Welsh National Opera
Academy Programme
Development & Press Intern
Department:
Deadline for Applications:
Development & Press
21 January 2016 (9:30am)
Interviews:
TBC
Duration:
Six months from Monday 1 February 2016
Salary:
£885.30 per month, based on a 30-hour week
These paid internships are funded by the Creative Employment Programme and are only open to
Jobcentre Plus customers aged 18 – 24. All applicants must be in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance and be
referred by the Jobcentre Work Coach to be eligible to apply and must meet the person specification
outlined below.
All applicants must complete an application form. Forms can be downloaded at www.wno.org.uk/vacancies and submitted
electronically to Human.Resources@wno.org.uk or in hard copy to the HR Department, WNO, Wales Millennium Centre, Bute
Place Cardiff CF10 5AL.
Our purpose
Opera is our passion. At the heart of that passion is our belief that opera has the power to transform lives. We will reach out
to everyone – using our creativity, our daring, and our dynamism to ignite a new generation of opera lovers and to guide
new and existing audiences on a journey of discovery.
Values
Expert
in what we do at every level and we want to share this expertise with the largest possible audience
Collaborative
our work is made by a talented team working together with a can-do attitude
Smart
by being agile, open-minded and in touch we can identify new opportunities and use our resources wisely to take opera to
more audiences in more places
Provocative
as opera pioneers we are unafraid to challenge both ourselves and our audiences. We will create moving, provocative and
powerful experiences that are life-transforming. We are inquisitive and unafraid to take risks
Strategic principles
We’ll do great opera
We’ll be great value
We’ll reach more people
We’ll be an artistic leader
We’ll be financially responsible
Welsh National Opera transforms lives through the power of opera.
We are passionate about opera and want to share this passion with as many people as possible. We do this with awardwinning performances of fully-staged operas which combine a sense of adventure with the highest possible quality. We
keep our performances accessible through affordable ticket prices. Beyond the theatre we connect with people through
our community and education work and digital projects.
The energy which drives the Company today is rooted in its formation in the 1940s. In 1943, WNO was founded by a group
of people from across South Wales including miners, teachers and doctors. They wanted to forge an opera company
befitting Wales’s rich reputation as the ‘land of song’. The first rehearsals took place above a garage in Cardiff and our first
performance was given in April 1946 with the double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci.
From those early days onwards WNO has attracted some of the world’s best opera singers, and indeed gave many young
singers their first steps to international renown. Welsh National Opera has been led from the pit by a series of great Music
Directors and has worked with many of the art form’s most influential directors, traditions which continue to this day.
Lothar Koenigs is Music Director of Welsh National Opera. He joined the Company in September 2009.
Today the Company employs 230 people including artists, craftspeople, technicians and administrators based at its state of
the art home, Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. At its heart sit the Company’s two full time ensembles, the 40 strong
Chorus and 55 strong Orchestra.
Every year the Company performs to over 120,000 people across 10 cities throughout Wales and England. David Pountney,
one of the world’s most influential opera directors, joined Welsh National Opera to lead the Company as Chief Executive
and Artistic Director in 2011. Starting with Free Spirits in spring 2013 David’s programming centres around themed seasons
which bring different but thematically linked works together. Through these themed seasons we hope to take audiences
on a journey of discovery and introduce a new generation of opera lovers to this great art form along the way.
Welsh National Opera Academy Programme
Role Description
Role:
Development & Press Intern
Location:
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Responsible to:
Head of Events
Main purpose of role:
To support busy fundraising and press teams with a range of essential administrative tasks.
Key accountabilities:
Development
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Essential administration of donor records (Individual/Corporate and Trusts) – updating database, checking gift aid
declarations, filing correspondence in paper based files
Assist with event administration including invitations, mail-merges and dress rehearsal guest lists
Update and maintain the team’s archive and filing systems
Attending internal and external meetings as required
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Projects
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Undertake specific projects as requested
General
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Provide lunch cover for the Receptionist on a rota basis with the other interns
To comply with all Health and Safety requirements as detailed in WNO Health and Safety leaflet and notices
around the company.
Any other reasonable duties which are required from time to time, as specified by the Senior Development
Manager.
Person Specification
Necessary knowledge, skills, training and experience:
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Good level of general education
Good computer skills (Microsoft Office)
Good written English
Ability to work on own initiative as well as being a team member
Ability to work quickly and efficiently, occasionally under pressure
Highly methodical and accurate approach to work
Good organisation skills.
Good communication skills
Helpful and enthusiastic manner
A "can-do" attitude
Dependability, discretion and punctuality
Desire to work in communications and/or fundraising
An interest in the arts is essential
WNO’s commitment to you:
During the course of your engagement as an Intern the company will:
 Introduce you to how the organisation works and your role in it and provide any training you need to undertake your
role
 Provide regular meetings with your Mentor so that you can give feedback to us and receive feedback from us
 Inform you of our health and safety procedures and provide a safe workplace
 Operate within the HR and other policies in force during the period of your engagement
 You will have one session per week (length to be agreed) with other team members to understand their roles and
function within the overall department
 You will also be offered two mentoring sessions with the Assistant Director of Development to cover a fundraising
area of their choice
 Depending on the time of year the Intern will be able to sit in on dress rehearsals
Main Terms & Conditions
Salary £885.30 per month (pro rata to £10,623.60 per annum), payable monthly by direct credit transfer to bank.
The offer of an appointment is subject to receipt of two references and a health report that are satisfactory to the
company.
Working hours are 30-hrs per week to be scheduled by mutual agreement within normal office hours, which are 9.30 to
5.30, Monday to Friday. Work may need to be undertaken outside these hours and at weekends.
Duration 6 months from Monday 1 February 2016.
Holiday entitlement is 11 days plus bank holidays.
Sickness benefit is at the statutory minimum.
Either party may terminate the internship by giving the other one month’s notice in writing.
Welsh National Opera
Health & Safety Policy
Individual Responsibilities – All Employees
(Level 6)
Every employed person, including Managers.
All personnel are responsible for: The observance and implementation of rules and systems, which are derived from the Health and Safety
Management System and the arrangements for its implementation.
Responsibilities
All employees will:
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take reasonable care of their own safety and the safety of any other persons who may be affected by their
actions
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co-operate with whoever necessary to enable compliance with any legal duty or requirement

use machinery, equipment, dangerous substances, transport equipment, means of production or safety
devices in accordance with training and information provided

never interfere with or misuse, intentionally or recklessly, anything provided in the interests of safety

report shortcomings in health and safety arrangements

report any serious and imminent dangers to health and safety.