FAQs
Frequently asked questions by our students/graduates
What are the benefits of carrying out an internship?
Carrying out an internship will provide you with some paid graduate level work experience, allowing you to apply the knowledge learnt as part of your degree in a real work situation. It will enable you to develop identified work related skills, help you to learn the disciplines, routines and relationships within a workplace, give you an understanding of business and customer needs and enhance your career knowledge. For many students it is an excellent way to enter a chosen career.
How much will I get paid?
Employers will pay a minimum of £10 per hour (for all internships advertised from April 2022).
Some employers do pay more than this. Quite often, the pay is reviewable after an initial period. The idea of the internship is to give both you and the company a trial period of employment. In our experience, employers are more likely to review the pay once they have seen some tangible results and are happy with your performance.
Who is eligible to apply?
Please check individual adverts to see if you are eligible to apply as it varies from role to role.
We do also advertise KRISP roles on this website, and these are open to students from any year of study. Adverts will be clearly marked as KRISP projects.
What type of internships are available?
Employers can advertise any internship with us which may include Marketing, Business Development, Environmental Management, IT or Science - Internships last anything up to 12 months, but typically at least 8 weeks.
Employers can choose to extend the internship or offer a permanent role, but this is not guaranteed. We aim to give realistic expectations given to us by the employers concerned.
We also advertise internships with charities, which often include the opportunity to sit on the trustee board as an observer.
KRISP projects are also advertised on this website - these are research projects, supervised by Keele University staff, working on an innovation project on behalf of a local company.
How do I get involved?
If you meet the eligibility criteria, take a look at our available internships and see if anything appeals to you.
Please use the link on the advert to apply, but you are strongly advised to have your CV and Cover letter reviewed before you submit - you can do this by making yourself an appointment with a Careers Consultant - book an appointment here
You can, and are encouraged to apply for more than one internship, but we do not allow you to work on two internships at the same time. You also cannot work for the same company more than once on an internship. This is to ensure that as many students as possible have an opportunity.
TOP TIP: make sure to apply early as internships are sometimes removed if they are filled early.
What happens after I have submitted my application?
You will receive an acknowledgement via the system once your application has been submitted online. We will then review your CV and Cover letter and if f we feel you are suitable to be considered for interview we will either contact you for a brief chat about your interest in the role, or we will submit to the company for them to further review . During this conversation you can ask us anything else you would like to know about the opportunity. The company is then responsible for contacting you regarding the next stage (usually an interview).
If we feel you are not suitable for consideration for interview we may suggest you improve your application. Please check out our Application help pages. It can take several applications before you are successful at securing an interview as the roles are all competitive.
What happens at the end of the internship?
It does depend on many things to be honest! About 50% of Keele internships get extended or made into permanent roles.
Sometimes though, the company only need one specific project completing, but you will still have gained very valuable skills and experience, helping you to move onto your next role! You may be eligible to apply for another internship, so please contact us to find out more studentopportunities@keele.ac.uk
Can I do a second internship on your scheme?
You can, and are encouraged to apply for more than one internship, but we do not usually allow you to work on two internships at the same time. You also cannot work for the same company more than once on an internship. This is to ensure that as many students as possible have an opportunity.
If you have any queries about this give us a call on 01782 733403 or email studentopportunities@keele.ac.uk
Do I have to apply for a specific internship?
- You should apply via the adverts on the Keele Internships website , and you will be applying for a specific role. Please make sure that you complete the application form accurately as otherwise there may be a delay in us reviewing it.
- From time to time, we also run talent pool adverts for our KRISP projects (working on an innovation project, supervised by Keele) - in this instance you will be signing up to apply to be part of the KRISP talent pool.