DO I NEED TO HAVE A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IDEA TO APPLY?
No, not at all. We think the best ideas come from insights gained from working on the frontline of social issues. We provide Fellows with this experience and they use those insights to develop a social enterprise.
WILL I GET INVESTMENT IN MY SOCIAL ENTERPRISE?
Yes, if you come up with an idea during the programme and are accepted onto our incubator programme. Should you be accepted, you’ll pitch at Crowdbacker, where ventures raise upwards of £5000. We’re expanding our incubator programme from late 2021 to create a new accelerator, which will provide even more business support, sales opportunities and investment for ventures emerging from the Fellowship. Keep checking our website for updates.
DO I HAVE TO LIVE IN LONDON?
Yes, the vast majority of our Fellows live in London. Our studio is in Hackney and our placements and consulting projects are all in London. Occasionally, Fellows have commuted in from nearby but placement hosts often can’t cover this additional travel cost.
We offer a limited amount of reduced rate accommodation through our partnership with Dot Dot Dot Property Guardians at £50-£75 per week. Fellows stay in a home that would otherwise be empty at a heavily subsidised rent. Flats are often unfurnished and in need of a lick of paint. You can read more about being a property guardian on Dot Dot Dot’s website.
IS THE PROGRAMME ACCREDITED?
No. We believe that Year Here provides the opportunity for more profound personal and professional development than traditional higher education routes – and that this is far more valuable than a piece of paper.
WHERE DO ALUMNI USUALLY END UP AFTER YEAR HERE?
HOW MUCH CHOICE DO I HAVE ABOUT WHAT I DO DURING THE PROGRAMME?
You’ll tell us in your application form which placement type you’re most interested in and we’ll discuss this further with you during your interview. In the run-up to the consulting project, we’ll ask your preferences and take these into account when placing Fellows on projects.
The allocation process varies for each component:
- For your Frontline Placement, we will place you according to three criteria: your preferences, your home address in London (to calculate estimated commuting time), and any special requirements of our placement host. We will discuss your preferences in more detail at the interview stage. We can’t guarantee your top choice but we work hard to ensure a great match.
- You will be placed on a Consulting Project based on your own preferences, the demands of the project and the need for a well-balanced team.
For the Venture Lab, you will choose your own group and the idea you want to develop.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T LIKE MY PLACEMENT?
Our placement organisations have serious work to do, often in very challenging circumstances. As a result, your colleagues may not have lots of time to invest in, and support, you as much as you’d like. We’ll expect you to use your resourcefulness, initiative and resilience to serve the users or beneficiaries of the placement the best you can. We believe that these challenging moments are the most powerful opportunities to grow and learn.
If you find yourself struggling, we hope that the support of your Year Here coach, mentor, alumni buddy and other Fellows will enable you to successfully re-engage with the placement. You would also have access to regular group sessions and optional one-on-one pastoral support offered by our Pastoral Care Lead.
In the unlikely scenario that your placement does not give you direction or support at all, or you are facing more serious issues, we will terminate the placement and endeavour to place you with a more appropriate organisation.
WHAT KIND OF TIME COMMITMENT IS THE PROGRAMME?
Year Here is a full-time commitment. The bulk of the programme is Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm and you will be expected to be present during those hours.
- Placement hours may vary. For example, school and Pupil Referral Units may have an earlier schedule – but 8 hours per day should be expected throughout the programme.
- There will be around 15 scheduled evening activities over the course of the programme (such as socials during bootcamps, Off the Record events) and many more optional ones.
- There are 5 scheduled holiday weeks during each programme – these are detailed in the prospectus.
Our Fellows often use their evenings, weekends and holiday weeks for project work, reading, networking and paid work.
We also have Fellows who have made the programme work around other commitments – such as caring responsibilities. Please do reach out if you want to talk to us about how we can best accommodate your particular circumstances.
WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE SCHEDULED HOLIDAY?
We try to avoid any disruption to your attendance during the programme and changes are exceptional. However, we won’t force you to miss a relative’s wedding or forsake a holiday that you’ve already booked. Just tell us as soon as possible and we’ll review each request on a case-by-case basis.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
AM I TOO YOUNG / OLD FOR THE PROGRAMME?
The average age of our Fellows is 29 – and they range in age from early-twenties to mid-forties. On average our Fellows have 7 years’ experience and some have many more. We ask that you have at least 2 years’ professional experience – these do not need to be consecutive but we do look for a clear narrative. For example, you may have a few years of study plus 2 years’ professional experience or 5 years’ professional experience with no tertiary education; we know everyone’s journey looks different.
