Richmond and Wandsworth Councils
Library Assistant Apprentice
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About Us
Job Title
Library Assistant Apprentice
Salary Range
- Apprentice rate - 80% London Living Wage in Year 1; 100% London Living Wage in Year 2. The London Living Wage is an hourly rate of pay, currently set at £14.80.
Job Details
- 18 months Fixed Term, 36 hours per week average
- Location: Twickenham Cluster – Richmond Libraries
Other Essential Information
- You will work to achieve a Level 3 qualification in Library, Information and Archive Services Apprenticeship. This will involve travel to Westminster Adult Education Service’s Lisson Grove Centre (which is near Marylebone), approximately once a month.
- You will be given an appropriate time allowance to undertake this qualification, which is projected to be on average 6 hours per week.
Objective of Role
Our Library Assistants play a vital role in promoting reading, supporting learning, and encouraging our visitors to participate in the rich cultural and community life of Richmond upon Thames.
Do you want to be part of our exciting, high-performing service as we look to the future and embrace new technologies and innovation to meet the needs of our customers?
Do you want to help us deliver our strategies of:
- Inspiring a community of readers of all ages.
- Empowering learners and bridging the digital divide.
- Supporting health, wellbeing and inclusion.
- Opportunities for cultural and creative enrichment.
- Promoting sustainable choices.
- Instilling a sense of pride and belonging.
About The Role
Day to day duties include:
- Shelve and tidy stock, promoting it and helping customers choose books and ensuring that our collections are ordered, well-presented and accessible.
- Help to deliver a wide range of reading events, such as weekly Rhymetimes and author talks.
- Use a range of IT systems and services at a high level.
- Answer customer and colleague enquiries both in person, via email, and on the phone.
- Work in any of our 12 libraries across the borough, so flexibility in your attitude to work is essential.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
This will be a full-time 36-hour post working 4 days every weekday and every other Saturday.
Weekdays: 9.15 – 6.15/7.15
Saturdays: 9.15 – 4.15
This post is fixed term lasting 18 months with the opportunity to apply for a permanent Library Assistant role while completing your apprenticeship depending on vacancies.
Benefits:
- A generous holiday allowance of 32 days plus bank holidays.
- Range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government contributory scheme, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts at many leisure activities, restaurants, shops, and other establishments.
- A wide range of developmental opportunities are also offered.
Essential Qualifications, Skills And Experience
To successfully complete your apprenticeship, you must hold Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths. We can provide Functional Skills Level 2 support for you if you do not already have these qualifications.
Essential Criteria For This Post Include
- The ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide range of customers, including through telephone, email, and social media.
- The ability and confidence to handle challenging customer-facing situations in a calm, professional, and effective manner.
- An awareness of the range of resources and services provided by libraries, and an understanding of the important role libraries play within communities.
- Awareness of the Level 3 Library, Information and Archive Services Apprenticeship offered by Westminster Adult Education Service.
- Ability to work without close supervision, retain information, and apply procedures as instructed.
- An interest in the broader areas of information management and information studies, including archives, cataloguing, copyright, and relevant legislation.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Application Information
- Closing Date: End of day Sunday 30 August 2026
- Shortlisting Date: Week beginning 31 August 2026
- Interview Date: Week beginning 21 September 2026
All dates above may be changed.
We may close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Due to the potential volume of applications, interview dates may be postponed to allow for shortlisting.
Additional Information
Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.
We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working, and a generous pension plan.
Attached Documents
- Library Assistant (Apprentice) - RWE1377A - Final JP 092024.docx
- Anonymised Application Guide for candidates.pdf
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills