International talent

Access over 4,000 motivated and talented undergraduate and postgraduate international students from over 100 countries worldwide – all keen to help your business flourish internationally.

All available funding for the current academic year 2023/24 has now been allocated and the internship scheme is closed.

We hope to source new funding and reopen the scheme in October 2024. The information provided below is for information only, for organisations that have already employed an intern via the scheme.

UWE Bristol internship schemes for international students

Our internship scheme is open to all organisations and offers a 100% subsidy to employ one of our talented International students. This opportunity can help boost your business with up-to-date industry knowledge and provide our students with fulfilling and essential work experience. 

We have a large cohort of talented international students in all subject areas and at all levels of study, who are looking to put their professional skills into practice in the workplace during their studies.

148-hour internship scheme

This scheme provides part-time work for students that can provide a steady wage during studies and be undertaken alongside other commitments. A longer-term internship is also useful for employers to develop a longer-term project.

This 148-hour internship (equivalent to four weeks full time) would suit project work where you have weekly meetings and check-ins with the student. Ideally, the work can be offered flexibly and remotely so students are able to complete work on the weekends or when it suits them.

You can discuss the student’s timetable and other commitments and create a working agreement between you. The internship should contain elements of mentoring and training.

Please note: All internships must be based in the UK with UK registered organisations.

Information and eligibility

Organisation

  • Open to all organisations in the UK.
  • The intern must not have worked for you in any capacity before.
  • For third-sector organisations, previous volunteers are eligible to participate.
  • You can have one intern per internship scheme.

Student

  • This scheme is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate international students (both EU and non-EU) with relevant working permissions in the UK from any discipline.
  • Nominated interns who have contacted you speculatively are allowed if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment and wages

  • Length – 148 hours in total. Students may work up to 12 hours per week (check your intern’s Visa requirements).
  • Intern wages – Interns will be paid the Real Living Wage of £12 per hour, totalling £1,776. You will pay the student via PAYE.
  • Subsidy – UWE Bristol will provide 100% of the funding (£1,776). This will be paid to you when the internship finishes. 
  • All internships should be finished by September 2024.
  • Funding is allocated on a first come, first served basis. 
  • The salary provided has been informed by guidance from the Living Wage Foundation in respect to national living costs and appropriate pay.

Recruitment and funding arrangements

Recruitment

  • The intern must be employed by the business, and cannot self employed.
  • If you are related to your intern, you must disclose it on the registration form.
  • The scheme is limited to one intern per organisation or associated company. If you have another opportunity that you’d like to advertise, please email the UWE Bristol Internships Team at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk.

Funding arrangements

  • We will send you a PO number to claim the subsidy towards the end of the internship, providing we have received all finance information.
  • Use the PO number to invoice us for the subsidy. The payment terms are a minimum of 30 days from the date of invoice.
  • We will not process invoices until we have received all the documentation.
  • Failure to notify us of your internship starting or the late return of your internship agreement and/or relevant financial documentation will delay the payment of your salary subsidy and may result in the subsidy not being allocated or paid for your intern.
  • If, for any reason, the internship ends prematurely, you must inform the UWE Bristol Internships team immediately. Your intern must be paid any outstanding wages, which includes payment for any accrued annual leave not taken.
  • The subsidy you can claim will be proportionate to the hours worked and any accrued annual leave. We expect you and your intern to come to a resolution in regards to ending the internship however, we are here to assist you if there are any grievances.

Steps to securing an intern

Step 1: Create and advertise your Internship

You can advertise your internship opportunity to students through CareerHub.

If you would like to submit a vacancy, please log in or register for CareerHub, then:

  1. Select the '+Add vacancy' option’ 
  2. Ensure that you include 'UWE Internship 2023–2024' in the job title
  3. Choose the 'UWE Internship Schemes' under the 'Vacancy type' before submitting the internship

Your vacancy will be advertised to UWE Bristol international students, who will apply to you directly.

You can then complete your recruitment and selection process and offer the role to your selected intern according to your company’s standard recruitment procedures.

