Parish Liturgy and Music Internship

[Fr Allen Morris]

I am not sure if the Society has a policy on the advertising of posts. But if I am infringing rules then I am sure someone will tell me.
The parish of St John's Wood is establishing two year long internships, one to support music and liturgy, and the other to work with young people.
I envisage the ideal match for both posts to be a 2nd year College student, but they could also suit a gap-year requirement, or be appealing to people in all sorts of other situations.
Do please draw the opportunities to the attention of anyone you think might be interested, and apply yourself if the posts appeal!

a4 poster.pdf

[Dom Perignon]

This is a great idea. There is no problem with this sort of advertisement on the forum - it is only commercial ads that can be a problem.

[liturgyprof]

A reminder that there are still 10 days for those interested in applying for the innovative internship posts here at St Johns Wood. http://rcdow.org.uk/diocese/jobs/residential-internship-for-parish-music-assistant/ and http://rcdow.org.uk/diocese/jobs/residential-internship-for-parish-youth-worker/

But if Central London does not appeal, you might be interested in a post in leafy Hertfordshire

Director of Music – Borehamwood Parishes, WD6 1TG

We are seeking a Director of Music to take responsibility for music at two churches of St Teresa and SS John Fisher & Thomas Moore in Borehamwood, North London.

The successful candidate will be a good musician, able to lead music at the 10am and 12noon Sunday Masses, for Feast Days, and for special occasions. He/she will be able to facilitate the participation of other musicians across a range of ages, abilities and instruments, and hold a weekly rehearsal (currently on Friday nights).

The candidate will have, or be willing to develop, a good knowledge of the Liturgy of the Catholic Church and be familiar with both traditional and modern music. The parish is currently moving towards a more contemporary style of liturgical music. The Director of Music will continue to develop the singing of the congregation in both churches.

There is scope to develop the role to include other musical events in the community, such as hosting concerts and participating in ecumenical events with musicians from other churches. Additional fees are available for weddings and funerals.

There is also the option of accommodation in the shared house attached to SS John Fisher & Thomas More Church, if desired. Speak to the Parish Priest for more information.

Hours of work: 7 hours per week Salary: £250 per calendar month Closing date: 30 June 2014


For a full job description and application form please see http://rcdow.org.uk/diocese/jobs/
And also information

[Southern Comfort]

Hours of work: 7 hours per week Salary: £250 per calendar month

Am I alone in thinking that this is inadequate? This is being advertised as a diocesan employee position. £3000 a year for effectively 1 day's work a week gives a full-time salary of £15,000 — about half what it ought to be on current salary rates. Of course, if free accommodatuon is available that would make a considerable difference, but the wording does not specify whether the possible accommodation is in fact free.

[JW]

No, you're not alone SC, especially for the calibre of musician they seem to want. The job description is quite vague. In view of the comment about moving to a more contemporary style, how much input would their DOM have - if he has to select music, have the clergy set appropriate guidelines - What is "contemporary"? What is the viewpoint of parishioners about Sunday music there, or is a new DOM going to meet opposition? Are they including Easter Triduum, Christmas Midnight Mass, Advent & Carol services, Holy Days, Confirmations, Ordinations, First Communions etc etc in the 7 hours per week?

Funerals and weddings don't add that much. I average about £1400 a year in fees, despite being spread around 5 Catholic parishes and an Anglican church over the past year (charging £50 for funerals, £60 for weddings).

There seems to be little appreciation of the amount of study and practice needed for a musician to reach and maintain the level they seem to be after. I appreciate that many, including myself, do or have done this for free, but volunteers are getting rarer. If you need to pay, you need to pay the appropriate rate. (Pay peanuts, get monkeys!)

[Ephrem Feeley]

I echo the above remarks: the salary does seem a bit low, considering that 7 hours work split between two churches is probably not the full extent of the hours required to carry out this particular job satisfactorily. I note another position on the same website as an "internship": similar enough duties, minimum wage with the option of free accommodation in the rectory. It might suit students...
The National Centre for Liturgy in Ireland brings out guidelines each year for the Payment of Church Musicians. It's worth a look at http://www.liturgy-ireland.ie/payment-o ... -musicians . I'm not sure if England and Wales has a similar set of guidelines.

[Southern Comfort]

Very interesting, Ephrem!

On a straight Euro to Pound conversion at today's rate of exchange, that gives a recommended minimum rate for weddings of £172, which is probably more than double what most people in England would get.

Funerals are £94, or £137 if a vigil service is included — again more than the usual rate in England which is between £60 and £70.

The mileage rate for funerals (does this apply across the board???) is 78 euros per kilometre, which gives £1.01 per mile, way over the Inland Revenue "standard" rate of 45p (which admittedly is completely unrealistic!)

Anyone thinking of emigrating?!

[Ephrem Feeley]

Of course, I suspect cost of living, which may be a bit higher than in the UK, is probably factored in, as well as the fact that to train liturgical musicians to a satisfactory standard is both lengthy and costly. The reality is that most parishes in Ireland rely on voluntary musicians, which leads to varying standards of delivery and repertoire rather than liturgy being consistent across the board. I've never heard of mileage being paid for funerals, although the fee in Dublin is slightly more than the guidelines, probably rounding up to allow for travel.