Internship opportunities for second year students

Applications for paid summer internships available only to University of Manchester students are set to open soon.

The eight-week-long internships are paid at the living wage level and offer experience in the charity and not-for-profit sector of Greater Manchester.

The University Careers Service’s ‘Student Experience Internship‘ programme offers roles in different schools and faculties of the University, as well as charities and not-for-profit organisations, assisting in marketing, communications, and project-based work.

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of the Careers Service said: “SEIs — and all summer internships, for that matter — help Manchester students gain valuable experience for their CVs and new skills. A degree from a great university such as ours, coupled with an internship or a placement can really help you to stand out from the crowd.

“We encourage all eligible students to apply for an SEI or visit the Careers Service for help in obtaining a summer internship.”

The programme is largely targeted at second-year students, though there are usually a small number of opportunities for first-year students in ‘Welcome Week’ roles within the University schools and faculties.

Some of the charities involved last year included The Kindling Trust, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Rethink, Rebuild Society.

Applications for the roles open on the 5th of February, though project proposals are received on a rolling basis and so roles will be advertised and recruited for beyond the official launch date of the programme at the start of summer.

Positions will be advertised on the University Career’s service website, Careers Link, as well on the Facebook group titled ‘Summer Internships – University of Manchester Careers Service‘.

To apply for the internships, students have to fill out an internal application form asking about their relevant work experience, skills, and interest in the role.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the relevant line manager before and offered a job if successful, with the starting date of the eight-week summer scheme to be negotiated by the successful applicants and the line manager.

Students can apply for up to five different roles, although those who meet certain criteria can apply for more.

66 students were involved in last year’s programme and a similar number of roles are expected to be available this year.

Throughout the SEI programme, students also receive support from the University Career’s Service team in the form of workshops and presentations given at the University, some of which are delivered by experts external from the University’s Careers Service with expertise in a particular field.

These include an initial presentation introducing scheme featuring advice on how to make the most of the internship, a session on commercial awareness, and a presentation offering tips on how to effectively use LinkedIn.

Started in 2014 and funded through an endowment fund, the aim of the ‘Student Experience Internship’ programme is to give students paid work experience opportunities and develop their employability skills, whilst also helping organisations to complete projects that would otherwise be neglected due to lack of resources.

The programme has provided 330 paid internship opportunities to University of Manchester students since it began.