Frequently asked questions

A link to download the job description should be included in the job advert. This contains useful information about the role and the experience we’re looking for. The job advert may also include contact details for the hiring manager.

For hostel roles, you can also find contact details on the relevant hostel page. You’re welcome to visit in person if you like too (though this is not necessary to apply). Our teams are always happy to help.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact our Jobs team.

‘Live in’ means that staff accommodation is available as part of the role and contract. You’ll get your own room and access to a kitchen, bathroom and living area, plus all utilities covered at a great price. Your accommodation fee will be deducted from your wages each month.

Working hours vary dependant on the role – details will be specified in each job advert. For many hostel roles, weekend, bank holidays, early and late shifts may be required.

If you have commitments that you need to work around, please speak to the hiring manager at your interview.

Unfortunately, YHA cannot sponsor visas at this time. For visa information, please see the UK Government website.

Absolutely! If you’re interested in completing work experience with YHA, please contact our Volunteering team.

Yes. If you’re looking for an apprenticeship, available roles will be included in our job search (and listed as an apprenticeship). You can also sign up for job alerts to be notified when any apprenticeship roles become available.

We can also offer apprenticeships to current employees as part of our learning and development programme. We work with a range of apprenticeship providers covering different business areas.

We offer our employees many great benefits, from free hostel stays and discounts to life assurance. Find about our benefits and rewards.

We aim to make your experience as easy as possible. Take a look at our recruitment process.

At this time, you aren’t able to track progress within our application system. If you are looking for an update, please get in touch with the hiring manager directly or contact our Jobs team and we can ensure your query reaches them.

Once your application has been submitted, you cannot make any changes. If you have provided any incorrect information or need to change your CV, please contact our Jobs team and we will help you.

Our application form asks you for your CV and contact details such as your name, address, email and phone number. We ask for reference details, but we won’t contact them unless you are offered a job.

We request some equal opportunities information. This is optional and all information shared with us is confidential. We will also ask you to confirm that you can provide Right to Work documentation and agree to a DBS check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application or attend your interview, please contact our Jobs team and we will be able to help.

Yes, or you can keep your application for both roles if you would prefer.

To withdraw an application, log into the applicant gateway which should show a list of your applications. Select the 3 dots on the right-hand side of the application you wish to withdraw, and select ‘Withdraw Application’.

If you are unable to complete the online application form, please contact our Jobs team and we will assist you.

If you have all of your details ready, your application should only take a few minutes to complete.

If you don’t have everything to hand, you may want to save the application form and come back to complete this later. Your CV cannot be edited during the application process, so make sure that you upload the final version.

The way that our system works means that we must collect reference details at application stage. However, we won’t contact them unless you are offered a job.

Most of our vacancies close at 23:59 on the date they are due to expire. The expiry date is listed on each job advert.

To withdraw an application, log into the applicant gateway which should show a list of your applications. Select the 3 dots on the right-hand side of the application you wish to withdraw, and select ‘Withdraw Application’.

You will need to submit an individual application for each job vacancy you wish to apply for.

Once you have submitted your application, you should see a thank you message. You should also receive an email to confirm that we have received your application.

We are unable to accept speculative CVs. However, you can sign up for job alerts to be notified of any suitable roles.

If a high volume of applications are received for a role, YHA reserves the right to close the vacancy early.

Yes, you can sign up for job alerts.

You are welcome to submit a cover letter. There is an option to do this at the point when you submit your CV. Your CV and cover letter cannot be edited during the application process, so make sure that you upload the final versions.

This will be dependent on the role. We recommend that you get in touch with the hiring manager directly or contact our Jobs team and we can ensure your query reaches them.

Please contact our Jobs team and a member of our team will help you to apply for your chosen role.

We take the safety and security of our staff and customers very seriously. We have certain roles which will require additional checks around safeguarding and working with young people. Employment for these roles is subject to satisfactory checks.

Try to get in touch with the hiring manager directly if you have their details. Otherwise you can contact our Jobs team and we can ensure your message reaches them. Please try to give as much notice as possible.

All candidates are required to show identification at the interview (online and in person). We need to see valid form(s) of identification for proof of your right to work in the UK and for a DBS check.

If you would like to bring anything along to support the information you will go through in your interview (such as a portfolio or other examples of your work), please feel free to do so.

Please contact our Jobs team and we will do our best to advise you on how to get the issue resolved.

Recruitment events are usually (but not always) for our temporary roles. We tend to hold them in regional groups, so you can meet different managers from that region, learn a little about each hostel, get involved in some activities and complete your interview.

Don’t worry – contact our Jobs team and we can arrange an interview with one of the hiring managers.

The hiring manager should let you know when you will receive the outcome and feedback from your interview. This should be as soon as possible.

All offers of employment are conditional, subject to two satisfactory references. If we aren’t able to obtain references, we will ask your line manager to conduct a risk assessment.

All information will be treated sensitively and in confidence. Minor, irrelevant misdemeanours are unlikely to affect your role. Your line manager would be contacted if an unclear result is received and may need to conduct a risk assessment. This would be a conversation with you to understand the circumstances and further details.

Depending on the circumstances, we may have to retract the offer of employment, but we would discuss this with you as part of the risk assessment process.

As part of your induction at YHA, you will receive on-the-job training and get to meet people in your team and other staff members.

