JOIN OUR TEAM

SPEAR prides itself on the work it does and the amazing and motivated staff team it employs. If you are thinking about applying for a role with SPEAR, this page should supply you with all the information you need to decide whether SPEAR is the place for you.

1. The ability to change the lives of some of the most marginalised people in our society

SPEAR strives to change for the better the lives of those who experience homelessness, or those at risk of homelessness. We provide services with the simple aim that every single person we work with finds and keeps a home. Working for SPEAR gives you (whatever your role is) the tools to truly change the lives of the people we work with – and to see the results of your input.

2. SPEAR’s reputation

SPEAR has an excellent reputation for providing services that truly make a difference to some of the most marginalised people in our society. You will be working alongside experienced professionals who understand the inputs needed to bring about such positive change. We attempt to unlock the potential in everyone we work with and will encourage you to do so too.

We were awarded the “Best Charity” Award in 2012’s Richmond Business Awards, and we have recently worked with Shelter, Crisis, St Mungo’s Broadway and the Berkeley Foundation to produce “Rethinking Homelessness”. SPEAR’s quality of work is highlighted by our gaining of the ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Qualification and we are constantly working towards a high quality standard of work.

3. SPEAR’s commitment to staff

SPEAR is committed to developing the skills and abilities of the people we work with, illustrated by the implementation of our Learning and Development Policy. All new staff undertake a range of training within their first six months and all staff are given on-going and refresher training appropriate to their roles. Further training and personal development ideas are regularly discussed in supervision sessions and we encourage staff to undertake formal or accredited training.

We are a London Living Wage Employer and our proud to say that all our employees are paid this wage or higher.

4. Terms and conditions

SPEAR offers competitive salaries that are comparable – and often better – than other agencies in our sector. All staff start with 26 days holiday per year and this rises up to 31 with length of service. We offer maternity and paternity leave (as well as other leave) beyond the statutory minimum, to ensure that you maintain a good work-life balance. Staff will be automatically enrolled into a pension scheme after three months of service and offered a wide range of staff benefits. These include access to our Childcare Voucher scheme, allowances for eye tests, allowances for work-related travel, cycle to work schemes and staff wellbeing sessions. All staff have access to our free Employee Assistance Programme which offers counselling and advice around a number of issues, as well as the opportunity for flexible working hours to fit around caring responsibilities and your circumstances.

5. The People

In our staff satisfaction survey, we ask staff what the best thing about working for SPEAR is and all of them say each other! We pride ourselves on developing a culture in which staff regularly communicate across the organisation. We offer a staff induction programme. We also have a Service Involvement Group who provide feedback on the services we offer. Working for SPEAR you truly are part of the team.

6. Our Trainee Worker Programme

SPEAR has successfully run a Trainee Project Worker scheme for more than ten years, with around 90% of participants going on to gain employment in the sector. Trainee Project Workers (TPWs) come from a very broad range of backgrounds, from young people hoping to start a career in homelessness work, to others making a complete career change after working in an unrelated field for a number of years. Some people come with experience of voluntary work in similar projects, whilst others are entirely new to the field.

Trainees at Penny Wade House and in the Outreach teams are offered the opportunity to apply to undertake a Level 3 NVQ in Health and Social Care. All trainees contribute to the effective running and development of the service, and, although the role can sometimes be a challenging one, we hope that all find the experience rewarding.

Trainee positions are recruited for a couple of times a year. Please keep checking our website and social media for updates.

As part of any recruitment process, SPEAR collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations. For more information on what data we collect and how we use, please view our Job Applicant Privacy Notice.