Join our team of volunteers for EFG London Jazz Festival 10 – 19 November 2023!
Application Form
We’re looking for some enthusiastic and committed people to join our volunteer crew! We are London’s biggest city-wide music festival and bring together established stars and emerging talent, reflecting the vibrant traditions of jazz and illustrating its diverse and exciting contemporary forms. You can check out the full programme at EFG London Jazz Festival
Each year we work with an amazing team of volunteers who work with us on the delivery of the Festival. Whether you are someone with passion for live music and events and a taste for organisation or if you are just interested in trying something new and connecting with people – we have several volunteer roles available. Check the list below to find out more.
Time commitments
We ask volunteers to be available for as much of the Festival as possible with a minimum commitment of three days. Volunteer shifts and roles can vary from the length of a show to a full day working.
Within this time there are opportunities to volunteer in four separate areas of the Festival. Volunteers will be assigned to one of the following teams throughout the Festival. There may be some cases where you are able to take roles across more than one team. If you have a strong interest in more than one role please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate.
On the application form you will be able to select a first, second and third preference as there will be limited spaces on each team.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Production & Backstage Volunteers (run by the Production Team)
Please note that not all the production shifts will involve technical work – a lot of the time you will be helping our artist liaison team to look after the artists in a pastoral way.
You will be working with our Show Managers to support artist liaison and backstage catering, including general runner-work, meeting and greeting, and logistics support. The workload will vary a lot from gig to gig, so being flexible, patient and happy to do all tasks big and small are all characteristics we are looking for. A big part of these roles is just being a friendly presence that artists and their teams can always come to with questions.
You may also be working with our Transport team to support artist ‘meet & greets’ at airports and train stations.
You will be required to be available for at least 3 days throughout the festival. The shifts will generally start from between 9am – midday and will finish no later than 11pm.
Production volunteers will be working on live music shows and our creative engagement programme – which ensures music is accessible for all. If you have a particular interest in Serious’ Creative Engagement work, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate.
Creative Engagement Assistant
A new opportunity for 2023, we are seeking one volunteer to join our Creative Engagement team during the festival, acting as an all-round helper / runner / assistant working directly with the Serious team. You will need to be available on Tue 7th and Wed 8th November for specific briefing days at the Serious office in Bethnal Green, and then be available for Sat 11th, Sun 12th, Sat 18th & Sun 19th Nov (all four dates). On these dates, our CE team has multiple events, workshops, rehearsals and shows taking place, so you can expect to be moving around town checking in on different projects, seeing things come together, offering support where needed and reporting back to the team. Please keep the above dates held in your diary if applying for this role.
Show Reviewers (run by the Volunteer Coordinator)
You will be representing Serious by attending and writing short reviews of selected shows throughout the Festival to provide coverage and feedback to the Serious team.
You will be required to attend at least 4 events throughout the Festival period.
You will be given a ticket to the show, and a brief to follow in terms of what to write as a review. We ask for reviews to be sent to our Volunteer Coordinator or uploaded to an online folder as soon as it’s written – this is an important part of the role, as the reviews are shared around the Festival team quickly.
Marketing & Content Volunteers (run by the Marketing + Communications Department)
We’re looking for enthusiastic and committed people to join the Marketing & Communications volunteer team as content creators. Volunteering will provide valuable insight into working at live music and events and offer the opportunity to attend shows for free.
Reporting into our Volunteer Coordinator, you’ll be supporting our Marketing & Communications team, capturing and/or creating content for social media in the form of photos and videos.
If you have experience editing / uploading photos and videos to social media, please mention this in your application and let us know what platforms you’re most familiar with.
You will also be offering support with flyering and onsite branding on the evening of the shows.
You will be required to attend at least 4 events throughout the Festival period.
Development Volunteers (run by the Development Team)
Positions available: 3-4.
The Development team manage relationships with current and prospective funders and sponsors of Serious. The work will be very varied and you will be working closely with our Development team to represent Serious and help with the running and logistics of Receptions across the Festival.
You will be supporting the Development team in the setup and delivery of our Serious Trust Reception where we engage with our sponsors and donors. You will also be supporting with various administrative projects which are vital for the engagement of our stakeholders during the Festival.
Inter-personal skills and an openness to meet new people would be valuable attributes.
How to Apply
If you would like to apply to volunteer for the EFG London Jazz Festival 2023 please complete this Volunteer Application Form or print the form and return the form via post to the address indicated on the form.
Deadline for applications is Thursday 5th October 5pm BST
Please note all those applying must be 18 years old or over.
There will be a Volunteer Briefing Session in October – we encourage all volunteers to attend where possible, but attendance is not compulsory. It’s a great chance to meet each other and the teams running the festival, and ask any queries you may have from the team leaders. Date / Time TBC.
Serious and EFG London Jazz Festival embrace diversity of all kinds. We are keen to create a volunteer force that is representative of wider society and therefore encourage applicants of all ages (over 18), ethnicities, nationalities, socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities and physical and neurological abilities. We’re a motivated team with a mission to ensure music is accessible for all and would love to hear from like-minded individuals.
We will be able to reimburse the cost of a travel within London and a reasonable evening meal.
Please note that spaces to volunteer at EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 are limited so not everyone applying will be allocated a role. Roles will be allocated on a combination of applicant suitability and a first come first served basis.
Timeline
Thurs 5th Oct 5pm BST: Deadline for applications. Sorry but no late applications will be accepted.
Fri 13th Oct: You will have heard by this date if you have been allocated a role. We aim to get back to everyone who applied, thanks for bearing with us.
Week beginning 30th Oct [Date/time TBC]: Volunteer get-together briefing session in Bethnal Green, London. Likely to be 6-8pm. Please try as hard as possible to attend this, as previous volunteers agree it’s an important part of the scheme.
Friday 10th Nov – Sunday 19th Nov – EFG London Jazz Festival dates. All shows will be during this period.
Future Projects
As well as producing the EFG London Jazz Festival, Serious programme a huge variety of other music-based events throughout London and around the UK. Volunteers who enjoy their time working with us for the Festival are encouraged to build upon this experience and join us in a similar capacity at our other endeavours throughout the year.
