The Student Business Partnership (SBP)

Student Business Partnership (SBP) Scheme Requirements

• Applicants must have current student status or proof of an acceptance on a degree at the University of Exeter.
• Applicants must be a University of Exeter student for the full duration of the internship.
• The University of Exeter is committed to developing an environment which promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity and inclusivity. 
  • The University of Exeter is a Disability Confident Employer, committed to attracting and recruiting people with disabilities and retaining and supporting staff with disabilities. If an applicant declares a disability and meets all the essential criteria, they will be invited to interview. 
  • We welcome applications from all eligible students and in particular those from underrepresented groups. Selection and recruitment itself will be based entirely on merit alone unless there are multiple applicants demonstrating equal merit. In this clear circumstance, preference would be shown to applicants from under-represented groups. This is in line with lawful positive action measures under sections 158 and 159 of the Equality Act 2010.
• All applicants are required to provide their employer with proof of their Right to Work in the UK before they start work and follow the Intern Guidance- Proving Right to Work the UK.
• All interns need to reside in the UK whilst undertaking this role.
• Undergraduate students can work a maximum of 15 hours per week in term-term or full-time hours in vacation.
• Full time Postgraduate students can work a maximum of 6 hours per week and no more than 180 hours per year, this includes those working already working as Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PTA).

Student status - additional information

• When applying for an SBP position you must either have:
  • current student status or
  • proof of acceptance of an offer of an undergraduate or postgraduate course at Exeter to begin by the start of the SBP internship.
• To undertake an SBP internship, you must be a current University of Exeter student for the full duration of the internship.
• If you are an undergraduate (UG) student, your student status will expire one month after the end of your course. 
• If you are a postgraduate (PG) student, your student status will expire 6 weeks after the end of your course.
• PG students have restricted hours if work in accordance to the Employment of Postgraduate students- Code of Good Practice.
• For both UGs and PGs if your graduation ceremony occurs before this period is over you automatically assume graduate status.
• If you are an interrupted student, you will not have current student status and are therefore ineligible to apply for or continue with an SBP internship.
• If the student status ends early the SBP internship will also need to end early.

 International, EU and EEA students - additional information

• You must have right to work in the UK and provide your visa status and explanation on your application form. When you are called to interview you will be asked to provide evidence of your right to work status.
• If you are an EU/EEA student, be aware that you will not be eligible for funding as a migrant worker under Student Finance Regulations if you are solely employed on the SCP or SBP scheme. Please see Student Finance for Migrants Workers for more details.
• To work in the UK, you may need a National Insurance Number. A National Insurance Number is a number unique to you to help your employer pay your National Insurance contributions; no one else can use this number and it is not related to health insurance. Your NI number is free to apply for, please do not pay an online service to generate a number for you. It is required when you get paid employment in the UK to record your national insurance contributions and is your personal account number. If you do not have a NI number, it will not be possible to apply for a one currently, due to COVID. However, you may start work before you apply for a NI number, but you will need to inform your employer that you do not have one and they can arrange for your NI contributions (if you exceed the NI threshold payment of £650 a month) to a temporary number. When COVID restrictions are lifted, you may need to apply for a permanent NI number and arrange for your NI contributions to your temporary number to be transferred to your permanent number. For more information, please read UKCISA pages for latest guidelines.

Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PTAs) - additional information

• As per Employment of postgraduate students: code of good practice – Point 6.2:

• Full-time PG students should not normally exceed 6 hours per week and in all cases must not exceed 180 hours per year averaged over the course of the academic year.
• Part-time PG students can work the maximum 15 hours per week during term time and more during vacation, but no more than 814 hours per year.
• All PG students working as Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PTA) cannot work in total (PTA and SCP work) more than 6 hours per week and more than 180 hours per year.

• Our current vacancies can be viewed on Handshake by searching for SBP in the job search.

• To receive our weekly student internship vacancy e-bulletin please sign up here.

How to Apply 

• Consult Guidance on completing the application for tips on completing the Internship Application Form.
• Read the full job details found in Handshake.
• To apply please download and complete the attached Internship Application Form. 
• Please insert the correct reference code on the application form: SBP XXXX
• The University is a Disability Confident employer and as such this policy applies to recruitment through the Internship Schemes. Applicants who identify a disability on the application form will be offered an interview if their application demonstrates they meet the essential criteria. Please also include details of reasonable adjustments you may need for an interview or to undertake the role.
• State why you would like to work for the employing organisation and why you think you would be a good candidate to undertake this role.
• Use the STAR approach to evidence each requirement in the Person Specification.
• When saving your Internship Application Form, please entitle it ‘your surname, your forename SBP XXXX’
• Please send your completed application (not by OneDrive) to internships@exeter.ac.uk, with the reference code: SBP XXXX in the subject bar of your email, by the closing date.
• View My Career Zone Digital resources on application and interview preparation at: Career Zone application and interview information: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/helpwith/helpwithcvscoverlettersandapplications/
• For support you can book at appointment with a Career Zone Adviser - please contact us.
• If you have any questions, please email us at internships@exeter.ac.uk. 
• Unless stated and relevant, interview expenses will not be paid.
• Please check your online presence to ensure it represents you well, as some employers may undertake online research of their applicants.

We ask employers to pay at least National Minimum Wage. Some employers will offer more depending on market forces.

Before you begin your internhsip please read Making the Most of your Internship

When you begin your internship please work through the Internship Induction Checklist

You will be provided with a "How to Make the Most of Your Internship" pack to work through.

We ask employers to set clear objectives for interns, and to review and evaluate your progress throughout the duration of the internship. Employers may have their own internal review procedures, or you may choose to work through the University's Internship Performance Development Review paperwork together.

The Employment Schemes Manager, is available to support you and the employer with an issue throughout your internship. You can make an appointment by contacting internships@exeter.ac.uk.

If you need to drive to travel to work, the University advocates using car share schemes. Click the following links to find information on: University car sharing, Car Share Devon and Car Share Somerset.

Do you need some accommodation in Exeter while you complete your internship? The University can offer en-suite accommodation over summer. For more information, please visit our Accommodation website. You can also find  rooms or flats on Zoopla; Spare Rooms; StuRents; Rightmove and Gumtree. If you want advice on the areas you are looking at, just get in touch on internships@exeter.ac.uk.

A requirement of the internships is that you have to complete the Internship Feedback Form - Intern Submission and also encourage your line manager  to complete the Internship Feedback Form - Employer Submission.

You may even wish to blog about your experiences. Click here to read what others have written. To submit your blog please email Jenny Woolacott-Scarr.

If you would like to see where your fellow students have undertaken Student Business Partnerships and learn about the roles they have performed, take a look at our case studies.

To view our SBP Terms & Conditions, please click SBP T&C's.

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