fundraiser position on CharityJOB resulted in over 50 responses of a quality which matched that which I would have expected from printed media adverts....at an affordable cost.
Jim Potter, Trustee, Zambia Orphans of AIDS

MAG regularly uses CharityJOB to advertise UK based positions. We are consistently impressed with the efficient and friendly service that we receive and we are always satisfied with the level of response. CharityJOB is a cost effective way of publishing our vacancies and we will continue to the site.
Rhian Cooke, Mines Action Group

I am pleased to let you know that we have appointed someone to the post and that was as a result of using your website. I would certainly use it again – it was clear and easy to use, always a plus in my book!
Julia Vokes, St Peter & St James Hospice

We have been really impressed by the quality of candidates that have come through CharityJOB. Infact, the last 2 people we have employed found our vacancy through CharityJOB. We will be recruiting again soon. Once the Board have agreed how we are going to recruit but I have strongly advised that we use CharityJOB. It's so simple but very effective.
Emma Rogers, Project Co-ordinator, Community Chaplaincy, HMYOI Feltham

We always use CharityJOB for recruiting our field staff as we can guarantee good service and good candidates for a good price.
Pat Harley, Office Manager, SITA Trust

We are finding that our CharityJOB listings are receiving an excellent number of views and generating some good interest, so we will continue to make good use of our bulk listings package and really appreciate the service you offer in that respect.
David Hasell, Finance & Support Services Manager, Medair UK

Thank you very much! I have always used CharityJOB for my own personal job-hunts, and always thought it was great - but now, having also used you for recruiting, I see exactly why you have won so many awards. Thanks also for putting our logo and link on the advert!
Jules Allen,Toc H Regional Development Officer, South West

MAC-UK received numerous job application via CharityJOB for the role of Mini MAC Outreach Worker that we advertised with you. Interestingly, we did notice that people were slower to reply through CharityJOB than other job sites but the applications were generally of a high standard. CharityJOB was very simple to use and had an easy registration process - we will be using you again in the future.
Laura Major, Assistant Psychologist, MAC-UK

We interviewed on Monday and have offered the job (subject to references) to someone who saw the advert on the CharityJOB website. I was pleased with the standard of the applications received from people who had seen the job on your website.
Christine Dillnutt, Office Manager, Stevenage CVS

I work for an international development charity based in London (Students Partnership Worldwide) and we frequently use CharityJOB to recruit for our staff team, interns and volunteers. We have had many excellent candidates apply through CharityJOB and have always been delighted with those selected.
Liz West, Events and Individual Donors Coordinator, Students Partnership Worldwide International (SPW Intl)

I have now been with Children of the Andes just over a month; having been recruited through CharityJOB and everything is going very well.Whilst I was job hunting you were my number 1 job site and I found everything very easy to use.
Hannah Moore, Fundraising and Finance Assistant, Children of the Andes

Virgin Unite recently secured a highly qualified CSR consultant by advertising on CharityJob. Being the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group we are not your typical charity, but yet you managed to deliver to our specific needs.
Amy Deas, HR Business Partner, Virgin Unite

I am glad to say that the response to our adverts have always been healthy and I would recommend your recruitment site.
Tom Fisher, HR Training Adviser, Red Kite Learning

So far you have exactly matched our expectations – thanks.
Dr BJ Clark, Chief Executive Officer, onCore UK

I do feel that CharityJOB is a really good site for us as we generally get the right person, so keep up the good work.
Geoffrey Wheeler, General Manager, Aston-Mansfield

I would just like to say that I find your site fantastic: it is very well organised, easy to use, and easy to tailor to individual needs. Many thanks!
T.B a jobseeker

I found CharityJOB really easy to use, good value for money and the response for our vacancy exceeded my expectations. I am delighted with the service and will definitely use CharityJOB again in the future.
Roz Osborne, Head of Patient Support, Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust

Our recruitment through your website was most successful with a range of very high calibre to choose from. We made a successful appointment and are very happy with the service you provide.
Thea Joldersma, Programme & Policy Manager, Family Holiday Association

‘I think CharityJOB is an excellent site and very easy to use as both an employer and job seeker. It has served our needs well.'
Georgina Brown, Assistant Clerk to the Skinners' Company

Just to let you know that we have appointed our first fundraising manager from one of the applicants arriving through your website. That is very cost-effective and easy to use.
David Dixon, Village Water

We placed an ad on CharityJOB to recruit for a locum Women Prisoners' Caseworker to cover a period of maternity leave. This position was quite difficult to fill as we required a legal professional with experience of working with prisoners. We received an excellent candidate from CharityJOB who we subsequently recruited. I would have no hesitation in recommending CharityJOB and we will certainly be using them for future vacancies at PAS.
Matthew Denny, Development Manager, Prisoners' Advice Service

