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Check out our latest vacancies and find out more about working with the ESU

5 students celebrating their win at the School's Mace Grand Final

Competition Lead

Job Title: Competition Lead (Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, South Wales, West Midlands)
Reports to: Competitions Manager
Contract: 0 hours
Location: A mix of zoom and in person heats across the UK. We are only currently only recruiting competition leads based in Grater Manchester, Yorkshire, South Wales and the West Midlands.

Pay: Zoom heat fee £70, In-person heat £120 plus reasonable travel expenses

The English-Speaking Union delivers high-quality oracy education programmes and projects across England and Wales. We believe every child should be able to make their voice heard and that oracy – speaking and listening – skills play a key part in this. Our debating, public speaking, and cultural exchange programmes aim to embed sustainable cultures of oracy in schools, and empower young people to engage with the world, to speak more confidently, and to listen to and understand different points of view.

ESU Competition Leads host our ESU competitions including the Schools’ Mace, the ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition and the Performing Shakespeare Competition. The ESU Competition Lead will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of heats throughout the competitions with duties including Zoom hosting, MCing, judging and providing constructive feedback to students and teachers participating. You will also support and provide guidance for our volunteer judges, ensuring they have a positive experience volunteering with the ESU.

For more information, please download the job description.

To apply, please complete our online application form.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] 

 

Oracy Coach

Job Title: Oracy Coach
Reports to: ESU Education Team
Direct reports: N/A
Hours: Shift work for the duration of the event, running Monday, 12 May – Saturday, 17 May 2025
Salary: £600 per week. Location: Central London

About the International Public Speaking Competition
The International Public Speaking Competition is at the heart of the English-Speaking Union’s mission, bringing together oracy teaching, cultural exchange and a hefty dose of friendly rivalry. Established in 1980, the competition now reaches over 100,000 young people in more than 50 countries across the globe, showcasing the highest standard of public speaking, while giving delegates an opportunity to meet and engage with other young people of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.

Here in London, we host the Grand-Final week in May each year. This brings together the winners from each national feeder competition to crown a Grand Final winner. Our six Oracy Coaches work with us to make the week an unforgettable experience for each of these young people.

About the role: Oracy Coach
We are looking for motivated and positive individuals to join us for a fun-filled week at our International Public Speaking Competition 2025. As an Oracy Coach, you will be the first port of call for our young people throughout the week and will be guiding participants through activities and workshops. Our aim is to develop confidence through public speaking and cultural immersion. This is a fantastic opportunity to empower young people from around the world through this life-changing programme.

Core Responsibilities:
•   Chaperone young people around London to do activities and sight-see
•  Deliver workshops in public speaking
•  Be responsible for and safeguard participants at all times
•  Facilitate a fun and safe environment throughout the week
• Be alert and proactive, ensuring the young people are all accounted for
• Be an ambassador for the ESU by supporting and promoting our mission and values

For more information, please download the job description.

To apply, please complete our online application form.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Property Programme Manager

Job Title: Property Programme Manager
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Direct reports: N/A
Location: Central London, Hybrid – 1 day in office and 2 days remote working
Term/Hours: 25 hours per week over 3 days fixed term for 6 months
Salary: £60,000 pro rata

The English-Speaking Union believes every child should be able to make their voice heard. We believe that the ability to progress and to thrive in life relies on oracy – speaking and listening – skills, which are not currently a prominent part of the school curriculum. Our debate, public speaking and cultural exchange programmes help young people to engage with the world, to speak more confidently and to listen to and understand different points of view. These skills improve young people’s attainment, emotional intelligence and social skills, helping them to live their lives to the fullest.

Income generated by the ESU’s property is vital to supporting our charitable work, it is crucial that we maximise its potential and manage it correctly.

 

Overview of the Directorate

The Corporate Services team provides essential support and strategic direction across the organisation. We lead on organisational strategy, ensuring alignment with our purpose as defined in the Royal Charter and our long-term goals. Our governance function oversees compliance, risk management, and performance frameworks. The finance team manages budgets, financial planning, and reporting. All of this contributes to effective decision making. We are also responsible for looking after our properties, which includes maintaining oversight of two commercial leases, and maintaining Dartmouth House which is a grade II* listed events venue and our Head Office in Mayfair.

 

Purpose of this role

This newly created fixed term role has three primary responsibilities:

  • To ensure that the ESU achieves maximum income from various lease negotiations
  • To develop a programme of improvement works for our grade II* listed building
  • Prepare the tender for a future tenant on a lease or licence basis for Dartmouth House

For more information, please download the job description.

To apply, please email a copy of your CV and a covering letter to [email protected].

