Work For Us

Sewing-Class-Brighton-1920x1080-resize Stitch Classes at Sew In Brighton - Hove - Sussex copy Sew In Brighton Sewing Lounge Love Your Overlocker workshop - Sew In Brighton

 Sew In Brighton is in a very exciting period of growth where every day we are faced with new prospects and challenges. 

We are currently looking for a PA/Office Administrator

Details of PA/Office Administrator role

We are also regularly looking for people for these positions, so please get in touch with your CV if interested, and if we don't need someone right away we will keep your details, as we may do within a couple of months time:

Marketing Volunteer / Work Experience

Classroom & Sewing Assistant (Volunteer)

Sewing Teachers

*


Job description for PA/Office Administrator role

Part time PA needed to help run Sew In Brighton Sewing School

Please submit your application on our Google Docs Application Form here then email your CV to [email protected]

Job title: PA/Administrator

Reporting to: Kat Neeser - business owner

Rate of pay: £12 per hour invoiced as freelancer (current Brighton Living Wage)

Hours per week: 16 – 22hrs across 5 days, Mon – Fri, with one day 4-6 hrs in office/classroom, rest of the week from home. Potential to do more hours if things get busy

Job Type: Part-time. Hybrid flexible work model

Start date: 12th April 2024, paid training from first week April 2024

Location:

  • Sew In Brighton Sewing School, 18 Kingsway House, 134 – 140 Church Road, Hove BN3 2DL
  • From home

Probation period: 1 month

Application closing date: Thurs 28th March but please apply ASAP as we will close the applications if we find the right candidate sooner

Interviews: 20th March to 4th April

Benefits: 

  • Employee discount on advance booked courses and complimentary sewing classes when space on the day
  • Work from home most of the time
  • Flexible hours

Summary:

This is a key role within a dynamic and friendly Sewing School based in central Hove, East Sussex. The successful candidate will be responsible for the delivery of effective day-to-day administration, including; update and management of the company database and booking system, correspondence with students and teachers, scheduling course dates and adding new courses to the website, processing invoices and other administrative tasks as required.

The role also includes some marketing, including composing email marketing newsletters, social media and local/facebook event listings, and connecting with local shops and businesses.

This is a great role for anyone interested in learning how a small business runs, and who is keen to expand their experience of business development, customer service and marketing. The job offers plenty of opportunities for the right candidate to share their ideas and help a successful business continue to grow. You will also have the satisfaction of helping local people to gain new skills and confidence while building on a creative and satisfying hobby

Key Tasks:

  • Responding to and following up enquiries via email and phone
  • Other messaging e.g. WhatsApp teachers or students (own phone ideally), calling business leads etc
  • Managing the diary; classes, courses and party bookings via our booking system
  • Keeping the booking system up-to-date, scheduling new courses
  • Keeping the website up to date re new courses, improvements, corrections
  • Processing invoices for one to one lessons, booking students on over phone
  • Planning course schedules and discussing new course ideas
  • Preparing course and hen party materials and handouts
  • Expenses and invoice management for bookkeeping
  • Creating email marketing mail-out 1-2 x a month on Mail Chimp
  • Designing posters and other promotional material on Canva (or other software if known)
  • Some social media posts, co-managing marketing interns, blog updates from time to time
  • Business strategy with owner Kat
  • Reviewing admin procedures and streamlining

Essential Skills & Experience:

  • Experience of managing multiple administrative tasks in a busy environment.
  • Communicating with clients face-to-face, via email and over the phone.
  • Good working knowledge of Excel and Word
  • Good working knowledge of the internet and email systems.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • High level of organisation and a proven ability to create effective systems.
  • Computer literate. Confident and experienced in using a range of computer software.
  • Friendly and approachable personality.
  • Flexible and patient, adaptable – things change regularly as courses get cancelled, moved etc

Other requirements:

Applicants must own their own laptop, with good internet connectivity that they can bring to the classroom/office to work on.
This is a freelance position, applicants must be registered as self-employed with HMRC. End-of-month invoices to state ‘I am responsible for paying my own tax and national insurance’


Desirable Skills & Experience:

  • Working for a small business or individual.
  • Experience of sewing and/or pattern cutting, knowledge of basic sewing techniques
  • Experience of using website hosting software to build a website
  • Experience of using a database/CRM system
  • Good working knowledge of Mad Mimi email marketing platform or similar
  • Good working knowledge of Canva, Photoshop etc
  • Marketing and/or PR experience
  • Living close to the school is ideal but not essential

Please submit your application on our Google Docs Application Form here then email your CV to [email protected]

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 Volunteer Marketing Assistant

Do you want to get started with a career in marketing and promotions? We're offering a fantastic opportunity for a volunteer marketing assistant to manage PR and marketing here at Sew In Brighton over 8+ weeks, one or two afternoons a week depending on your availability.

