Intern Placement
The role:
Southwark Council’s Internship programme is for Southwark residents aged 16-25 who may be looking to get a great first stepping stone into the world of work. We are excited to announce our upcoming internship cohort to start in March 2026.
The programme will run for 12 weeks and will incorporate three key elements:
- Paid work experience
- Master classes
- A group project
What will you gain on the internship programme?
Gain Transferrable Skills
- Interns are able to gain skills such as: communication, adaptability, time management, organisation, etc. The experience itself will assist them in gaining meaningful employment, as they are able to evidence knowledge of local government in interviews and their ability to carry out a role.
Develop Professional Contacts
- Interns will network as part of the experience, which will give them professional contacts. These contacts can help them to secure future employment, advice in their chosen profession and career advice. As part of the support from our team, we will be holding a masterclass on networking.
Clarification on Future Career
- Internships give people the opportunity to try working in new and exciting services and potentially areas of interest, to narrow down their career path.
About you:
We’re looking for enthusiastic, curious and motivated individuals who are ready to take their first steps into the world of work. You don’t need previous experience - what matters most is your interest in learning, growing and getting involved.
You’ll bring a positive attitude, an open mind, and a genuine willingness to try new things. Whether you’re supporting a project, meeting new people or learning how different teams work, you’ll approach each task with confidence and a desire to do your best.
You’ll also be someone who:
- Enjoys working with others and building positive relationships
- Is dependable and willing to take responsibility
- Approaches challenges with flexibility and a can-do mindset
- Is keen to explore different career paths and understand how the Council serves residents
- Wants to contribute to meaningful work in your community
Most importantly, you’re excited to be part of a supportive team and ready to make the most of this opportunity.
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We have Internship opportunities available in the following service areas:
Local Economy Team: Join our Local Economy team as an intern and play a vital role in shaping activities that contribute to the Southwark 2030 vision of a strong and fair economy. In this role, you will support Southwark’s town centres and high streets to thrive as vibrant, cleaner, greener, and safer spaces for residents and visitors. You will research the needs of local entrepreneurs and business owners to help inform strategy and programme design, while also building relationships with Southwark’s wider business community to foster collaboration and growth. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in local economic development while developing valuable skills in research, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery.
Adult Social Care Personal Budget Service: In this role, you will work on an exciting projects including Supporting the annual price review of our care provisions, helping collate external rate requests for year 26/27, recording and maintaining accurate information, supporting and organising meetings, and working closely with Service managers, social workers, placement colleagues, and external providers. You will bring analytical skills and attention to detail, especially when working with financial data and a collaborative mindset, with the ability to work with both internal teams and external providers. You’ll be part of a dedicated Payments team within the Personal Budgets and Client Finance Service. We provide vital payment functions for Adult social care services. Our culture is collaborative and supportive, with opportunities to learn, develop and play a key role in shaping better outcomes for residents.
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Additional information:
The Internship programme is for 12 weeks and open for residents aged 16-25, please only apply if you meet the requirements.
We are a Living Wage employer and in line with our aims of leading by example, at the minimum our Interns will be paid at the London Living Wage.
About Southwark:
Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.
Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.
We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Benefits:
https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/
Disability Confident (guaranteed interview) Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.
Recruitment timetable:
The interview process will include an in-person assessment centre, followed by interviews for candidates who successfully progress to the next stage.
Closing date: 11:59 PM on 29 January 2026*
*We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Stage 1 - Assessment centres: 10-12 February 2026
Stage 2 - Interviews: 17-19 February 2026
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