Getting a graduate charity job

Jobs in the third sector are competitive to increase your chances learn more about the qualifications and skills you'll need and what internships and graduate schemes are on offer to help you kick start your charity career

Do I need a degree?

For some charity jobs, such as charity fundraiser, volunteer coordinator and charity officer, there are no specific degree requirements. The subject you studied isn't as important as practical skills and enthusiasm for the charity's cause. However, that said around half of the voluntary sector workforce is educated to degree level or higher. 

To improve your chances of securing a charity job you could study:

• business studies
• community development/studies
• social policy and administration
• sociology
• voluntary sector management
• youth work.

For specific roles in accounting and finance, HR, IT and marketing, advertising and PR, charity employers may ask for undergraduate qualifications in subjects such as accountancy, business, consulting and management, human resource management, IT, marketing and social work.

Careers in international development are a popular choice and a Bachelors in international development is typically required. For more information, see international development courses. A postgraduate degree in the subject may increase your chances of entry in this competitive field.

What skills do charity employers want?

You will need to show:

• Adaptability and flexibility - working for a charity, you'll need to be able to perform in multiple functions and work with a variety of people. You'll also need to adapt to fluctuating funding and resources and be flexible enough to work on temporary contracts when needed.
• Commercial awareness - you'll need a solid understanding of the charity sector and any issues that might affect an organisation’s ability to operate successfully. You'll also need to be knowledgeable about what other similar charities are doing and how they operate.
• Commitment and motivation - being passionate about the cause that you're championing is arguably the most important factor of all. This is at your job's core, and it's important that you can work with similarly minded colleagues to achieve a common goal.
• Communication skills - being able to effectively communicate with a range of people including colleagues, service users, the public, and the media is essential when it comes to charity jobs.
• Creativity and innovation - whichever charitable organisation you work for, creativity and innovation will be central to your role. You need to be able to offer new perspectives and come up with new ideas and ways of doing things, such as fundraising.
• Negotiation and persuasion - these skills are vital, especially for charity fundraisers and directors. You need to be able to drum up support, bid for funding and raise money and awareness for your cause.
• Organisational skills - as previously mentioned you’d need to juggle a lot of balls as a charity employee. Particularly in smaller charities it's likely that you'll fulfil a variety of roles so organisational skills are a must.
• Language skills - while not essential, you may find speaking a second language useful, especially if working for an international charity.

Discover more about the soft skills employers are looking for.

Which organisations run charity internships?

Work experience is highly sought after by graduate employers, and many employees volunteer before gaining paid contracts.

Paid internships in the third sector are hard to find and rarely advertised. Wellcome run a Summer Internship Programme offering participants the chance to work alongside experienced staff in an area of their choice. Over eight weeks interns earn the London Living Wage, which is currently £11.05 an hour.

Cancer Research UK offers a paid 12-week internship across departments such as fundraising, communications, technology, policy and business strategy. Interns earn £11.56 an hour.

The British Red Cross offer paid work experience placements to young people aged 16-24 on Universal Credit, while Greenpeace and Body&Soul also offer paid placements.

However, the majority of charity internships are voluntary (unpaid) and operate on a part-time, flexible basis (usually a couple of days a week), meaning that volunteers can work alongside their placement. Voluntary, third sector internships are mainly offered by large charities such as:

• Barnardo's
• Child Bereavement UK
• CLIC Sargent
• Macmillan Cancer Support
• Marie Curie
• Oxfam
• The Children's Trust.

Schemes can last from one month to a year; although on average take 12 weeks to complete. Participants gain experience in a number of fields such as marketing and events, fundraising, project management, accounting, HR, IT, volunteer recruitment and digital media.

The charity sector has a long-established tradition of offering relevant work experience through volunteering, so smaller organisations will also have opportunities that can provide valuable experience. You can search on websites such as Do-it. Also, learn more about volunteering with animals and discover 10 opportunities to volunteer with children.

There are numerous organisations that can help you find volunteering projects abroad, but you must be aware of the high costs that may be involved and of any restrictions put in place due to coronavirus.

