…No-one should feel disadvantaged if they want a career in Parliament – and I am fully behind the Foundation’s efforts to support and equip young people with the skills, experience and know-how to succeed in public life.
I have felt well supported by Patchwork and have felt very welcomed by everyone I have met within the Labour Party. This internship has made me sure I wanted to get involved in politics in my career and has given me invaluable skills and opportunities to help me achieve this. I hope to be able to stay in contact with Patchwork and Labour Party staff members who I have met and worked with through this internship. 2023 Labour Intern
Applications for our 2024 summer internship programme in partnership with the Labour Party are now CLOSED.
The Labour Party will be running a six-week summer paid internship in partnership with the Patchwork Foundation for 2024. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of politics, gain work experience, and learn more about how the Labour Party is run. Throughout your time with the Labour Party, you will be supported through training and development to help you enter the world of politics.
This programme is a diversity internship, designed to ensure the equal representation of all demographics in politics. This scheme is designed for individuals aged 18+ who face societal barriers to engaging with politics, specifically focusing on individuals who come from ethnic minorities or lower socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, this is a national scheme, and we would particularly welcome applications from candidates from across all of Great Britain. Please note there is no requirement to have any post-18 academic qualifications, e.g. a university degree. Successful candidates will be supported with travel and accommodation costs to enable them to undertake the internship.
We are looking for candidates who are interested in exploring the opportunities a career working in politics provides. Whilst experience of political activism in the Labour movement is helpful, the programme is primarily directed at people who have no experience at a national level. This programme is for individuals who have a passion for politics and align with the values of the Labour Party.
What might your time as an intern look like?
- Learn more about Labour’s Digital team, including support on strategy tasks or learning to use the Party’s digital systems
- Find out more about Labour’s External Relations Department, learning more about stakeholder management including working on the Party’s outreach and engagement
- Experience Labour’s Governance & Legal Unit, including supporting with the Party’s internal governance and engaging with key decision makers
- Find out more about Labour’s Communications Department and observe them engaging with the media
- Work alongside Labour’s Membership Department, including assisting with data management and supporting with membership development
- Experience Labour’s Policy Department, including assisting with policy development or contributing to strategic policy discussions
- Work alongside Labour’s Commercial Department, including assisting with party advertisements and supporting with market development
- Learn more about Labour’s Elections & Delivery Department, including working on current election strategies and experience on the ground campaign delivery
If a general election is called during the internship you will be immediately deployed to campaign in a battleground seat.
During the internship you will be based in at least four locations, including Parliament, the Labour Party’s head offices in Newcastle and London, and a battleground constituency (which last year was in Scotland). You will also have the chance to meet senior politicians and party officials as part of your time on the scheme. Throughout, your programme will include training and developments sessions on topics such as public speaking, leadership, networking, and more.
The internship will begin on Monday, August 12th and end on Friday, September 20th. It will be a fixed-term, full-time placement, paid at the London Living Wage (£13.15).
As outlined above you must be willing to travel and be based in different locations across the country. Accommodation and travel support will be provided to enable you to undertake the internship.
We will carry out social media checks on successful candidates.
Applications will close 9:00 am Monday 13th May
Virtual assessment centres will be held the week commencing 3rd June, and in-person interviews will be held the week commencing 24th June.
Any questions, please contact [email protected]
