Graduate Interns

What are the likely personal and professional developmental outcomes?

• Attractive to young people wanting to gain international work experience
• Opportunity to develop competency working in an English-speaking working environment
• Ideal way to develop key employment ‘soft’ skills
• Unique development of key personal skills, such as, confidence, independence and taking responsibility
• Opportunity to gain valuable experience in specific vocational areas
• Gain understanding of what it means to be a Global Citizen.

What ‘soft skills’ will this program help to develop?

• Leadership
• Cross-Cultural Emotional and Social Intelligence
• Creative Thinking and Innovation
• Taking Responsibility and Individual Decision Making
• Team Work
• Cross-Cultural Communication

Entry Requirements

• No specific qualifications required
• Level of English is required for certain roles
• Relevant experience for the role is helpful but not essential
• Early application adviseable.
• Pre-start date process can take 3 months

Examples of recent Lattitude participant nationalities in the UK:

Australia / New Zealand / Canada / USA / Colombia / Ecuador / Argentina / Mexico / South Africa / Botswana / EU / Indonesia / China / Japan / Malaysia / Russia /

• Lattitude sponsored UK Tier 5 visa (visas are always subject to UKVI approval)
• Variety of roles in the following sectors:
  • Education
  • Youth work
  • Social care
  • Sports and outdoor activities

Lattitude sourced placements

• Two placement type options:
  • Fixed 8 – 12 months (set role, with accommodation, food and weekly allowance)
  • Flexible 8 – 12 months (flexible roles, no accommodation, food or weekly allowance)
• Roles tailored to graduates

What does a Fixed Lattitude placement include?

• Application, interview and matching process
• One vetted placement for the full duration
• Accommodation and food
• Weekly allowance
• Information, advice and guidance before starting the placement
• Personal Development Plan
• UK mandatory police check (DBS)
• Lattitude sponsored Tier 5 visa
• London-based 2 night Orientation
• Travel from Orientation to placement
• On-going support and guidance during placement, including 1-2-1 and group personal development reflective review sessions
• Reference and e-certificate on completion

Fixed Placement Cost

Application fee: £50

Lattitude fee: £2,900 (includes UK 20%VAT)

Fixed Placement Own costs:

• Money for own extra social activities and travel during and after the programme
• International return flight
• Appropriate travel Insurance
• Visa fee

Community Placements:

Placement types:

• Support for homeless (Cyrenians in Edinburgh and Streetlife in Blackpool)
• Residential centres for adults with disability (Camphill communities near London, in Scotland and in Yorkshire)

• Community Placements are very varied.  Some are in residential homes, care ‘villages’ or holiday centres for adults with a variety of disabilities and there are also a small number of social care placements working with homeless people
• Placements can be with young adults as well as older adults
• Older graduate volunteers required for higher level of responsibility
• No expectation to fulfill an ‘intimate personal care’ role
• All necessary training will be provided and opportunities for further training
• Opportunities to accompany residents on trips and outings in the wider community
• Most fixed community placements require a full 12-month commitment
• Extremely rewarding, as volunteers are able to make a significant difference to people’s lives
• Often part of a wider team of multi-national volunteers and staff
• Placements in both urban and rural parts of the UK

Living arrangements:

Accommodation provided by placement, usually on site

• Some placements allow for self-catering, some provide all, meals with the residents
• Allowance (reimbursement of expenses) provided for full duration of placement, this is between £35 - £60 per week

Key Skills development:

• Working with different people
• Communication, including English in the workplace
• Taking responsibility
• Caring/empathy
• Working in a team

Ideal for those considering a career in the wider health/social care sector.

Outdoor Activity Centre / Camp Placements:

Placement type:

• Residential camps providing adventurous and team-building activities (archery, abseiling, climbing, canoeing, orienteering and more) predominantly for school children

Key features:

• Full training provided with the opportunity to gain formal certificates in the instruction of a variety of outdoor activities
• 12 month options in September and January, 8+ month options in February
• Opportunity to take part in new outdoor activities
• Working hours vary considerably as each camp will have busy, peak times when all staff work hard
• Volunteers should be willing to adopt the ethos of outdoor camps, which involves working flexibly, using initiative and assisting with all aspects of camp life
• Variety of locations in beautiful UK countryside
• Great social life as part of a wider team of multi-national staff and a lot of fun!

Living arrangements:

• On site accommodation provided by the placement
• Allowance (reimbursement of expenses) provided for full duration of placement, this is between £50 - £100 per week
• Volunteers are generally expected to cater for themselves
• Agreed holidays

Key Skills development:

• Leadership and facilitation
• Communication, including English in the workplace
• Team work
• Problem solving
• Confidence and independence

Ideal for those wanting to gain experience of planning, training and working with children and young adults in a formal setting.

Boarding School Placements

Placement types:

• Private UK boarding schools for all ages of school children

Key features:

• Private school placements in prestigious, high achieving, fee paying institutions
• Graduate age volunteers in demand, especially at schools with older students
• Placements are throughout the UK and most schools are in non-urban locations
• School Assistants assist with a range of boarding, extra curricula and supervision duties, as well as assisting in agreed curriculum activities (sporting interests are often required)
• Expect to fully immerse yourself in school life and be part of the wider staff team
• September and January start usually for a full academic year (three terms)

Living arrangements:

• Volunteers almost always live on site, usually based in a boarding house
• Food is provided in the school dining hall
• Allowance (reimbursement of expenses) provided for full duration of placement (excluding holidays at some schools), this is between £35 - £100 per week
• Freetime during school holidays

Key Skills development:

• Communication, including English in the workplace
• Team work
• Confidence
• Independence and using initiative
• Work place professionalism

Ideal for those considering a career in the education sector

Special Needs School Placements

Placement types:

• Special needs boarding and day schools in both the private and public sector for students with, for example, visual and hearing impairment, learning disabilities, autism, behaviour issues and physical disabilities.

