Community job F.A.Q.

Lee Abbey London was established in 1964 as a hall of residence for international students, staffed by Christians. This residential community seeks through their daily work, worship and lifestyle to ‘communicate Christ through relationships’. Lee Abbey London is part of the wider Lee Abbey Movement and is home to an international and ecumenical Christian community, with members drawn from many traditions and backgrounds.

The Christian community consists of about 30 people. We serve and provide hospitality to approximately 170 international students who live here with us.

For us, our life together in community is an essential part of living out and sharing the Gospel. We believe that we are ‘loved into life’ – the abundant life promised by Jesus – as we develop warm, supportive and accepting relationships with God and with one another.

So it’s important that all community members, regardless of their area of work and responsibility, feel called to be part of this community and that they engage in all aspects of community life.

Our lifestyle as a community focuses on the following areas:

• Daily corporate worship and prayer
• Hospitality to students and guests
• Discipleship of community members
• Friendship Evangelism and living “missionally”

You will be a residential community member and charity worker. We expect you to participate fully in all aspects of our community life and in our ministry to our students and guests. Joining Lee Abbey London means embracing a lifestyle of work, worship and service in community. An important part of community life is understanding that our work is an essential part of our ministry. As we serve each other and the students in the house, we are serving Christ.

Community members work with us for up to 35 hours per week on one of our teams (housekeeping/servery, office/reception, maintenance). You will be allocated to a team when you arrive. You will have two full days off each week.

Most days include a 30-minute time of devotion which may include worship, teaching and prayer. In addition, LALSoM (Lee Abbey London School of Ministry) meets every week.

Community members must participate in all activities on Wednesday, Community Day, so that we can grow stronger in our faith, working relationships and friendships with each other. On alternate Wednesday evenings, we meet together as a community to worship and celebrate holy communion together. This is our central act of worship each week. Holy communion alternates between Wednesday mornings and evenings.

In addition, we ask all community members to participate in planning and hosting the evening coffee bar and social activities for students. You should expect to be involved up to two evenings a week. The aim here is to build friendships with the students and share your faith story with them.

Living at Lee Abbey is hard work. It can be tiring, but it can also be very rewarding – particularly as you see God working through you to impact others.

W = Worship        T = Teaching          P = Prayer       C Meeting = Community Meeting        LALSoM  = Lee Abbey London School of Ministry

Housekeeping/servery: This is the biggest team. You will help to keep the building clean, prepare rooms for new guests, serve meals and manage the dining room and washing-up area. Daily tasks may include: dusting and hoovering around the house, emptying rubbish bins, cleaning and preparing rooms for residents and guests, making beds, cleaning floors, toilets and communal shower areas, setting up the dining room, serving meals, and washing up. 

This is all part of our ethos of serving others as though we are serving Christ. We want all students and guests to know they are loved by God. Often it is the small things that make a difference.

Office/reception: At Reception you are ‘God’s welcome’ to all students, guests, visitors, contractors and neighbours. You will need to be a confident English speaker, have a polite telephone manner and be ready to go out of your way to help. You will learn to use our system to make bookings and take payments. You are the ‘face’ of Lee Abbey London, so being a people person, with a ready smile and a friendly word, is important.

Maintenance: There is never a boring day on the maintenance team. We live in an old building that requires a lot of love and attention. You will learn the basics of painting, decorating, gardening and general repairs.

Leadership team: This team consists of the senior staff members who help lead and direct the life and ministry of Lee Abbey London.

Anyone who is 18 or over who loves Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and who wishes to follow Him as a disciple is welcome to apply.

If you are from outside the UK will have to apply for a Charity Work visa if your application is successful.

Members of our community are mostly voluntary workers who stay with us for up to 12-months. This is not the same thing as being a volunteer.

Volunteer: A volunteer is someone who undertakes an unpaid activity that aims to benefit the environment, individuals or groups. They often give their time to charitable organisations or church activities.  Volunteers are not in a contractual position (written or implied) with the organisation.

Voluntary worker: is a more formal, contract-based contribution made to a charitable organisation, usually with fixed working hours and responsibilities. Although voluntary workers do not receive formal pay, they usually receive a higher level of support and training.

Voluntary workers are not regarded as employees.

We will give you an allowance of £50 per week, which is money for essential living or subsistence expenses. You will not need to pay for your food, utilities (gas, water, electricity, internet, etc) or council tax. If you use the telephone in your room, you will be charged for any calls you make.

