Vacation work and work experience

Vacation work

Just looking for information on the Convention de Stage or the Convenio de Prácticas? Click here. 

Work experience counts. Employers need to differentiate between applicants with a very similar academic profile and place great emphasis on the value of work experience.

What can vacation work do for you?

  • Allows you to decide if a particular type of work or employer really suits your own future career plans
  • Can lead to a permanent job offer post-graduation - saving you time to focus on your degree in your final year
  • Creates opportunities for networking
  • Allows you to demonstrate your ability to adapt to a professional or business environment
  • Gives you direct insight into how an organisation works
  • Adds real value to your CV

What could I do?

Cambridge students spend their summers gaining experience in diverse and creative ways. While 66% spent their summer working, not all were on formal internship schemes that are commonly offered by large employers. Over 30% of students used their networks, word of mouth and speculative approaches to source their experiences, leading to opportunities such as:

  • conducting research in academic departments both in Cambridge and beyond
  • working on international development projects for a range of organisations
  • writing for online magazines
  • shadowing patent attorneys
  • working with an in-house legal team
  • writing impact reports for a charity
  • working front of house for an arts organisation
  • …and more!

 

More information

Academic course projects

A degree course requirement to undertake a project, learn a language or research for a dissertation can be a means of refining your career choice by:

  • gaining a head start by careful selection of your research topic
  • getting some help with it from potential employers
  • using the opportunity to make useful contacts for the future

Many employers regard students doing placements with them as potential recruits. Academic staff can also be useful sources of contact with potential employers.

" … Do a relevant dissertation - having got a 1st for an ecological dissertation definitely helped me get my first interview and hence my first job with English Nature"

"Collected data, doing business research, figuring out how to interpret data in context of theory being tested, and analysing it in Excel … Good preparation for final year dissertations!"

Working as a Research Assistant

Research Assistant positions are occasionally advertised, but it is common for people to ask within their own departments for opportunities.

Laboratory work

If you are an undergraduate, there may be opportunities for paid vacation work in laboratories.

Research Experience

There are several research programmes and schemes that enable STEM students to explore academic or industry research during their vacations. This document represents a selection of opportunities that usually operate annually, it is not exhaustive and some schemes may not run every year. Check eligibility and application requirements carefully.

The University offers a number of research internships for undergraduates from underrepresented groups who are interested in pursuing postgraduate studies and have the potential to become the future of research.

These internships are aimed at students who, due to socioeconomic barriers or life circumstances, have not had the chance to demonstrate their full potential and may otherwise not feel they can easily access research opportunities (link above).

 

You can start your search in Handshake

Internships

Originally an American term for work experience. Now commonly used by US-style and multi-national or international organisations - from American banks such as JP Morgan to large industrial corporations like Unilever and large international institutions such as the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

  • Working internationally - try these sites for current internships: EuroBrussels, UN Jobs, AIESEC, IAESTE
  • GoinGlobal - international internship opportunities with corporate, public and private organizations
  • Consult the Internships section of the Prospects website, including advice on how to "stand out" during your internship
  • UCL has produced an Internships Toolkit - whilst some of it has a particular UCL focus, it includes more generalised information and advice which may be of interest when researching your options

Stages

The French term for a period of work experience (in Germany known as a Praktikum). It may be paid or unpaid and last from three weeks to a year, and is offered by commercial firms such as Shell (to their sponsored students), Arthur Andersen, Banque Paribas, and Banque Indosuez, mostly for modern language students to do during their third year, overseas. AIESEC and IAESTE are also routes through which to obtain a stage in Europe. Here is information about the Convention de Stage or the Convenio de prácticas.

Volunteering

Volunteering with a Registered Charity can be a very valuable way of gaining experience. This can be done alongside paid work, which also shows your ability to manage a busy work schedule.

To find out more about volunteering click here. To find out more about flexible working (such working part-time around other commitments) click here. To find out more about the law on unpaid internships. Read this  'Know your Rights' article from TargetJobs

In UK – all workers should be paid at least minimum wage 

Exceptions:

  • Volunteer work for registered charity (chosen hours, no more than expenses covered)
  • Work ‘shadowing’ i.e. observing
  • Receive academic credit for your course (unusual at Cambridge)

https://targetjobs.co.uk 'know your rights'

https://www.gov.uk official legal requirements for internships 

Have you considered…?

  • Army, Navy or RAF - Service’s Officer training corps at Cambridge - Offer leadership training, adventure training, develop teamwork skills and cadets get paid for their time
  • Laboratory summer work shadowing- usually a few days, and unpaid - learn some techniques before your Part II/III project or find out whether you enjoy lab work, and whether you might want to continue to a PhD

Sometimes, you just need to earn some money during your vacation. However, don't forget - you can always use your experience to enhance your CV.

What skills could you develop?

Even though you may just want to work to earn some money, don't forget that you can use the experience positively. Even in a retail or office based job, you may develop communication skills, team working skills and time management skills, amongst others - these are all transferable skills that are essential for any job.

The Careers Service can help you to showcase the skills you have gained for future employers.

Where to look for part-time and casual jobs

Some Universities allow external people to use their job sites, so make sure you look at your local university's job page and in your local newspaper.

Other people's experiences can generate ideas for you, here are some starting points:

  • Read  Cambridge student & alumni work experience stories on our blog.
  • Use Handshake  to find student feedback and reviews of internships/summer work. Tick the 'Employers with Reviews' box and search by name or sector.
  • GlassDoor has thousands of employer reviews but requires you to post a review in order to access the site.
  • Cambridge's LinkedIn Alumni Page has nearly 400,000 members. Search by course or sector and read profiles to understand how their career journey progressed.