Work with us
We’re an award-winning employer and we pride ourselves on looking after our staff and providing opportunities for career development. Working for us gives you the chance to play a part in improving homes and communities throughout Barnsley. In addition, our employees enjoy amazing benefits including hybrid and flexible working, an excellent pension scheme, career support and training opportunities, and a range of offers and discounts. But don't just take our word for it, see what it's like to work here and hear from our colleagues below!
We offer career paths in a number of areas including things like construction, customer services, regeneration, tenancy support, IT, and much more. You can find out about our different directorates below.
If you’re looking for a new opportunity, click on the button below to browse our current vacancies and apply.
Construction services
- In house repairs and maintenance service, including stock control
- Operations management and support
- Quantity / estimator surveying
- Procurement
Corporate services
- Performance management
- Human Resources and Organisational Development
- Finance
- Governance and Data Protection
- IT and administration
- Communications and marketing
Customer and estate services
- Tenancy management including letting and income services
- Tenancy support including family intervention and mental health housing support
- Estate based housing management
- Customer services, community development, and tenant engagement
Property services
- Repairs, maintenance, and building safety
- Asset compliance
- Investment, development, and regeneration
- Community Refurbishment Scheme
Early careers at Berneslai Homes
If you’re looking to start or change your career, no matter what stage you’re at or the experience you’ve had, we’re passionate about supporting people into their early or new careers.
Our early career schemes have no upper age limit, so if you’re passionate about improving people’s lives, supporting the community, and overcoming challenges – we’d love to hear from you.
Please enjoy our short video featuring apprentices past and present to find out more about the key skills for life that you can gain - earning while learning!
Office apprenticeships
Office apprentices are with us for two years and are given the opportunity to move around different areas of the business to develop a variety of skills and gain experience whilst completing a qualification with a recognised training provider.
We offer various office apprenticeships, including:
- Administration
- Procurement
- Quantity surveying
- Stores / stock control
Craft apprenticeships
Craft apprenticeships vary in duration from two years to four years dependent on which trade you’re studying towards. Apprentices are given the opportunity to work alongside a mentor or experienced colleague whilst completing their qualification with a recognised training provider.
We offer various construction apprenticeships, including:
- Electrical
- Bricklaying
- Joinery
- Plumbing
- Gas engineering
Graduate scheme
We offer a two-year Graduate Trainee in Housing scheme to provide enthusiastic and high-performing graduates the opportunity to realise their potential as a future housing leader.
The scheme provides hands-on experience in all aspects of social housing and tenancy management, support in delivering projects designed to improve people’s lives, a plethora of networking opportunities, and to complete a fully funded Chartered Institute of Housing professional qualification.
Other placements and work experience
We’re keen to support local education providers and other organisations to provide fixed-term placement and work experience opportunities for students. If you’d like to discuss this further, please contact us by emailing BHhumanresources@berneslaihomes.co.uk
Our culture
Our mantra is ‘roots in the past, eyes on the future’ which means as a company we learn from our experiences and look ahead, supporting the Barnsley 2030 vision. We're always evolving and adapting to continue delivering for Barnsley in an ever-changing environment.
All our staff are committed to this aim and have signed up to our values which are all about providing a great service to our tenants and supporting the people of Barnsley.
Our 3Cs values support this: customer first, can do attitude, curious.
Our customers are at the heart of all we do.
We make change happen, fix problems, and adapt to achieve.
We look beyond face value to get things right.
What's it like working here?
Our vision is: Creating great homes and communities with the people of Barnsley.
It's a really exciting time to join team Berneslai, as we're on an ambitious transformation journey. But don’t just take our word for it, hear what our colleagues have to say...
Saqib - Gas Engineer
"I'm currently on secondment and really enjoying the challenges that my role brings. It’s nice to work with others to solve problems and find better ways of working.
Getting positive feedback from tenants keeps my motivation high to keep going and tells me I’m putting the customer first which is one of our values."
Megan - Information Governance Officer
"I enjoy working at Berneslai Homes! I like the broad knowledge that I've been able to gain with different training opportunities. It's allowed me to build my confidence in tackling a wide range of challenges. I have been able to develop my career from being an office apprentice into the role I now hold.
I appreciate the support I get from my team and other colleagues as I continue to grow."
Liam - Gas Engineer
"During my time at Berneslai I've developed my skillset immeasurably. I enjoy my current role as I pride myself on helping people, it’s the knowing you’re having a positive impact on a customer’s life which fills me with joy.
Having an environment I can learn and grow in is essential to me, so I'm glad to have those opportunities here!"
Sadia - Family Intervention Administration Assistant
"I started working at Berneslai Homes as part of the Kickstart project, which gave me valuable work experience and the confidence to try new things.
When my current role was advertised I jumped at the chance to apply. I really enjoy being able to help people and give our customers a positive experience."
