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Meaningful Work Experience

Undertaking meaningful work experience is an excellent way to focus your career ideas, apply the knowledge gained from your studies or interests, and develop your professional network. 

You can engage in various forms of meaningful work experience during your time at King's to help you refine your future career ambitions. "Meaningful work experience", unlike standard work experience, is much more focused on opportunities related to the area of work that you will want to do post-graduation. Whereas, "Work Experience" can relate to any type of work you do and is not directly related to your specific career goals, i.e. part-time bar work.

There are several different ways you can gain meaningful work experience, such as undertaking an internship, engaging in a virtual work simulation, or taking part in one of the many extra-curricular activities offered through our King's Edge team, including our fantastic range of awards!

 

Our Opportunities

We offer King's students a range of programmes, often providing bespoke opportunities within or alongside your programme here in the UK, online and internationally.


Placements

A placement is a year of study where you undertake full-time employment as part of your degree programme, typically between your penultimate and final year of study.

 

Internships

An internship is a fixed-term work experience which could be part-time or full-time, which is typically designed to offer relevant experience for your future career.

Who? PhD Students & Post-doctoral Researchers.
When? October - July each year.
Format? In Person/hybrid.
These internships directly support the work of Parliamentarians in the House of Lords and are designed to give participants a direct insight into working in policy. The programme, which is a collaboration between the Policy Institute and King's Careers & Employability, and is overseen by Baroness Bull, allows students and researchers to be at the heart of national and international policy making.

Find out more about the Parliamentary Research Internships

Who? Students from programmes with an embedded Accredited Internship module.
When? October - June annually.
Format? Hybrid (in person and virtual).
If your programme has an accredited internship module you have the option to gain academic credit through the completion of an internship.
This module is supported by dedicated Internship Conveners in your department and our Accredited Internships Programme.

Find out more about accredited internships on KEATS

Who? Undergraduate and Postgraduate students.
When? Mostly June - September each year, some are year-round.
Format? In-person and hybrid.
Each year, there are several departments who offer a range of internships, available exclusively to King's students. Most of these take place during the summer period, while others offer part-time work throughout the year. They are part-time, and a fantastic way to build your employability skills before completing your studies - all within King's. Some of the departments we have supported with their internships are:

  • The Entrepreneurship Institute
  • The Sanctuary Programme
  • The Student Knowledge and Information team
  • The Student Transitions & Outcomes team
All these opportunities are advertised through King's CareerConnect, so make sure to review this site regularly for internships and job opportunities.

Explore internships on King's CareerConnect

 

Other opportunities

Other meaningful work experience programmes allow you to gain knowledge and experiences which are varied, including visiting employers, virtual experiences and interdisciplinary team work.

Who? Final year undergraduates and PhD students.
When? October - June annually.
Format? Hybrid (in person and virtual).
If you are unsure about your career options and would like to discover different sectors and roles, we encourage you to join our Insights Programme! By completing the opportunities offered through the Insights Programme you will gain meaningful work experience, broaden your career horizons and boost your confidence. You will also make connections with reputable employers and alumni while developing your employability skills as you explore different sectors and roles.

Find out more about the Insights Programme on KEATS

Who? All Students and Post-doctoral Researchers
When? Year-round
Format? Virtual
We have partnered with The Forage, the Transform Society and Bright Network UK to offer students access to innovative, digital work-related learning opportunities that can be accessed by all students at any time during their degree.
These opportunities, usually between one to four weeks in length, give you an understanding of the types of work you might be undertaking across a range of sectors and geographies, alongside giving you the ability to develop your knowledge, skills and attributes.

Find out more about The Forage on KEATS

Who? Undergraduate first years from under-represented groups.
When? March - June annually.
Format? Virtual OR in-person options.
Open to students from under-represented groups, our Sustainable Global Experience programme provides the opportunity to explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in theory and practice, completing one week of Carbon Literacy Training and either one week on a five-day field trip in Brussels, Belgium or one week of virtual experience.