Key features:

• Placements are throughout the UK and in both urban and rural locations
• Volunteers assist with a range of boarding, extra curricula and supervision duties, as well as supporting teaching and learning
• Opportunity to impact on individual student development
• Supportive working environment
• Rewarding role as an integral member of staff
• Full training provided with opportunities for further professional development

Living arrangements:

• Volunteers almost always live on site, usually based in a boarding house
• Food is provided in the school dining hall
• Allowance (reimbursement of expenses) provided for full duration of placement (excluding holidays at some schools), this is between £35 - £100 per week
• Freetime during school holidays

Key Skills development:

• Communication, including English in the workplace
• Team work
• Confidence
• Independence and using initiative
• Work place professionalism
• Working with children with disabilities

Rationale behind Flexible Lattitude placements:

• Placements can fit with your choice of location, accomodation, priorities and budget
• Ideal for those who already have accommodation options or who want to choose their own accommodation
• Opportunity for Lattitude to work with you to identify a placement that fits your needs

What does a Flexible Lattitude placement include?

Ideal for applicants who can arrange their own accommodation, have specific timing needs or who want to be in a particular location in the UK.

• Application, interview and matching process
• Bespoke placement options to suit your requirements
• More than one placement options
• Information, advice and guidance before starting the placement
• Personal Development Plan
• UK mandatory police check (DBS)
• Lattitude sponsored Tier 5 visa
• On-going support and guidance during placement, including 1-2-1 and group personal development reflective review sessions
• Reference and e-certificate on completion

Flexible Placement Cost:

Application fee: £30

Lattitude fee: from £1,310 (including UK 20% VAT)

Flexible Placement Own costs:

• International return flights
• Appropriate travel Insurance
• Visa fee
• London-based 2 night Orientation
• Travel from Orientation to placement location
• Accommodation and food arrangements (a limited number of Flexible Placements can provide accommodation and food)
• Money for living costs and any travel during and after the programme
• Any travel costs to placement

Primary and Secondary School Assistant

Key features:

• Placements can be developed throughout the UK and in both urban and rural locations
• Non-boarding state schools
• Monday to Friday school hours-based placement
• Placement dates ideally fit around school terms/half terms
• Volunteers act as an additional support member of staff in regular classes
• Opportunity to impact on individual student development
• Supportive working environment
• Rewarding role as an integral member of staff
• Participation in school staff in-service training encouraged
• Opportunity to run after school clubs in key areas such as languages or sports. Teaching foreign languages is mandatory in UK state schools but this can be a challenge for schools whose teachers are not language specialists and resources are stretched. Graduates with native Spanish, French, German and even Chinese would be put to good use!

Living arrangements:

• Volunteers are responsible for their own accommodation, Lattitude can often assist with identifying home-stay style accommodation
• Lunch will usually be provided by the school
• No formal allowance (reimbursement of expenses)
• Freetime during evenings, weekends and school holidays

Key Skills development:

• Communication, including English in the workplace
• Planning and preparation
• Confidence
• Independence and using initiative
• Work place professionalism
• Working with children

Ideal for those considering a career in the education sector

Health and Social Care Assistant

Key features:

• Placements can be developed throughout the UK and in both urban and rural locations
• Residential homes and holiday centres for elderly or people with disabilities
• Opportunity to gain insight into health and social care sector which can include shadowing health professionals, understanding care and medical plans, understanding elderly/disability related medical conditions, doctor/hospital visits
• Assisting in aspects of social care and activities
• Supportive working environment
• Rewarding role as an integral member of staff
• Participation in placement in-service training encouraged

Living arrangements:

• Volunteers are usually responsible for their own accommodation although some placements can provide accommodation and food for ‘live-in’ graduates
• Lunch will usually be provided by the placement
• No formal allowance (reimbursement of expenses)
• Freetime during days off and agreed holidays

Key Skills development:

• Working with different people
• Communication, including English in the workplace
• Taking responsibility
• Caring/empathy
• Working in a team

Example of a Flexible Health and Social Care placement:

Revitalise is a national UK charity providing respite care in a holiday setting for disabled people and carers for over 50 years. Revitalise offers inspirational opportunities for volunteers at one or more of their three centres in the UK (near Southampton, Liverpool and London) through one of the largest and most diverse volunteering programmes of any UK charity. However, Revitalise are unable to sponsor the visa for international graduates needing a visa to stay in the UK.

Lattitude Graduate Volunteers provide companionship and support to guests by chatting with them at meal times, making teas or coffees, accompanying them on daily excursions to local sites and enjoying the evening entertainment with them. Friendly, enthusiastic volunteers, create the holiday atmosphere just by being there!

The role also involves some personal support such as assisting with mobility and eating and drinking but you won’t be asked to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. Volunteers also support in the dining room with serving breakfast, washing up after dinner and laying the tables for the next day, but done as part of a team this doesn’t take long!

Lattitude graduate volunteers can choose to receive training in how to provide higher levels of care to guests. It is up to each volunteer how far they progress with the training and the speed at which they would like to complete the elements. Check out the Revitalise website for more information about their volunteer programme.

This placement does include accommodation and food provided by Revitalise and so offers a very affordable experience.

• Volunteers are responsible for their own accommodation
• Lunch will sometimes be provided by the placement
• No formal allowance (reimbursement of expenses)
• Freetime during days off and agreed holidays