Working for Berneslai Homes has never been so rewarding
Our employees are our most valued resource, and this is reflected in the wide range of benefits we provide to attract, develop, and retain them. We're committed to providing a range of initiatives that support the needs of our employees.
Here are some of our most loved benefits, according to our colleagues…
Helping you achieve a work-life balance
- Generous annual leave entitlement
- Agile working opportunities
- Family friendly policies
- Supporting you through difficult times with special leave
Giving you more money in your pocket
- Generous pension scheme
- Access to an exclusive discount site, including gym memberships
- Access to financial wellbeing support services
- Free parking at our office bases
Supporting your health and wellbeing
- Access to counselling and physiotherapy services
- Opportunity to chat in confidence to our trained Wellbeing Champions
- Free annual health and wellbeing checks
Helping you achieve your career goals
- Opportunity to complete funded qualifications
- Leadership development programme
- Networking opportunities
- Regular in house training
We're an inclusive employer
We pride ourselves on being a workplace where everyone can be themselves. We value and celebrate differences and unique contributions each individual brings to our organisation. Equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to us and we’re thrilled to have been awarded a Housing Diversity Network accreditation to help showcase our dedication. You can read our EDI Strategy here.
Equality forums
We support the development of communities through partnership working and we’re actively involved in community project initiatives. We play an active part in supporting and working with equality forums including:
- Barnsley Together (for Black and minority ethnic communities)
- My Barnsley Too (for people with disabilities)
- Gender Equality Forum
- Barnsley LGBT+ Forum
- Deaf Forum
Equality Champions
We encourage our staff who are passionate about equality and diversity to act as Equality Champions. They play a key role in scrutinising our work and challenging us to do better with our equality and diversity agenda. They're actively involved in promoting and attending equality events across the borough as well as getting involved with various project and initiatives.
Disability Confident
We're a Disability Confident Employer which means that we're working hard to support people with disabilities to apply for jobs and work with us.
We're a caring employer
The health and wellbeing of everyone who works here is incredibly important to us. We offer flexible working in many roles and a fantastic, modern, agile working space in the heart of Barnsley town centre.
As well as a range of staff benefits and discounts including local gym membership offers and free health checks, you'll have access to our Wellbeing Hub with a range of resources and support. We also have dedicated Wellbeing Champions who are trained as mental health first aiders.
We create opportunities for social events, fundraising for local charities, and activities to promote good mental health and wellbeing.
We're a supportive employer
As a learning organisation, we're committed to continuous improvement and development.
Whatever your role is, you'll have access to a wide range of training opportunities, job shadowing, coaching, and learning experiences both in person and online.
Once a year we all get together for our annual Staff Conference - a great opportunity to meet other colleagues and learn together.
Applying for a job with us
So, you'd like to come and work with us? Here's an outline of the candidate journey and what to expect at each stage. We look forward to receiving your application - good luck!
Step 1 - the process
Great, you’ve found a role that you want to apply for!
Here’s a quick look at how the recruitment process works, and what to expect on your journey towards joining Berneslai Homes.
Step 2 - application
This is where it begins. Either log in to your existing account or create a new one (on any device you choose). We’re bias free, so we’ll only ask you for information we can use. Depending on the role, you may be asked to complete a few simple pre-screen questions to assess if you have the essentials required.
Once these are completed, you’ll progress through to the application form. Don’t forget to refer back to the Job Description and Employee Specification throughout your application process to make sure we get as much information about you as possible. You have until the closing date on the advert to submit your application, so feel free to take your time. Please note we don't accept CVs.
Step 3 - shortlisting
Following the closing date for the role, our team will be hard at work reviewing your application.
We'll notify you by email once a decision has been made, please allow up to two weeks after the closing date before contacting us.
Step 4 - interview
Brilliant, you’ve now been invited to attend an interview!
Depending on the role, your interview might be held virtually or face-to-face and may include some form of assessment such as a presentation or practical skill evaluation. Full details of the interview location and any assessment will be clearly explained to you on your email confirming your interview.
Step 5 - the offer
We’ve made our minds up, we want you!
We’ll be in touch with you to let you know you’re our preferred candidate. We'll then progress through our pre-employment checks by contacting your references, asking you to complete our health screening process, criminal record declaration, checking any relevant qualification certificates, and verifying your status to legally work in the UK.
We’ll keep in touch with you throughout this process to make sure you’re in the loop.
Step 6 - onboarding
So now you’re good to go, we'll discuss with you your start date and we’ll get the ball rolling to make sure you have everything you need to start off your journey here at Berneslai Homes.
We’ll be here to answer any questions whilst you’re getting ready to join us.
Step 7 - your first day!
Last but not least...
You’ll be greeted by a colleague who will show you the ropes. We pride ourselves on a thorough onboarding process to really make sure our new starters feel a part of the organisation.
You’ll have weekly meetings throughout your first month to make sure you’re aware of all the essentials and have everything you need to thrive in your new role! Welcome to team Berneslai :)