A year of growth, care, and relationship.
The L’Arche Internship is a year of living in a L’Arche community alongside people with learning disabilities. Interns work as a support worker and participate in a training programme all about care, disability, community development, reflection, and spirituality. The 2026/27 Internship is running in our Canterbury, Edinburgh and Inverness Communities.
Interns spend 34 hours a week offering support and care to members with learning disabilities, and 6 hours a week on a bespoke programme. This reflective course involves meeting with other interns and facilitators to explore topics such as activism, power, personal growth, and change-making. Interns then put what they’re learning into practice in their own community by participating in and developing community activities.
"L’Arche seems to have a magnetic pull. I’ve turned down job offers to stay on the Internship because something here has captured me in ways I never anticipated. I feel more settled. I feel more connected. I feel a growing fearlessness in myself.'' Prakhar, L’Arche Edinburgh 2024/25 cohort
Could the Internship be for you?
The Internship is designed for people looking to learn through experience, immerse themselves in community, and work with people with learning disabilities. We do not require applicants to have any particular experience or professional background. We are looking for people who are open to growth and relationship, and who are confident in taking initiative. Our previous cohorts have included school leavers taking a gap year, university students on placement years, people looking for professional development, graduates, and people taking sabbaticals.
Read the job pack below to learn more about the kinds of attributes we’re looking for in interns.
*The Internship is for anyone who already has the right to live and work in the UK. If you want to join L'Arche but need a visa, please consider applying to become a Live-In Community Worker.
Watch the video below to find out more about the L’Arche Internship, meet some of our previous interns, and discover what they got out of the programme. Please note this programme used to be called the ‘Soulful’ Internship, but was recently renamed for clarity.
The L'Arche UK Internship Programme (video)