We recognise that both students and employers see gaining work experience as an important part of the student experience. We are therefore increasing our efforts to help Oxford students to find appropriate internships for their summer vacations. For a number of years the Oxford University Summer Internship Programme has facilitated internships all over the world which are offered exclusively to Oxford students.
Demand is ever-increasing and in 2012 a dedicated Internship Office was set up in order to manage and grow the Programme. In 2019, over 500 internships were offered through the Programme in more than 40 different countries, which received nearly 3,000 student applications. These internships, which include projects as diverse as working for the UN in Jordan, undertaking renewable energy research in China, assisting the development of local businesses in Zambia, and teaching in New Delhi, make a real difference to the career goals and prospects of our students.
The challenge for the Internship Office is to ensure that these opportunities are affordable to all students who want to gain work experience regardless of their economic situation. Undertaking an internship can be costly for any student, particularly if it involves travel abroad; however, even an internship requiring a two-month stay in London over the summer can be prohibitively expensive for many students. We administer a number of internship scholarships but they are not sufficient to meet current demand. Please help us to continue to grow the Programme and support the career development of all our students by contributing towards our internship support funds.
