Student assistant for physical education

Be part of making a difference

Do you want to help strengthen crime prevention work in Denmark's prisons and use sport as an active tool in the effort?

Denmark's prisons are facing the implementation of an extensive sentence reform, with increased focus on meaningful activation and development of inmates. Here, sport plays an important role in creating well-being, structure and positive communities in daily life.

As a student assistant at Copenhagen Prisons you will become part of this effort and have the opportunity to make a concrete difference for a group that needs new directions.

Copenhagen Prisons are seeking a student assistant

Copenhagen Prisons are seeking a sports-educated student assistant to conduct sports education for inmates two days a week. The position will average 7.5-10 hours per week in the period from December to March and will rise to 15 hours per week from April. In addition, there is the possibility to take extra hours, for example on weekends. The actual sports teaching currently amounts to about 4-5 hours per week. The teaching takes place at Vestre Prison in Copenhagen and at Blegdamsvej.

The teaching currently takes place two days per week in the time window: 08.00-17.00, but the working hours are flexible and adapted to your studies.

Your tasks

The position is linked to Copenhagen Prison's substance abuse treatment offering.

You will work closely with our current student assistant, and together you will be responsible for sports education for groups of up to 12 inmates in the prison facilities, including classrooms, sports hall and courtyard areas. You will have ongoing sparring in daily work, and you will be well prepared for the task from the start.

Your main tasks will be to

• plan, conduct and evaluate sports education
• design motivating and meaningful sports programs
• contribute to inmates' well-being and development through physical activity.

The inmates are security-cleared for participation. You will be escorted to and from the teaching by a prison officer, and there will as a rule be staff present during the sports hall teaching. On courtyard activities there will be electronic surveillance.

You will be thoroughly introduced to all safety-related matters so you feel secure in the role.

Sports education is an important supplement to the other substance abuse treatment and contributes positively to the overall effort. You will therefore have a strong responsibility and good opportunities to influence the content of the teaching.

Additionally, your tasks may also include

• nutritional and training guidance
• development conversations
• dialogue and relationship work with inmates
• ad hoc tasks in the organization
• administrative tasks.

In the long term you will also have the opportunity to develop and initiate new activities, e.g. targeted at young people or particularly vulnerable inmates. We value initiative and good ideas, and in the past employees have started activities such as piano lessons.

The position is currently anchored in the substance abuse treatment, but going forward sport students will also be attached to the activity team as a secondary function. This means you can contribute to activating vulnerable inmates when it makes sense.

Qualifications and experience

We expect that you

• are currently pursuing a sports education and have at least one year left
• are happy to have experience with teaching, preferably with marginalized groups.

In addition, we emphasize that you

• are interested in working with criminals or people at risk of criminal activity
• want to work in a jail/prison
• are outgoing, open and trustworthy
• can work independently and take responsibility
• are reflective in your interactions with people and can navigate different personality types
• can plan and adapt sports teaching to a varied target group
• can set clear and respectful boundaries.

Your new workplace

Copenhagen Prisons is Denmark's prisons' largest pre-trial detention institution for remand prisoners and detainees. There is a high turnover of inmates – about 5,000 annually – many of whom are released within 30 days or transferred to serve their sentence after a conviction.

Our shared goal is to support and motivate inmates toward a crime-free life after release.

Working environment

The basis for our work is to help our inmates move forward with a comprehensive package of crime-prevention interventions.

We offer a good working environment with a lot of freedom and responsibility, where you will have colleagues who value professionalism and commitment and who have a humorous, informal and open tone of communication.

Interested?

Applications, CV and documentation of education as well as other relevant material must be received in the recruitment system no later than Friday, November 16, 2026.

We expect to invite to interviews in week 48.

The application MUST be submitted electronically via the link "search online here!" at the bottom of the job advertisement. You can find the advertisement on our website: Vacant positions - Denmark's Prisons

Important information!

To speed up the process for our HR department please prepare the following documents

• Educational documents (verification of started sports education)
• Relevant references and experience

If you are invited to an interview, please bring identification such as a passport or driver's license.

For more information about the job , contact Unit Chief Leif Nielsen tel. 7255 5170

Salary and terms of employment

The position is a part-time job with an average weekly working time of 7.5-15 hours and is to be filled on 01.12.2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Employment and remuneration are in accordance with the general collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and Public Employees Organization (OAO) - The Public Sector and the Collective Agreement for clerical functionaries, laboratory technicians and IT employees (HK).

It is a prerequisite for employment that you are an actively enrolled student at a higher education institution.

The employment area is Denmark's Prisons.

Workplace is Copenhagen Prison, Vigerslev Allé 1D, 2450 Copenhagen SV.

It is a condition of employment that you, in connection with the interview, give your consent for Denmark's Prisons to obtain and assess information about you from the Central Criminal Register.

Denmark's Prisons views diversity as a strength and encourages all interested candidates regardless of personal background to apply.

About Copenhagen Prisons

You can read more at Vestre Prison - Denmark's Prisons

About Denmark's Prisons, Prison District East

The Prison District East consists of a district office, open and closed prisons, jails and supervision, as well as leg irons departments, transport and guard duties, an exit center and an asylum center distributed across Zealand, Bornholm and the Faroe Islands.

In total about 2300 employees.

For further information about Denmark's Prisons please refer to the website www.danmarksfængsler.dk