Career Insights

The Summer School will be delivered entirely online, for one week, from 8 June to 11 June 2020. You will need access to Microsoft Teams and Zoom to be able to take part in the majority of the Summer School activities.

Successful applicants will take part in the following events and activities:

• a team-based Sustainability Business Challenge 

• skills development workshops 

• employer mentoring 

• online company insight visits 

• a practice recruitment process including an online interview, with feedback from an employer 

To be eligible for a place on the programme you must be a current, undergraduate, UK Home Fee Paying student, studying at the Newcastle or London campus and you must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• entered the University through the PARTNERS programme
• entered the University through the Realising Opportunities programme
• be in receipt of the Opportunity Scholarship from Newcastle University
• be in receipt of the Care Leaver Bursary from Newcastle University
• be in receipt of the Student Parent Bursary from Newcastle University
• be in receipt of a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or DSA
• be a Mature Student (you were aged 21 or over on your first day at university)
• have declared a Disability or Specific Learning Difficulty to the university
• have a home address representative of a Low HE Participation Neighbourhood
• from a Black or Minority Ethnic group and prior to university attended a state school/college in the UK
• be a Student Carer (with sole or shared responsibility for the care of a relative due to illness, a disability, mental distress or substance abuse)*
• if either/both of your parents/carers are serving or have served in the armed forces at key educational times or you have previously served in the armed forces yourself*
• estranged and living independently of your family/carers due to a relationship breakdown*
• from a Gypsy Roma travelling community*
• have refugee status*
• have experienced extreme personal and extenuating circumstances*

*if you indicate one of these criteria in your application, you will be asked to provide additional evidence to support your selection.

Students who have already completed the Career Insights year-long programme will not be eligible to apply. 

The schedule for the Summer School is still being confirmed.

Here are examples of employers that we have worked with on our annual Career Insights programme and we hope to have a similar range of companies participating in our Summer School:

• Accenture
• BBC 
• Civil Service
• Clifford Chance
• Enterprise Rent-a-car
• FDM
• ITV
• Jacobs
• Santander
• Womble Bond Dickinson

Applications for this year's programme are now closed. 

The bursary can support with:

• travel to and from your work experience or interview - typically public transport or mileage costs
• accommodation if the interview or work experience requires travel 

The bursary does not cover:

• loss of earnings from missed work
• subsistence costs such as food, drink or clothing
• private transportation
• rent costs, where a pre-agreed tenancy contract incorporates the dates of the work experience

All current Newcastle University students can apply for a bursary of up to £250.

Undergraduate students who meet additional eligibility criteria can apply for a bursary of up to £500 for work experience opportunities. The amount you receive is dependent upon the length of your experience and the associated costs.

For interview costs, a maximum of £250 is available.  

When applying for your bursary we ask you to provide an estimate of your travel and accommodation costs. This figure will be used to calculate the bursary amount you can receive. You will be required to provide receipts for all costs and we will provide funding up to the amount evidenced.

This means if your estimated costs are £250 you will be awarded a bursary up to this amount. If your receipts show you only incur costs of £220 this is the amount you will receive.

You will receive 50% of the bursary before your work experience or interview. To receive the remaining 50%, after the experience or interview, you will need to submit a reflective report (between 300-500 words) demonstrating what you have gained from the experience. 

If you are applying for the bursary to cover interview expenses you will also be asked to tell us the outcome of the interview. 

1. Work experience criteria:

• The work experience activity cannot be part of your degree course, for academic credit, a conference or an external qualification.
• It also should not be part of a Careers Service work experience scheme, such as our term-time internships.
• The activity should be within the UK.
• Retrospective applications will not be considered and this must be the first time you have completed the work experience; funding can't be allocated to repeat activities.
• The activity can take place during term time or vacations and must be completed within three months of graduation.
• You may only receive one Career Insights Bursary per academic year. 

It can take up to two weeks for us to process applications. If your insight takes place before a decision has been made, we can award payments retrospectively as long as your application has been successful and was submitted before the start of the activity.

