York Internships

We consider an internship to be a project-based, high-quality piece of work, which can be completed within a defined period of time. 

Projects should provide clear and tangible outcomes for the intern and your organisation, and should be of an appropriate standard and nature. 

Virtual Internships

We also support Virtual internships, which interns complete remotely from the business host. 

They can largely be completed on a flexible basis without the need for regular face to face supervision which allows the intern to get on with the project in hand and the supervisor to get on with their day to day work.

Examples of the types of projects that have been completed on a virtual basis recently by University of York students include Digital Marketing, Social Media Management, Research, Business Development and Analysis. Read more about some of the tasks associated with these roles.

We have hints and tips to support businesses during recruitment, selection and the duration of the virtual project.

• The cost of a business internship is £12.40ph, inclusive of the student’s wage (£10.90 in line with the real living wage) and employer on costs (£1.50ph, inclusive of holiday pay, apprenticeship levy and NI). 
• The cost of a university internship is £13.23ph, inclusive of the student’s wage (£11.73 in line with the University's real living wage commitment) and employer on costs (£1.50ph, inclusive of holiday pay, apprenticeship levy and NI). The department is expected to cover the cost of University pay increases, should these occur during the course of the internship.

NB. Please note that, effective from 1st August 2023, the university internship cost will increase to £13.50ph, inclusive of the student's wage (£12.00 in line with the University's real living wage commitment) and employer on costs (£1.50ph, inclusive of holiday pay, apprenticeship levy and NI).

Funding: please see the 'Funding for SMEs tab" for more information. 

Santander Universities SME Internship Programme

The University of York is a recognised partner of Santander Universities and participates in the Santander Universities SME Internship Programme. Thanks to the generous support from Santander, we are delighted to be able to offer a number of subsidies to SME businesses between June-September 2023.

This support is designed to increase the opportunities for businesses to engage with the skills and enthusiasm of University of York current students, finalists and graduates in part funded internships.

SME organisations must be registered in the UK with fewer than 250 employees and have an annual turnover of less than £50 million to be eligible for the funding. 

Intern projects can be between 4-12 weeks in duration and can be full or part time over the summer. 

Funding is applied at 50% of the total cost of the project up to a maximum of £750 per organisation.

Interns are paid £10.90 per hour. This rate is subject to £1.50 per hour employer on costs (inclusive of holiday pay, apprenticeships levy, and NI) also to be paid by the business.

Cost Example:

A 6 week, part time (20 hrs p/wk) internship at £12.40 per hour totals £1488. The SME would receive 50% funding towards the total cost of the project. The cost to the SME would be £744.

An 8 week full time (37 hrs p/wk) internship at £12.40 per hour totals £3670.40. The SME would receive £750 funding towards the total cost of the project. The cost to the SME would be £2920.40.

*please note the student receives £10.90 per hour. The above rates include employer on costs.

For updates on available funding, please contact careers-placements@york.ac.uk 

York Internships - Business Engagement Process

Step One - Project Scoping

Engage with York Internships to discuss your ideas for an internship, the scope of the project and the skills and experience required to achieve your outcomes. Download and complete one of the Expression of Interest Forms linked above; York Internships will prepare a project brief which forms the basis of the advert the students see.

Step Two - Advertising

Once the project brief is agreed and confirmed, the opportunity will be advertised through our Careers Portal, Handshake, for a minimum of two weeks. York Internships will monitor applications throughout this period and publicise the internship through various marketing channels appropriate to your particular role

Step Three - Shortlisting and Interviews

When advertising is completed we will shortlist the applications and provide you with the applications of the most suitable candidates. Once you’ve reviewed the applications you may contact some or all of the candidates to arrange interviews at your convenience. (We are happy to provide interview space on campus if needed.)

Keep York Internships informed along the way of interview dates agreed and provide some feedback for unsuccessful applicants. Advise us of your decision once you’ve chosen your intern and provide additional feedback to unsuccessful interviewees

Confirm to York Internships the agreement made with the student regarding a start date, hours / days of work and any flexible working arrangements if applicable (especially for part time roles)

Step Four - Right to Work checks and Paperwork

The University will complete Right To Work checks and York Internships will prepare the paperwork for both you and the intern to sign. Once the project starts York Internships manages the payment process to the intern on a monthly basis.

Step Five - Invoicing (external hosts)

York Internships will invoice you, during the internship, for the total cost of the project (including associated employer on costs) less any Santander funding agreed in advance that is applicable.

