At City Year UK, young adults give a year to tackle educational inequality in our schools because they see a chance for change. Discover how they coach and inspire pupils to succeed - and gain standout skills, learn to lead and find out who they want to become.
As a charity, we are here to empower 18 to 25-year-olds to act as student success coaches and every day we witness first-hand how their energy, idealism and commitment is transforming pupils’ lives.
Our young people give a year to help break down the many barriers that can come between pupils and their education. That's an enormous commitment and one that we believe should be rewarded. In turn, we invest in our volunteers - in their skills, in their networks and in their future.
Our volunteers are old enough to be role models, but young enough to be relatable. They provide extra capacity throughout the school day - running clubs and offering coaching and learning support - but schools, pupils and parents also value them for the unique way they build trust and self-belief.
We believe that your year should also serve as a launch pad for your career. Learning through real world experience in school will be underpinned by training, coaching and networking in a professional environment.
There’s a clear skills match between what employers want and the capabilities you can develop through full-time volunteering or social action: communication, confidence, negotiation and influencing, time management, creative thinking, resilience and much more.
You’ll have access to people from across the public, private and charity sectors. Through workshops, guest speakers and your own mentor, you will gain transferable skills, networks and insight into a broad range of career opportunities. Our volunteer mentors have gone on to roles in everything from education and social work to finance, marketing and many others.
During your City Year, you’ll receive £90-£100 living expenses per week, dependent on region, plus all travel expenses reimbursed.
Our young people give a year to help break down the many barriers that can come between pupils and their education. That's an enormous commitment and one that we believe should be rewarded. In turn, we invest in our volunteers - in their skills, in their networks and in their future.
Our volunteers are old enough to be role models, but young enough to be relatable. They provide extra capacity throughout the school day - running clubs and offering coaching and learning support - but schools, pupils and parents also value them for the unique way they build trust and self-belief.
We believe that your year should also serve as a launch pad for your career. Learning through real world experience in school will be underpinned by training, coaching and networking in a professional environment.
There’s a clear skills match between what employers want and the capabilities you can develop through full-time volunteering or social action: communication, confidence, negotiation and influencing, time management, creative thinking, resilience and much more.
Through workshops, guest speakers and your own mentor, you will gain transferable skills, networks and insight into a broad range of career opportunities. Our volunteer mentors have gone on to roles in everything from education and social work to finance, marketing and many others.
During your City Year, you’ll receive £90-£100 living expenses per week, dependent on region, plus all travel expenses reimbursed.
Every volunteer experiences a City Year that is unique to them but whether you’re assigned to a primary or secondary school, here are some of the ways you could be tackling educational inequality.
As a volunteer mentor, you’ll be given a group of ‘focus list pupils’, specially selected by teachers to benefit from mentoring. They might need your extra support with their attendance, behaviour, academic attainment or well-being.
City Year UK is built on inclusivity and is open to any 18 to 25-year-old with a minimum Level 2 qualification in maths and English (GCSE or equivalent). All you need is the ambition to improve children’s lives, a willingness to be a role model, the mindset to keep learning yourself and the determination to see the year through.
“Taking time out at the start of your career will never be a regret. You will be surprised by what impact doing City Year will have on your life going forward."
“City Year helped me gain confidence in the power I now know I have within me to make an active difference in someone's life.”
“I know what it’s like to face challenges in school and I wanted to use my experiences to support students going through their own struggles.”
We’re looking for the next generation of change makers in London, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands (including Coventry and the Black Country) who want to be inspirational role models, mentors and tutors to children who need it the most.
Download our brochure today for all of the programme details.
