York Internships

Think about what kind of internship you'd like to do later in the year. What do you need to do between now and then to prepare? This might mean developing skills to boost your CV. Volunteering is a good way to do this.

Think about when you’ll need to apply. If you want a summer internship, you’ll probably be applying in spring at the same time as meeting coursework deadlines and preparing for exams – make sure you have time to apply. It'll help to have your CV ready - use CareerSet to get immediate feedback on how you can improve yours.

All York Internships are advertised on Handshake. Search for York Internships in the search bar or in the 'employers' area of the platform.  

If you’re struggling to find relevant internships, talk to us - our Careers drop-in is a good place to start.

To apply you need to answer some questions via an application form and submit your CV. It’s important that in your answers and in your CV you demonstrate that you have the essential skills for the role. You’ll find these essential skills listed in the vacancy description.

Tips when completing the application form:

• The application is the most important part of your application. Use the application form to answer the questions fully, rather than just referring the employer to your CV
• Make good use of the suggested word count. One sentence or brief paragraph is not sufficient to fully answer the questions
• Even though the application process is being administered through Careers and Placements, make as much effort as you would for an ‘external’ internship
• Naturally, the internship will be beneficial for you, but also think of it from the employer’s perspective. What will you bring to the internship? Why should they offer you the job ahead of other candidates? This is your chance to showcase your suitability for the role and show some appreciation of the employing organisation's needs

Use our resources from Careers and Placements to help you:

• Our applying for jobs pages have advice on completing application forms and creating CVs
• Upload your CV and the job description to CareerSet for immediate feedback
• Book a CV review if you’d like one-to-one feedback

If you're shortlisted, you may be invited to interview:

• Read the resources on our web pages to prepare
• Use Shortlist.Me to practice answering questions
• Consider booking a mock interview if you don’t have much interview experience

If you're not successful, you’ll be given constructive feedback on how to improve next time.

York Internships is just one of many ways you can find an internship. York Internships are different to most in that they are exclusive to York students (which might mean less competition in the application process) and tend to be based in York and the surrounding areas. They are also project-based, which isn't the case for many internships. This means you'll have a set piece of work to do during your internship and you'll be able to see what you've achieved by the end of it.

All our internships, whether part or full time, last for a maximum of 12 weeks.

Vacation internships are available during the Summer, Easter and Christmas vacations, and start dates can vary. There is a mix of both part and full time projects. You should consider other commitments you have, such as volunteering and the restrictions of your Student visa, if applicable. 

If you are successful you will be asked to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK before beginning the internship. The process is straightforward, and you will receive instructions on how to do this. 

The internships will mainly be in York and North Yorkshire. Most will be office based, but some can be carried out remotely from campus or your own home. However, please be aware than anyone completing a York Internship must be based in the UK for the duration of the project.

If you have found your own paid work experience or internship opportunity, it may be useful to contact York Internships and see if we can support the arrangement with the employer.

You will report to a named contact and if you are unable to work on an agreed date due to illness, you should inform this contact as well as York Internships. If you are undertaking a summer vacation internship you will be invited to attend a briefing session at the end of Semester 2 with the York Internships team. If you have any questions or concerns before or during your internship, please contact York Internships.

You will be paid no less than £12.00 per hour. This will be paid to you directly by the University who invoice the employer at a later date.

You will need to complete weekly timesheets via Dashboard and payments will be made on a monthly basis in line with the University payroll. Please note that all payments relating to internships are subject to on costs (NI, tax and pension where appropriate).

At the start of the internship you will be asked to sign an internship agreement - please remember that you are representing the University during your internship. As part of the opportunity, you will have to keep a learning journal of your experiences, highlighting what you have done and what skills you have developed. 

You will also be asked to write a report or produce a short video about your internship experience and may also be asked to complete a case study to inspire other students; summer internship reports/videos will be judged, and a cash prize awarded for the best report during a celebration event in Semester 1.

All York Internships are negotiated with employers according to the needs of the business at that time. For that reason the organisations we work with might change year by year. Regardless, we tend to advertise a range of projects throughout the year in a variety of sectors, such as business, IT, research, marketing and PR.

Unless the advert states that the internship is only open to graduates (who are no longer registered with the institution), all students who are registered with the University of York are eligible to apply for York Internships.

However, there are a few conditions depending on your stage of study and you should check the criteria outlined on each advert closely before applying.

If you have any questions at all about your eligibility, please contact careers-placements@york.ac.uk at the earliest opportunity - do not wait for the application closing date.

Full-time internships cannot be undertaken alongside courses of study or research that are active over the vacation period. If you are registered on such a course and believe that your individual circumstances enable you to complete the internship on a full-time basis you should email careers-placements@york.ac.uk with an email providing specific consent to undertake the internship on a full-time basis from your tutor/supervisor at the time of application.

For postgraduate students, we consider teaching time to include the summer vacation. Note that postgraduate students studying on a Student visa may not exceed 20 hours of work per week at any time during their course. 

Some internships are part-funded by Santander. This will be made clear in the internship description. If this is the case, some of your personal data will be shared with Santander Universities, and you will be asked to register on Becas, Santander’s student portal. Read the Santander data sharing agreement for more information.