You’ll also receive training through our online learning system. The modules will depend on your job role but will cover topics such as health and safety, data protection and safeguarding. Completing these as soon as possible will give you great base of knowledge for your new role.

We review pay on an annual basis at the beginning of our financial year, which starts from March. Increases are implemented at YHA’s discretion.

We don’t currently offer a bonus scheme. However, We offer our employees many great benefits, from free hostel stays and discounts to life assurance. Find about our benefits and rewards.

For hostel roles, you should be given at least one set of uniform in your size. You may not have your uniform ahead of your first day, so please ensure that you know what you should wear before you arrive by contacting your line manager beforehand. We do not ask you to pay for your uniform.

Colleagues working in National Office or network-based roles are asked to ensure that they look smart and well-presented, whether working from home, in the office or attending sites for meetings.

When you start your job at YHA, you will provide your bank details so we can pay you directly into your bank account. You will usually be paid on the 25th of the month or – if this falls at the weekend or on a bank holiday – the last working day before this.

If you are working full-time or in a salaried role, the payment you receive on the 25th of the month is for the full calendar month. If you are working a flexible or zero-hours contract, you will be paid hourly and the payment you receive on the 25th of the month will be for the hours you have worked from the 17th of the previous month up to the 16th of the current month. This means that you are paid fully in arrears.

For hostel roles, many of our managers and senior colleagues started as temporary team members. View our roles for more information on development and the typical hostel structure. For National Office roles, please discuss with your line manager.

We offer a lot of different development routes including modules on our online learning system, apprenticeships, short courses, our own management development programme and training courses (online and in person) tailored to different aspects of the organisation.

If we have roles available at a hostel close to where you are moving to or your university, we could certainly consider a transfer to another site. If you have already left the organisation, we recommend that you sign up for job alerts and make an application when a suitable role becomes available.

YHA does not provide transport to and from work. Another member of your team may be willing to car share if you work the same shifts. If you have concerns around getting to work, please raise this with your hiring manager.

Please ask the hiring manager if this could be accommodated as each site is different.

As a member of our teams working in a hostel, you can buy a meal from the hostel menu at a reduced price during mealtimes on the days you’re on shift.

You can apply for all our volunteering opportunities online – search for a volunteering role.

It can take up to eight weeks to confirm a placement. YHA tries to place all volunteers but may occasionally be unable to meet your requirements or offer you a placement. If this happens, we will notify you by email and share details of other volunteering opportunities that may be of interest.

You can volunteer with YHA for up to 12 weeks. We can offer extended student placements, depending on individual academic circumstances.

The minimum age to volunteer with YHA is 14; there is no upper age limit.
If you’re 14 to 16 years old you can get involved in our work experience and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering programmes. If you are over 17 years old, you can get involved in a wider variety of programmes, and also volunteer away from home.

We offer placements to students aged 17 years or older who are currently studying towards a qualification which includes a placement requirement. If you apply for a student placement you will need to provide details of your course, tutor and school/college. These opportunities are available to UK citizens and to non-UK citizens who have legal right to work in the UK.

For student placements, we include free accommodation and three meals per day. All travel and additional living costs must be funded by the student.

YHA runs a limited number of five-day volunteering opportunities which are approved by Duke of Edinburgh for the Gold Residential Award. We also offer volunteering to fulfil the Bronze and Silver sections of the Awards at our hostels and National Office in Matlock, Derbyshire. For more information, contact our Volunteering team.

DBS checks (or local police checks for non-UK citizens) are only required for volunteering roles which are defined as ‘regulated activity’. If the volunteer role requires a DBS check, this will be stated in the advert.

If you are not a UK citizen, you will need to have the legal right to be in the UK. YHA is unable to act as a sponsor (or provide references about your intention to volunteer while in the UK) to support visa applications. For visa information, please see the UK Government website.

It is important to us to make sure our volunteers feel supported. All volunteers are given a nominated contact (line manager) who will support them during their time with YHA. You will also receive an induction to your role and any training required to deliver the role. Personal protective equipment is also supplied, where needed.

Depending on the role you apply for, you may be able to get help with travel costs and accommodation. To find out about available support, please check the advert for the role you are interested in.

YHA offers some opportunities to volunteer away from home. This gives you the chance to visit a new location and helps to build your skills through independent travel. If the role you are applying for has accommodation included, this will be stated in the advert and provided without charge for volunteers.

Where accommodation is provided, this is only available for the duration of your placement. Accommodation is usually offered in a shared dormitory room – this means you would be sharing the room with other people of your gender.

Pets are not generally permitted at our hostels; however, assistance dogs are welcome. If you are supported by an assistance dog, please state this on your application or contact our Volunteering team.

All volunteers can use their volunteering experience as a reference for employment or academic study. Please get in touch with the hostel or team you volunteered with or contact our Volunteering team and we can ensure your query reaches them.

All volunteers can get a certificate of recognition for their volunteering. If you would like a certificate, please speak to your line manager during your placement. To request a certificate after your placement has finished, contact our Volunteering team including your name and email address, plus details of where and when you volunteered.

Although it rarely happens, things can sometimes go wrong. YHA has a formal and clear process in place to deal with complaints. We aim to resolve concerns as quickly as possible and treat everyone fairly.

We ask that volunteers first speak to their line manager to resolve any concerns. Where this is not possible or suitable, volunteers can contact our Volunteering team for support.