Frequently asked questions
1. What is a volunteer internship at Barnardo’s?
2. How long is a volunteer internship?
3. Can I do an internship at other times of the year?
4.Who can apply?
5. Can I apply for more than one volunteer internship?
6. What experience do I need?
7. I’m currently at university and want to do an internship in my summer holiday, are there any roles that I can apply for?
8. What does the application process involve?
9. What level of responsibility can I expect to have during a volunteer internship with Barnardo's?
10. What skills can I expect to gain from a volunteer internship at Barnardo’s?
11. What sets this volunteer internship apart from other ones I have looked at?
12. What unique volunteer internship opportunities are there at Barnardo’s?
13. Is the volunteer internship full or part time?
14. Where is the volunteer internship based?
15. Can I apply for an internship if I live outside the UK?
16. Can I take part in the internship scheme as part of my course?
17. Will I get paid?
18. Could a volunteer internship lead to a job offer at Barnardo’s?
19. Will you provide me with a reference when I leave?
20. Will I get my expenses reimbursed?
21. Will the volunteer internship scheme be repeated?
1. What is a volunteer internship at Barnardo’s?
A volunteer internship is a voluntary placement in one of Barnardo’s departments based at either our Head Office, at one of our Regional Offices, a Children's Service or retail outlet within the UK. We aim to give volunteer interns a 'hands on' experience, which helps them to develop workplace skills whilst making a significant contribution to Barnardo's.
Volunteer internships are available across the organisation with placements in Marketing and Communications, Children’s Services Operations and Corporate Resources as well as within our Children’s Services in many different parts of the country.
The exact opportunities we have available change for every scheme and can be viewed on our website when applications open. To see the dates for our future schemes view our scheme dates.
2. How long is a volunteer internship?
The standard length of a placement is 12 weeks however, we can be flexible. Decisions regarding what can be accommodated are made at the discretion of the department you will be volunteering in. Please make it clear on your application form if you are unable to commit to the full 12 week placement.
3. Can I do an internship at other times in the year?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer internships outside of the dates stated on our website.
Barnardo’s runs an inclusive volunteer internship scheme, so whether you have just graduated, finished your A Levels and looking for voluntary experience in your gap year or you are looking for a change of career paths we welcome your interest. Please take a closer look at our opportunities to find ones that best matches your interests and experience.
We do also ask that you meet the following requirements:
You must be
- be available for 3 months
- have achieved A-levels or equivalent
- be IT literate
- be committed to Barnardo’s vision, basis and values
Please note we do not accept speculative applications, curriculum vitae or covering letters.
5. Can I apply for more than one volunteer internship?
You can apply for up to 3 volunteer internships in order of preference. At interview stage, if you are not successful for your chosen role we will endeavour to signpost you to other volunteer internship opportunities.
Previous voluntary and/or work experience is desirable but not essential. We understand that many applicants apply for a volunteer internship in order to gain voluntary experience and may not have had the opportunity to work in an office and/or a children's service. We would encourage you to make the best use of the experiences you have had to date and explore these in your application to clearly demonstrate how you meet the person specification outlined.
7. I’m currently at university and want to do an internship in my summer holiday, are there any roles that I can apply for?
All our roles are different, and require different types of experience and level of education. This information, including whether they are open to people who are currently studying, is available on the individual role descriptions that we advertise.
We have a number of positions within each scheme that are suitable for people who are still studying or have just finished their ‘A’ Levels. These positions are by no means exclusive to school leavers and still offer valuable work experience.
For any opportunity that you apply for you will need to ensure that you meet all the other person specifications outlined and are able to demonstrate this in your application.
8. What does the application process involve?
Search for volunteer internship vacancies by location.
On finding a volunteer internship role you are interested in please download an application form. See the volunteer internship page for more details.
When filling out the application form, please follow the guidance notes and complete the checklist. On completing the application form please send it to internships@barnardos.org.uk. Applications will then be shortlisted.
Upon short listing we would then invite the candidate to an interview, where we assess their skills and competencies in relation to the volunteer internship role they have applied for. From the interview the decision would be made as to whether to appoint the candidate.