I was very pleased with the response we got from our advert on CharityJOB, we received a good number of responses from the right sort of people and were able to recruit successfully. Posting the vacancy was quick and easy and I found that CharityJOB was considerably more cost effective than other recruitment methods that I have tried.
Joel Rose, Director, OCD Action

We’re very happy with the service; it’s likely to become the cornerstone of our recruitment process. We attracted numerous good candidates from the site for each of the roles.
Jason Quin, London Operations Manager, UnLtd

A cheap, effective and easy way to recruit events fundraising staff. We were very pleased with the service and it took all the hassle out of recruiting and had a great response. We’ll certainly be using the site again.
Lucy Dawes, Events Fundraising Manager, Orchid

I used the CharityJOB website for recruitment. I was very satisfied with the results that came back from having advertised on it. It is known about in the sector and is widely used by job seekers. I thought the site was very user efficient technically and that attendance by on the ground staff was efficient and quick. I would use this site at any time in the future for recruitment.
Caroline Taylor, Happy Child International

The website is easy to use (for an employer) and offers great value for money. It's our first port of call whenever we have a vacancy. I'd recommend it to any employer in the not-for-profit sector.
Peter Flower, HR Consultant, CSW

May I compliment you on your website and the tremendous effort that has gone into building it - it's very good, so easy to follow. I do a lot of website editing, so am familiar with the pitfalls of sites, and yours is, truly, among the best I've used. Thank you for your excellent service.
G.A. – Jobseeker

Within 24hrs of going on your site, we had 4 volunteers, all of whom would have fitted the bill – a fantastic response considering I have had this posted with other agencies for sometime with no candidates at all.
Fundraising Coordinator, Homelessness Charity.

I'm actively looking for a new job and Charityjob really gives me what I'm after - prompt delivery of all the post's key details in a brilliant, easy-to-use format. That simply must be why it gets such good results for employers. A "must-use" route to market!
Phil Robertshaw, Jobseeker

We were very pleased with your service, it saved a lot of time for our administrator and we were able to monitor the number of people interested in the position. We will use your website in the future, because we had a good response and the cost is also important as we are a struggling charity and newspaper job adverts are much more expensive with not so good results.
Zrinka Bralo, Executive Director, Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum

I am a fan of CharityJOB, have used it in my last three charities and have now reached the stage that I use it exclusively for most recruitments saving all that cost of Guardian advertising! If anyone is serious about working in the sector then they will be looking at CharityJOB
SN - International Development Charity

A quick, low hassle, low cost way to get applicants - especially as compared with the big print channels. Will definitely use you again as and when we need to recruit.
S B - Charity

Just to say thank you for your website with all those fantastic jobs. I have just got a job as a result of your website. It was very easy – applying online etc. It’s a fantastic job that I am going to love and as a charity job it will make a big difference to the world.
J.H.B - Jobseeker

I cannot believe that we had such a good response in only 2 days of placing the advert. I find your service an excellent & efficient one, and one to write home about. Finding someone so quickly without the huge cost of paying an agency has put me in a good light with my organisation and my line manager. Thank you again for your help and assistance in achieving this.
Jennifer Rowe, Hackney CVS

CharityJOB provides an efficient and professional service and is fantastic value for money. The response from our adverts has been amazing with over 35 applicants for the last post. We have now successfully recruited a number of staff through them and will certainly continue to use their services.
Gabrielle Hart, Action on Addiction

We used CharityJOB to advertise a consultancy to work on the sustainable development of Bakewell Town Hall. The response was fantastic. We received nearly sixty enquiries, and were able to shortlist from over twenty applications. The strength of the field was only matched by the quality of service provided by CharityJOB. Prompt, friendly, efficient and effective. At around £100 it was a tenth the price of The Grauniad, and at least as good, since the ad goes round the internet networks. We knew we didn’t need to use The Guardian. Make your own mind up where to spend what on recruitment adverts, and where else you could deploy any savings...
David Fine, Chair, Bakewell Community Interest Group

We initially used CharityJOB to advertise for a vacancy as the cost was so much lower than most other options. However, as the applicants started pouring in, we realized how valuable the service was; the site delivers exceptional quality as well as quantity, and we would not hesitate to use you again. Thank you!
Asantwaa Brenya, Age Concern, Lambeth

We advertise on CharityJOB as a matter of course; it is easily the most cost-effective form of recruitment advertising. Out of 17 serious applicants for a recent job 6 came from from CharityJOB. The Guardian agreed to carry the ad on their website only (not in print) for £1,000! We only got 2 applicants from that!
G.B. - Charity

