Frequently asked questions about the Peaceworker scheme

The people we are looking for

The Peaceworker scheme is designed for people with a strong commitment to peace, but limited experience of peace work on a national level. We believe that effective peace work is about deep commitment rather than simply a career choice, so the scheme aims to set people on that path for life. The Peaceworker scheme should not be seen as a 1-year job contract or conventional internship. We are looking for someone in sympathy with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who feels a calling to the peace field. Personal qualities of self-discipline, adaptability and patience are essential, with a willingness to lend a hand and be generally helpful and supportive. Preference is given to those who demonstrate

• their commitment to and involvement in peace issues;
• their understanding and sympathy with Quaker values;
• that this opportunity offers experience they have not already had and is an important step towards their further involvement in peace work.

Such commitment might be demonstrated by previous voluntary work, personal experience of handling conflict situations, or a qualification or training in a relevant subject. Experience of basic administration will be useful. Any other skills, such as public speaking, leading workshops or event organising, are also taken into consideration. We regret that we are unable to accept applications from candidates without existing permission to work in the UK.

Organisations we are looking for

We have a list of British peace organisations that we routinely invite to bid for one of our Peaceworkers. We are always looking to add to this list and will consider human rights, development or environmental organisations that can offer a peace part of their work to a Peaceworker. We look for national or international organisations that will:

• offer a peace or conflict transformation related project the Peaceworker can call their own,
• recognise in a practical way the distinctive nature of this placement,
• provide an adequate level of support and supervision for the Peaceworker, and
• demonstrate that the Peaceworker will significantly enhance its capacity.

Timetable

November/ December

We informally contact organisations and ask them if they would be interested in bidding for a Peaceworker to start the following September. This early contact is sometimes helpful for organisations developing their next year’s work plan.

February

We send formal invitations to the interested organisations. A questionnaire asks them about their priorities for the year and a specific project for the Peaceworker. Deadlines for these are in March.

March

The returned bids are collated so we know the range of opportunities available. We advertise for the Peaceworker in a number of places, including the job opportunities section of our website www.quaker.org.uk. We encourage bidding organisations to circulate the advert through their own networks. Deadline for applications is usually around the end of April.

May

Interviews at Friends House, London. Successful candidates are those we believe

• are a good match for one of the opportunities available
• show the most potential to gain from the experience and
• will make a valuable contribution to the organisation and the peace movement in general.

June

We discuss with the successful candidates the placement and a visit is made to the organisation. This meeting is the first opportunity the receiving organisation and Peaceworker have to meet each other. If all agree that the placement should go ahead, the organisation drafts a detailed job description in agreement with QPSW and the Peaceworker. A formal Agreement is then signed by QPSW and the receiving organisation, outlining the job and the respective responsibilities of both organisations.

August

2-week preparation period at Friends House, London and the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre at Selly Oak, Birmingham. This provides information on QPSW and explores the deeper motivations for doing this work. It often helps individuals reflect on their longer-term direction. We usually include an opportunity to meet a former Peaceworker to hear about their experience. The week at Woodbrooke provides a tranquil setting for reflection and relaxation. Participation is a condition of employment and all new QPSW Peaceworkers, both UK and international, go through this together. Friendships made during this time often continue through the year and beyond.

For outgoing Peaceworkers, a debrief of the year is held.

September

Placement starts. Contact with QPSW will be greatly reduced, although we are always on hand if needed. We shall be in touch every few months for review meetings and to ask Peaceworkers to write Journal Letters about their experiences. Peaceworkers may also be asked to speak at a QPSW event or write something for one of our publications. Midway through the year Joseph Rowntree Trustees usually invite the Peaceworkers to one of their meetings, and QPSW arranges a weekend for all European Quaker Peaceworkers to meet in Amsterdam and share their mid-term experiences.

Peaceworker scheme frequently asked questions:

Why don’t you just give the organisations the money to recruit someone themselves?

Quaker Peace & Social Witness is not a grant-giving organisation. We have our own range of domestic and international programmes and the Peaceworker scheme is part of our peace work in the UK. Our objectives for the scheme are threefold:

• provide opportunities for new peace workers to work at national level,
• strengthen the peace work of other organisations, and
• strengthen relationships between ourselves, other peace organisations and the individual peaceworkers.

