International talent internships
Open to all eligible international students currently residing in the UK.
About the schemes
Funding has now been allocated for the 2022 to 2023 internship scheme and we are not accepting any new requests. We hope to re-open the scheme in November 2023. The information below is relevant for students and employers already taking part in the schemes.
Our international talent internship schemes are an exciting opportunity for you to participate in a paid internship to gain valuable work experience in a range of employment sectors. There are two schemes to suit you – either a 74-hour scheme (between 5 and 10 weeks, working up to 15 hours per week) or a part-time, term-time scheme (working up to 14 hours a week). You’ll be able to build your skills and confidence and you'll earn £10.90 per hour, gross.
74-hour international talent internship scheme
Our 74-hour international talent internship scheme is a fantastic opportunity for you to work for an exciting company to gain experience, help inform future decisions and make industry connections.
The 74 hours can be worked over 5 or 10 weeks, working a maximum of 15 hours per week.
As an employee of the company, you will be expected to follow employee standards of timekeeping, work ethics and culture.
The latest date to register for this scheme is Friday 7 July 2023.
Who can take part?
- UWE Bristol international undergraduate and postgraduate students with the right to work in the UK can take part.
- As an international student, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you comply with the conditions of your visa at all times, including any restrictions on working in the UK. If you’re unsure of your work permissions, please speak to an Immigration Adviser.
- You cannot complete an internship with an employer who you have previously worked for in any paid capacity.
- You may complete one internship per academic year.
Working hours and wages
- You will work a total of 74 hours over 5 or 10 weeks, working a maximum of 15 hours per week.
- You will earn £10.90 per hour, totalling £806.60 for a 74-hour internship and you will be paid by the company through their payroll.
- You will be entitled to 8 hours and 15 minutes of paid leave, including bank holidays.
296-hour part-time, term-time internship scheme
Part-time, term-time internships are a great opportunity for you to work up to 14 hours a week over 24 weeks alongside your studies.
These internships would suit longer-term project work. You will have weekly meetings and check-ins with your employer, and your work can be delivered flexibly and remotely so you are able to complete work on weekends or at a time that suits you (whilst considering the needs of the business).
Discuss your timetable and other commitments with your employer and create a working agreement to outline expectations.
Who can take part?
- All UK and international students can take part.
- You must be in your first, second, placement or final year on a BA, BSc, BArch, BEng, LLB, MArch or MEng course.
- If you are in your foundation year completing a UWE Bristol-accredited degree in one of our UK study partners, you will be eligible if you have evidence that you are continuing your studies with UWE Bristol in September 2023.
- You cannot complete an internship with an employer who you have previously worked for in any paid capacity.
- You may complete one internship per academic year.
Working hours and wages
- The scheme is for a total of 296 hours, working up 14 hours per week. However, we recommend that you work up to 12 hours per week for a total of around 24 weeks. This may take place remotely, and you will be able to complete work on the weekends.
- You will be paid £10.90 per hour, totalling £3226.40 for a 296-hour internship and you will be paid by the company through their payroll.
- You will be entitled to 32.5 hours of paid leave, including bank holidays.
- During vacation periods (for example Christmas or Easter), you should agree suitable arrangements with your employer. You could continue to work, take some of your 32.5 hours leave or agree to take a short period of unpaid leave.
Benefits of an internship
By completing an internship, you can:
- gain valuable, high-quality work experience
- develop relevant insight, knowledge and skills
- enhance your curriculum vitae (CV)
- gain a competitive advantage in the job market
- build up a network of useful contacts
- increase your confidence
- apply knowledge you have gained during your studies
- broaden your career options by getting experience in a sector that isn’t directly related to your degree.
Applying for an internship
You can find your internship by either viewing vacancies posted on InfoHub or by arranging your own internship by a speculative application.
If you take part in this scheme, you are responsible for ensuring that it will not be in breach of any conditions attached to your visa.
InfoHub vacancies
You can view and apply for vacancies posted by organisations on InfoHub (login required).
Log in to InfoHub to view the internship opportunities that employers are offering in 2023. Vacancies are added when organisations submit them to us. Once logged in:
- Go to Vacancies.
- Under ‘Vacancy Type’, select ‘UWE Internship Schemes’.
- Click ‘Search’.
- A list of internships will appear. Look for opportunities with 'UWE Bristol PT Internship 2022–2023’ in the job title for the 296-hour part-time, term-time internship scheme or ‘UWE International Talent Internship Scheme 2023’ in the job title for the 74-hour international talent internship scheme.
