B-Experienced Internship Programme

Video 1: Tell us a bit about yourself and your internship

 Hi I'm Freya and I'm a recent 2023 graduate from Political Science and International Relations. I've completed three different internships through UoB's career service, however most recently I did a B-Experienced Internship as a Partnership and Engagement Ambassador for Gina - which is a Birmingham based social enterprise - and they offer specialist services to people that have been subject to sexual abuse and violence.

Gina was great because they gave us complete creative freedom to follow our passions, so that meant that I chose to collaborate with another intern that was from UoB and we created the organisation's first LGBTQ+ resource - and that ended up being like a 36 page booklet. It's now available on the website. So yeah it was a really good experience all in all, and this role involved lots of market research and also just more like knowledge-based research, just my own understanding.

Video 2: What were your reasons/motivations for applying to this internship? 

My main reason for applying to Gina was that I was looking for some short-term paid work experience following graduation and trying to work out my next steps, and I think it's great that UoB offers different internship schemes that are paid because, as we know, internships are inaccessible to so many of us, so that makes them much more accessible for such a like wider community. I applied to Gina specifically because I'm really keen to get work experience within the not-for-profit sector and it was my first time applying and working in a social enterprise - so that was also exciting for me. Gina also offered flexible working which was good - it was completely remote working so I got to experience that for the first time as well and learn how I best work remotely.

Video 3: What did you gain from doing this internship?

From completing Gina's internship, of course I gained more experience and skills, specifically with Canva - which is an online graphic design tool. I had had experience with Canva before through different volunteering and job roles but with this role I was on it my entire working day so I definitely got more to grips with it. I would say I also got to learn how I work best remotely - I hadn't done that before except for during uni during the pandemic, but in a more professional setting and having different deadlines to meet, for example, it's slightly different. And also the fact that it was flexible working - I had never done flexible working before - so just being open to the fact that you can go for a run in the middle of the day and then work your hours out later, that was really interesting and also really liked it. Also for me it was meaningful to make Gina's first LGBTQ resource and show that Gina is an intellectual organisation, and make sure that the LGBT community have a resource for them within Gina.

Video 4: Can you share some top tips to students/graduates who may want to apply to the B-Experienced Internship Programme or any other job/internship?

My top tip for making the most of the internship opportunity is just to use all of UoB's career service. I had different jobs all throughout uni but it was only in my third year that I started actually using the career service. And like I said, I've done three different internships now through UoB - one with a community arts organisation, one with a charity, and now one with a social enterprise, just because these are the issues I'm most focused on, like community and social justice issues, but they have such a wide range of internships. So I say definitely make the most of it.

I've also gone to UoB's career service for advice in person and online for different graduate jobs, that's been really helpful for applications. I would also say just apply for the internships and whatever other roles you find because we know that women and minoritised groups often lack confidence with jobs that they're actually capable of doing, so just apply for it and go for it and have confidence in yourself.

1. Interns will receive a bursary (provided by University of Birmingham) of the following amounts for undertaking an internship through the programme, based on: 
   • £825 if undertaking a 10-day internship.
   • £1650 if undertaking a 20-day internship.
2. You must be able to commit to a part-time or full-time internship lasting 10 or 20 working days in length. Time can be taken flexibly to fit around studies and other commitments.
3. A day is 7 hours long for the purposes of the programme: a 10 day internship will last a total of 70 hours and a 20 day internship will be 140 hours respectively.
4. Due to popularity and demand, you can only accept and undertake a maximum of one 20-day internship OR one 10-day internship during an academic year.
5. Students on a confirmed leave of absence are not permitted to apply or undertake an internship during the period of their absence.
6. You must provide your bank details via the University Funding Administration System (UFAS) to enable the bursary funds to be transferred to an eligible bank account.
7. You should arrange your hours/days prior to starting with your internship provider and inform Careers Network and your host organisation of any changes or challenges early on.
8. Successful candidates must read, agree and sign the B-Experienced ‘Internship Agreement’ prior to commencing the internship experience.

Successful applicants will be required to complete a digital ‘Internship Pathway’ on Careers Connect, which will include internship evaluations and reflection logs. For participating, you’ll also be invited to submit a case study at the end of the internship.

By undertaking a B-Experienced Internship you are eligible to gain recognition on The Birmingham Award (formerly the Personal Skills Award)! The Birmingham Award is the University’s employability award for undergraduate students. Gain recognition for participating in activities you are already doing! Register your interest on the Birmingham Award website.

