Work Experience and Placements Policy 

Artsadmin is committed to supporting artists and arts professionals to build sustainable careers, and we recognise the role of work placements in supporting people to do this. As a charity we have to manage resources carefully and are usually unable to provide paid internships, nor are we able contribute to travel or other costs of undertaking a placement/work experience. At the same time, we do not want to support unpaid labour as this is exploitative, and we understand the additional barriers to our industry that this can create for people who cannot afford to take up unpaid opportunities. Despite these conditions, we see the value in hosting work experience students and educational placements. 

This policy is based on our core values. Here are some of the ways we expect these values will show up:  

• We are generous with our time and resources, seeing this as an investment in the future of the sector 

• We are committed to supporting the next generation of arts professionals to develop careers and will look for ways to continue to make this happen 

• We are truthful about what we can and cannot offer 

• We understand the value of opportunities in different roles, and in the particular part of the sector we operate in, to change people’s perceptions of what a career in the arts can or should be 

• We have a collaborative approach to developing opportunities in order that they meet our business needs as well as those of the individual.  

University Partnerships 

We work with universities, both locally, nationally and internationally to offer placements for current students and graduates. These opportunities are either part of a student’s course or are subsidised by the university or other funders so that students are paid for their work.  

If you are a student and are interested in doing a placement with Artsadmin, you should talk to your university to find out what kind of opportunities they support. You may be able to contact us to arrange this directly (we will need sign-off with the course leader or person who runs the scheme), or we may advertise opportunities with them for you to apply to as you would for a job.  

Other Opportunities 

From time-to-time there may be other opportunities to undertake a work placement with Artsadmin, either on a specific project for which we have funding for that sort of role, or through a particular scheme. All these opportunities will be advertised on our website, and through our newsletter and any specific eligibility criteria will be made clear.  

School and College Work Experience 

We are unable to support work experience students under the age of 18. This is because the nature of some of our work would be inappropriate for children and young people to be exposed to without broader parental support, and our insurance does not cover us for work with under 18s. We may be able to offer advice on other organisations who produce contemporary art and performance who might consider a request.