If you have any questions or require support with your application, please also contact [email protected].

 

Marketing & Communications Manager

Job Title: Marketing & Communications Manager
Reports to: Director of Global Engagement
Direct reports: Marketing Coordinator
Location: Central London-Hybrid
Term/Hours: Full-time/ Part- time negotiable, hours to be agreed but ideally 0.6 FTE.
Salary: £50,000 pro rata

About the English-Speaking Union

‘Communication is one of the most important things, and I feel the ESU has set us up for life.’ Schools’ Mace 2024 participant

Oracy gives young people the skills and confidence to shape their lives and to build a more connected and cooperative world

Both nationally and internationally, public discussion and political debate are increasingly polarised and divided. Social media, fake news and new technologies such as AI can create echo chambers, where claims pass unchallenged, and different views are hard to find. The English-Speaking Union shows that there is a more constructive and collaborative path.
The ESU was founded in 1918 to build greater understanding and friendships between people and nations. We are an educational charity with international reach, with an ESU in over 50 countries.
Today our work is focussed on training young people in oracy – speaking and listening skills, in critical thinking and self-expression – to build skilful communicators and engaged citizens and leaders.
The English-Speaking Union and our work is more important now than ever.

 

Main purpose of the role:

To develop and deliver our marketing and communications plans to engage with customers and key audiences including educators and students, supporters, partners and staff.

  • Work with the Director of Global Engagement to define the focused marketing and communications plans that will support the ESU’s corporate strategy and objectives. Define key audiences and work across all channels, including digital, search, social media, email, print, and PR.
  • Work closely with the Education function to develop and deliver integrated, audience-first marketing campaigns that use the most appropriate channels to drive engagement with the ESU and sales of our education programmes.
  • Work closely with the Engagement function to define and deliver the communications plans needed to recruit, retain, and work with our supporters (members, volunteers, donors, alums) and support the national ESUs and our international work.
  • Support our Fundraising function in developing the case for support, communications and materials.
  • Lead on capturing and creating compelling content for marketing and communications across all channels, including video and written testimonials.
  • Help the Senior Leadership Team create and manage clear, simple, coherent key messages that drive and are reflected in all our communications.
  • Maintain, develop, and enhance the ESU website and overall digital presence, as well as manage ESUs digital channels day-to-day.
  • Work with the Director of Global Engagement to develop and deliver social media plans that support corporate and functional strategies.
  • Continue the development of ESU’s organic and paid-for media strategy across channels.
  • Day-to-day liaison with external agencies, for example, web and PR
  • Define and deliver our internal communications
  • Develop our PR plans as those are developed and directed by the Director of Global Engagement
  • Work closely with the ESU’s Editor on all aspects of public facing Communications.
  • Report on the performance of marketing and communications campaigns

For more information, please download the job description.

To apply, please email a copy of your CV and a covering letter to [email protected].

If you have any questions or require support with your application, please also contact [email protected].

 

A teacher explaining a concept while 3 of her students listen to her carefully. There are more pupils a bit far away in the background.

Other roles

The ESU is always keen to hear from enthusiastic and experienced teachers, debaters and public speakers to:

  • help us deliver our debating and public-speaking programmes, workshops and competitions
  • support participants during our residential Debate Academy and the International Public Speaking Competition

These are paid roles with training provided. We cover the cost of a Child Protection Level 2 qualification and an Enhanced DBS Disclosure for all teaching staff. These roles are a great opportunity to gain practical experience and to share your skills with young people to improve their communication skills and boosting their confidence so they can realise their full potential. Working for us in this way also means you can can apply for our international debate tours which run every year in countries such as Japan, Denmark and the US. Find out more here.

Safeguarding

The ESU is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, which may include a satisfactory Enhanced criminal record with Barred List check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. Read our safeguarding policy here.

A student explaining his point of view/giving an answer to a question while his peers listen to him
A pupil standing and delivering her speech at an ESU debating and public speaking competition while her teammates watch her and her opponents listen and write down their notes

Volunteering

Interested in volunteering for the ESU or applying to be a volunteer judge with us? Then why not out more about our volunteer programme?

I took part in ESU competitions throughout school and I really wanted to give back and become a mentor myself

Constance Collard

ESU alumna and oracy trainer & mentor

Equality and Diversity Monitoring form

The English-Speaking Union is committed to providing equal opportunities in our recruitment process. Completing this form is voluntary and all information you provide will remain confidential, however, it will allow us to assess the diversity of our workforce and ensure equal opportunities for all ESU staff.

Equality and Diversity Monitoring form

Someone picking a pupil to answer his question with many students raising their hands to answer
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