Undergraduate internship scheme 2022–2023

About the schemes

Our internship schemes are now closed for the 2022/23 academic year. The information below is relevant only for interns currently taking part in an internship.

The part-time, term-time internship scheme will reopen in November 2023. The summer internship scheme will reopen in February 2024.

Our undergraduate internship schemes are an exciting opportunity for you to find and participate in a paid internship to gain valuable work experience in a range of employment sectors. There are schemes to suit you – either eight weeks, full-time over the summer (shorter hours and part-time options are also available) or part-time, term-time (up to 12 hours a week). You’ll be able to build your skills and confidence and you'll earn £10.90 per hour, gross.

Part-time, term-time internships

Part-time, term-time internships are a great opportunity for you to work up to 12 hours a week over 24 weeks alongside your studies.

These internships would suit 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 between you to outline expectations.

Who can take part?

  • All UK and International students. There are other schemes open to International students.
  • 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 UWE Bristol-accredited degrees in partner Further Education colleges, you will be eligible as long as there is evidence that you are continuing your studies with UWE Bristol in September 2023.
  • You cannot do an internship with any company that you have previously worked for before.
  • You may take part in one internship, per academic year.

Working hours and wages

  • The scheme is for a total of 296 hours. We recommend that you work up to 12–13 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 inclusive of 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.

Summer 2023 internships

Our 8 week summer 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 internship may be worked on a part-time basis, usually completed over 16 weeks. In-person, working remotely or a hybrid of both can be expected.

As an employee of the company you will be expected to follow their employee standards of timekeeping, work ethics and culture.

Who can take part?

  • All UK-domiciled students. International students can take part in the part-time scheme or other schemes that are open to them.
  • If you are an EU student with settled or pre-status you may be eligible. Please email us to check and provide your status ‘share code’.
  • You must be in your first, second, placement, or final year on a BA, BSc, BArch, BEng, LLB, MArch, or MEng course.
  • If you're in your foundation year completing UWE Bristol-accredited degrees in partner Further Education colleges, you will be eligible as long as there is evidence that you are continuing your studies with UWE Bristol in September 2023.
  • You may complete one internship per academic year.
  • You cannot do an internship with an employer in a private company that you have previously worked for before.
  • If you are due to start a placement year in September 2023 you can take part in the scheme, provided that you're able to commit to the full eight weeks. The scheme should not be considered an alternative to doing a one-year placement, but an excellent supplement to your placement.

Working hours and wages

  • You will work a total of 296 hours over eight weeks part-time options are available.
  • You will earn £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 inclusive of Bank Holidays.

"I would absolutely recommend taking up an internship, particularly with the support that the UWE Bristol scheme provide. While academic courses provide you with a basis in the necessary skills and knowledge for a career in industry, they cannot simulate the reality of the world of work — or prepare you for the expectations, standards, conventions, collaborations and consequences of working on real-world projects."

Brendan Ashby, BEng(Hons) Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Architecture intern at Box Twenty

Brendan Ashby BEng(Hons) Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Architecture intern at Box Twenty

Benefits of doing an internship

  • The opportunity to work in full or part-time employment in a sector or industry of your choice totalling 296 hours and earn at least £10.90 per hour.
  • Valuable, high-quality work experience that shows initiative to prospective employers during an unprecedented period.
  • Developing different ways of working and gaining insight and knowledge.
  • A competitive advantage in the job market.
  • The chance to build up a network of useful contacts whilst increasing your confidence.
  • The challenge of applying knowledge gained during your studies.
  • An opportunity to broaden your career options through experiencing work in a sector not 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.

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, do the following:

  • 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 20222023’ for the part-time scheme or ‘UWE Undergraduate Internship Scheme 2023' for the 8-week summer scheme in the job title.

Arranging your own internship

One of the best ways to get an internship is to find your own at an organisation that interests you. Approaching organisations speculatively or using your existing contacts and networks. Once you have approached an organisation, they should email the Internships Team on your behalf at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk to formalise the arrangement.

Arranging your own internship demonstrates high levels of 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'll miss out on some amazing 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 skills, knowledge and confidence in a professional area of work.

Speculative applications

You can view further information about making speculative applications on UWE Career Centre (login required).

We have prepared a statement that you may want to use in your speculative application:

Part-time, term-time internship scheme

"My university, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), is currently offering a part-time, term-time undergraduate Internship Scheme, which offers a £1613.20 subsidy to companies/organisations that employ an undergraduate student for a period of 296 hours over 24 weeks (12-13 hours per week). Interns must be paid at a minimum of £10.90 per hour via 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"

8 week summer internship scheme

“My university, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), is currently offering an 'Undergraduate Internship Scheme', which offers a £1613.20 subsidy to companies/organisations that employ an undergraduate student for a minimum eight-week period during the summer vacation. Interns must be paid at a minimum of £10.90 per hour via 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 CVs and applications including our useful CV Cycle resource. 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 them (through PAYE) on either 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 32.5 hours of leave during your 296 hour internship. This must be arranged as per the organisation’s policies and procedures along with working hours and sickness absence.

Tax and National Insurance contributions

The figure paid to you may be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions. Sometimes, you will be on an emergency tax code and what is deducted from your net pay is more than you should be paying. This will all depend on if you have another job and how much tax you have already paid in the current tax year. For further help, view more information about paying tax as a student and how you would claim a refund if you think you have paid too much.

If you have any questions or concerns once you are on your internship, please contact us on UWEinternships@uwe.ac.uk.

Employability Bursary

The UWE Bristol Employability Bursary aims to support students to access a range of activities which will add significant value to the student experience but also empower students to achieve better graduate outcomes. An internship is an eligible activity. Bursaries are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and you must meet eligibility criteria.

If we believe you meet the eligibility criteria, we will contact the Bursary Team on your behalf. You can also email us at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk explaining that you’d like to apply for the Employability Bursary. The Bursary Team will will get back in touch with you with the outcome.

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