Internships at the University
Internships are fixed-term periods of mentored work usually either undertaken by students during holidays alongside academic study or by graduates at any time prior to securing employment post-graduation. Typically, they last between 4 and 12 weeks.
External students, as well as University of Cambridge students, are welcome to apply for some Internships within the University. Internship vacancies will be advertised on some individual departmental sites and external sites. Current Cambridge students and graduates can find internship opportunities via the careers platform Handshake.
If you are interested in applying for an internship vacancy that you have seen advertised, please follow the application instructions on the advert.
Please note that you must apply to a specific vacancy in a Department or send enquiries about internship opportunities directly to the Departments. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept CVs from speculative applicants.
Equal opportunities
The University of Cambridge is committed to equality of opportunity and to a pro-active and inclusive approach to equality, which supports and encourages all under-represented groups, promotes an inclusive culture, and values diversity.
To read more about the Equality and Diversity policies at the University please see Equality & Diversity at the University of Cambridge.
We will endeavour to accommodate any particular needs you may have (e.g. childcare responsibilities, religious requirements, disability access requirements, work aids.) Please let us know if you have any requirements when you submit your application.
There is no upper age limit to our internship schemes.
Intern Right to Work
To undertake an internship with us you must be or become eligible to work in the UK. Please contact the Compliance Team at ComplianceTeam@admin.cam.ac.uk if you require further information or guidance on your right to work status. Internships can only be undertaken in the UK.
Information for Institutions
Internships are fixed-term periods of mentored work, normally undertaken by students during holidays alongside academic study or by graduates at any time prior to securing employment post-graduation. Typically, they last between 4 and 12 weeks.
In addition to providing invaluable experience to individuals, internships also benefit organisations. The availability of flexible, short-term resource is an attractive proposition. Internships are not funded by central resources but, in the right situation, can offer a flexible resourcing option within existing budgets.
There are two ways in which you can engage with and pay an intern at the University. Interns should be engaged by the University as casual workers. You can either:
Process and pay the intern on the Cambridge Casual Worker System (CCWS)
Process and pay the intern via the Temporary Employment Service (TES) Payroller service
These two systems offer flexibility to departments by providing a few different mechanisms for paying them including weekly pay, monthly pay or fee payments rather than hourly rates.
All interns should be paid at least National Living Wage and be mentored by an employee of the University of Cambridge. You should also follow the guidance provided by the UK government: https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns
1. Processing Internships through CCWS
When processed through CCWS, interns can be paid either by an hourly rate or as a total fee. They will be paid on a monthly basis according to the pay schedule found on the Finance website.
Interns should be paid National Living Wage as a minimum. Departments will be charged more than this including an additional 12.07% to cover holiday pay and other on-costs to cover National Insurance.
Your intern will have to register on CCWS and provide all their personal information directly into the system (including Right To Work documentation and bank details).
Further information
Visit the Casual Workers webpages for information on how to engage the worker via this route: https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/hr-services/casual-workers
If you have any questions about internships processed via CCWS, please contact the Casual Worker Team at casual.workers@admin.cam.ac.uk
2. Processing Internships through TES
To be paid by the TES payroller process, Internships will be paid at the rate of £12.71 per hour; the department/institution will pay £17.95 per hour including on-costs and admin charges.
Interns paid via TES will be paid weekly. Your intern will need to register with the TES team before the internship commences and provide the TES team with all their personal information (including RTW documentation and bank details).
Further information
Visit the Payrolling Service section on the TES webpage for information on how to engage the worker via this route.
If you have any further questions, please contact TES at temps@admin.cam.ac.uk
Intern status
Interns are not University employees and the agreement that we issue to interns clearly states: Nothing herein shall constitute a contract of employment between the University and the intern.
However, when taking on an intern, the University is committed to meeting the requirements set out on the CIPD Internship Scheme Checklist. CCWS and TES will ensure that the payments are processed in accordance with these guidelines. It is the department/institution's responsibility to adhere to the CIPD standards on recruitment, induction, treatment, supervision, reference and feedback. CIPD standards are laid out in their Internships that Work guide - this must be read before an internship is recruited to. (Please note that the Internship Agreement within the guide should not be used as TES and CCWS will provide an internship agreement to the intern and the recruiting department.)