Most community members share a bedroom, either a twin room or a triple, with your own bed, desk, wardrobe and drawers. All bedrooms have a basin and use of a shared bathroom on the corridor. Each bedroom comes with a phone, internet sockets and Wi-Fi access. Lee Abbey will provide your bed linen, etc. Storage space is limited in our rooms so please pack carefully.

We will allocate you a room before you arrive. It is not normally possible to request a particular roommate.

The Lee Abbey London School of Ministry, LALSoM for short, is a teaching and discipleship class which runs for an hour once a week. 

LALSoM runs throughout the year and all community members attend. The aim of the school is to provide thought-provoking and challenging material that will enable people to engage with their new identity in Christ, to know that they are loved unconditionally by the Father, and live Spirit-empowered lives. We provide for every community member on the topics we cover. There are no assignments, exams or required study elements. All we ask for is a willingness to engage in open discussion and respect each other’s differences.

Yes, you will have two days off each week, although these might not be consecutive and may be on different days from week to week. In addition, you will also have 20 days’ holiday per annum to use as you wish plus the 8 bank holidays (public holidays). Lee Abbey is open every day of the year so if you are asked to work on a bank holiday you will be allocated a day off in lieu.

Holidays are not normally permitted over the Easter and Christmas periods, as these are important times of celebrations for our community family.

You will receive different types of input. We will train you in the skills specific to your team to keep you safe and help you carry out your duties. This training is given through short sessions in-house or on-the-job supervision.

In LALSoM and small discussion groups, we will give you discipleship training and a practical grounding in theology. This is to help you grow in your walk with God and give you confidence to share your faith story with others.

We also offer life coaching to those who would like it. You will be paired with a trained coach (usually a more senior member of the team). They will help you explore any life issues you choose: you set the agenda. These discussions are confidential.

We don’t encourage exclusive or romantic relationships as these may have a negative effect on community life. We believe that God has called us here to live, work and seek God in community, and this should be our priority.

However, if you do develop feelings for another person during your time at Lee Abbey London, we’re here to support you and pray with you.

Citizens of the United Kingdom are covered for healthcare by the National Health Service (NHS). This is provided free of charge, although there are charges for prescriptions and dental treatment.

If you are from outside the United Kingdom and are on a Charity Worker visa, you will have paid the Healthcare Surcharge when you applied for your visa.  This gives you the same access to NHS healthcare as a UK citizen. Nevertheless we recommend that you take out travel insurance prior to your travel which includes cover for medical emergencies.

We recommend that you visit a dentist before coming to the UK as dental treatment in this country can be very expensive (even for UK  citizens).

If you are from outside the United Kingdom, you will require a charity worker visa. We cannot accept applicants on a tourist visa. Charity Worker visas are granted for a maximum of 12 months. If you have already visited the UK on a charity worker or religious worker visa you will not be able to re-apply for a new charity work visa for 12 months.

A charity worker visa is expensive. The current application price is £298, and you will be expected to pay an additional healthcare surcharge (£1035) and for tuberculosis screening (prices vary), before you can submit your visa application. We expect applicants to have available funds or support of around £2000 to cover their visa application and flight to the UK. 

If you are accepted for community membership, you will be given full instructions on how to apply for your visa, together with your invitation letter. Please do not apply for a visa before receiving your formal invitation from Lee Abbey London.

The application form is designed as a test – making sure you have read and understood the information provided for applicants.  If you are stuck at section 2:

1. You have not answered the questions correctly, OR
2. You have indicated that you are married or have dependent children. Lee Abbey London requires community members to share a bedroom with other members of our team. We do not have accommodation suitable for couples or families.

Please re-read the information provided and check your answers.

Lee Abbey London has very limited accommodation options for community members. We normally expect those who join us to share a bedroom with 1 or 2 other community members.  We do not have suitable accommodation options or facilities for families and children.

We therefore do not encourage applications from married couples or families.

When we receive your application, we will check to make sure it is completed fully and all required documents have been submitted. If everything is in order, we will contact your three referees and ask them to fill in a reference form. If your referees are located outside the UK or do not speak English, this process may take some time.

Once we have received your referees’ comments, your application will be reviewed by the senior leadership team. At that point we may request a Skype or telephone interview with you.

If you’re successful, we will then invite you to join our community – and look forward to welcoming you.