Westminster School - Graduate Trainee Librarian

Summary

We are currently seeking to fill the position of Graduate Trainee Librarian.

Detail

Required for: September 2026

Location: Deans Yard - Westminster School

Hours of work: Please read the job description below. The post includes working 12 Saturdays during term time, plus 8 days worked outside of term-time.

Contract: full-time (term-time only plus some days to be worked in school holidays), fixed-term until July 2028.

Salary: £25,834.73 (actual) equating to a full-time equivalent of £30,784 per annum.

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 Thursday 28th May 2026. In-person interviews will take place shortly after the closing date.

We are looking for an organised, customer focused, enthusiastic, and confident Graduate Trainee Librarian to join our team of librarians. This role is designed to provide the post holder with structured training and hands-on experience across a wide range of tasks, offering the chance to develop key library skills and gain a strong understanding of how a school library operates. The role is also designed to support those looking to pursue a recognised postgraduate qualification in Library and Information Science or a related field. Prior experience working in a library is not essential and the successful candidate will receive ongoing training and support from qualified librarians to build their library knowledge and learn new skills. 

We are committed to developing our library service across the organisation. The successful candidate will help maintain the library as a calm, comfortable, welcoming, information-rich space that supports both study and reading for pleasure. They will support the Librarians in the day-to-day operation of the Library, including, but not limited to circulation and organisation of library resources, issuing materials, processing new stock, maintaining well-ordered shelves and creating engaging library information both in the Library and on social media.

Strong interpersonal, IT and behaviour management skills are essential as the post holder will take primary responsibility for the Issue Desk at the start of each day, answering enquiries, registering classes, supervising pupil as needed and helping to ensure a focused and orderly environment. 

The Library

The Library is staffed by librarians from 08:30 to 18:30 Monday to Friday, and 08:30 to 13:15 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. There will also be the opportunity to work with the Librarian at Westminster Under School, our linked prep school, a short 15-minute walk from our Deans Yard site.

Role Responsibilities

• Manage overdue and lost books through effective communication with pupils and staff
• Regular shelving, tidying, and shelf-checking to maintain organised shelves 
• Issue, return, OPAC search and data entry using Oliver, the Library Management System
• Assist with the management and development of the Library’s physical collections
• Contribute to stock maintenance, including processing new stock, weeding, re-organisation of collections and stocktake
• Create engaging displays across the library and on social media
• Drive Inquiry by identifying the research and reading needs of pupils and staff making use of paid online and Library resources to create and publish engaging digital signage for the Library information screen

Access and Outreach

• Help maintain an inclusive and welcoming Library environment
• Respond to enquiries from pupils and staff
• Support Information Literacy activities within the Library
• Assist with displays and promotional activities
• Create newsletters and social media content to engage the school community and to promote the Library to a variety of audiences
• Promote reading as both an academic and personal pursuit

General

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

Hours of work

Exact hours of work are 08:00 to 16:00 Monday to Friday, with one unpaid hour for lunch, and 12 Saturdays to be worked during school terms on an alternate basis from 08:00 – 13:00. The post holder will be expected to open the Library at 08:30 most days. Some flexibility may be required due to shift changes in Library hours between 08:00 and 18:30.

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

• two days at the end of Play term (December)
• two days at the start of Lent term (January)
• two days at the end of Lent term (March/April)
• two days at the end of Election term (July)

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.

Working at Westminster

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

Our staff are 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.

Documents

• Graduate Trainee Librarian - person specification PDF Document