We are always looking for a bright, enthusiastic individual to come join our team even for just a few weeks. You need no experience of marketing, but you'll be computer savvy (with own laptop) with lots of energy and creativity for getting the most from the role while helping to increase sales and profile of Sew In Brighton. The role includes:

- online marketing & web content: proofreading, editing, updating, testing
- local marketing strategy - getting our flyers into local businesses & shops, setting up joint ventures, online ads/listings
- assisting with email marketing from time to time
- website search engine optimization & google analytics
- possible videos, posters (if you have skills in image & video editing software)
- some social media, PR & blog posts
- the occasional bit of washing up or helping tidying classroom up!

Payment: This role is unpaid however you will be invited to attend any of our Stitch Sewing & Dressmaking Classes that are not fully subscribed on the day, so you could easily have a free sewing class every other week!

Times, days, length, laptop: The role is 4-12 hours a week (depends on your availability) on same day we are in the office - request which day this is as can change with PA role (+optional hours from home). You would need to bring your own laptop to work from. We need the 8 week commitment and if you enjoy it stay longer - again it's down to your availability, just let us know when you get in touch how long you have or whether you're looking for work so you can't be sure how long it will be.

If you are interested in applying for the role and doing a trial afternoon before committing, please email us your CV and a bit about why you would like to do this role and your availability. We may not have an opening immediately, but usually will do within a few weeks - we'll let you know when you get in touch.

What our previous volunteer marketing assistants say:

Linh: "I volunteered as a Marketing Assistant at Sew in Brighton while I was a third-year Marketing student at University of Sussex. The role has given me an insight into many different tasks involved in a marketing job, thus helped me know which parts of marketing I want to go into after graduation. During the time at SIB, I got the chance to participate in projects from brainstorming to the actual initiation of the plan, and I can always feel that my ideas are valued and supported by Kat, who has been friendly and wonderful in guiding me through the tasks. I would highly recommend the Marketing Assistant role to anyone who wants to try their hands at Marketing, because Sew in Brighton is the place for you to start your initial step without feeling overwhelmed."

Rebecca: "Whilst volunteering as a marketing assistant at Sew in Brighton I applied for and got a job working in marketing and communications for a wildlife charity. They run a rescue sanctuary out in Malawi for injured wildlife so I'll be updating their website and social media accounts and helping to write newsletters for donations, etc. Being able to tell them about the experience I've gained at Sew in Brighton was really helpful in the interview so I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity you gave me!" Rebecca Bloomfield, Brighton (now in Malawi!)

Faye: "I thoroughly enjoyed working at Sew In Brighton. I was given the freedom to be as creative as I wanted, and it was so much fun organising events, and seeing my ideas come to life. Kat and Anika are lovely people to work with, and I have now been given the tools to go and pursue a successful career in PR & Marketing".

Lizzie: "As an intern at Sew In Brighton I was able to learn about online marketing and build the basic skills in this area. Perhaps more importantly though, it helped me figure out if this was something I wanted to pursue as a career. Interning is so flexible and gives you the freedom to explore the role, so it was truly enjoyable. A year on and my job today encompasses what I learned at Sew In Brighton, and I know I would not have landed the job if it wasn't for this experience. As an added bonus, I even learned to sew my own velvet skirt!
Thanks to Kat and Sew In Brighton!" Lizzie left us after applying for and getting a full time job doing internet marketing in a large local business!

Ollie: ''I enjoyed my time at Sew in Brighton and the experience I have gained has been fantastic. I originally decided to try out marketing to see if it was for me before deciding if I should study it at University. In a short period of time I have gained an insight of the marketing industry and have learnt more about the day to day operations of a smaller businesses. The internship looks great on my CV and has already lead me onto my current marketing job, which I wouldn’t have got without it. SIB will be an asset and will help provide an edge when competing for graduate type jobs in the future. As a 19 year old lad who knew nothing about sewing, I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but I’m very pleased I was given the opportunity and I would definitely recommend it. Thank you very much Kat and Charlotte.''  Ollie has since gone on to undertake internships with an App Developer and the BBC, and is now completing a degree in business at Swansea University.

