Trainee

Whether your empathy towards homeless people has its roots in personal experience or your compassionate nature and determination to help, when you join Thames Reach on our 12-month Traineeship programme, you’ll be making a difference and taking the first steps towards a great career.

About us…

Thames Reach runs projects and services that help to end homelessness in London. We work directly with homeless people on the streets and in hostels. We work to prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless. We help formerly homeless people get their lives back on track and help people find work and access training and volunteering opportunities.

Is our mission easy? No, but we never give up on people. Last year we helped more than 15,000 people.

Is our work rewarding? Yes, in every sense. We’re listed as one of the top 100 Best Workplaces in the UK. There’s no better place to develop or transfer your skills and build a fulfilling career.

About this role…

Every role at Thames Reach is about ensuring that the users of our services find and sustain a decent home, develop supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. On our structured Traineeship scheme, you’ll gain first-hand experience and on-the-job training in what we do. You’ll be expected to work full time on a rota basis. Our placements involve a range of working patterns such as shifts, including evenings and weekends, night work in our fast-paced Rapid Response Outreach team and Monday to Friday 9-5 roles.

The key features are:

• A thorough induction, followed by two six-month placements at our projects, one of which will be hostel-based.
• With supervision and training from experienced employees to help our clients to get off and stay off the street with access to appropriate services.
• Learning about and assisting with necessary administration and record-keeping.

The kind of things we’re looking for:

• Compassion, determination and a desire to play your part in ending street homelessness.
• Good basic admin and IT skills.
• Good team working skills
• The resilience and commitment to work in a challenging, ever-changing environment.
• An understanding of street homelessness and its impact on people’s lives – applicants who have experienced homelessness are particularly encouraged to apply.

What you can expect…

• A generous pension contribution - we contribute 6.5% to your pension when you contribute 1.5%.
• A range of other benefits including generous holiday allowance – 24 days per year, wellbeing support, cycle to work and season ticket loans.
• High quality on-the-job training with the opportunity to develop the skills needed for a career in our front-line services.
• Potential job prospects – although this is not guaranteed, many of our trainees have gained permanent employment at Thames Reach or in related organisations following completion of the programme.
• Application Support – we encourage candidates who would like support with their application to get in touch before applying.

Please note that we cannot guarantee location of placements for successful intakes.

Thames Reach welcomes applications from people with transferable skills and fresh perspectives.

To apply visit our website and complete our application form.

We are committed to achieving a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief.

Thames Reach is committed to safeguarding. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Having a criminal record will not exclude you from applying but you will be asked to provide further details as most posts are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Closing date: 26 April 2026

Interview dates: 12 - 15 May 2026