CAN I APPLY IF I’M NOT A BRITISH CITIZEN?
Yes. If you have permission to work and volunteer in the UK and plan to build your career here, we’d welcome an application from you. Our Fellows have included Argentinian, Colombian, Bulgarian, Nigerian, Palestinian and Portuguese nationals.
Unfortunately, we do not sponsor visas and cannot provide immigration advice – but we’d advise prospective applicants from overseas to research the visa advice from the UK Government if they’re interested in the programme. It is your responsibility to check your visa status and eligibility with the relevant embassy or government institution before applying.
CAN I DEFER MY OFFER?
We offer deferrals for 6 months in two instances:
- If there is an unexpected change in your circumstances that means you cannot join the programme as you originally planned
- If you are not currently financially prepared to start the programme but can make a plan (with Year Here support) for how you would build up the financial means
Deferrals would be agreed on a case by case basis and, if you were offered one, we would work with you to agree on a regular check-in schedule so you can hit the ground running when you do join us.
For anyone else who cannot take up their offer as planned, we would welcome you to reapply in future and would be happy to keep in touch and potentially offer a streamlined application process.
CAN I APPLY IF I DON’T HAVE A DEGREE OR HAVEN’T GOT LOTS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE?
Absolutely – in this case, we would ask you to provide good evidence of your other strengths and achievements.
We recognise that applicants will have made educational and professional achievements in a variety of environments and academic success is only one indicator of potential. While many of our Fellows do have undergraduate degrees and/or at least two years of work experience, if you don’t, we would encourage you to apply and demonstrate how you meet the programme requirements.
WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF BECOMING A FELLOW?
The ratio of applicants to Fellows is between 10:1 and 15:1. If you are offered an initial interview, your chances of making it through the interview and selection workshop process onto the Fellowship are about 4:1. The most common reasons for unsuccessful applications are:
- Responses that lack clarity, insight or critical thinking.
- Responses that are too brief and therefore lacking in depth. We advise taking full advantage of the word/time limits available.
- Applications that don’t respond to the criteria that we are looking for (see below).
- Applicants who have limited experience or do not demonstrate how they meet the programme requirements.
We are unable to give individual feedback on initial written applications due to the volume of submissions, but we endeavour to provide constructive feedback to anyone who doesn’t make it through the video and Selection Workshop stages.
WHAT CRITERIA DO YOU EVALUATE FELLOWS ON?
Throughout our selection process we are looking for candidates who can display strengths in the following areas:
- Motivation
- Conscientiousness
- Original Thought
- Experience
Below we offer a bit more information on what we mean by each of these elements.
MOTIVATION
We want to know why you’re interested in Year Here and social business as a model for driving change. What is it about our approach that you identify with? What do you hope completing Year Here will enable you to achieve? When have you already shown a bias for action (from starting a small initiative in your community, to leading a professional project, to launching your own business)? What do you want your social impact to be?
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
Are you someone who appreciates the value in listening deeply to others? How do you show a dedication to continuously learning? Do you like to hold yourself to a high professional standard, making sure to always deliver on your commitments? Are you up for working on complex tasks and sticking it out when things get tough? We believe these are some of the qualities that make for outstanding social leaders.
ORIGINAL THOUGHT
Here we are looking for applicants to display curiosity and critical thought. Show us how you enjoy the opportunity to debate and strengthen your ideas. Show us how you bring observations that are based on your unique insight. Think about times when you’ve had a fresh approach to problem-solving. Can you balance the ability to unpick why things aren’t working with a passion for imagining how we can realistically move towards better outcomes?
EXPERIENCE
There is no ‘ideal’ candidate background and all our Fellows have their own talents; we’ve had everything from aerospace engineers to gender-based violence specialists to actors. We want to explore what you bring in terms of:
- Lived experience of social issues; we believe that those leading social innovation should have a deep understanding of on the ground challenges. Your personal journey is extremely valuable.
- Experience of being involved in the social sector (through education, volunteering, trusteeships, related jobs).
- Experience working in demanding or fast-paced environments.
- Professional basics – the ability to facilitate groups, present an idea and get buy-in, manage a project.
- Commercial basics – some understanding of basic business operations e.g. how social businesses make an income and their related costs.
WHAT CRITERIA DO YOU EVALUATE FELLOWS ON?
1) Written Application
2) 15-minute intro interview with a Year Here alumni
3) Half-Day Selection Workshop with our team
You can find out more about the application process on our Recruitment Factsheet.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE THE FEES AND COSTS OF THE PROGRAMME?
