Unpaid internships

The University's policy is that we are unable to advertise and promote unpaid internships to students and graduates in line with National Minimum Wage (NMW) guidelines. The NMW guidelines only allow unpaid internships to be considered in the following circumstances:

Work experience required to be undertaken by students, as part of UK based higher education courses is exempt from the NMW, where the internship does not exceed one year.

The exception to this is where 1) the student is doing work that the employer would have to employ someone else to do were the student not there or 2) they have a contract (express or implied, verbal or in writing) and where there is mutual obligation (i.e. the individual is not free to go at any time and has certain tasks to perform).

 

Internships as part of a Degree

To see if you have an opportunity an Exeter student could undertake as a Placement (in the workplace) or Project (work undertaken at the University) find out what our students are studying in the Academic College and Subject Disciplines.

Depending on the subject, the hours needed and the start dates will vary e.g. 40 hours in total, over a whole academic year or a 6 month placement. It is important to note, if a placement is over a few weeks, students prefer paid placements.

To discuss whether your business need, can match the student need, please contact the Employability Officers in the relevant Colleges. Or if you would like to make a firm offer of an internship please complete the placement offer form and send it to one of the emails below.

If Internships as part of a degree is not flexible enough for your business, please see the University managed paid internship schemes for students Student Business Partnership, or for graduates see Graduate Business Partnership.

 

Volunteering with charities or similar bodies

A volunteer working for a charity, voluntary organisation, charity shop, school, hospital, the University or similar not-for-profit body need not be paid national minimum wage because they do not have any contractual arrangement and are therefore not classed as ‘workers’. No benefits should be provided to such a worker (this includes training unless the person necessarily acquires it in the course of doing the work or it is provided for the sole or main purpose of improving his ability to perform the work which he has agreed to do).

 

Work shadowing

A "work shadowing" opportunity, in which a student observes work but is not required or tasked to undertake any work. A work shadowing opportunity should not total more than one week in duration, but could be a couple of days a week spread over 2-3 week periods.

 

International

For international work placements we will apply relevant 'in-country' legislation i.e. the legislation of the country in which the internship will take place. For more information about internships please contact gradrec@exeter.ac.uk or +44 (0)1392 722395.