Work experience
Gain paid real-world experience and boost your future career prospects.
About work experience
In today’s competitive job market, employers are more likely to recruit graduates with relevant work experience. No matter what type of work you try, you will gain skills and experience that employers want. Work experience can:
-
enhance the skills and knowledge you gain from your degree
-
allow you to gain knowledge of working in a particular sector or role
-
help you build confidence and make more informed career decisions
-
boost your CV, LinkedIn profile and future job applications
Types of work experience
Work part-time to help fund your studies throughout the year. During term time, we recommend you work a maximum of 16 hours per week.
Where to find part-time work:
-
Search for jobs on campus with Jobs4Students
-
Search for part-time jobs on Career Hub
-
Search for visa job listings on Student Circus
A placement can significantly increase your prospects of securing a graduate-level job. It enhances the skills and knowledge gained throughout your degree, allows you to gain experience working in a particular sector or role, and helps you to make more informed career decisions.
Complete a fixed period of work experience with an organisation between June and September, anywhere in the world. Summer internships can be full-time, for a minimum of four weeks, or part-time, for a minimum of eight weeks.
Where to find summer internships:
- Search on Career Hub
- Search for visa job listings on Student Circus
- Networking events
- Rate My Placement
- Prospects
- TARGETJobs
Let us know if you’ve secured a summer internship to get support from the Careers Service and receive 300 Rise Points. Register your summer internship.
Get experience with a charity or not-for-profit organisation while benefiting the environment, individuals or groups. Options range from one-off opportunities to longer-term commitments.
Rise gives you the opportunity to tailor your studies and get involved in experiences throughout the year that will help you to learn new skills, earn credits towards your degree and shape your future career.
Gain insight into someone’s role by observing them informally. Work shadowing is useful if you want experience in a particular sector or location. These opportunities are usually short-term, unpaid and arranged through speculative applications.
You can find opportunities by:
-
attending employer events
-
sending speculative applications
-
contacting Manchester Met alumni on LinkedIn
-
following organisations on social media
By gaining global experience, you can enhance your prospects and develop your skills while experiencing new cultures and perspectives. National and international companies increasingly look for graduates who:
-
have a global outlook
-
are sensitive to different cultures
-
can work well within multicultural teams
-
demonstrate resilience, flexibility and adaptability
What you will earn
We encourage all employers to pay the national minimum wage or higher for work experience, placements and internships. This does not apply to compulsory activity that is assessed as part of your course.
If there is an unpaid opportunity that will benefit your long-term career goal, it should not exceed two weeks. We encourage employers to offer travel expenses or other benefits if they cannot pay you.
When to apply
Allow plenty of time to apply. If you are looking for work over the summer, contact employers between January and Easter. Some schemes have closing dates in the autumn, so start your research as soon as possible.
The quality of your application will determine if you get invited for an interview. Our resources will help you apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.