Arranging your own internship
One of the best ways to get an internship is to find your own at an organisation that interests you. You can approach organisations speculatively or using your existing contacts and networks. Once you have approached an organisation, they should email the Internships Team at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk on your behalf to formalise the arrangement.
Arranging your own internship demonstrates personal initiative and offers you the opportunity to explore opportunities that may not have been advertised.
All business sectors are eligible. Don't restrict your thinking to jobs directly related to your degree subject or you could miss out on opportunities. Your internship must be either project-based or add value to your CV and include an element of training and/or mentoring.
The internship should give you a meaningful opportunity to build your skills, knowledge and confidence in a professional area of work.
Speculative applications
You can view further information about making speculative applications on the UWE Career Centre (login required).
We have prepared a statement that you may want to use in your speculative application:
74-hour international talent internship scheme
“My university, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), is currently offering a 74-hour international talent internship scheme, which offers a £806.60 subsidy to companies or organisations that employ an undergraduate student for a minimum five-week period totalling 74 hours. Interns must be paid at a minimum of £10.90 per hour via Pay As You Earn (PAYE).
Further details about the scheme are available on the UWE Bristol website. If you have any questions, please contact the Internships Team directly at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk."
296-hour part-time, term-time internship scheme
"My university, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), is currently offering a 296-hour part-time, term-time internship scheme, which offers a £1613.20 subsidy to companies or organisations that employ an undergraduate student for a period of 296 hours over 24 weeks (12 hours per week). Interns must be paid at a minimum of £10.90 per hour via Pay As You Earn (PAYE).
Further details about the scheme are available on the UWE Bristol website. If you have any questions, please contact the Internships Team directly at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk."
CV help
We offer a wide range of resources to support with writing a CV and applications including our useful CV Cycle resource (PDF). If you would like feedback on your CV, use our CV360 tool and you’ll be given the option to have a CV review conducted by a member of our career coaching team.
During your internship
You will not be employed by UWE Bristol. The company will recruit you on the same basis as they would any other member of staff. You’ll be paid directly by the company through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) on a weekly or monthly basis.
We will provide the employer with access to an agreement that needs to be electronically signed by you, your employer and UWE Bristol. We recommend that your internship employer provides you with a separate agreement to cover any company policies not included in the UWE Bristol internship agreement.
You will accrue 8 hours and 15 minutes of leave during 74-hour international talent internship. If you are taking part in the 296-hour part-time, term-time internship scheme, you will accrue 32.5 hours of leave. This must be arranged following the organisation’s policies and procedures, along with policies related to working hours and sickness absence.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What sort of work will I be doing?
Your internship will give you an opportunity to build and demonstrate skills, knowledge and confidence in a professional area of work. This does not need to be directly related to your degree subject. Examples of the work you could be doing include:
- assisting with researching home country markets
- liaising with key suppliers, clients and customers in a specific overseas market
- developing international contacts
- providing cultural advice
- customer service and administration for international customers
- supporting marketing and social media campaigns
- translation and interpreting services.
How do I choose an employer?
Don't restrict your thinking to jobs directly related to your degree subject or you’ll miss out on some amazing opportunities. Your degree discipline doesn’t determine your options. Researching organisations will give you a better insight into the experience and transferrable skills you could gain from them.
Don't make assumptions – if a job sounds interesting, see if you can demonstrate you have the skills and attributes the employer’s looking for. You will have developed transferable skills during your course such as communication, working to deadlines and research skills. For many of our internships, enthusiasm, motivation and a desire to try out a new area of work to broaden your prospects will go a long way to getting you noticed.
What is included in the internship agreement?
We'll provide the employer with an agreement that needs to be signed electronically by all three parties: the employer, you (the intern), and UWE Bristol.
You’ll need to confirm the required details and your eligibility to work.
We recommend that your internship employer provides you with a separate agreement to cover any company policies not included in the UWE Bristol internship agreement. Working hours and/or sickness absence must be arranged following the organisation’s policies and procedures. We also recommend keeping a shared online record of the hours you have worked during the internship.
You will not be employed by the university. Your employer will recruit you on the same basis as they would any other member of staff. You’ll be paid directly by your employer through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) on a weekly or monthly basis.
Contact us
If you have any further questions, please contact the UWE Bristol Internship team at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk.
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