Summer internships

[aramox1]

How do students find internships? Ds doing IR - uni careers service isn't offering any useful help, where should he be looking- straight to relevant organisations or are there some kind of central place? He's struggling and needs some pointers. Thanks...

Try the following websites:

Rate my placement
Bright Network
Prosple UK
WIWIKAU Jobs Board - look for the Internships section

And forewarn him - it's a tough process to gain one - similar to applying for graduate jobs

What year is your DS in? What sort of organisation does he want to work in? Is he in London?

@aramox1 most are advertised like any other jobs, on portals like Indeed. I set up a weekly alert for "summer internship" (starting in September of penultimate year) and was sent dozens each week..I forwarded the most relevant ones to DC.

He applied for about 12 before he got lucky.

LinkedIn? And company websites I presume. We have just started advertising for ours. They start he end of may and finish on sept 1st

My son (politics) applied directly to named senior individuals at mid-small strat comm/political lobbying firms as well as to those with defined internship schemes. He was offered three interviews this way and got one 12 week internship which then turned into a grad job. Def worth making direct applications.

Two of DDs IR friends with EU/US passports got internships with the EU Commission/Pentagon(!). DD government/politics got a Scottish government summer internship (advertised thru her uni) another friend got summer work with an MSP. DD got UK CS summer internship place too but didn't take it (as other offer was 12 weeks rather than 6 weeks and she needed the cash).

Thank you!

I’d say a mix of both usually works best. For IR, he can start by checking out big NGOs, think tanks, or government programs directly (they often post internship calls on their sites). Some unis also have alumni networks that can be surprisingly helpful for leads. Another option is going through platforms that specialise in global internships, one of my friend from Uni did one through Capital Placement - https://capital-placement.com/ and found it useful for getting experience to include in your cv. A combo of applying directly + using these platforms usually opens up more doors.. hope this helps😊

Just remembered another 3 internships DDs classmates did - polling companies NatCen and YouGov/Ipsos DD can't remember which of these (UK students) and one international was with the UN (but don't think it was paid). Could try the big 4 too as they have government/ infrastructure departments (I know they offer jobs to IR/politics graduates but not sure about internships). Plus DD says the work4mps site is useful.

My employer advertises them on our company website. This is some of the blurb:

Applications for our summer internships in the UK and EMEA typically open in September, and roles stay open until all positions are filled, so apply early. Our internships start in June in the UK and in Jersey. You may only apply for one program within the UK and one in the rest of EMEA (excluding Switzerland) during the same academic year.

Requirements
You're starting your second-to-last or final year of study
You’re on track for a 2:1 (or equivalent) in your first undergraduate degree

_

So now is the time to start preparing to apply. It’s definitely worth doing. Our current summer interns are just wrapping up and the standard is very high. I’m so impressed with them but they also get incredible support and exposure. Whilst it’s insanely competitive to get an internship, it really does set the successful candidates up so well for the future.

DS started applying for summer internships in the previous September (so just before second year started) and kept going with applications until he secured the one he wanted which he got just after Christmas. It led to a grad offer in the September after completing the 8 weeks internship so it was well worth the effort.