Care Leaver Internship Scheme 2024

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

East Midlands (England), London (region), North East England, North West England, Scotland, South East England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

About the job

Job summary

Your unique perspective makes all the difference to the way we work. 

Our Care Leavers paid internship is one way the Civil Service is showing our commitment to Care Leavers. In 2023 over 130 care leavers were offered an internship across 16 government departments. 

The roles are across the country, and you will be providing support to a government department near you. 

Placements currently available in:  

Aberystwyth, Airdrie, Ashington, Ayr, Barnet, Barrow-in-Furness, Bath, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Brierley Hill, Brighton, Bristol, Caernarfon, Cardiff, Carlisle, Carmarthen, Chatham, Chester, Crewe, Croydon, Derby, Devizes, Dundee, Durham, Edinburgh, Essex, Exeter, Falkirk, Glasgow, Glasgow, Hounslow, Huyton, Isle of Portland, Jarrow, Kilmarnock, Leeds, Leicester, Leven, Lincoln, Liverpool, Llandrindod Wells, Llandudno Junction, London, Loughborough, Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, Newcastle -upon-Tyne, Newtown, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, PontyPridd, Preston, Reading, Rugby, Rutherglen, Sheffield, Simonstone, Solihull, South Shields, St Austell, Stockport, Stoke, Suffolk, Swansea, Teesside, Wigan, Wimborne Minster, Worcester, Workington, York, Darlington, Coventry.

There will be limited roles in some of the above locations. There is the potential for new roles to be offered in additional locations, however this is not guaranteed. If a role does not become available in your preferred location within 12 months on the Reserve List we will unfortunately not be able to offer you a role from this campaign and we will encourage you to apply again.

Job description

Tasks will vary depending on where you work and the grade to which you are assigned. 

Administrative Officer 

As an administrative officer you will be working in an administrative role within a team, with no Line Management responsibilities. You will usually work within a supportive team structure, following policy and procedures under the direction of team leaders.  

Executive Officer 

As an Executive Officer you will be involved in problem solving, business planning and policy making, at the very highest levels of government.  

You’ll usually work within a supportive team structure, under the direction of relevant team leaders. You may also hold individual responsibility for pieces of work within a programme or project using your own initiative and following departments policy and procedures. 

Person specification

A major part of the role will be computer-based tasks and will use your communication and organisational skills in your everyday work.  

In the job you may be asked:  

• To take your own initiative with minimal supervision following departmental policy and procedures, knowing when to seek help. 
• To identify priorities, resolving issues and manage your time effectively. 
• To support the team to secure the most effective outcome. 
• To manage diaries, arrange meetings and book meeting rooms. 
• To effectively and accurately use multiple Microsoft applications and their functions. 
• To provide effective customer service. 

Can I apply? 

Are you aged between 18-30? (as of 30th September 2024)  

Were you eligible for a leaving care support package when you left care?  

No qualifications are required for this internship, however you will need to provide examples that clearly demonstrate the criteria listed. 

You may be offered the option of an apprenticeship as part of your role and development depending on which department you are allocated to if successful. 

How do I apply? 

Apply online by clicking “Apply now” at the bottom of this page. 

You will complete an online application form, which will ask you to provide a personal statement (500 words).

We will use this application to assess your skills for a job and invite successful applicants for an interview. Feedback will be given on your application. 

Will there be an Interview? 

If your written application is successful, you will be invited to a virtual interview where you will be asked questions by two or three people. The purpose of the interview is to assess your experience, strengths and suitability for the role and it will last about 45 minutes. Feedback will be given on your interview.  

When will my internship start? 

We expect the recruitment for this campaign to conclude end of October, with start dates varying from December 2024 onwards. Successful candidates will be allocated to one of the participating departments and will then be subject to successful completion of pre-employment checks. We are unable to advise how long these checks will take and this will vary depending on the department to which you are allocated and the level of check required. Further information will be given to you once you have been allocated to a department. You will be required, if successful to provide relevant ID documents. ID documents must be provided in person and your allocated department will arrange a time and place for you to provide these. 

If we are unable to allocate successful candidates to a department immediately, we will hold your details on a reserve list for 12 months and will do our utmost to find a suitable role for you. All appointments will be made in strict merit order. 

Can I request to work for a specific department? 

Candidates will be allocated to a role based on their location and the grade to which they have been deemed appointable. 

It is not possible to request a placement directly with any of the participating departments. 

I have a question how do I contact you? 

Send us an email [email protected] 

Further Guidance 

More information is in the Candidate Pack at the bottom of this page. 

There is also a document showing a selection of current roles available and there office location. Please note successful candidates will be posted in strict merit order, based on location preference.

Benefits

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.

You will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.

You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

Office attendance expectations will be confirmed by the department you are appointed to and will be dependant on your role and business need.

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Care Leavers Internship Team
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages

We encourage diverse candidates

At DfE, we are proud of the commitment we make to diversity and inclusion and of the progress we have made. We have a variety of staff networks and groups for all employees to join, whether you identify yourself as someone who the network is aimed towards or if you just have an interest in diversity and inclusion matters.

Equality and diversity – Department for Education

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