Thanks for your interest in LIFT’s Placement Programme.
This longstanding initiative is an opportunity for students in higher education to get hands-on experience in an international arts organisation. It has been developed in response to a need our Higher Education Institution partners have raised and is only open to students, with the goal of providing a contextual learning experience for those studying relevant subjects.
To date, our placement programme has equipped a cohort of individuals to gain employment within the arts and media sector to advance their professional careers; LIFT placements have gone on to work at companies, venues and institutions such as: The National Theatre, Young Vic, Netflix, Barbican, The Yard, In Between Time, Village Underground, Tate, Royal Court, Dance Umbrella, Battersea Arts Centre, Artsadmin, Jerwood Foundation, CASA Latin American Theatre Festival, Cameron Mackintosh Ltd as well as some going on to become highly successful freelancers.
Based at LIFT HQ in East London, successful applicants will work closely with staff members, venues, companies and other external organisations over the course of the placement. The programme is part time, normally 2 days/week. Days and hours may vary across the course of the placement depending on the role and we offer flexibility in order to fit around academic and other commitments.
About the role
This is an important time for LIFT as we move into building our programme for 2026. The role will be supporting the Head of Producing and Programme and Administrative Producer to maintain communications with existing artists, helping us to make contact with new artists, and completing research on relevant exciting projects happening locally, regionally, and internationally, as well as helping us to manage organisational systems.
The LIFT Placement Programme is an opportunity to learn more about arts management by experiencing the day-to-day operation of LIFT. The programme is aimed at people who have chosen a career path in the arts and who wish to enhance their education and advance their professional career through practical experience.
Each placement provides additional, rather than essential, support to the LIFT department in which they’re based. As well as practical experience, the programme provides participants with guidance and structured feedback and opens doors to many professional networks and opportunities.
Placements will receive one-on-one meetings and coaching with members of the festival team. Depending on what you need, we can help you with your CV going forward, give you tips on interviewing, identify potential roles and opportunities in the field and make introductions where we can and where appropriate.
As this is a work experience placement, LIFT is not able to offer payment but will cover expenses of £15 per day to cover travel and lunch.
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: Sunday 3rd November
Interviews: 11-12 November at Toynbee Studios, E1 6AB
Start date: As soon as possible in agreement with the successful applicant
Working requirements: At least 2 days/week.
1 day remote and 1 day in-person is ideal. This working pattern is mutually discussed, and we aim to make it reflective of the student’s needs.
Please note that the LIFT office will be closed between 24 Dec-1st January inclusive.
How to apply:
Please fill in both:
and
Equal opportunities monitoring form
If you need to submit a voice or video recording instead then please be in touch with us and we can arrange this.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Arranging and attending artist meetings with leading UK and international artists, and minuting these meetings
- Researching international and regional artists, festival programmes and projects
- Attending and contributing to regular programme meeting
- Creating and maintaining tools to track the programming process
- Researching and booking travel and show tickets for LIFT
- Ensuring expenses for the above are filed accordingly.
- Building and updating international network contact lists, whilst ensuring this is GDPR safe
- Offering general artistic admin support
- Responding to emails and calendar management
- Supporting in tasks related to organisational operations when in need
- Acting as an ambassador for LIFT
You will have:
- Excellent organisational skills – enthusiasm for creating and maintaining clear and simple systems and trackers
- Good time management skills and the ability to work with agility under pressure
- High attention to detail with accuracy and ability to proofread
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to deal with a wide range of people at all levels
- An ability or interest in proactively undertaking a variety of research – from artistic to logistics
- Experience of organising live events of any scale or of producing or making theatre at any level
- A passion for LIFT’s vision
- Ease with using Microsoft Outlook, Excel and Word and a proficiency for using social media / open AI or other online platforms for research purposes
- Ability to take initiative and work independently whilst also willing to work in a team
Even if you do not meet every single requirement, please do apply. You might just be the right candidate.
What you will gain:
- Up close knowledge and experience on how a festival programme is made and how complex programming decisions are taken
- Knowledge about leading international festivals, programmes, artists, and events – by the end of the placement, your awareness of contemporary performance on the world stage and how artists and producers work outside of the UK will be broadened, more detailed and nuanced.
- Monthly feedback sessions that can range from your own curatorial practice, event producing plans, course-work research or your career progression plans,
- Interviewing, CV and cover letter support, as well as helping to make any useful introductions that we can in order for you to expand your network in London.
- Occasionally see theatre and performance shows with or on behalf of festival programming team
- Working in hybrid form in office at Toynbee Hall within an experienced, skilled and international team
- Working closely alongside our Programming and Producing Team as they build the programme for LIFT 2026 and beyond
- LIFT will pay expenses of £15/day towards travel and lunch
Diversity and Inclusion Hiring Policy
LIFT is committed to being a truly inclusive organisation – from our Trustees and team members to our audience and participants. We treat all job applications equally, regardless of race, age, disability, gender identity or gender expression, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or any other equality characteristic.
We particularly encourage applications from groups who are underrepresented in the cultural sector including working class people, disabled people, and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Our offices are wheelchair-accessible; please contact recruitment@liftfestival.com or 0207 968 6800 if you wish to discuss your access requirements ahead of making an application.
As a disability confident employer, LIFT will offer an interview to at least 2 disabled candidates that meet the minimum criteria.
LIFT will reimburse travel expenses up to £15 to in-person interviews for all candidates. If your travel is likely to cost more than this, please contact recruitment@liftfestival.com to discuss options.
Our organisation has a flexible and adaptive environment that allows our small, dedicated team to flourish. We are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, remote working, flexible start and finish times, or compressed hours. We will explore this with candidates at interview stage.
This placement is only open to higher education students currently studying in the UK.
