Volunteering can be a good way to develop a wide range of skills that employers look for and to show motivation and commitment to your chosen career path. Opportunities can include working in schools and outreach events, IT projects or you could try scientific museums or environmental organisations. Some academics allow undergraduates to do voluntary research work with them, or your department may be involved in outreach projects which you could join. 

Examples include:

• York Students in Schools offers school-based placements and the opportunity to work on team projects alongside some of York's leading employers
• Other volunteering programmes offered through Careers and Placements 
• The Conservation Volunteers
• Centre for Alternative Technology
• Natural History Museum 
• Science Museum 
• Kew Gardens 
• UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres represents over 70 science and discovery centres and museums in the UK
• Engineers Without Borders 
• Other volunteering opportunities advertised in Handshake.

Some organisations offer formal internships to undergraduates. They often require you to be in your second or penultimate year of study. Examples include Reckitt, BAE Systems, AstraZeneca, Mars and Unilever. Opportunities may be available in a range of roles, from scientific and technical to more business-related functions. Some organisations come to our autumn recruitment fairs, but few life science and pharmaceutical companies attend, so it is best to search for opportunities through Handshake, Prospects, Gradcracker, or on company websites. 

Below is a list of examples by subject area. Please be aware that this is to give some ideas and is not a comprehensive list.   

Biology/ Chemistry/ Life Sciences  

• Biology summer studentships (apply by 29 February)
• Society of Biology undergraduate studentships in a range of specialist fields 
• Bioscience Careers blog list of possible funding options (note: includes some out of date links) 
• Biochemical Society - summer vacation studentships for society members  
• Amgen Scholars Europe Programme
• Cancer Research UK - 12 week internships, intakes in January, July and September, and Beatson Institute Glasgow internship
• Diamond Light Source summer placements (structural Biology)
• Francis Crick Institute
• EPFL Summer Research Programme for Undergraduate Life Science Students (Lausanne)  
• John Innes Centre undergraduate summer school (plant and microbial science)
• MRC-LMB Cambridge internships (life science, considering academic research)
• UCL Institute of Child Health summer internships (biomedicine)
• Vienna Biocenter Summer School
• Wellcome Trust Summer Internships - applications usually Feb/March
• Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories summer studentships - apply by 28 March
• Zurich Biology Undergraduate Summer School and other university internships advertised on Biointerns
• Royal Society of Chemistry – science writing internship for RSC members 
• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry list of member companies
• Use UK Biotech to find bioscience companies in the UK

Physics/ Computer Science/ Electronic Engineering 

• BBC Technology internships - see BBC Careers page for availability
• CERN opportunities for students
• Diamond Light Source research institution summer placements
• Royal Academy of Engineering schemes for students
• UK Electronics Skills Foundation
• Science & Technology Facilities Council offer 4-12 week research internships at one of their research centres, which include the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre
• Particle Physics Research Centre at Queen Mary University, London sometimes has summer internships 
• British Antarctic Survey 
• European Space Agency  
• National Nuclear Laboratory
• Satellite Applications Catapult Space Placements in Industry (SPIN)
• Space Research Centre, Leicester undergraduate research opportunities 
• The Institute of Physics website includes information for students, including internships
• IAESTE (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) – international internships 
• ISIS Neutron and Muon Source 
• Physics students looking for physics-related work experience can also seek advice from the White Rose Industrial Physics Academy (WRIPA)   

Any science or engineering discipline (including international opportunities)  

• Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) – opportunities in Germany
• Gradcracker advertises work placements and graduate opportunities in science and technology
• Nuffield Research Placements 
• Cogent Skills advertises roles with leading science companies
• UK Science Park Association - useful for researching organisations that may have relevant opportunities; you could make speculative approaches to some of these companies.

Research and lab work

Some organisations provide funds to support summer vacation work in research laboratories. While some opportunities are advertised widely and you can apply to them directly, others are offered by professional bodies that provide funding to support research projects, and you will need to approach a research supervisor to put in an application. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has information about vacation internships. The STEP Programme has opportunities for undergraduates to undertake project placements with small and medium sized businesses in the UK.

It may be possible to get a temporary position working in a lab. This may be at a basic level, but it will provide a good introduction to lab work, and demonstrate to future employers that you are familiar with the lab environment. Jobs might be advertised through GOV.UK, Find a Job, local newspapers and their associated websites, or recruitment agencies. Use Agency Central to locate agencies which specialise in scientific and technical recruitment.

York Internships 

You may also want to apply for internship opportunities through Student Internship Bureau, who work with local businesses to set up project-based, paid work experience for University of York students. Some internships are based within University departments and services. Make sure you read our emails and update your profile in Handshake to get the latest alerts from York Internships.

A placement year or year in industry can be integrated into your studies, giving you a substantial amount of work experience that is recognised within your degree title. Placement years generally last 9-12 months and usually take place before your final year at university.

If you are enrolled on a year in industry course, staff in your department will be able to advise you on how to research and apply for an appropriate placement. You can also search vacancy websites, including Handshake, Gradcracker, Cogent Skills and Prospects. Find more suggestions in Searching and applying for science jobs.

If your department does not offer this as an option, or you would prefer to have a placement year unrelated to your subject area, you may be able to join the Placement Year Programme through Careers and Placements.

Find science student placement year stories on our padlet.

Not all opportunities are advertised (the hidden job market). Many students manage to find work experience, or shorter work shadowing opportunities, by contacting organisations directly.

Use any contacts or networks you have to try to get informal experience. Let friends, family, tutors and neighbours know that you’re looking for work experience. Use social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter to join interest groups, follow organisations and find contacts.

Attend careers events and conferences by learned societies such as the Society of Biology’s Bioscience Careers Day, IOP, WRIPA and RSC careers events.

Our finding scientific vacancies web pages have more suggestions about making speculative approaches to employers. See also the networking page for further tips.

To fund work experience you may be eligible to apply for the York Futures Scholarship. Applying for a York Futures Scholarship also provides you with access to other professional development benefits.  These include networking with previous scholars, access to additional guidance and support, employer visits and application/CV support.

Start by looking at York Futures: get skills and experience or make a careers advice appointment via Handshake for advice on finding and applying for work experience.