How much work experience do Associates have?
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Our Associates have a wide range of experience. On average, the latest cohort has worked for seven years before joining On Purpose and some Associates have ten or more years’ experience. The minimum experience that you need to apply is two years of full time, paid work.
What sorts of things will I be involved in as an Associate?
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Associates can help with discrete projects as well as learning about the day-to-day running of the organisation. For example, at HCT Group our Associate developed and implemented the first framework for measuring social impact with the Deputy CEO, and our Associate at O2 created and launched O2Learn together with the Head of Brand Strategy. Roles at Comic Relief have been more open ended seeing Associates managing the character Monkey and its merchandise.
What support will I get?
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In each placement you will be assigned to one nominated manager who will help ensure that both you and the placement organisation benefit from your experience. You will meet this manager at least once a week. In addition, On Purpose provides help through mentoring, the training programme and your peers.
Do I get to choose my placement?
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On Purpose allocates your two placements to you, but we do of course take your interests and your background into account. It might be that you want to make use of your prior skills, or precisely try something different. In either case, we take the time to understand this before discussing all the Associates with the placements and making the allocations.
Will I gain some insight into the placements the other Associates are on?
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Yes, during the Friday training sessions, time is set aside for Associates to share their experiences and learn from each other. This is often one of the best ways to learn and we will help and encourage Associates to share their experiences. We also make sure that you have the opportunity to meet people from other placement organisations.
Will I get time off?
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Yes, you will get a normal UK holiday allowance.
Does On Purpose prefer people from the private sector?
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No. On Purpose is designed to provide opportunities for anyone who has at least two years’ work experience, regardless of what sector that experience is in. We look for people who have the potential to become leaders. Whatever sector you have worked in, you will bring valuable experience and insights.
Will I get paid?
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You will be paid £21,000 per annum pro rata as a living allowance. This will be adjusted because the programme lasts for a little under a year. The fact that you have half a day of training will, however, not affect this amount.
Why only £21,000? I currently earn much more than this!
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On Purpose believes that it is right to reward high-calibre people appropriately. However, many organisations in this sector are able to attract volunteers for free, so £21,000 pro rata is a big commitment for them.
On Purpose offers a unique combination of on-the-job experience, rigorous training by both professionals and academics and access to powerful networks. The mentoring and coaching add an extra layer to create a comprehensive learning experience beyond that of other academic or training programmes.
We believe that we are striking the right balance by ensuring On Purpose Associates have enough to live on and not making it prohibitive for all kinds of purpose-driven organisations to take part.
Where will the projects be?
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All of the placements will be in or around London. If you have to commute out of London on a regular basis, the placement host usually allows you to work from London some of the time and reimburses your travel costs.
Is this programme full-time?
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Yes. The placements will be full-time, and the training and associated assignments will mean you have a busy schedule.
When does the programme happen?
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The programme runs from April – March and from October - September. Applications to join the October 2013 cohort open in March 2013. Complete the online form
here.
Why do you have companies like O2 and charities like Comic Relief in your placements? They’re not social enterprises.
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On Purpose aims to develop the next generation of leaders across all kinds of purpose-driven organisations. These include social divisions of profit seeking companies and charities. Also, we believe that the next generation of leaders will need to bring together the best from all sectors. Placements in the private and charitable sectors will help you learn and develop the skills you will need to overcome challenges that social enterprises and other purpose-driven organisations face.
What do you mean by coaching?
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All our coaches are experienced professionals who have not only done significant amounts of coaching at senior and executive levels in organisations but have also had careers in business themselves.
You’ll meet with your coach each quarter on a one-to-one basis. This is an opportunity for you to take a step back from the details of your placement and the pace of the year. You’ll be able to discuss what it is you’re taking from the year and what areas you feel you need to be making a more concerted effort with given your goals. You might find, like Associates have in the past, it’s a good time to consider decisions around your career.
The coaches are independent of On Purpose and their objective is to support your leadership development; expect to be challenged to find your own solutions based on your own strengths and values.
Who is behind On Purpose?
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h
For more on the On Purpose team,
click here. On Purpose is also supported by leaders across the private and social sectors, who are providing placements, training or both.
