We Are Social launches creative placement scheme

Creative Mentor Network and London ad agency We Are Social have launched a six-week paid placement scheme for aspiring creatives

Successful applicants will receive six weeks of training, spending two weeks each in We Are Social’s editorial, design and creative departments, and will be paid the London Living Wage of £10.20 per hour. Creatives will be overseen by four mentors from the agency and will have the chance to work on a live brief in each department.

Applicants do not need previous experience in advertising and the placement is open to creatives from a range of disciplines. One candidate may also receive the offer of a job or a year-long mentorship after completing the programme, though this is not guaranteed.

The placement scheme is part of a wider partnership with Creative Mentor Network – the organisation founded by former teacher Isabel Farchy to help open up access to the creative industries. We Are Social has pledged to train more of its staff to become mentors and join school outreach programmes. The agency has also promised to stop offering work experience to family and friends.

A culture of unpaid work experience and a lack of awareness around the roles available in the creative industries remain two of the biggest barriers to tackling adland’s diversity problem. We Are Social’s placement scheme – and its decision to stop offering placements to people with connections – seems like a step towards creating a fairer system that is based less on nepotism and more on uncovering genuine talent. The agency has also formed an internal diversity group and is a founding member of the Advertising Diversity Taskforce.

The placement scheme will run from July 16 to August 24 and the closing date for applications is June 15. We Are Social is hosting a free event at its London office today (May 31), where potential candidates can meet the team and find out more about the application process (details here).

See weareupstarts.co.uk for details on how to apply.