Glasgow Life Assistant (Secondary School Libraries)

We believe everyone deserves a great Glasgow life and that starts with the people who work here. Glasgow Life is a charity like no other. Our vision is to improve the lives of everyone in our city. To help us achieve that, we are looking for Glasgow Life Assistants to join our Secondary School Libraries team. Our teams focus on making a real difference through culture and sport in Glasgow. If you’re excited by the idea of being part of that, this could be the job for you.

We are recruiting 30 Glasgow Life Assistants to work in each of the city’s secondary schools, to create a vibrant, inclusive learning hub at the heart of the school community. If you have a passion for working with young people and supporting a love of reading, we would like to hear from you. We are seeking a Glasgow Life Assistant who believes in the power of reading to transform lives, spark curiosity, and nurture lifelong learning.

Working collaboratively with staff and students, you will help create an inspiring, well-organised, and welcoming environment that supports literacy, research skills, and independent learning. You will champion diverse voices, promote digital and information literacy, and deliver engaging initiatives that foster a genuine love of reading. Join us in shaping a dynamic service that empowers every student to achieve their full potential.

What you need to know

• Hours: These roles are term-time only (39 weeks per year) and offer a range of part-time contracted hours between 19.5 and 26 hours per week. All working patterns take place Monday to Friday, with shifts scheduled between 8.30am and 4.00pm, in line with the school day. Your exact weekly timetable will depend on the needs of the school you are placed in. Most roles will be based on a regular, consistent rota, ensuring you work the same pattern each week during term time. Breaks are included within your contracted hours.
• Contract type: Permanent, term time (39 weeks per year)
• Pay details: The listed salary is for a full-time role. As this is a part-time role, we will calculate your pay on a pro-rata basis.
• Location: Secondary Schools throughout Glasgow. You will normally be assigned to one main school location; this will be discussed with you at interview to ensure the best match for the service and for you.

What you’ll do

As a Glasgow Life Assistant, you’ll be a part of a frontline secondary school library operational team, reporting to a Librarian. You’ll play an essential role in providing a frontline service and by delivering programmes that support young people to learn about and navigate their library service through inductions as well as supporting reading activities and clubs. You will create a fun, welcoming, inclusive and nurturing space for Glasgow’s young people to learn, create and thrive. Your contribution will make a visible and lasting difference to the attainment of each school’s pupils. This could be:

• Supporting our school communities responding to local need
• Sharing a love of reading
• Creating and supporting social, cultural and educational experiences
• Supporting young people to access physical and digital book collections, online resources and learning materials
• Providing a safe and inclusive space for individuals and groups

Who you are

We’re looking for someone with the right skills and who loves working with young people who brings energy to the role. If the following sounds like you, apply today! We’re looking for people who:

• Can engage and communicate effectively across a range of individual learning needs (such as English as an additional language, additional support needs, neurodivergence)
• Have a passion for the role of libraries and how they enrich people’s lives through reading, accurate and reliable information sources, cultural experiences and shared reading experiences
• Have good literacy and numeracy skills, as well as confidence with digital systems and administration activities
• Have a real willingness to learn and develop their own skills
• Have a strong focus on good customer experiences, responding to service user needs
• Have the ability to work alone and operate as an effective team member within school settings and the wider secondary school library network
• Understand the importance of positive role modelling for young people
• Are passionate about supporting young people to achieve their personal reading and academic goals
• Hold strong values for education and supporting the soft skill development of the city’s young people

When selecting candidates for interviews, managers will look for candidates who meet all the ‘essential’ criteria listed in the Person Specification. If there are many candidates, they may also consider desirable skills. So, include those if they apply to you.

What we offer

At Glasgow Life, our work changes lives. As a charity, we bring communities together and support wellbeing through sport, culture, heritage, and learning. We support you to live a great life. Inside and outside of work. Some of our benefits include:

• Holiday: Because the posts follow the school calendar, your annual leave and public holidays are built into the advertised salary, meaning you are not required to work during school closure periods.
• Pension: Join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a Defined Benefit scheme that provides you with a secure pension for later life.
• Support: Sometimes we all need support and a listening ear. Our free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme can support your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
• Discounts: As a colleague, you can enjoy discounts on the things you love, from Glasgow Club memberships to our museum shops and our online store. We are also part of the cycle-to-work scheme, helping you stay active.
• Flexibility and development: We are proud of our flexible and inclusive work policies, which help you balance work and life. We also offer support for learning, development and career progression.

Please note that Glasgow Life is an Arm’s Length External Organisation to Glasgow City Council. We are currently completing a Job Evaluation exercise and introducing a new pay and grading structure. This may impact current salaries quoted in job adverts.

What’s next

To get started, complete our short application form. In this, you’ll fill out:

• Work history
• Qualifications/training
• Key questions like “Why are you a good fit for this role?”

Use the Person Specification in the Job Attachments section to guide your answers. The closing date for this job is 11.59pm on 29 March 2026. Interviews are provisionally scheduled for week commencing 6 & 13 April.