Arsenal Gap Year Internship 2010/11

Arsenal in the Community is delighted to announce that applications for its Gap Year programme are now open.

This voluntary programme lasts from eight to 12 months during which participants will gain skills in football coaching and experience in local schools as well as the opportunity to coach abroad at an Arsenal Soccer School or charity project.

Arsenal’s next Gap Year internship will start in early September 2010. The deadline for applications is 31st July 2010. Applications are now open.

From September to December all participants will coach in local schools and with community groups in London (Part 1). In the new year, Arsenal in the Community sends coaches abroad for four months to an Arsenal Soccer School overseas or the opportunity to continue coaching development skills in London for another four months if the candidate needs more experience (Part 2).

Part 1 is four months based in London at Emirates Stadium and local schools during which time participants will gain qualifications and work experience with the Club’s extensive community programme, gaining experience in football coaching and classroom teaching (literacy, numeracy and basic ICT through Arsenal’s award-winning education initiative, the Arsenal Double Club).

Part 1 is unpaid and requires travelling to Islington five days a week for four months, often during peak hours. It is essential that the candidate is able to cover any travel expenses.

Upon successful completion of Part 1 participants will be offered a similar length placement as a volunteer coach and teaching assistant with one of our Soccer School partners abroad or the option of continuing in London (Part 2).

If the candidate needs more experience before going overseas to coach, Arsenal in the Community will advise he/she remains in London for Part 2 ( January – May) before going abroad during Part 3 ( May – August).

Those who travel abroad during Part 2 can end the programme there or continue the programme elsewhere. Many of those who have already gained experience at an Arsenal Soccer School choose to coach at an Arsenal charity project for their second part overseas.

The Gap Year Internship

This is an exceptional way of spending a year with Arsenal before or after further/higher education or as a career break. If participants do not live near north London, joining the scheme could prove costly. All candidates are asked to consider this carefully as Arsenal in the Community cannot provide or source accommodation.

Successful candidates will need to demonstrate a willingness to learn and a responsible attitude. Ideally candidates will have some experience of working with children or in schools and some experience of coaching football. The ability to demonstrate basic football techniques is a requirement.

The cost of the programme is £500, plus a £250 returnable deposit. Candidates are required to pay for their own flights, an expense which must be factored in to a candidate’s decision as Arsenal Soccer Schools are located all over the world. Candidates must also cover any additional personal expenses. The Club will provide insurance.

During Part 2 participants stay with one of the Club’s coaching partners accommodation and food are provided. To see a full list of partners, go to www.playthearsenalway.com and to find a list of all the countries in which Arsenal has a presence.

The £500 funds various courses:

F.A. Level 1 coaching badge
First aid
TEFL
Child protection
Referee course

Participants will also receive Nike Arsenal training kit plus two to three Arsenal Football Club coach training sessions each week.

For further information, please contact Samir Singh on 020 7704 4158 or e-mail ssingh@arsenal.co.uk.


The Gap Year is split into three:

* Part 1: September - December
* Part 2: January - April
* Part 3: May - August

If we feel you have acquired the relevant experience you would travel abroad to one of our overseas soccer schools from January ?May. If we feel you need to gain more experience coaching, we would require you to stay in London with us for an additional 4 months before travelling abroad in May.

Part 1 is 4 months based in London at Emirates Stadium and local schools during which time you will gain qualifications and work experience with our Community Programme in football coaching and classroom teaching (literacy, numeracy and basic ICT).

Part 1 is unpaid and requires travelling to Islington 5/6 days a week for four months, often during peak hours. It is essential that you are able to cover any travel expenses.

If you do not live near North London this could prove to be very expensive. You must consider this carefully as we are unable to provide or source accommodation.

Upon successful completion of Part I volunteers will be offered a Part 2 placement as a volunteer coach and teaching assistant with one of our Soccer School partners abroad or the option of continuing in London.

If we require you to continue coaching with us in London during Part 2 and we feel you have gained enough coaching experience, we will send you to one of our Soccer Schools abroad for Part 3.

This is an exceptional way of spending a Gap Year with Arsenal for both boys and girls before or after further/higher education or as a career break. (You must be aged 17 when you travel abroad).

