English Schools' Football Association

Join the ESFA within the National Competitions Department...

We are recruiting for a Graduate Intern to join the National Competitions’ Department 4 days per week for the 2018/19 season! The post is a voluntary role, however could give the right candidate some fantastic work experience with the potential to convert the post to a paid position for Graduates for 2019/20, depending on funding.

The National Competitions department run over 40 National Competitions per season, for both schools’ and representative teams and manage the workload associated with this to ensure the smooth running of all aspects of the competitions. The role is largely administrative, but there will also be times where the candidate will have the opportunity to travel to nationwide venues to support events and competitions outside of the office.

We are looking for either a sandwich year student or a graduate from a Bachelors or Foundation degree programme in a related sport or business discipline. You will need to show a keen interest in either event management or sports administration and be committed to helping us improve our customer service and the provision available to our membership and schools.

If you feel you would be an ideal candidate for this opportunity, the full details can be found on our vacancies page here. Completed expressions of interest should be submitted to Andrea Chilton, CEO by no later than 31 May 2018.

Testimonials from current interns:

Working as one of the two National Competitions Interns has been a very rewarding experience. It has been the first time I have worked in an office based environment, therefore it has helped to develop both my social and practical skills.

Entering the internship I was unsure what to expect and what level of responsibility I would be given. But within a couple of days I had been given responsibility for all the U12 and U13 boys’ competitions. This provided me with a real purpose and if I encountered any problems I knew fellow staff could help me. The wide variety of tasks that came with the job meant that no days became monotonous.

Weekly tasks included replying to teachers to grant extensions and creating draws for competitions. Creating the draws was something I enjoyed a lot as it tested my geographical knowledge and now with the internship over, I now have a greater understanding of the distances teams travel to play games.

The internship also offered the chance to get out of the office various times over the year to watch football; a particular highlight was the Tie of the Round event where a Premier League footballer (Trent Alexander-Arnold, in my case) visited a local school.

The finals at the end of the year brought a great end to the internship and gave me an idea of what it is like to work in a stadium on match day.

I will always be thankful to the ESFA and their staff for letting me be part of their team and if the opportunity arises for me to work with them again, I would love to. Perhaps the biggest reason for why I am thankful is for allowing me to meet my idol, a footballer I had looked up to all my life - Shola Ameobi (holding a national final at Notts County’s ground meant that I ran into him).

Ross Deakin, Competitions Intern 2017-18

My internship at the English Schools’ Football Association has been thoroughly enjoyable, and had given me the opportunity to gain real world practical experience within a football administration role, while providing me with an insight into the operations and management of a national governing body.

Throughout my time here I have felt an important and valued part of the organisation; within my role I was given plenty of responsibly, being placed in control of the governance for all U14s and U15s boy’s competitions. Further to this I was the main point of call for the Running IMP U12 Football fives competition, overseeing all stages of the tournament from the district round all the way to the National Finals. Working within a small office, enabled me to not only experience the administrative side of the organisation, but provided me with a chance to get involved and gain a greater understanding of the wider world of the football industry, Football Development to Marketing and PR/Communications.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this role is being able to attend our many National Finals, where I assisted in the set-up and organisation of the events. Being able to see the culmination of all the hard work myself and my colleagues had put in through the year was an incredible rewarding and satisfying experience. Getting to see our hard work pay off in the form of smiling happy faces enjoying their big day out is something I will not forget in a hurry.

On a personal note I would like mention what a fantastic group of colleagues I had the opportunity of working alongside. I was made to feel at home from day one and the guidance and support I received during my time was fantastic.

Overall all my experience at the ESFA was a great one and I encourage you to apply, as I have no doubt whoever is successful in gaining this position will enjoy their internship just as much as I did.

Josh Thornton, Competitions Intern 2017-18

Good luck with your application!