How does someone become an Associate?

The Associate Programme connects skilled placemakers with public sector opportunities and supports candidates in transitioning into their new roles.

To become an Associate, eligible candidates apply during one of our bi-annual recruitment windows and pass our multistage assessment process.

Successful candidates are added to our candidate pool and considered for roles submitted by public sector placemaking teams. Upon being proposed a role, candidates can review and submit any further information to support them in securing an interview directly with the Authority.

If both the hiring Authority and the candidate agree to proceed, contracts are signed and the candidate starts in the new role as soon as is feasible. In doing so, they become an Associate and join the next cohort.

Apply during one of our recruitment windows

First, we recommend that you complete our eligibility quiz to check that you are eligible for the Associate Programme.

We run two assessment windows a year, in winter and summer, and you must submit an application during these times.

The online application process includes a number of questions, as well as other materials such as your CV, work samples, proof of right to work, and other data that help us track the impact of our programme. We anticipate that completing this form can take between 2 to 6 hours depending on what materials you already have easily available.

The Public Practice marking team anonymously mark your application questions once the application window has closed. Those who meet our minimum score are then invited to the next assessment stage.

Complete further assessments

If you meet our minimum score in your application, you will then be invited to take part in two further assessments. The first is an online group exercise that will require around an hour of your time, and limited preparation time.

The second is a 30-minute online interview that includes you giving a short presentation that we provide guidance on beforehand, along with a number of set interview questions. We anticipate you may need around 1 to 2 hours of preparation time before this assessment.

The dates of these assessments will be communicated to you ahead of time, and you will be able to select from a series of time slots provided over several days.

All candidates are required to complete both assessments during the given schedule. Only those who meet our minimum overall assessment score are then eligible to join our candidate pool.

Join our Candidate Pool

If you pass our online assessments you will officially join our candidate pool and will be asked to complete a job preferences form. This form can be updated at any point to help us understand what you are looking for in a new role, so we can better match candidates with the right opportunities.

You will remain in our candidate pool until we have successfully matched you to an Authority or if your circumstances change and you are no longer eligible or no longer wish to stay on our list.

Submit your interest for a role

Throughout the year, we receive job opportunities from local authorities across England. We carefully evaluate each position and match it with candidates who are well-suited for the role.

If you are a strong match, we will contact you to invite you to submit a statement of interest, along with an updated CV (if required) and an opportunity to providea further relevant work sample that specifically align with the job opportunity.

Interview with an Authority

Your details will be sent to the Authority for review and if they decide to proceed, they will organise an interview directly with you; Public Practice is not part of this interview and these interviews can vary in format and length depending on the Authority and role.

At the interview, the candidate will also have the opportunity to better understand the role and next steps and clarify that their expectations align with the Authorities.

Sign contracts and begin post

If both you and the Authority are happy to proceed, pre-employment checks and onboarding will follow, and you will start in your new role as soon as you have signed contracts and seen out any notice period you may have had.

You are now an Associate!

Once you begin your new role, you will have access to the Public Practice community, where you will receive support to help you transition into the Public Sector.

You will also join our next Cohort (announced each April and October) and start our Associate Learning and Development Course, delivered over 6 months, alongside new fellow Associates.