Greetings students of the world, in this video I'll be giving you seven tips to
help you find an internship or placement while studying in the UK.
Hello again, Jack here from Cardiff Met International, to talk about securing an
internship or placement. As always some of my examples will be specific to
Cardiff Metropolitan University, but these tips should help you wherever you
choose to study in the UK. Many international students that come to
study in the UK say that one of the main reasons for their decision is the chance
to gain valuable work experience for an internship or placement alongside their
studies. A good placement will not only give you good work experience, but will
also help you to gain contacts in your chosen industry and show future
employers that you've impressed someone enough to give you a job. At Cardiff Met
all of our undergraduate courses include the opportunity for an internship during
your studies. And we have a number of popular postgraduate courses which
include a one-year placement option. So with this in mind, let's jump straight in
to my top seven tips for finding a work placement or internship. Number one, start early
If you know you want to do a work placement, make sure you start to think
about it as soon as you begin your course. If you're looking for an
internship in the summer and don't start looking until spring, you may not be
giving yourself enough time and you'll likely have other priorities such as
exams and coursework. The sooner you start looking, the greater your chance of
securing the right internship for you. Number two, keep your CV up to date.
If you're planning to study in the UK, I'm sure you may well have already written a
CV, but it's important that you keep this up to date as you gain more experience
throughout your time at University. It's also important to tailor your CV for the
opportunity you are applying for. One CV won't work for every application you make.
Number three, build your network and be proactive. Unless you are applying for
a formal internship with an application process, you will need to be proactive
and network. Your university may run networking events and you can use
websites such as LinkedIn to find people responsible for arranging internships at
companies you'd like to work for. When you contact people make sure you write a
covering message targeting that specific company and consider a follow-up phone call.
It's also important to be patient and polite, as people in these positions
can often be busy and receive a lot of requests. Number four,
practice your interview skills. Getting an interview is a great step towards
securing an internship or placement, but it's important to make sure that you are
prepared. If you've never practised being interviewed, it's likely that you won't
perform to the best of your ability on the big day. Think about questions you
might be asked, think about how you would answer them, and practice. Practice into
the mirror, to a friend, whatever works best for you. You can even film your
answers and watch them back to see where you can improve. Students at Cardiff Met
can also attend an interview skills course with the Career Services team.
And if you do have an unsuccessful interview make sure that you ask for feedback and
then learn from it. This way you'll be in with a better chance next time. Number
five, get help from your lecturers. Everyone from your course director to your
personal tutors is there to help you and they are a valuable resource when it
comes to finding opportunities. Sometimes they will keep students updated with
opportunities that they discover, so make sure that you engage with them, and check
your emails. At Cardiff Met many of our lecturers come from industry backgrounds,
so they have great personal links with relevant companies in their subject areas.
They are an amazing resource, so make the most of them.
Number six use the Career Support Team.
Many UK universities will have a Career Support Team. The Career
Services team at Cardiff Metropolitan University can help you with everything
from writing CVs and cover letters, to preparing for interviews and assessment
days, and everything in between. They can help you to find opportunities and will
often arrange job fairs and help students to connect with potential
employers. They are here to support you so make sure that you make an
appointment and see how they can help. And finally, number seven, stay positive
and don't give up. Finding a placement can be a challenging and time-consuming
activity. It's important to approach your search with a focused and positive
attitude. And to stay strong and confident to overcome any barriers and
disappointments. Finding your ideal internship might not happen overnight,
but with perseverance and a positive attitude, you'll be setting yourself up
with the best possible chance. So there you have it
my seven top tips for finding an internship
or placement while studying in the UK. Please do give me a like if you've found
this video useful. In my next video I'll be talking about another aspect of
finding work during your UK studies, looking for a part-time job. Make sure
you subscribe to our channel for more tips, guidance, and advice about study in
the UK and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Don't forget to click on the bell and
select all to receive notifications when we upload new videos. And if this is
your first Cardiff Met International video check out our getting to know Cardiff
Met playlist. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions just let me know
in the comments below. But for now, thanks for watching and
hopefully we'll welcome you to Cardiff Met one day soon.
Bye bye.