Finding Internships and Work Experience

What will we cover?

• Eligibility• What is an internship?• Why do it?• The schemes• Doing it yourself• Making contact• How can we help?

Eligibility

Undergraduate (UG) Students

UG students are permitted to work full time outside of term times as they are not expected

to be studying during those periods.

In the final year, UG students are permitted to work full time  at the end of the summer term,

for this academic year this is 13th June 2015 (www.sussex.ac.uk/aboutus/keydates/).

Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Students

Whilst registered, PGT students are not permitted to work full time at any point (including

during the normal ‘vacation’ periods) as they are expected to be in full time study.

The date on which PGT students officially complete their studies is as stated on your CAS

(for the current academic year this is 30 September 2015). After this date PGT students are

free to work full-time until the end date of their visa

What is an Internship?

• Summer or vacation internship

• Graduate internship

Internship schemes

- Different sectors, different

schemes- Large corporations’ structured

internships- Deadlines often Jan- March time- Often for penultimate year

students, some for 1st years- Some sectors may not offer

structured schemes

Why should you do it?

• Is it the right career choice?

• Establishing contacts

• Relevant work experience on your CV

• Gain up to date work reference

• Get a realistic view of what is involved

• Developing skills

• Apply skills and knowledge

• Get a job!

How to find opportunities

General internship websites include:- www.topinternships.com – dedicated site- www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience- www.targetjobs.co.uk – searchable database of summer internships- www.ratemyplacement.co.uk- searchable database

Our jobs database:

www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/jobs/search (search under vacation jobs

or graduate jobs)

Our Getting Experience sections:

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/gettingexperience

Sector Specific Information- check out our Sector Guides

www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/careerchoices/researchingcareers

STEP Internships

 

• The Step Programme offers undergraduates and recent graduates a

range of work experience opportunities.

• These can be either short term work placements, generally lasting

between eight weeks and six months or longer term internships lasting

between six and 12 months.

• All Step opportunities have a genuine development focus, are

structured and often project based and importantly, are all paid.  

•  www.step.org.uk

step logo here

 

University funded Internships

• We are currently working in partnership with Santander Banking

Group to provide paid internships for University of Sussex students

and graduates in local small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

• Santander part finance these internships but they take place in local

companies“This internship experience has really boosted my confidence because I’ve never

worked in an English speaking environment before. Now I’m ready to apply for

different jobs afterwards. I also think that it was a bit ‘scary’ for employers to see

that on my CV I didn’t have any experience from an English speaking environment,

but now I have something to show them!”

Claire Braun (MA Media and Cultural Studies 2013) - Customer Marketing Associate,

Current summer/vacation internship opportunities

Summer Vacation Scheme - Taylor Wessing

Summer Vacation Scheme - Simmons & Simmons)

Vacation Internship Programme 2015 (Audit) – KPMG

Summer Placements – Centrica

Summer Intern Programme - Lloyd's

Intern with an NGO in India this summer - Development in Action

Change Management Internship 2015 – Zurich

Technology and Operations Intern - Santander

Current Graduate internship opportunities

Trafficking and Tagging Intern - Rakuten Attribution

Network Support Intern - Bspoke Global Networks

Video Editor Intern - Akwaaba Music

Communications Intern - Tesla Motors

Digital Marketing Intern – Charanga

Graduate Digital Marketing Assistant Intern - Qube

BUNACIntern in Britain

This programme gives students and recent graduates the opportunity to

work as an intern in the UK for up to 12 months, swapping from a tier 4,

to a tier 5 visa. Find out more at www.bunac.org/usa/ interninbritain

and call one of the team on 0333 999 7516.

How to apply

• Recruitment processes can include CV or application form.

• Important to research the role and

the sector.

• Market yourself for that role.

Creative Approaches- finding contacts

• Social contacts• Academics• Newspapers, journals, magazines, • www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/research_

employers• Yellow Pages (www.yell.com )• Company directories/lists• Linked in – growing in importance

Other opportunities

• Careers events (Make it Happen!)• Insight days for law, accountancy etc• Volunteering www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/volunteering

• Part time and summer work • Student societies

Help available at Careers and Employability

• Briefings • Careers Advisers • Advice • Vacancies • Events• Join us on twitter or Facebook

• www.sussex.ac.uk/careers