Find out about internships and work experience, including Employ.ed on Campus, and internship agreements What is an internship? An internship is a period of structured work experience. It allows you to develop knowledge and skills, which may play a part in your career-planning decisions. Typically, you will: be offered training and may be assigned a mentor or buddy work on a specific area of work or assigned to a project work for between 6-12 weeks be encouraged to reflect and record your experience. Most large graduate employers have an internship programme aimed at second, third or penultimate-year students. This forms part of their graduate recruitment strategy – impressing on an internship can lead to a job offer after graduation. For internships taking place the following summer, deadlines for internship applications with some of the major graduate employers can be as early as November. If you miss these deadlines, there will be other internship and work experience opportunities advertised throughout the year. Internships can be a great way to build professional experience, gain insight into a particular sector and develop your skillset. Not all companies and roles will offer internships, so it is important to consider all of the ways you can develop your work experience. Many graduate employers will welcome applicants with a range of experience. Where to look for internships? Use MyCareerHub as your starting point. MyCareerHub The Careers Service, in collaboration with partners, offers structured internship programmes exclusively for University of Edinburgh students. Find out more on our Employ.ed on Campus page: Employ.ed on Campus Besides MyCareerHub, use the following websites to find internships. Some advertise opportunities across all sectors, and others are sector-specific. Prospects Targetjobs Student job Inside Careers Gradcracker Bright Network Businesses in certain sectors rarely advertise internships. If you’re keen to get experience in these sectors, your best approach is to reach out to them yourself. The following page offers our tips on how to do that: Create your own opportunity You can also find advice on getting work experience in specific sectors via our Sector Information page: Sector information | Careers Service Virtual internships Some leading companies have created programmes of hands-on tasks and modules similar to those you’d undertake during an internship with them. These aren’t paid, but they are a way to gain an understanding of different roles and sectors, and an insight into specific companies. Programmes typically take between 6-8 hours to complete. The Forage platform hosts a wide selection of these programmes, including Data Science, Software Engineering, Investment Banking, Design & Branding, Cyber Security, Engineering and Public Health. Some experiences are with US, Nordic, Middle East, UK and Australian companies, offering a real global focus. Forage The U21 Sustainable Micro-internships programme allows you to work with your fellow students from across the globe, sharing knowledge and expertise whilst immersing yourself in a commercial organisation. In your group, you will be tasked with providing a solution to a real-life SDG related challenge, which you will then pitch to senior stakeholders within the organisation at the end of the programme. Not only will you form quick partnerships with sustainability-minded students from a variety of academic disciplines around the world, but you’ll also challenge your abilities, whilst developing key skills enabling you to thrive in the modern workplace. U21 Sustainable Micro-internships When you're looking at opportunities of this sort, keep our advice in mind below: Top tips when considering virtual work experience Overseas internships Some students find internships in other countries. Use our advice on finding jobs outside the UK to help with this: Finding jobs outside the UK Some companies facilitate overseas internships, finding relevant experience for you in specific locations, and charging for this service. You’ll find many of these advertising on MyCareerHub. Researching overseas opportunities - what questions should you ask? Internships for widening participation students Saltire Scholars Programme The Saltire Scholars Programme is Entrepreneurial Scotland's flagship programme designed to find, grow and connect students with the ambition and potential of becoming future leaders for Scotland. The programme puts students on a year-long transformational development journey, culminating in an 8–12-week funded summer internship with host companies from all over the world. On this journey, students undergo a robust recruitment process, empowering personal development workshops and work on real commercial projects with their host company. Through this, students unlock their full potential, foster an entrepreneurial mindset, and feel empowered to drive growth and impact as they navigate their future careers. Saltire Scholars Programme Mitacs Mitacs Globalink Research Internship is a competitive initiative for international undergraduates. From May to October of each year, top-ranked applicants participate in a 12-week research internship under the supervision of Canadian academic institution faculty members in a variety of academic disciplines, from science, engineering, and mathematics to the humanities and social sciences. Mitacs Globalink Research Internships can offer you an international experience like no other. Canada features excellent universities, outstanding research facilities, cutting-edge industry innovation and unparalleled undergraduate training opportunities. Mitacs Globalink Research Internships Research internships To be written Internship agreement Learn what an internship agreement is and about the process of requesting one. This article was published on Friday 7 August 2026