Tom: "After graduating, many people doubt the knowledge they have when entering a business setting - myself being one of these people. This marketing internship allowed me to realise the skill-set I already had whilst also giving me the freedom to develop new attributes which will be transferable to any marketing job in the future.
The projects I was entrusted with completing gave me a real sense of involvement in the company, helping all parties get the most out of this opportunity. For anyone who has recently graduated university, I would strongly recommend this internship as I feel its the perfect first step into a successful career in marketing."

Nina: "The process of applying for an internship at Sew in Brighton was very relaxed and casual, which is something I enjoyed throughout my whole time there. Kat is very approachable and friendly, which makes the experience at Sew in Brighton so enjoyable and worthwhile. Throughout my 50 hours there, I always felt like my input and ideas were appreciated and I had a lot of freedom when it came to designing the campaigns. Most tasks were challenging yet manageable and I learnt some very good and transferable skills there. I would definitely recommend everyone who is interested in Marketing, PR and Social Media to apply for an internship at Sew in Brighton."

If you are interested in applying for the role, please email us your CV and a bit about why you would like to do this role and your availability.
 

 Classroom & Sewing Assistant (volunteer)

Sew In Brighton is looking for a volunteer on the occasional Wednesday or Thursday afternoon 2-6pm to help make samples/patterns for classes & projects, help keep the classroom tidy and inspiring and help owner Kat with various aspects of running the school in relation to sewing, classes and the classroom.

What you'll get in exchange:
This is an unpaid work experience/volunteer role, but you will be invited to attend our regular Stitch sewing and dressmaking classes that are not fully subscribed on the day, free of charge. To get an idea of when these run take a look at our Calendar on our website menu to see which dates have spaces available.

Skills & sewing experience needed
You need to be able to sew and thread up a machine, sew to a seam allowance without help and have good attention to detail. If you don't have lots of experience you'll need the confidence to have a go and follow instructions to learn and produce sewn samples to a good standard (this may include unpicking so patience is also useful!) and tracing patterns accurately and carefully. Knowledge of Microsoft Word can sometimes be useful (but not essential) for creating our step by step guides for students. 

*What you'll be doing
Tasks are mainly to do with preparing for classes and courses. They include but are not limited to:

  • making & duplicating course patterns,

  • sorting and ordering/shopping for fabrics and trimmings,

  • helping to create step by step photo sewing guides for students, researching patterns,

  • creating Pinterest boards online for courses,

  • making sewing class examples (garment, bags, cushion etc),

  • assisting with photography of class examples eg ironing, repairs,

  • working out fabric and trim usage for course 'bring' lists for students,

  • preparing kit for hen parties

  • making the classroom look beautiful - could include rearranging the display on the walls, putting up course posters, labels or other items
  • helping with tidying & cleaning up of the classroom ready for classes + the occasional bit of washing up

Want to apply?
If you think you might enjoy some work experience volunteering in this role, please get in touch letting us know a bit about your sewing experience and which of the afternoon options you can do. Our volunteers stay with us for anything from 1 month to 2 years, so if you can give an indication of how long you expect to be available that would be good to know too. We may not have an opening immediately, but usually will do within a few weeks - we'll let you know when you get in touch
 

 Sewing & Pattern Cutting Teachers

Hi, we are currently seeking teachers for dressmaking and pattern cutting teachers - 90% of the work is weekend daytime
 
1. Dressmaking and pattern cutting teachers We are interested in meeting very experienced dressmakers who are interested in freelance teaching and can help students alter patterns including moving darts, fit toiles of garments made from own and bought patterns. Preferably who can also do pattern cutting at some level. We create new courses all the time, especially when new teachers with skills join us, plus we look for teachers for 1-2-1 sessions, hen parties & holiday/sickness cover - so do get in touch if interested.
 
2. (not needed now but please send CV for future ref) 
Beginner teachers: Do you know the basics of making simple items like bags and cushions proficiently on a sewing machine (including machine threading, seam allowance, zig zagging, tension, sewing a lapped zip, troubleshooting etc) as we always need people to teach our beginner workshops
 
3. We are looking for stitchers and crafters with expert knowledge of anything we don't yet cover, to teach new workshops and courses. This is our current range of classes, workshops and courses: sewinbrighton.co.uk/viewclasses

If you are interested in joining us please email us and we will send you a teacher questionaire to get an idea of your current skill set. Please do include any questions you have for us. Email:  [email protected].




We are a member of the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign

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