CharityJOB delivers consistently, and never fails to impress with the calibre of candidates. We had a better response from an ad on CharityJOB recently than we did from The Guardian. Online recruitment seems to be the way forward and as far as we are concerned CharityJOB is the best in this field.
Sheila Dobey, Finance/Admin Manager, Choices

As a small national charity we recently used your website to advertise for a new Finance Manager. Having previously advertised for such roles in the national press,we were delighted by the response we received for a relatively small monetary outlay and the quality of the candidates from whom we were able to select. We have now appointed a high calibre person in post and have saved ourselves a significant amount of money on recruitment costs. We will definitely use your service again and unreservedly recommend this method of recruitment to other agencies.
Andrew Phillips, Development Manager, REACH

Having had a poor response from our previous adverts, we decided to try CharityJOB as a means of recruitment. The response was fantastic – both in quantity and quality of candidates. We will definitely be using your site again.
Chris Willott, International Health BSc Course Tutor, UCL

CharityJOB is clearly becoming one of the recruitment tools of choice for charities in the Christian sector.
Adrian White, Chief Administrative Officer, International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES)

CharityJOB provides a very useful tool when recruiting, as well as a useful indication of what jobs are on the market and their going salaries. I highly recommend them to everybody looking to recruit in the not-for-profit and charity sectors.
John Anderson, (Chief Executive), Prostate Research Campaign UK

We recently needed to recruit for 3 posts within a very short time period, but were unable to afford the advertising costs associated with national newspapers and specialist recruitment companies. Having used CharityJOB in the past myself to find a job, I looked at the site with my Chief Executive who instantly liked its user-friendly format. The process of advertising our vacancies couldn't have been simpler. We recruited 2 out of 3 of the posts and I would definitely use the site again. I highly recommend it as an effective recruitment method.
Anna Mentzel, National Council for Hospice & Specialist Palliative Care Services

CharityJOB has been invaluable. It is an extremely cost effective way to recruit potential employees who are committed to working in the voulntary sector all accross the UK and beyond.
Serena Mansfield, Lacashire Global Education Centre

We were looking to find a co-ordinator for our international summer school for young activists. We needed someone quickly and did not have a huge budget. So what better than the CharityJOB website. Our ad was up as soon as it was written, and within 20 minutes we started to get people showing interest. We had allowed three weeks for people to apply, and a further week for shortlisting and interviews. We had a tremendous response; 36 high class applicants; 6 people interviewed, all of whom we could have appointed; and 1 successful candidate who started work within 1 month of the advertisement appearing. CharityJOB is THE way to recruit; it is quick and cheap....and it works.
Michael Norton, Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action

We had a superb response from our advert and have appointed a very good candidate. I have now advertised for a fundraiser and I am very impressed with the upload option available.
Sarah Stones, Emmaus UK

I was surprised to discover that three people in our small office were all recruited through CharityJOB!
A.R. - Charity

Your site is phenomenal in generating quality interest in our posts..
D.J. - Charity

As an agency CharityJOB really has revolutionised the way we do business.... We get hundreds of applicants every week.
S.H. - Agency

Just wanted to thank you for sending me job details every week. It's the best service around - and has kept me going through months of searching. Now have a job offer - from a CharityJOB advertisement - so Thank you again
J.C. - Jobseeker

As a medium sized national charity that wants to keep it's admin costs down CharityJOB is an excellent means of recruiting fundraising staff. We put an advert in the local press and attracted a good number of candidates, but the quality was just not there. The CharityJOB website targets exactly the type of candidates we want and as a result we now have a new Community Fundraiser who is undoubtedly going to be an asset to the organisation.
Juliette Pilling, Head of Fundraising, The Winged Fellowship Trust

Your site is always one of the top 5 referrers to our site - the link is a very important and a valued one. Also, we're in the process of analysing our applications last year, and applications through websites have risen from 5% to 22%. So we'll definitely be continuing to use CharityJOB.
Martin Kelly, Personnel Director, CAFOD

Using CharityJOB's website to advertise our jobs has enabled us to reach a far wider audience and given us the opportunity to develop new links and meet with professional development workers from diverse cultures. This widening of our reach ensures that the internationalist ethic of the organisation remains intact, giving development workers and partner organisations exposure to a greater variety of working methodologies.
Fiona Sinclair, Recruitment, Selection & Training Co-ordinator, International Co-operation for Development.