Advertising an Internship
You can advertise Internships on your local Departmental webpages or you can advertise these opportunities via the University of Cambridge Careers Service.
Internships and full-time positions that meet the University of Cambridge Careers Service vacancy policy are advertised to current students and recent alumni on Handshake, an innovative platform that connects employers, students, graduates and the Careers Service in one place. Organisations can advertise vacancies, sign up for Careers Service events, promote their events and connect with Cambridge talent - all free of charge.
Vacancies advertised on Handshake are viewable by Cambridge students and alumni only. Please note that students at other institutions are not able to view the Careers Service vacancy board.
If your department chooses to advertise its own Internships, use the following guidance when advertising.
Ensure you do not use the terms ‘employee’ or ‘contract’, always use ‘intern’ or ‘internship’ or ‘internship agreement’.
Do not state a grade
Do not state an annual salary, only state the hourly rate
Emphasise that there will be significant training and mentoring – so it is clear it is an internship
Include EDI wording
Include standard right to work wording
If the internship will require screening, include the details in the advert
Intern work location
All internships should be based in the UK. TES and CCWS cannot process workers overseas because these systems are set up according to UK tax law. If you have a scenario involving an intern needing to work overseas, please contact the Global Mobility Team.
Insurance
Individuals on internship schemes are treated as employees for the purpose of personal injury insurance. The Employers Liability Policy covers interns against accident or injury caused to them by the negligence of the employer or an employee. The Public Liability Policy provides cover for the employer, against liability for loss or damage or injury caused by the intern while he/she is acting as a servant of the employer, to other employees or to a third party.
What is the difference between an internship and work experience?
Work experience is most usually for someone still at school to gain experience of the working environment. It is a short-term placement (usually 1-2 weeks) of observation, trying out tasks and learning about the working environment, all under close supervision. Work experience is very much for the benefit of the student, they may produce a little work as part of the experience but what they learn rather than anything they might produce is very much the focus. Work experience is an unpaid learning experience. Departments are responsible for organising these placements (https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/hr-services/tes/work-experience).
Internships sit between work experience and employment. Internships involve considerable mentoring and learning, however, the intern will also be tasked with work to produce. Internships last between 4 and 12 weeks and should paid at the National Living Wage as a minimum.
Work placements that are an obligatory element of a course are excluded from the rules and continue to be exempt from taxation and National Minimum Wage legislation.
FAQs
I need to pay my intern upfront. How can I do this?
Please contact casual.workers@admin.cam.ac.uk who will discuss the internship with you. You will need to provide the dates that the intern will be in their placement, specific reasons why the intern must be paid at the start of their internship and be prepared to discuss whether weekly pay via the TES route may be more appropriate.
The internship needs to happen overseas. How do I process this?
Speak to the Global Mobility Team to discuss options: globalmobility@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note, it may not be possible for overseas internships to take place.
The internship will be funded by more than one source (a grant from another institution plus top up payment from the department). Is this possible?
Yes, it is possible in CCWS to enter two different cost codes for an internship to be charged to. On TES, your department will be invoiced for the cost of engaging and paying the intern and you will then charge these costs to the relevant cost codes.
A department is approached by a student who has been awarded a College Bursary for a summer research project, this may or may not be a National Living Wage and the hours are not specified in the Bursary letter.
Work must be paid for via CCWS or TES at National Living Wage rates as a minimum. If the College Bursary is not enough to cover the hours worked then the department will be responsible for paying the difference. However, the full amount per hour must go through CCWS/TES and not the “top up” as this would appear as real time data as it will be below the National Living Wage. Departments would need to find a way to journal/cover the cost of this internally.
External companies wishing to advertise an internship to University of Cambridge students
Please contact the Careers Service at employers@careers.cam.ac.uk for assistance.