Graduate Trainee Librarian

Package Description

Required for: as soon as possible

Location: Deans Yard - Westminster School

Hours of work: Please read the job description below. Some Saturday working is required

Contract: full-time (term-time only), fixed-term until July 2026

Salary: £22,542.48 (actual) based on an FTE of £27,963

Benefits include:

 - Free school meals when on-site

 - Generous School pension scheme 

 - Free access to the School’s leisure facilities, including a fitness gym (restricted hours). 

 - Cycle to Work Scheme and season ticket loans following completion of our standard probation period 

 - Private medical insurance (opt in).

The deadline for applications is midday on Wednesday 1st October 2025. Interviews will take place in-person shortly after the closing date.

Job Introduction

We are looking for an organised and methodical Graduate Trainee Librarian, to join and support our Librarians. They will help to maintain the Library as a calm, comfortable, welcoming, information-rich space for study and reading for pleasure. The Graduate Trainee Librarian will assist in the daily running of the Library, including, but not limited to, issuing, renewing, and returning library items; assisting pupils and staff with inquiries; processing new stock; shelving; maintaining orderly shelves; and designing engaging displays and signage both in the Library and throughout the School.

They will also taking primary responsibility for the Issue Desk at the start of each day and help supervise pupils in the Library as needed to ensure a calm and focused atmosphere. Strong interpersonal and IT skills will therefore be essential.

This role is designed to help equip the post holder to apply for or complete a recognised postgraduate qualification in Library and Information Sciences course or similar sector. Prior experience working in a library is not essential as training will be given.

We are committed to developing our Library service throughout the organisation.  Throughout the period of the contract, the post holder will receive training from their line manager, a qualified Librarian, to help develop their knowledge and learn new skills.

Main Responsibilities

The Library

The Library is staffed by librarians from 08h30 to 18h30 Monday to Friday and 08hr30 to 13h15 on Saturdays. It makes an important contribution to the academic scholarship and success of the school and is very well used by pupils, particularly Upper School. The Library is formed of nine rooms on the first floor of the historic Ashburnham House. 

The Graduate Trainee Librarian will join and be supported by a dedicated team of Librarians comprising the School Librarian, Deputy Librarian and Senior Library Assistant.

Role Responsibilities

• Caring for the Collections (training will be given)
• Assist with information entry and updates on Oliver, the Library Management System
• Assist with the processing of the Library’s physical collections (books, DVDs Magazines etc) 
• Support the Librarians in developing the school’s digital collections of eResources 
• Assist with the weeding, lost books, and stocktake of collections in line with the Library’s best practices

Access and Outreach

• Respond to enquiries from pupils and staff
• Assist in maintaining a Library that is welcoming to all
• Support Library Inductions and Information Literacy activities within the Library 
• Assist the Librarians in the preparation of displays in the Library and around the school
• Produce newsletters and social media posts to promote the Library and its collections to a variety of different audiences

General

• Continue developing professional knowledge and skills through involvement with the School Library Association and other networking groups
• Any other duties which may be reasonably requested by the School Librarian

There will also be the opportunity to work with the Library at Westminster Under School, our linked prep school, a short 10-minute walk from our Deans Yard site.

The Graduate Trainee Librarian will also collaborate with other Librarians on projects such as weeding, stocktakes, stock relocation, and teaching vital information literacy skills that support academic success and informed citizenship. A passion for reading and literature will be demonstrated through hosting a student book group and producing a monthly Library Newsletter.

Hours of work

The position is a full-time, term-time only post. Some additional holiday hours will need to be worked, with the details as follows:

-    two days at the end of Play term 

-    two days at the end of Lent term

-    two days at the start of Election

-    two days at the end of Election 

Exact hours of work are 08:00am to 04:00pm Monday to Friday, with one unpaid hour for lunch and 12 Saturdays to be worked during school terms on an alternate basis from 08:00am – 01:00pm. 

You will be expected to open the Library at 08:30am most days. Some flexibility will be required due to shift changes in Library hours between 08:00am and 06:30pm. 

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

About The School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Westminster School is friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.

While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more. 

The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.