Internships

We are committed to delivering high quality, bespoke internships / work placements to our students in a variety of organisations (governmental and non-governmental as well as the private sector) and UofG research units. Work placements are part of our mission to grow and support our students. Internships specialise in utilising data to gain insight into social science phenomena across a broader range of topics. 

What does an internship involve?

Internships run all year round in a variety of host organisations specialising in data analysis, problem solving and social change. Internships are paid at the Scottish living wage and are typically six weeks long on a full-time basis during the summer or part-time during term time. 

During the internship students usually work on a small-scale data analysis project. Students may also offer administrative support to the host organisation, assist with the development of applications or other online tools and / or organise and deliver skills and software training sessions. At the end of the placement students are expected to produce a report and submit it to the host organisation.

Eligibility

Internships are open to students studying Q-Step courses. The year group eligibility criteria will vary for each role and will be advised clearly at the point of advertising. Please make sure you check the eligibility criteria before applying.

Normally, students who have finished their second year of lectures (first year of QM lectures) at the time of application are eligible to apply. However, the internships require different levels and different types of skills, Therefore, certain internships may only be open to students who have finished their third year of lectures (second year of QM lectures)>

After applying

Your application will be forwarded to the prospective employer, who will decide whether or not to offer you an interview. This may take some time. 

If you are shortlisted to interview

The internship provider will decide whether ot not they want they wish to interview you or not, and the Student Opportunities Hub will be in touch to set this up. If you are offered an interview, you will be expected to attend in order to support your application. The Hub can support you with interview preparation and advice. There is also lots of online advice on how to prepare. 

If you are not shortlisted to interview

You will receive personalised feedback from the Student Opportunities Hub as to why your application has not been shortlisted to interview and will be encouraged to follow up by booking a one-to-one appointment for further support and help prepare you for future applications.

If you are offered an internship following interview

You will sign a contract offered by the organisation employing you which will outline the length of employment, your hours of work and your tasks. Timeframes and work patterns can be agreed between you and your employer in order to facilitate your studies if your internship runs during term time. The Student Opportunities Hub can facilitate and support this process.

If your application is unsuccessful following interview

Don't worry, you will still be eligble to apply for other opportunities through Q-Step as they become available. You may also check the Student Opportunities Hub for other available internships and work placements beyond Q-Step. The best way to ensure you hear all about internships that may be open to you is to keep up to date with the Student Opportunities Hub.

 

University of Glasgow career support

Other useful skills development resources

Check out Inside Sherpa, an open access platform offering virtual work experience programmes. It contains a series of resources and tasks designed to simulate the real world experience of starting a career. This is not an internship but rather a skills development programme simulating real world tasks. Participating companies do not benefit from the completion of these tasks but it's a great opportunity to practice some key workplace skills. 

Previous internship hosts

Hear from our students