Naturally, we want new Peaceworkers to understand and have sympathy with Quaker aims and values. The scheme is more than simply finding someone to perform tasks for an organisation. Quaker approaches to peace work are holistic and emphasise the development of right relationships at all levels. The Peaceworker scheme puts this at its heart, which creates a dimension that funding alone lacks.

Why aren’t receiving organisations represented on the interview panel?

Because at the time of interview, we don’t know which bids from organisations will be successful. The interview process is unusual in that it seeks to appoint a person we hope will continue in peace work after their placement, so we look for the personal qualities of the candidate, and identify the best match from the available opportunities. Sometimes this has led to us appointing someone the organisation might not itself have chosen, and often this has brought welcomed freshness and new insights. As their employer, we value our relationship with our Peaceworkers and invest a great deal in supporting them. Having receiving organisations at interview would in our view weaken this relationship and tend to marginalise our role to that of agents for the organisation. However, the organisation does have the opportunity to interview the proposed Peaceworker after QPSW has appointed them.

Why don’t you select the placement opportunities first then interview for appropriate candidates to fill them?

To select the job first would in our view limit everybody’s options. Sometimes during interview and the post-interview selection discussion, the panel identifies a good match between a candidate and job opportunity that may not have been evident at the start. We value this creative possibility. The method also ensures equality of opportunity both for bidding organisations and candidates at the time of interview. A third advantage is that it enables organisations to incorporate some flexibility in their job descriptions for the Peaceworker.

Can an organisation identify a person it would like for their project and encourage them to apply?

Yes, and we encourage all interested organisations to advertise the Peaceworker post through their own networks. However, there are no guarantees that the bid will be successful or that the individual will be selected. An organisation might consider someone ideal for placement with them, but unless that person meets our criteria they will not be appointed. A bid could be successful but with another person placed there, or the person might be successful at interview but placed elsewhere.

Can I apply for a particular placement?

See the answer above. There are many variables and no guarantees. Certainly you could apply, express a preference and get the placement you want. On the other hand you might be successful in interview but placed somewhere else, or someone else may get the placement you wanted. Our advice is to be open to all possibilities.

Is the scheme for young people only?

No, it is open to anyone with a strong interest in, but limited experience of, peace work at national level. Peace beginners can be any age. Most of our Peaceworkers have been younger people starting out, but we have appointed older people seeking a career or life change.

Why can’t the placement be longer than one year?

Our experience is that there are too many talented and committed people chasing too few opportunities in the peace field. To extend the period from one to two or more years would mean reducing the number of opportunities available each year. Since we are able only to recruit a low number of Peaceworkers we have chosen to provide as many opportunities as we can. We acknowledge that this comes at the expense of a potentially deeper and more valuable placement experience. Another consideration for us is the possible negative impact on the organisation once the Peaceworker leaves, which we believe may be less after one year than longer.

Why don’t you extend the scheme beyond the peace movement?

Firstly because this scheme is part of our own peace work. Secondly, although we recognise that peace and justice are very broad fields and those working in them need all the support they can get, we believe that the peace movement is particularly under-resourced. Thirdly, we are conscious of our Quaker witness for peace over 350 years and feel a strong sense of responsibility to others doing this work. However, we do recognise there are areas of overlap, and organisations not readily associated with peace work can bid for a Peaceworker if their project is directly related to conflict transformation.

Can an organisation successful in one year bid the next year?

Yes. However, it’s unusual (though not unknown) for us to place a Peaceworker with the same organisation two years running. We do like to spread our Peaceworkers around as many organisations as we can. Having said that, if the bid is a strong one and the candidate is a good match we will of course consider it.

Is it worth an organisation applying again if its bid is unsuccessful?

Absolutely! An unsuccessful bid is not necessarily a poor bid. It just means that it’s not a best match for the Peaceworkers we appoint that year. Some organisations have received a Peaceworker only after several unsuccessful bids, so it’s well worth keeping going. And we do offer feedback on bids.

Can an individual apply again next year?

Yes, if unsuccessful. We offer feedback to all interviewees so we’d encourage unsuccessful candidates to request that before applying again.

For more information please contact:

Steve Whiting, Peaceworker Scheme UK, QPSW, Friends House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ 
Phone: 020 7663 1061. Email: stevew@quaker.org.uk