Join our team as a Kickstarter

The Kickstart programme is funding high-quality six-month job placements for young people. It will give you the chance to build confidence and skills in the workplace, and to gain experience that will improve your chances of finding employment in future.

Voice is recruiting six roles working on different parts of our magazine. Read more about who we’re looking for and what you will get from the role, and then when you’re ready – view the role description.

How to apply

Get in touch with your work coach to ask to be referred to us, then email [email protected] (or the relevant line manager as advised by your work coach). Roles will close when we fill them, so apply as soon as possible to be considered. You’ll need to apply with up to one side of A4 or a two minute audio/video recording telling us why you’d like to work with us, what you want to get from the placement and what excites you about the role(s) you wish to apply for.

Please also include a CV that shows any work, training or volunteering you’ve done.

These are the roles we are offering:

What’s in it for you

We offer a supportive, inclusive, flexible and creative working environment. Each job offers you the chance to attend events and help other young people enjoy creative and media opportunities or find out about careers.

We’re a small team who work nationally and some of the benefits we can offer you as a Kickstarter include:

30 days holiday pro-rata (that means you get 75 hours off through your 6-month placement based on working 25 hours a week, incl bank holidays)
Part of your paid time includes employability training, workshops and peer support sessions
Our discounts platform provides money off from a wide range of shops and brands
A travel budget and free event tickets to review music, theatre, art and other cultural experiences (live or online)
A company laptop for use throughout your placement (if you need one)
Support from the Voice team with diverse experiences to help you with career planning
Access to a counselling phone line should you need support at any time
A network of young people who can provide support and inspiration

Is this scheme for me?

To be eligible for the Kickstart programme you will need to be:

Aged 16-24
Unemployed and in receipt of Universal Credit
Referred by your Jobcentre Work Coach
Available to work for 25+ hours a week
Able to undertake a six-month training programme

What we’re looking for

You’ll need to be someone with good communication skills, who likes team work and thrives on working independently towards deadlines and objectives.

We expect all our team members to:

Work well with others by participating in discussions, contributing ideas and asking questions about how best to approach a task
Be on time to meetings and respectful of everyone in the team
Pursue your creative ideas, sharing them with fellow team members
Have a passion for the arts and/or politics – especially making them accessible for young people
Have an eye for detail
Be willing to accept support, advice and feedback on your work – a desire to learn and develop
Gather, reflect and advocate for young people’s voices
Be available to work most Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 10am to 5pm – with time to work an additional four hours flexibly across the week which may be work tasks, joining training opportunities or attending cultural activities

About us

Voice is run by the charity Upstart Projects who champion youth voice and leadership. Voice is a magazine and platform for young creatives covering arts, culture, politics and technology read by young people across the UK. We support young journalists and reviewers to cover the arts, interview creative professionals, explain cultural careers and support young people doing an Arts Award.

We also run training for aspiring journalists and for organisations who want to strengthen young people’s voice.
Browse the magazine to see Voice in action.

View the individual job descriptions

Are you employing Kickstarters as an organisation?

You can buy in our support programme that gives your Kickstarter wider access to a network, employability resources and opportunities. Take a look at what we have to offer on the Upstart Projects website.