Is On Purpose a charity?
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We are a company limited by guarantee that specifies that it is non-profit. That means we have no shareholders and re-invest any profits we make back into the organisation. Because we are a social enterprise programme, we have taken care to design a business model that can operate in a financially sustainable way.
What is On Purpose’s business model?
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We are a social enterprise ourselves, so we aspire to cover our own costs without needing to rely on grants or donations. Our income comes mainly from placements hosts, in two ways: First, placement hosts pay On Purpose a fee (£5.25K-£10.5k) for being part of the programme; second, if they hire an Associate after the programme, they pay On Purpose another fee (of £10.5k-£15.75k).
Will you help me find a job after the placements end?
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We will certainly help you find a job after On Purpose. We hope that it might be in one of the placement organisations or other organisations in the On Purpose network. Obviously, we can’t guarantee you a job, but you will be part of a powerful network.
Do people stay in touch after they leave On Purpose?
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On Purpose’s growing alumni network is one of the programme’s core strengths. Once you complete the leadership programme you become an On Purpose Fellow. We keep in close touch with Fellows through social events and including them in the selection, training and mentoring of new Associates.
Why do I have two Associates during the year, not just one?
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Before taking part in On Purpose, many placement hosts are concerned about whether Associates will be able to add enough value in six months. However, our
surveys of organisations that have provided placements have always dispelled this fear.
On Purpose Associates take a large pay cut (on average, more than 50%) to be part of this year, which they do on the understanding that it is a unique development experience. Two placements means that the Associates gain a lot more from the year than if they were only able to experience one organisation.
Many placement hosts also treat the year as two extended interviews, giving them the chance to work with not one but two potential long-term employees.
How much is the total cost of the year?
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Placements pay the Associates £21,000 p.a. on a pro rata basis (the programme is actually between 11 and 11.5 months) as a living allowance.
Secondly, all placements pay On Purpose a placement fee at the beginning of the year, which is £5,250-£10,500 for the year, depending on the size and legal structure of the placement host.
If a placement hires an Associates from the On Purpose programme after the programme, then they pay another finder’s fee of £10,500-£15,750.
Why would I not just use the volunteers I have or hire a permanent employee?
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Whilst volunteers can be a valuable resource for some kinds of work, we believe that On Purpose Associates are more skilled and capable than you will easily find. We spend a large amount of time attracting and selecting the Associates from a large pool of potential applicants.
In addition, the support networks that we provide to the Associates means that they can start adding value to your organisation more quickly than a typical employee starting out.
Last, we minimise the time and effort that is otherwise involved in recruitment, whether for employees or volunteers.
Do I get to choose the Associates I will work with?
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All placements express a set of preferences for which Associates they want to work with and we take this into account when allocating the Associates, along with the backgrounds, needs and interests of the Associates.
Before registering your preferences you will be given information about the Associates and an opportunity to meet them face to face. See here for more detail.
What do the Associates normally do?
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See
here for more detail.
How do you select placements?
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See
here for more detail.
We are a charity/commercial business/public sector organisation. Can we still be a placement host?
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Yes you can. We don’t limit ourselves to pure social enterprises. Many of our
placement hosts are traditional charities or commercial businesses. However, the work that our Associates do during their placements has to combine social or environmental objectives with commercial ways of working.
In a charity, this could be, for example, developing new earned revenue streams and in a commercial business this could be, for example, improving your organisation’s environmental sustainability or finding ways to provide your services to otherwise excluded groups in the style of microfinance.
I need someone with a particular skill set, can you guarantee that?
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No, we provide motivated and bright generalists. Many of them will have relevant skill sets that will be applicable to your placement and we will take this into account when matching Associates to placements, but we cannot guarantee a particular area of expertise.
What do On Purpose mentors do?
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Mentors are the most frequent regular support for Associates. They provide guidance and challenge to Associates and quality assurance to the host organisation during their placement. It can range from reviewing a board presentation to navigating organisational politics. Mentors also get to know the Associates on a personal level and help them with their careers beyond On Purpose.
What is the commitment mentors have to make?
