Join Our Team
Student Placements with COPE Galway
Work experience opportunities for second and third level college and university students.
At COPE Galway we value the difference students make to our services
Our student placement programme offers students a structured, practical work experience in our services or other departments that is relevant to their studies.
You will gain work experience, learn, develop your skills and confidence, discover your strengths, new interests, test yourself and work with an inspiring team of people to make a real difference in your community.
While we can’t guarantee employment, many of our students build long-lasting relationships with our teams, and go on to build fulfilling and rewarding careers with COPE Galway and other social service agencies.
Our aim is to introduce students to the world of work in a way that is structured, realistic and that facilitates their professional development within a supportive and safe environment.
If you are interested in the available student placements at COPE Galway, complete the application form below.
Learn, Grow and Make a Difference
Student placements at COPE Galway are a great opportunity to learn, challenge yourself, expand your skills and ability and work with a team of like-minded, passionate people.
It was great to be allowed that independence to kind of see what I could do for myself. I really enjoyed my time in COPE Galway. Jacquie was my supervisor for the placement, and she really allowed me the independence to kind of explore each area of the service and not just Senior Support Service.
Breda
Our Vision
A community where every person is valued, cared for and supported at every stage of life.
We work to achieve this vision by providing essential supports for people at challenging times in their lives and by advocating for systemic change to remove the root causes of inequality and disadvantage that constrain the well-being and development of individuals, families and communities.
Our Mission
Making a difference by empowering people, creating change and strengthening communities.
We understand, respect and respond to the needs of those who struggle with the challenges of homelessness and domestic abuse and we support older people towards healthy and active ageing.
Which service/team would best suit you?
Open each section below to see more information about our different services to help you decide which service you would be more interested in doing your student placement with.
COPE Galway Homeless Services
- Fairgreen Hostel provides emergency accommodation and support services for individual men in Galway who are homeless. The Fairgreen hostel is an emergency direct access 24-hour hostel and can accommodate up to can accommodate 26 men.
- Osterley Lodge provides emergency accommodation and support services to individual women who are homeless. Osterley Lodge is a 24-hour service and accommodates up to 13 women.
- Family Hub emergency homeless accommodation and support for families who are homeless.
COPE Galway Domestic Abuse Service (Modh Eile House)
COPE Galway Domestic Abuse Service in Modh Eile House provides services and supports for women who experience domestic abuse and their children. We are committed to promoting the right of women and their children to live and grow in a peaceful, non-violent home environment and to enabling women survivors of domestic abuse to control their lives and life choices. Our service has a 24/7 helpline, a refuge providing safe accommodation, an outreach service and a children and young people’s service.
We offer placements to students in relevant disciplines including social care, childcare and youth, social work, law enforcement, women’s studies, community development. Students can get a rounded experience by working in both the accommodation and day support part of the service and Solas Óg children and young people’s service. Our placement would suit students who would like to work with adults and children.
Placements in Modh Eile House offer students an opportunity to:
- Learn about domestic abuse and related issues
- Learning about the operation of a refuge
- Learn about the services it provides and the needs and experiences of women and their children.
The student will also get the opportunity work of Solas Óg our domestic abuse children and young people’s service.
- Students can shadow a worker in house when working with children and young people.
- They may also have opportunities to co facilitate group work programmes with children in the community
- May have opportunities to deliver workshops in secondary schools on dating abuse.
- They will learn about the effects of domestic abuse on children and young people of all ages
- Learn about the importance of support networks for children and young people.
Senior Support Service
Our Senior Support Service works with older people and local communities to support healthy, independent ageing. We provide a range of services and supports to help older people stay in their homes for as long as they wish to do so and stay connected in their communities. We do this is three main ways:
- Nutritional supports. Home-delivered healthy, nutritious meals that are made to suit the dietary needs of older people.
- Social Supports including one-to-one and group support with our community support workers, day centres and activities and a range or befriending services.
- Promoting Positive Ageing and advocating and awareness campaigns to change the narrative about ageing.
Fundraising, Marketing, Communications and Administration
We offer students placements in the COPE Galway administration departments in our main office in Calbro House. Opportunities would include working with the marketing, communications, digital marketing, fundraising, events accounts, human resources. volunteer recruitment and management, and administration teams.