If you have already selected your intern, please add ‘Nominated Intern’ and the student’s name in the job title when uploading your opportunity. This will not be advertised to our students and is for our records only.

Key information

  • Advertising your vacancy on CareerHub does not guarantee that the vacancy will be filled.
  • Registration on CareerHub and advertising a position does not guarantee funding.

Step 2: Recruiting your intern

Before you interview your intern, we recommend that you email the UWE Bristol Internships Team at uweinternships@uwe.ac.uk with the student's name and student number to check their eligibility for the scheme and confirm that funding is still available.

You will need to interview and select your intern according to your company’s standard recruitment procedures.

Funding is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, provided you meet the scheme requirements. The scheme will close earlier if all funding is allocated.

Key information 

  • All internships must be confirmed to UWE Bristol by Friday 31 May 2024.
  • All interns need to commence their employment on or before Monday 3 June 2024.
  • Funding is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis provided you meet the scheme requirements.
  • The scheme will close earlier if all funding is allocated.

Step 3: Internship registration - confirm organisation and intern

Once you have chosen an intern, please complete the registration form (CareerHub login required).

We will check the eligibility of the intern and organisation. If all criteria is met, we will email to confirm your funding has been allocated.

To receive the subsidy, you must be set up as a UWE Bristol supplier. If you are not registered as a UWE Bristol supplier, we will send you the new supplier form to complete and return.

Step 4: Complete and return the provided UWE Bristol internship agreement

After eligibility is confirmed, we will email you an internship agreement.

Each agreement must be completed and electronically signed by you, your intern and UWE Bristol before the intern starts their internship.

The internship agreement is not a contract of employment. However it may be used as a basis for your contract of employment.

We recommend you issue a separate contract of employment to your intern, which incorporates any organisational terms that may not be included in our internship agreement.

Step 5: Submit your invoice

Towards the end of the internship, we will send you a purchase order number, which you can Include on your invoice to us. If any required documentation (the internship agreement and any requested financial information) has not been returned to us, we cannot pay the subsidy.

Step 6: Complete your feedback form

We will send you a feedback form part way through the internship. We’d love to hear from you about the successes of the internship and any comments on areas to develop. We may also contact you to request a case study.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do I check the intern has the right to work in the UK?

You can recruit any UWE Bristol international student studying at undergraduate or postgraduate level, who has the right to work alongside their academic studies.

You can do this in the same way that you would check whether any prospective employee is able to work in the UK. The government provides extensive information for employers on completing right to work checks.

Working permissions for international students can normally be found in their passport or on their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), but if you are unsure, you can use the online service or call the government's Employer Enquiry helpline on +44 (0)300 12 35434. The opening hours are:

  • Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 16:45
  • Friday, 09:00 to 16:30.

What sort of work is suitable?

The internship needs to give the student a meaningful opportunity to build and demonstrate skills, knowledge and confidence in a professional area of work. With a view to supporting a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), international students are able to provide expert support such as: 

  • assistance with researching new 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
  • support with marketing and social media campaigns
  • translation and interpreting services.

What should the induction cover?

You should give a short induction to cover:

  • general information about the company (including normal working hours, dress code, travel arrangements, parking and lunch facilities)
  • who they will be reporting to
  • what is expected of them in terms of project aims
  • how the project will be structured and the team they will be working with
  • how to report absence and any other pertinent information
  • health and safety procedures, especially for fire evacuation and reporting incidents.

We also strongly recommend that each intern is assigned a mentor within your organisation. This is an excellent way of supporting your intern, whilst providing a staff member with a valuable development opportunity.

What ongoing support can UWE Bristol offer?

We have a dedicated Internships Team who will:

  • provide you and your intern with an information pack on how you can make your internship a successful experience for your company and the intern
  • be on hand to answer questions and queries made by interns or yourselves before, during and after the internship.

After you have conducted the interview and appointed the intern of your choice, we will check in with you and the student intern to monitor progress and ensure that everything is working well.

We are always available to offer support to our international students. However, the mentor role provided by someone within your organisation is extremely valuable.

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