York Internships will contact you in the first couple of weeks of the project to ensure that everything is progressing as expected. Interns may be visited in the workplace during the project and an evaluation will be sent electronically to all intern hosts at the end of the project.

Previous projects, which have produced significant benefits for the hosting company, have included:

• Establishing a China desk and creating the content for an inward investment page for a chartered accountant's website in Mandarin and English by two of our international students.
• Researching, developing and implementing a more comprehensive customer outreach and engagement plan for a heating and renewable energy company.
• Investigating the removal of chemicals from hard surfaces by rainfall and washing for a research agency.
• Executive assistant to senior management team for a mental healthcare provider, creating an electronic record of serious incidents and ensuing investigations.
• Carrying out detailed household surveys with a housing trust's residents to ascertain household characteristics, circumstances and their awareness of key issues. 

2022

• Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) Case Study

2021

• Rural Arts Case Study (PDF , 523kb)
• Ellers Farm Distillery Case Study (PDF , 254kb)

2018

• City of York Council - Communities & Equalities Team (PDF , 247kb)
• North Yorks Moors Case Study (PDF , 325kb) Santander Funded
• CBT Clinics Employer Case Study (PDF , 256kb) Santander Funded

Previous examples

• Castle Howard case study (PDF , 386kb)
• Ambiente case study (PDF , 383kb)
• Energi Trampoline Park case study (PDF , 494kb)
• Sinclair Properties case study (PDF , 379kb)
• TFTV case study (PDF , 367kb)‌

Did you know that just over 20% of the University of York's student population come from outside the UK, from almost 100 countries across the world? Many international students are actively seeking work experience and internship opportunities both to develop their skills and knowledge in the workplace, and to contribute to UK business' competitive advantage in the global market.

Contact York Internships to discuss how the University's international student population can drive your business forward this year! Email careers-placements@york.ac.uk or call 01904 324468.

Previous University of York interns have undertaken a wide range of projects with companies in York and the North Yorkshire region, giving businesses a unique insight into overseas markets, and for potential import and export activities. Example projects include:

• Multilingual web content translation project: Executive search agency
• Establishing an inward investment China Desk in York: Accountancy firm
• Researching the latest products being used and marketed abroad, and their success and viability in the UK: Renewable energy company
• Organising a business summit for international visitors to York: Conference business
• Developing a market report exploring the opportunities for export to the Far East: Food manufacturer 
  

Case study: Developing a China desk in York

Garbutt & Elliott LLP engaged two Chinese postgraduate students, Jingwen Feng and Xu Wang, to develop a China Desk for the company and to create content for an inward investment web page in Mandarin.

Garbutt & Elliott Senior Partner, David Dickson, commented that, ‘Jingwen’s and Xu’s outstanding commitment has enabled us to begin development of a reputation as a trusted advisor to Chinese firms investing in the UK. It is important for world-class universities such as the University of York to demonstrate the great opportunities available to students by taking on internships in companies with vision.’

UPDATE 2 MAY 2023: Expressions of Interest for internal summer vacation projects have now closed, and all Access and Participation (APP) and YCEDE funding has been allocated. If you are interested in recruiting an intern through the York Internships team in future, please contact the Placements team at careers-placements@york.ac.uk.

Internship projects

Internships hosted by Academic and Professional Service departments on campus are popular during vacations. Intern projects are between four and twelve weeks in duration and can be completed full time or part time.

They centre on projects with defined outcomes which will add value to the work of the department, and do not replace or ‘stand in’ for existing, regular work.

All internships should be project based and offer tangible benefits to the department while providing challenging and graduate-level work experience to the student, allowing them the opportunity to develop and build skills.

The full recruitment process can take up to five to six weeks in total. 

Rates and administration

The current intern rate of pay is £12.00 per hour (in line with the University's real living wage commitment. The cost to the department is £13.50 per hour to allow for employer on-costs (inclusive of holiday pay, apprenticeship levy and NI). 

The full administration and payment of the internships will be managed by Careers and Placements. 

Previous intern projects have involved:

• designing activities to enhance student engagement
• creating online outreach and learning activities for local schools
• auditing marketing channels and creating new content to support departmental outreach and recruitment
• evaluating inclusion and diversity in the curriculum
• reviewing the accessibility of learning resources 
• providing research assistance and data analysis support for existing projects.

Departments should be aware that they will need to provide Careers and Placements with a work order for their internship contribution; this will be requested at the point of advertising a project, and departments should ensure that they have authorised Careers and Placements to be able to use the work order; without this authorisation intern payments will be delayed.