Please note that successful applicants need not apply to any separate work experience bursaries for these particular opportunities. For employer funded internships, details of payment arrangements will be clarified within the internship advertisement. It will be clearly indicated on each advertised position, whether it is a bursary funded opportunity or an employer funded opportunity and what the specific compensation will be for that role.

This activity will be automatically featured on your Enhanced Transcript, please email workexperience@contacts.bham.ac.uk if you would like to remove this from your transcript.

B-Experienced Internship opportunities are available to apply year-round on a rolling basis as opportunities arise. Internships will be advertised on Careers Connect and will be distinguishable on Careers Connect by a title starting with ‘B-Experienced Internship'.

Please note you will be prompted to sign in with your university username and password when accessing Careers Connect - all current students will automatically have access. If you are a recent graduate you will be required to register first and wait until your account has been verified in order to access the vacancy, which can take up to three working days.

If you are having trouble registering for a graduate account, please email careersenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk for support.

Careers Network offer a range of support to help you write your internship applications and prepare for the interview. To explore all the support and resources available, please visit our Apply for opportunities page. You can also visit our Apply Stage Career Events page to see all of our application support events and workshops.

It is important you tailor each application to the role you are applying to. You should start by researching the organisation thoroughly to understand what they do, their culture and values. Read their expectations and the person specification from the internship role description. This will allow you to effectively demonstrate to the host organisation why you are interested in the role and the organisation. Highlight your most relevant skills, knowledge and experience for the role, and how the opportunity could enrich your personal and professional development.

To book an online or face to face appointment for application support:

1. Visit the Careers Network support page
   
2. Click on the ‘Book a careers appointment’ section
3. You can choose from a selection of appointments, but for application support we recommend the Application advice appointments (10 minutes) and Practice interview appointment (30 minutes)
4. Click on the ‘Book an appointment’ tab

To submit your application for online feedback:

You can get your application checked by Careers Network at careersenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk and you will receive a response within 5 working days. If you are submitting a CV, we suggest you to use CV Checker first.

We encourage you to get your application drafted well in advance of the vacancy closing date, due to appointment availability and it taking up to 5 working days for online application checking.

You can speak with your host organisation during the application process and before your work experience starts to highlight any reasonable adjustments that you may need. This is to ensure that you do not experience any barriers or challenges during the application, interview stage and when undertaking the role. These adjustments can include physical adjustments (such as adapted equipment), flexible working patterns and any support or training. You can also request for reasonable adjustments to be made during the application process.

It is your responsibility to inform the host organisation of what you need and why so they can make amendments in due course for your experience.  For more information on what reasonable adjustments are and how you can request them here are some helpful links: 

• Adjustments in the recruitment process
• Reasonable adjustments at work
• Reasonable adjustments and your rights

The B-Experienced Internship Programme application form will provide you with the opportunity to highlight any reasonable adjustment requirements for recruitment and selection purposes.

Please email the team at workexperience@contacts.bham.ac.uk if you would like to discuss your particular circumstances before your application is forwarded to the organisation hosting the internship.

As an international student on a student visa, it is important that you understand and have an awareness of any restrictions you need to follow on your student visa.

• International students who are on a visa must ensure their visa regulations permits them to undertake the internship they are applying to or scheduled to undertake.
• It is the responsibility of applicants on a visa to ensure they comply with their visa requirements and do not exceed the maximum hours they are permitted to work in the UK. This may be a combination of their B-Experienced internship and any other work you are taking on outside of the programme.
• Successful applications need to inform the host organisation of any restrictions to arrange a working pattern so that their weekly working hour limit is not exceeded.

Further information about studying and working in the UK can be found on our Working in the UK webpage. Please note: it is a criminal offence to exceed your working hours. If you have any questions about your ability to work in the UK whilst on a student visa, contact the University of Birmingham’s International Student Team.

The B-Experienced Programme is partly funded by Santander Universities to support our efforts in providing our student and graduates with valuable work experience opportunities. As a result, successful interns may be asked to provide case studies on their internship experiences and may be invited to meet with Santander representatives to demonstrate the impact their internship has had on their employability. 

In addition, Santander are generously offering all UoB students and graduates access to their online Scholarships and Skills platform, designed to help you enhance your skills and unlock your potential. All their programmes are free and there is no requirement for you to be a Santander customer to benefit. From scholarships designed to financially support you through your academic career, to skills building experiences, seed-funding and start-up advice, keep up to date with their opportunities by registering on their platform.