CARE International UK is part of one of the world's largest relief and development charities, we work with the world's poor in 35 different countries. Placing job advertisements can be an expensive business and I have to ensure that I target the right audience. That is why I use CharityJOB for all our job vacancies, from a senior manager working in Bangladesh to an Administrator based here in the UK. CharityJOB is a quick and easy way to advertise, many of the right people have access to their site, so I always get good, quality candidates, and the service is free! I would highly recommend CharityJOB for any recruitment advertising in the charity sector.
Elaine Smart, Personnel Manager, CARE International

I spent several months trying to recruit a Fundraiser; advertising in newspapers and trade magazines, at great cost, but with no success. At the first attempt of putting the position on the CharityJOB website, we had several applicants, of a high quality and the role has now been offered to and accepted by one of them. I also have a couple of names on my file, which I hope to contact in the near future for a new position. I would certainly use CharityJOB again. It's user-friendly and it works!
Susan Kerry Bedell, Head of Development, League Against Cruel Sports

ProspectUs has had a structured, analytical approach to developing our internet presence and website links. CharityJOB website seems to attract a targeted audience. We are impressed by the number of good quality candidates that we have received as a result of our advertising.
David Gold, Managing Director, ProspectUs

The partnership we have established with CharityJOB has transformed our business. The service level that has been developed enables us to attract high quality applicants who appreciate a professional, reliable and personalised approach to recruitment consultancy. The partnership works because both CharityJOB and SYCAL Management & Recruitment are committed to providing charities with not only an expert recruitment service, but also one that is cost-effective. We have appreciated the way that CharityJOB has developed its service in response to our particular needs and business objectives. The service provided has been quick, efficient and dependable. Significant progress was made over a very short period of time. The service that CharityJOB and SYCAL Management & Recruitment now provide through the Internet is extremly user-friendly. It's not 'gimmicky' and it's not 'flash'. This is by deliberate design. It is, however, attractive and clear. Importantly, it offers both employers and applicants the opportunity to interact and to begin to match organisational need with career aspiration. The feedback we have recieved from both clients and applicants is a testament to the effectiveness of our partnership with CharityJOB. We look forward to collaborating on further innovation in the future.
Simon Lloyd, Director, NFP Resourcing

Wow this website is amazing
JF, job seeker

I did get a very good response and have successfully appointed an excellent candidate out of the top 3. Your service is consistently good and I have recommended you to others
Jill Goddard, Executive Director ,Thames Estuary Partnership

I am writing to say big thank you to all at CharityJOB on behalf of the International Performers’ Aid Trust. We had no fewer than 49 applicants actually responding to our advertisement and I am now in the process of taking up references after a splendid set of interviews. The quality of those applying was very high indeed and we could have appointed any one of four interviewees. I would have no hesitation in recommending you to colleagues from other charities (and I probably will!).
Michael Branwell,Chairman, IPAT

I am writing to let you know how pleased we were with the recruitment campaign for our fundraiser position we advertised though CharityJOB. We had a tremendous response and what was particularly pleasing was the calibre of candidates that applied. We now have a shortlist of 6 we are interviewing and feel confident that we will successfully fill the position.
Mandy Lawer, Administration Manager, Puzzle Centre

I would like to say thank you on the behalf of Cancer Research UK. I am very impressed with the quality of the candidates we have sourced through Charity.co.uk. For me it is not about the quantity of applicants, it is all to do with the calibre of the applicant as this saves time and money.
Nelson Laurencia, Regional Events Manager - Manchester Shine, Cancer Research UK

We use CharityJOB for 90% of our roles. We always get a good response from the site and the quality of candidates is better than other recruitment websites. For the sector, it really works for us. We always get a good service from the team as well, so thank you for helping to make recruitment easier for us!
Gemma Irvine, HR Officer, Breast Cancer Care

We were very happy with the response we received to our recruitment posting with CharityJOB. We had a number of experienced and well-matched candidates and the job has been offered and accepted by an individual who replied to the advertisement through CharityJOB. We will continue to use CharityJOB for our specialist roles, as it works very well for Riders for Health.
Jennie Goodman, Business development manager, Riders for Health

I just want to give a huge thanks! I have got a volunteer position at place2be charity! Thank you for this great site!
L.S. job seeker

On the new site design: Excellent choice of colours/graphics and good presentation of information (small chunks rather than a long page). I'd give 120 marks out of 100 !!
B.L. job seeker

I successfully recruited a first class employee through CharityJOB at the first attempt. Good quality applications, easy to use service and a very cost effective method of reaching a broad range of diverse candidates.
Dermot O'Brien, Chief Executive, The Adab Trust

I was looking for an experienced fundraiser for Manchester YMCA, a long established charity. The high quality applications came thick and fast and I was able to select a suitable candidate in a very short space of time.We will use CharityJOB again.
Graham Hobbs, Chief Executive, Manchester YMCA

We use CharityJOB’s website for all our recruitment now. We are a funded charity with limited resources and CharityJOB always seem able to quote a price within our budget. They are very good value for money and the service is excellent.”
Robert Reilly, Administrative Officer, Kingston Centre for Independent Living