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On average, we estimate this is about one hour per week. Every second week mentors meet face-to-face with their Associate to help them with whatever their hot topics are in their placement. During the remaining weeks, they might check in briefly by phone or email if any specific issues or deadlines are looming.
What kinds of people do you look for to be a mentor?
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Mentors need to be able to help Associates deliver as much value to each placement as possible, during the six months that the Associate is doing their placement. We don’t require you to have specific social enterprise or social sector experience, but a strong transferable skill set. You will need to have worked in jobs that have given you exposure to many different organisations in a short amount of time and where you have worked with senior stakeholders. Our mentors often have some experience in top-flight management consultancies, private equity firms or banks, although mentors with relevant experience from other places are also very welcome.
What will I get out of it?
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As a mentor you will not only work with too smart and highly motivated Associates, but you will also get great experience of the placement organisation you are working with and so gain insights into how some cutting edge organisations are harnessing the power of business to achieve social benefit. In addition, we make sure you have plenty of opportunities to meet and network with other parts of the On Purpose family, be that other mentors, coaches, trainers or placement hosts.
Here is what one of last year’s mentors said: “Being an On Purpose mentor has been a fantastic mix of fun, rewarding and extremely helpful for the day job. The last of these was the most surprising, but obvious when you think about it – getting to know some of the most talented people and exciting enterprises working at the intersection of business and society is always going to be a great investment of time. The fact that everyone involved is so lovely and fun is the icing on the cake.”
Do you pay mentors?
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No, all our mentors volunteer.
What’s involved in being an On Purpose coach?
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Coaches meet with one (or more) Associate four times a year. These sessions are an invaluable opportunity for the Associates to step back and reflect on their work and progress, where their future career might take them and what they are learning from the programme as they go along.
What kind of people do you look for to be a coach?
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All our coaches are experienced professionals who have not only done significant amounts of coaching at senior and executive levels but have also had careers in business themselves. We think that this “real-life” experience is critical to being able to help the Associates with the issues they are facing. A careful process around the selection of our coaches ensures an excellent fit with On Purpose and our Associates.
What is the commitment?
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Each Associate has four sessions during the year (roughly once a quarter) and each session is about 1.5hrs-2hrs long. Some coaches also have some contact, e.g. by phone or email with their Associates in between sessions. Coaches can be assigned to one or more Associates.
What will I get out of it?
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Coaches relish the opportunity of working with Associates who are typically in an early phase of their career development and often have very different backgrounds and experiences from their other clients. The Coaches also have an opportunity to explore the burgeoning sector of Social Entreprise through working with their Associates. It is also a great opportunity to meet and network with other On Purpose coaches and the wider On Purpose family. Many of our coaches have been with us since On Purpose’s inception – a testament to the value they derive from working with our Associates.
Do you pay for coaching?
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All our coaches offer their services pro-bono. Where coaches have to travel to London specifically for coaching, we may be able to make a contribution towards travel expenses.
What’s involved in being an On Purpose trainer?
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On Purpose training happens every Friday afternoon and covers a wide range of topics from commercial basics over social sector know-how to personal development. We typically have a two hour session from 1.30pm-3.30pm (or longer if the topic covered calls for it).
For a list of example training topics, see here [link to train page].
What are training sessions like?
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The style and format of the training sessions varies a lot depending on what the topic is and who is training. In all the sessions, though, we encourage interaction and discussion with the Associates (they don’t usually need encouraging very much); bringing in real-life experience and making it as relevant as possible to the kinds of situations the Associates work is another common factor.
What is the commitment?
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Most trainers deliver one session on their topic of expertise but some also deliver a series of two or three sessions. We look for trainers who are expert in their fields and so assume that they will often have pre-prepared materials.
What will I get out of it?
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Here is what many of our trainers have told us in the past, as expressed by Cliff Prior and Jack Bertram: “They have been a joy to run, those sessions, an absolute joy”, Cliff Prior, CEO UnLtd; “I always come away from working with On Purpose Associates amazed at their energy, passion and enthusiasm for what they are doing”, Jack Bertram Partner, McKinsey & Company