The programme is free. You will need a laptop for your project work. Support to cover your living expenses is covered on our costs and funding page.
DO YOU PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THOSE WHO CAN’T AFFORD TO UNDERTAKE THE PROGRAMME?
Yes, we have various mechanisms to keep the course affordable. Please see our costs and funding page and Financial Support Factsheet.
In terms of bursaries, we typically have 4 bursaries available at £5,000 each (although we are always doing our best to fundraise for more). If you get a bursary, these are usually paid out in 4 equal instalments every 2 months.
Some of our bursaries are held aside for specific programmes, like our Life Shocks partnership with Royal London. Other bursaries are available to all prospective Fellows. If you do feel like you need financial support to take part in our programme we would encourage you to apply to our bursaries.
Anyone is welcome to apply for bursary support. We encourage everyone who is considering it to lodge an application regardless of whether you believe others might be in a more difficult financial decision. We will be able to make that decision when reviewing applications as you will be asked to tell us about your financial situation with some supporting evidence.
We would always let you know about the outcome of your bursary application before we ask you to accept your place on the programme. Please get in touch if you want more information (although note we will send through further details if we invite you to our selection workshop).
CAN I WORK PART TIME DURING THE COURSE?
Most Fellows work part-time or freelance during the programme but this shouldn’t interfere with commitments to the course, which are Monday to Friday, 9 to 6pm. We can offer guidance and support with finding part-time paid work opportunities that fit with the demands of the programme.
Read more in our Financial Support Factsheet.
I’M NOT FROM LONDON – WHERE WILL I LIVE?
We try to help secure accommodation for people who are from outside of London, or who don’t have a place to stay for another reason, regardless of your financial circumstances. Over the years, more than a third of our Fellows have benefitted from the discounted accommodation that we’ve been able to broker for them.
Read more in our Financial Support Factsheet.
HOW DO YOU HELP TO ENSURE FINANCIAL BACKGROUND DOESN’T AFFECT A FELLOW’S CHANCES OF LAUNCHING A VENTURE?
We try to help secure accommodation for people who are from outside London, or who don’t have a place to stay for another reason, regardless of your financial circumstances. Over the years, more than a third of our Fellows have benefitted from the discounted accommodation that we’ve been able to broker for them with our partners at Dot Dot Dot and Poplar HARCA. Please feel free to reach out to us if you want to explore your individual circumstances.
WHAT IS YEAR HERE DOING TO ENSURE THE SOCIAL INNOVATION SPACE IS INCLUSIVE AND A FELLOW’S BACKGROUND DOESN’T AFFECT THEIR CHANCE OF LAUNCHING A VENTURE?
This is a big question and one that we are constantly thinking about. Some ways we’re tackling this issue is through:
- Thinking holistically about a candidate when assessing their Year Here and Venture Incubator application. We want our cohorts to overrepresent people from diverse backgrounds and our cohorts are 21% LGBTQI+, 34% Black, Asian and other Ethnic Minorities, 13.5% received free school meals growing up and 73% are women.
- Having an Equity Committee, made up of Year Here staff and alumni, to constantly set, and review our performance against, our widening access commitments. We also launched the Year Here Foundation, set up to enable us to raise more bursary funding and help ensure no one is held back from starting a venture due to their financial circumstances.
- Ensuring our network of faculty and mentors is inclusive so Fellows can learn and get support from people who may have faced similar barriers in the social innovation space.
- To ensure our Fellows are well supported on our programme we have a pastoral team, coaches and delivery partners like Evenbreak & Belovd to ensure that our programme is equitable and mindful of the diverse needs of each Fellows learning experience.
We are always striving to do more and would be very happy to talk to anyone who wants further details.
I HAVE ONGOING CARING RESPONSIBILITIES. WILL I BE ABLE TO FIT YEAR HERE AROUND THESE?
We recognise that many of us have caring responsibilities in addition to our “9-5” workload. We value this lived experience and welcome applicants from these backgrounds.
We have had Fellows on our programme with a range of caring responsibilities and children of a variety of ages. We work hard to support these Fellows, accommodate their schedules and provide additional support when necessary. In fact, 2019 Fellows Hannah, Matthew and new mum Krishani founded Curo Carers – a Year Here venture and partner that specialises in supporting carers in the workplace.
We know that each situation is unique, but we are happy to speak to anyone with caring responsibilities about how the programme might fit with your commitments.
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