Library Assistant Apprentice

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 £14.80.18 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 Assistant 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.

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.

You will shelve and tidy stock, promoting it and helping customers choose books and ensuring that our collections are ordered, well-presented and accessible. You will also help to deliver a wide range of reading events, such as weekly Rhymetimes and author talks. You will use a range of IT systems and services at a high level. You will answer customer and colleague enquiries both in person , via email and on the phone.

You will be required to work in any of our 12 libraries across the borough, so you will need to be flexible in your attitude to work.

This will be a full-time 36-hour post working 4 days every weekday and every other Saturday. Weekdays from 9.15 – 6.15/7.15 Saturdays from 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.

We offer a generous holiday allowance of 32 days plus bank holidays. In addition, we offer a 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.

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.

• 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.

You will be required to work in any of our 12 libraries across the borough, so you will need to be flexible in your attitude to work.

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.

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service…