2. Student criteria

All current Newcastle University students can apply for a bursary up to the amount of £250 for an unpaid work experience activity or interview. Funding is allocated on a first come, first served basis and each case is considered individually. 

For a bursary up to the amount of £500, additional criteria apply. 

You must be a current, undergraduate Newcastle University student who is paying UK Home tuition fees. You also must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• entered the University through the PARTNERS programme
• entered the University through the Realising Opportunities programme
• be in receipt of the Opportunity Scholarship from Newcastle University
• be in receipt of the Care Leaver Bursary from Newcastle University
• be in receipt of the Student Parent Bursary from Newcastle University
• be in receipt of a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or DSA
• be a Mature Student (you were aged 21 or over on your first day at university)
• have declared a Disability or Specific Learning Difficulty to the university
• have a home address representative of a Low HE Participation Neighbourhood
• from a Black or Minority Ethnic group and prior to university attended a state school/college in the UK
• be a Student Carer (with sole or shared responsibility for the care of a relative due to illness, a disability, mental distress or substance abuse)*
• if either/both of your parents/carers are serving or have served in the armed forces at key educational times or you have previously served in the armed forces yourself*
• estranged and living independently of your family/carers due to a relationship breakdown*
• from a Gypsy Roma travelling community*
• have refugee status*
• have experienced extreme personal and extenuating circumstances*

*if you indicate one of these criteria in your application, you will be asked to provide additional evidence supporting your status.

Email us if you’re not sure whether you are eligible.

1. Find and secure an eligible work experience with an organisation

Support for finding such opportunities on our website in the Internships, placements & shadowing and External Events sections.

If you need help with finding relevant work experience, visit the Careers Service to speak to an information adviser. You don’t need to make an appointment, just drop in to the Careers Service in King’s Gate any time between 11:00 - 16:30 Monday to Friday during term time.

2. Once you have secured a suitable work experience placement…

Request a copy of the company’s health and safety policy (you will need to upload this in the application form).

Ensure your host company has arranged an appropriate induction and will provide adequate supervision and guidance while you complete your experience.

Download and complete a General Risk Assessment Form (work with your contact at the company to complete it and upload it in your application).

Complete the Expected Costs Table confirming how much you will be claiming for (again you will be required to submit this in the application). We understand you may not know exact costs before the activity has been completed but please provide a realistic estimate.

While it is not compulsory and not applicable to everyone, we recommend having a chat with the Student Wellbeing Team at Newcastle University to ensure that the experience you have found will be appropriate for you and that you are confident the company will be able to accommodate any additional needs you may have.

Should an accident occur whilst you are completing your insight experience, the host company will be responsible for you but we encourage you to let us know about the situation and outcome within 7 days by emailing us at: careerinsights@ncl.ac.uk. 

3. Complete the online application form

Once you have all the documentation you need, please complete the application form.

We aim to let you know if you have been successful within 14 working days. If you have been successful, we will request bank details in order to process the payment.

4. Submit a reflective report

To receive the 2nd payment of your bursary you will need to submit a reflective report (between 300-500 words) demonstrating what you have gained from your experience and how it has contributed to your understanding of career options and the development of your employability skills.

1. Provide evidence of interview

If you are applying for the bursary because you have been invited to an interview we will ask you to provide evidence of your invitation email/letter.  

You will also need to provide evidence that the employer does not cover interview expenses. If you are not sure, you can confirm this with the employer before applying for the bursary. 

2. Complete the Expected Costs Table

Complete the Expected Costs Table confirming how much you will be claiming for (you will be required to submit this in the application). We understand you may not know exact costs before the interview has been completed but please provide a realistic estimate. 

3. Complete the online application form

Once you have all the documentation you need, please complete the application form.

We aim to let you know if you have been successful within 14 working days. If you have been successful, we will request bank details in order to process the payment.

4. Submit a reflective report 

To receive the 2^nd payment of your bursary you will need to submit a reflective report (between 300-500 words) demonstrating what you have gained from your experience and how it has contributed to your understanding of career options and the development of your employability skills.