Want to do an internship? Discover the best times to apply for internships in the UK and start finding opportunities!
Internships can be highly competitive and have a lot of applicants, so it’s best to find the right time to apply so you don’t miss out. Here are the best times you should apply for internships in the UK.
When to apply
Internships are sometimes also known as ‘summer internships’ because a lot of them happen over the summer during the holidays.
Summer internship opportunities usually start to appear in October, the year before the actual internship takes place. This means you have to start looking and applying for internships almost a year before you want to start the role.
However, if you aren’t successful, opportunities can still appear and have deadlines for February – April, or maybe even as late as May. Don’t lose hope and keep searching throughout the year if you don’t find anything.
If you’ve just graduated and you aren’t restricted by term times anymore, you’ll have a lot more options, but you’ll still need to apply early, especially if you want to start an internship straight away.
Aim to apply at least six months before, and even up to a year before you want to start a role to find those autumn/new year advertisements.
Check out specific industries
While most internships similarly appear in autumn/new year, make sure you check out the usual times for the specific industry you want to work in.
Some industries are busier than others at different times of the year, meaning they’ll hire their interns at different times.
For example:
- Accounting internships tend to be advertised in the winter
- Retail and e-commerce internships advertise earlier in the year because they are busiest in November and December (think Christmas – the busiest time of the year for retail!)
- Travel internships tend to be advertised in the new year because they are busiest in the summer when everybody wants to go on holiday
Deadlines can differ across opportunities and companies, but big companies will have a lot of hopeful applicants so it’s best to get your application in early!
Look out for rolling deadlines!
While many industries will advertise in the autumn (September, October, November), they may have a rolling deadline, especially if they have a lot of applicants. This means they might not necessarily have a deadline set, but whether they do or not they could close at any time! So if you see an opportunity you want, apply straight away.
