The L’Arche Internship is a year of growth, care, and relationship. You’ll live in a L’Arche community alongside people with and without learning disabilities, work as a support worker, and take part in a reflective learning programme focused on community development, personal growth, and change-making. This is more than a placement or graduate role: it’s an opportunity to build strong relationships, develop practical skills, and discover more about yourself through shared life in community.
Interns spend 34 hours a week supporting people with learning disabilities to live full, connected, and meaningful lives, and 6 hours a week on a bespoke reflection programme. The experience of living with and offering support to people with learning disabilities is the core of this experience: you’ll be involved in daily life and practical care, which may include personal care, supporting people to take medication, helping with meals, going on day trips, and making it possible for people to participate fully in community life. Alongside this, you’ll join a learning programme that offers space for reflection, peer support, and conversations about disability, power, interpersonal dynamics, spirituality, activism, and L’Arche’s history. As the year goes on, you’ll have opportunities to put your learning into practice through projects and activities in your community.
L’Arche is an international movement of people with and without learning disabilities sharing life together. We understand spirituality as becoming more deeply connected to ourselves, to one another, and to whatever is beyond us — for some that may be God, for others nature, the universe, or a deeper love. The Internship is designed for people who are looking for challenge, community, and growth, and who want to learn through experience while contributing to a more inclusive world.
No previous experience in care is needed — just openness to learning, confidence in taking initiative, and a willingness to build relationships across difference. Previous interns have included gap year students, placement students, graduates, and people taking a sabbatical or looking for professional development. In return, you’ll gain valuable transferable skills in communication, teamwork, initiative, reflection, relationship-building, and inclusive practice, while receiving accommodation, food, and a monthly allowance of £365.41.
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