Benefits and rewards

Working for YHA is rewarding in many different ways.

Working at YHA is rewarding in lots of ways and what you do here really counts.

That is why we offer our employees many great benefits. Looking for additional training or professional development? Wondering about what perks you can look forward to at YHA? You’re in the right place to find out all about our benefits.

* Some benefits are dependent on contract.

Financial benefits

We offer some excellent financial benefits to help you save for your future and offer peace of mind. Like our handy pension scheme or our life assurance policy.

Holidays

For permanent full-time roles we offer 28 holiday days per year, rising to 29 days once you have worked for us for a year. If you have a part-time or temporary contract, this will be calculated for you.*
Pay

Everyone who works for YHA is paid at least the National Living Wage (including those under the age of 23). We also benchmark our salaries against the public and not-for-profit sectors to offer competitive salaries.
Pension scheme

YHA will automatically enrol any eligible employees into our pension scheme. You can still choose to opt in even if you are not eligible or opt out if this isn’t of interest to you.*
Sick pay

After you've worked for YHA for 6 months, our sick leave policy is incremental based on years of service – going up to 6 months fully paid sick leave followed by 6 months paid at 50% of your salary. Before this period, you’ll be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.
Life assurance

While this isn’t something that any of us want to think about – if anything were to happen, your nominated beneficiary would receive a tax-free lump sum.
Cycle to work scheme

Cycle to work is a salary sacrifice scheme, which gives YHA employees the chance to save on the cost of a new bike, as well as security and safety equipment to go with it. Typical savings are between 30% and 50%!*
Give as you earn

This is a simple way to donate to any UK charity that you care about by donating through your wages, whether you want to commit to a regular donation or give a one-off gift.

Health, wellbeing and family benefits

Our health, wellbeing and family benefits are all about helping you make the most of your life and your loved ones. Because we know what’s important to you.

24/7 employee assistance programme

YHA offers a free, independent, confidential advice service via a freephone number or online portal. Support is always available if and when you need it.
Health cash plan

Claim back the cost of everyday expenses (up to a certain limit), such as dental treatments, eye tests, glasses or contact lenses, physiotherapy, chiropody, medical scans, diagnostics and more.*
Maternity leave

If you have been employed by YHA for two years or more, you are entitled to enhanced maternity pay.
Paternity leave

If you have been employed by YHA for six months or more, you are entitled to two weeks paternity leave at full pay.
Adoption leave

If you have been employed by YHA for two years or more, you are entitled to enhanced adoption leave.
Focus on wellbeing

We understand the positive impact that healthy and engaged employees make to the success of the business achieving its charitable objectives. And we are committed to providing appropriate wellbeing support for all employees.
Lifestyle

Many of our team have found that YHA provides the opportunity to work in locations that suit your lifestyle and hobbies. Love wild swimming? Find a job at one of our lakefront hostels and take a dip on your lunch break!

Allowances and discounts

We offer our employees some fantastic ways to save money — from free hostel stays to a great range of discounts available through our reward portal.

Free hostel stays

You can book up to 10 free nights at our hostels across England and Wales each year for you and up to three guests.
Cashback and discounts

Perkbox – a hub for all your needs! Access cashback and discounts at selected retailers. Its wellness hub provides information on all things wellbeing plus workouts to keep you healthy. The celebration hub is a great place to recognise our employees.
Staff accommodation

Where available, you may be offered a live in contract with YHA-provided accommodation.*
Volunteering days

You have up to five days’ paid leave per year to do internal volunteering work. This could include a week as a volunteer hostel manager, supporting a fundraising event, a team volunteering day or helping at a summer camp.
Staff meals

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.*
Free YHA membership

Choose to opt in to this benefit which offers discounts for international hostel bookings, plus discounts on an extensive range of products from outdoor leisure gear to railcards to retailers.

Recognition and rewards

At YHA, we recognise our employees for the work they do because we know that being told ‘well done’ and feeling appreciated is great!

Long service awards

We want to reward the commitment our amazing employees have to YHA, so we celebrate key milestones. Lots of colleagues celebrate their 5th, 10th, 15th and even 30th work anniversary with us.
Communication

We know how important it is that all our teams know what is happening throughout YHA. We make sure there are plenty of communication channels including team meetings, notice boards, weekly staff newsletters, business and executive updates, one-to-one meetings and more.
Clear values and behaviours

Our teams subscribe to a core set of values known as HEART, woven throughout YHA. Our teams are recognised for their commitment to our values throughout the year through benefits and awards.
Development support

Every year all employees participate in a personal development review, providing a framework to reflect on past performance, consider training and development needs and enable managers to give constructive feedback to employees.

Extra benefits

Working for a charity

We are a leading social enterprise and a 90-year-old movement. A charity on a mission to enrich the lives of all, but especially young people. When you come to work for us, you’ll be making a difference.
Structured induction

Everyone that joins YHA should have an induction that consists of on-the-job training, training through our online learning system and meeting people from your department and the wider team dependant on your role.
Opportunity to have your say

YHA runs an employee survey every year to gather feedback from all our teams to understand what we are doing well and upon what we can improve. We also ask for feedback on different topics periodically, so we can constantly improve our services.