You can also develop useful skills while at university by, for example, setting up a student society or organising fundraising activities for events such as Children in Need or Comic Relief.

To find placements and internships, search for work experience in the charity and voluntary work sector.

What charity graduate schemes are on offer?

Like paid internships, charity graduate schemes are rare. However, opportunities can be uncovered with tenacity and research.

Large organisations are more likely to offer formal graduate opportunities. For example, Cancer Research UK offers a number of programmes in areas such as fundraising and marketing, finance, policy, information and communications, scientific strategy and funding, technology and HR. Schemes last between two and three years.

The Charityworks Graduate Trainee Scheme is a 12-month programme, which sees graduates working a full-time job in a partner charity (such as Age UK or the NSPCC) or a housing association. You'll also take part in a leadership programme. The salary for the 2023/24 programme is yet to be confirmed but it will meet the Living Wage. For reference last year's 2022/23 intake earned £21,255 (UK-wide) or £23,302.50 (in London).

IntoUniversity is a charity that helps young people with gaining a place at university. Each year the organisation accepts 50 graduates onto its two-year graduate scheme where you’ll deliver education programmes to young people in some of the UK's most disadvantaged areas and help them achieve a university place.

Graduate schemes are also run by:

• The British Heart Foundation
• Smart Works
• Wellcome

Charity graduate schemes are extremely competitive, made even more so by their scarcity. You'll typically need a 2:1 undergraduate degree and a specific number of UCAS points to be eligible.

Where do I look for vacancies?

General employment opportunities, especially those at large, national or international organisations are usually advertised online. However, bear in mind that the majority of the sector is made up of smaller organisations that operate on small budgets and therefore don't always have the money to spend on widespread recruitment campaigns. Consider signing up to sector-specific charity recruitment agencies such as Charity People, TPP Recruitment, Charisma and Eden Brown. Smaller organisations may also advertise on their own websites or in local newspapers.

If you've already completed a period of work experience or volunteering with a charity you'd like to work for you could utilise your contacts and make a speculative application. Tailor your applications to each charity and explain how you'd be an asset to the organisation. If you take the trouble to find a named contact, you're more likely to receive a reply.

Social media is also a useful tool. The majority of charities, even the small ones, have a social media presence. Follow and keep an eye on the accounts of organisations of interest. Through a charity's social media activity you can find out about campaigns and events, build contacts and uncover vacancies.

Specialist websites advertising charity and voluntary jobs include:

• CharityJob
• Institute of Fundraising (IoF)
• Third Sector Jobs

Another option is to set up your own charity but this requires a lot of hard work and big decision-making. The NCVO site contains information on how to start your own charity but advises that you first think if your cause and aims are covered by an existing organisation.

Learn more about available charity sector jobs.

Why should I consider working for a local charity?

Small and local charities dominate the charity and voluntary work sector and one advantage of working for a local charity is the broader level of involvement that employees enjoy. While getting stuck into diverse areas of work can greatly boost your CV and broaden your career horizons, there are other advantages as well. When you work for a local charity it's easier to see the impact that you as an individual have on service users and this can bring a huge sense of satisfaction.

The opportunities on offer depend on where you live. A quick online search should give you a general idea of the charities local to your area; here are some that rely on the help of employees and volunteers:

• Break (Norfolk)
• Carefree Cornwall
• Fresh Start (Edinburgh)
• Jessie May (Bristol)
• Mustard Tree (Manchester)
• The Renewal Trust (Nottingham)
• Sheffield Young Carers
• SHP (London)
• Smile for life (Newcastle)
• The Old Enfield Charitable Trust (London)
• 42nd Street (Manchester).

One of the best ways to stand out to charity employers is to do some voluntary work. Not only does it boost your skills, increase your contacts and look great on your CV, it also demonstrates a real enthusiasm for the third sector.

Find out more

• See what the charity and voluntary work sector has to offer.
• Learn more about working for a pressure group.