Breakthrough – Studio Assistant, Bexhill-on-Sea
About Breakthrough
Breakthrough is a 6‑month employability programme designed as a stepping stone to get you workplace experience and all-important employment skills. This short placement gives you insight into a future career in the Creative Industry, supporting your confidence and professionalism in the workplace, and helping you to break through into a career that matters to you!
Read more about Breakthrough here:
The role
This placement offers an opportunity to gain hands-on experience within a contemporary ceramics studio and creative business. Working closely with the studio technicians, the Breakthrough candidate will support the day-to-day running of the studio while developing practical skills in ceramic production, studio management, retail, marketing, and creative practice.
The role is designed to provide insight into the operation of a professional artist-led studio and will include dedicated time for the candidate to develop their own creative projects. This role will include assissting with:
- Studio maintenance and organisation.
- Recycling and processing clay for reuse
- Cleaning, maintaining, and preparing tools and equipment.
- Assisting with ceramic production, including preparation, making, glazing, packing, and other studio tasks as required.
- Preparing work for exhibitions, events, and deliveries.
- Managing stock and maintaining an organised studio and shop environment.
- Assisting with community classes e.g after school club etc
- Assisting with the day-to-day running of the studio shop and welcoming visitors.
- Creating content for social media platforms, including photography, video, and written posts.
- Supporting marketing and communications activities.
- Research and administrative tasks related to studio projects.
- Developing and working on their own creative projects with support and mentoring from the studio team.
Location and working pattern: The role will be based at Common Clay studio in Bexhill. The placement will be structured as 4 days per week in the studio Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday.
Who we are:
Common Clay is a community ceramics studio in Bexhill-on-Sea, offering a shared, inclusive space for people to explore clay. We run artist memberships, classes, residencies, exhibitions, and an extensive outreach programme that supports diverse participants, including people with complex needs, young people excluded from school, people from low socio-economic backgrounds and refugees. At the heart of our work is the belief that creativity should be accessible to all.
Deadline for applications
The deadline is 11:45pm, on 27 July 2026
You will need to download the job description below and read it carefully, and review the eligibility criteria below to ensure you are able to apply.
You then need to fill out the form below to submit your application.
All of the job descriptions include an “Employers advice” section and we strongly recommend that you tailor your answers to ensure they cover that advice given for the specific role you are applying for.
You can apply for more than one role if you wish to, but you will need to submit separate applications using the same process.
We strongly suggest that you research travel options for the role before applying to ensure travel is feasible.
To be eligible to apply for a Breakthrough training programme role, applicants must:
- Be aged 18-25 on the 28 September 2026
- Have the right to work and be usually resident in the UK
- Available to start work on the 28 September 2026 and available for the duration of the placement (until 28 March 2027)
- Have no or little (less than one month) previous experience of working in an arts, creative or voluntary sector organisation
We particularly welcome applications from applicants who:
- Are currently not in employment, education or training
- Are disabled and/or neurodivergent
- Have experienced barriers to employment due to current or prior mental health issues
- Have experienced barriers because of racism, homophobic or transgender discrimination
- Are recent school or sixth form college leavers
- Are struggling to find work due to lack of training or employment experience
Please note that this programme is not suitable for those on a degree placement year or an MA programme.
Download the full job description
This contains more information about the role, including advice from the employer.
Breakthrough 2026 Application Form
Contact us
If you are unsure if you are eligible, have any other questions, or need information in a different format, please email our Careers team:
FAQs
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If you have applied for a Breakthrough placement in a previous year and been unsuccessful, then yes you are very welcome to apply again if you meet this years eligibility criteria!
If you have already successfully undertaken a Breakthrough placement before, you won't be eligible to apply again.
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Please do. You will need to submit an application for each role you are interested in and should check that the travel to the workplace is realistic for you before applying.