The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2005 reported that more than 80 per cent of degree-holders now want to work for a socially responsible employer, nearly 75 per cent hope to find a job that “lets you give something back to the community” and of job hunters this summer, one graduate in eight — a record proportion — has applied to work in the charity or voluntary sector.

Despite this, there are only two charities featured in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers this year. One of these, Oxfam, is not currently recruiting for any full-time graduate positions but its work to alleviate poverty and its high-profile disaster relief and humanitarian aid in countries worldwide has made it an aspirational choice for many university-leavers.

Oxfam has, however, launched an innovative voluntary internship scheme to give students and recent graduates experience of working for a major charity. The programme is divided into three intakes throughout the year — January to May, June to August and September to December — and offers a wide variety of roles, such as developing fundraising campaigns, trialing new ideas, promoting policies, carrying out research, planning events, or managing one of Oxfam’s high-street shops.

A passion for Oxfam’s work and a strong affinity for the charity’s values and purpose are essential prerequisites because all of the roles are unsalaried and most interns will need to find other part-time work to help to pay for their living costs during the experience. There is also no guarantee that a successful internship will lead to any kind of permanent job with the charity.

Martin Birchall is editor of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers

What does it do? Oxfam is a development, relief and campaigning organisation that works to reduce world poverty. It runs campaigns in more than 80 countries, supported by its fundraising shops and more than 20,000 volunteer staff.

What does it offer graduates? Oxfam runs a voluntary internship scheme that provides three or four-month experiences with various starting dates during the year.

Where are the internships? Most Oxfam internships are based in the Oxford head office, though opportunities exist in the charity’s other UK offices and shop network.

What’s the pay like? Internships are unpaid but there are allowances for lunch and travel expenses. Flexible hours allow participants to get part-time jobs to finance their internships.

What’s the competition like? The internship scheme was launched this year and is expected to be a popular choice for new graduates.

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