Care Leaver Internship Scheme 2024

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., 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), 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., If you are successful at application stage, you will be invited to a video interview where we will assess you against the essential criteria listed above. You will also be asked to answer some strength-based questions.
The purpose of the interview is to assess your suitability for the role. It will usually last about 45 minutes., o UK nationals
o nationals of the Republic of Ireland
o nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
o nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
o nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
o individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
o Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window)., 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 CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. 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

We ask you to provide a personal statement (500 words) telling us about your experience, aligned with the following essential criteria:
•Experience of using Microsoft Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, MS Teams).
•Ability to identify your own learning needs and commitment to learning and continual self development.
•Effective communication skills, over the telephone, face to face and written.
•Ability to work to tight timescales, managing your priorities effectively while ensuring delivery of accurate and quality products.
•Ability to deliver excellent customer service at all times.
In order to meet the essential criteria, we’d recommend reviewing those listed above in the advert and providing an example covering each of them. You have the option to use 500 words and it's important that you do this to show the level of detail we need for the application. We would recommend providing detail, showing how you've met the points for example we asked about your use of Microsoft Word and Excel, you could tell us about times you’ve created a spreadsheet or drafted a letter or email. Using the STAR process will help achieve a structure., Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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., A minimum of BPSS Security Clearance is required. Additional vetting including DBS checks may be required across various Departments. The level of vetting will depend on which department you are allocated to and this will dictate the length of time the checks will take.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs.
1. Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will be placed on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
2. Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries will be offered at band minima.
3. Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised terms and staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised terms. Salaries will transfer over but be capped at the band maximum for the department allocated to.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
o Contact Care Leavers Internship Team via leavers.care@education.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
o Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
Civil Service Commissioner
As the criteria for this recruitment campaign will restrict applications, the appointments will be temporary and will operate under the terms of Exception 2 in the Civil Service Commission’s Principles and will not be considered as fair and open competition.