9. What level of responsibility can I expect to have during a volunteer internship with Barnardo's?
Our volunteer interns are given real responsibility and real projects to work on, which make a difference to the organisation. You won’t be here to make the tea and coffee or do the filing; we want you to get real experience.
10. What skills can I expect to gain from a volunteer internship at Barnardo’s?
We expect volunteer interns to develop the following competencies; striving for excellence, planning and organising, team working and professional/business initiative. We enable volunteer interns to consolidate upon their existing skills whilst developing their workplace skills.
In addition to providing training relevant to the volunteer internship role, we give all volunteer interns the opportunity to attend a CV, application form and interview skills training session.
11. What sets this volunteer internship apart from other ones I have looked at?
Barnardo’s was awarded the NCWE award for ‘Workplacement of the Year for the charitable sector’ in 2010/2011 which acknowledged our commitment to providing high quality work experience opportunities through our internship scheme.
Barnardo’s prides itself on having a volunteer internship scheme that offers a diverse range of roles across the organisation whilst giving volunteer interns a real experience with real projects to work on.
We also give volunteer interns the opportunity find out what really happens at Barnardo’s. We do this by organising visits to our services where our vital work with children, young people and families happens. Where possible we also give volunteer interns the chance to volunteer at a variety of events, such as project launches and fundraising balls as well as the opportunity to organise their own fundraising events which all provide an insight into different aspects of the organisation.
12. What unique volunteer internship opportunities are there at Barnardo’s?
As well as offering volunteer internships in areas such as Fundraising, Marketing and Communications we have, in the past been able to offer specific roles in our Corporate Audit and Inspection Unit, our Design and New Media teams and our Information Services departments. We also have opportunities based in our Children’s Services across the country working on areas such as evaluating our services or increasing local awareness of the work that we do. As well as these opportunities we also have volunteer internships available within our Retail Team which provide a valuable insight into working within a retail environment in the charity sector. For more information visit the retail volunteer internships opportunities section.
13. Is the volunteer internship full or part time?
We offer a variety of full and part time volunteer internships. The commitment required is outlined on the opportunity details and is different for every position. Some departments do require a full time commitment but wherever possible we try to be flexible.
14. Where is the volunteer internship based?
The volunteer internships are based either at our Head Office in Barkingside, Greater London, at one of our regional or national offices throughout the UK, in a children's service or in a Barnardo's retail outlet. The details of the location are given on the opportunity details when they are advertised for each scheme.
To see the dates for our future schemes view our scheme dates.
15.Can I apply for an internship if I live outside of the UK?
Barnardo's appreciates your interest but is only able to consider applications if they are supported by an official Agency or Government Department in your own country. This is because we find that young people, in particular, need support to find accommodation and also need funding to meet everyday expenses. Barnardo's is unable to meet living expenses or provide accommodation.
Applicants who are already fully supported within the UK are very welcome to apply as long as any visa requirements are adhered to.
16. Can I take part in the internship scheme as part of my course?
Yes, if appropriate the internship scheme can be used towards part of a university course. However, this must be within the confines of the role advertised and adhere to the time limit of 12 weeks. Unfortunately, we cannot offer longer placements, nor can we alter the nature of the role applied for to meet the requirements of a particular module or course.
The volunteer internship is voluntary and therefore unpaid. However, we will refund reasonable travel expenses to and from Barnardo's and lunch (up to £4) each day.
18. Could a volunteer internship lead to a job offer at Barnardo’s?
A volunteer internship will not lead to a job offer at Barnardo’s. However, as a Barnardo’s volunteer you will have access to our internal vacancies list.
19. Will you provide me with a reference when I leave?
We can provide you with a volunteer internship reference when you leave.
20. Will I get my expenses reimbursed?
Yes, we will refund reasonable travel expenses to and from Barnardo's and lunch (up to £4) each day.
21. Will the volunteer internship scheme be repeated?
The scheme runs three times a year with volunteer internships starting in March, June and September. Recruitment for the volunteer internship scheme runs as follows:
- applications open in December for the Spring Volunteer Internship intake
- applications open in April for the Summer Volunteer Internship intake
- applications open in July for the Autumn Volunteer Internship intake
If you have any further questions or queries, please email the volunteer internship team.