Successful candidates will need to demonstrate a willingness to learn and a responsible attitude. Ideally you will have some experience of working with children or in schools, not necessarily coaching football. Although the ability to demonstrate basic football techniques is a requirement. We cannot guarantee you a place abroad if we feel you have not either reached the required level to coach to the standards we expect or if you have not shown the right attitude during your time with us in London.

The cost of the programme is £500, plus a £250 returnable deposit. You are required to pay for your own flights, an expense which you must factor in to your decision as our Soccer Schools are all over the world. You must also cover any additional personal expenses. The Club will provide insurance.

But during Part 2 you stay with one of our coaching partners so you don't have to pay for accommodation and food. To see a full list of partners, go to www.arsenal.com and look in the community section under soccer schools; there you will find a list of all the countries in which we have a partner.

The £500 funds various courses:

* F.A. Level 1 coaching badge
* First aid
* TEFL
* Child protection
* Referee course


You will also receive Nike AFC training kit plus 2 to 3 AFC training sessions each week.

We believe this represents good value and it's good fun too. You will meet like-minded people and make new friends. You will also be working and learning alongside our trainee coaches.

For more information, please contact Samir Singh on 020 7704 4158 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7704 4158      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email ssingh@arsenal.co.uk.

Arsenal had four Gappers in 2006/2007. Two went to Australia, one went to Egypt and one remained with us here in North London. They all had a great time coaching out there in the community, teaching English and representing Arsenal FC. All Gappers have continued to coach for Arsenal in the Community on a part-time basis on their return.

This year, eight Gappers coached at our Soccer School partners during Part 2 in Greece, Egypt, Singapore and Indonesia. The six Gappers who remained in London to gain more experience during Part 2 are currently spending Part 3 coaching in Greece, Indonesia and Thailand and a further two will join our Soccer School in Egypt in June.

This is a report from a student currently on our Gap Year programme

Jack in Jakarta, Indonesia
After spending 4 months in Jakarta, Indonesia I can look back on many great memories and experiences. From the moment we arrived we were amazed at how welcoming the people were towards us, not just our friends and colleagues but the entire city.

We learned a lot about football and coaching but also about Indonesian and Asian culture. The variety of people who we came across and have now become friends with, helped us throughout this outstanding experience and we hope to see them all again one day. The coaching experience we have gained is invaluable and we feel we have developed well throughout out stay there. We were lucky enough to coach in many different environments, from small villages in Bogor to International schools in Jakarta. This consistant change in coaching environments was a great benefit as it meant that we had to be adaptable and use many different skills depending on the situation we found ourselves in, this made for some great challenges which we found extremely rewarding.

We witnessed football at all levels, from professional to grassroots and it was interesting drawing comparisons with standards back home in London. At a professional level the game is nowhere near the levels of the English Premiership but at grassroots there are some very talented players so it begs the question why does the standard decrease as the players mature? One reason is that coaching education has not been implemented well and therefore there appears to be a lot of ?fans? coaching the childrens teams without any particular qualifications. However the main reason in my eyes is the lack of a league or competition that the children can play against each other in on a regular basis.

As well as working with the SSI we worked as classroom assistants at a local elementary school four times a week. This was really interesting comparing Indonesian local schools to those back home and getting to meet kids who had grown up in a completely different environment. The children were all extremely keen to learn and always went to school with a smile on their face which made it a pleasure to work with them. We also played for a team in the Jakarta expat league called The Vikings which was made of Danes, Americans, Indonesians and many more. They were a great group of guys who we spent a lot of time with on the weekends. We were also lucky enough to participate in a tournament in Hong Kong with them which was a great bonus!

Indonesia has many public holidays so on long weekends we had opportunities to visit the areas surrounding Jakarta. It was amazing to see the mountains of Puncak and the beaches at Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) and it was a welcome break from the congested city life of Jakarta. There is plenty to in and around Jakarta and it?s interesting to learn a little about there culture through visiting the many museums or landmarks such as the Monument where you can get a view of the whole city.

The four months in Indonesia were memorable for so many reasons and I hope one day I will return in some capacity whether it be to visit friends or help out with the coaching. I hope that the experiences and lessons learned will put me in good stead for the remainder of the Gap Year as well as my future career.