Employing a student can be as much about their potential as their existing skills and experience. Students are keen to learn and are open to development opportunities – they can be shaped to your values, culture and working practices without holding many preconceptions about work.
Anecdotally, employers find that students are goal-oriented, ambitious (often focused on growth rather than salary), entrepreneurial, tech-savvy, conscience-driven, innovative, inquisitive and hardworking, bringing a new perspective… but also keen to receive constant feedback, sometimes low in professional confidence and skills, and anxious about their future!
Students tend to thrive when they know how they fit into the bigger picture, and usually enjoy working with others to achieve team goals.
They want to be included and treated the same as any other employee on a practical level, but with additional supervision (especially at first) to bring out their best.
Work is one of many competing priorities: although students can work for up to 20 hours per week during term time, actual availability depends on their individual timetable and commitments (such as skill-enhancing Clubs and Societies),visa restrictions, or supporting themselves through their studies, financially.
The University may ask to visit you or their student, or ask you for an update on their progress, especially if they are undertaking a placement (part of degree) or have received a bursary.
Unlike previous cohorts of workers, today’s students are quick to share their experiences via word of mouth and social media!
Warwick's undergraduate students are in high demand for 12 month opportunities. This currently outweighs the available supply, so while we welcome a wide range of high-quality 12 month vacancies, please bear this in mind during the recruitment process. Vacation internships, part-time work and projects are the most popular and in-demand work experience formats.
We know students view vacancies most in September and October, and during the Spring term, but we can't accurately predict the extent to which your vacancy will be the right opportunity for the students reading it at its time of publication. We know that the most viewed vacancies over the last two years have been from these sectors:
• Financial and Insurance Activities • Information, Communication and Media • Management Consultantancy • Advertising, Marketing & PR • Engineering, Scientific Research • Education ... but we also know that students respond well to well-written vacancies in sectors and occupations they hadn't previously considered, and are open to being presented with something new!
For very technical or niche skills, there will naturally be a smaller cohort of suitably qualified/experienced students. It's worth checking if we offer this area of study (see right-hand column for Faculty links), but remember that some skills (e.g. coding) are also seen as hobbies and may be 'hidden' in unlikely places!
Students often don’t have access to private transport, so your location can impact on your offer's popularity. The option of remote working may provide the opportunity for wider reach.
Warwick students can study across a large number of departments, learning skills such as giving a presentation, report writing, research, analysis, teamworking and leadership, as well as their subject specific skills and knowledge
Many students take part in one of our hundreds of Clubs and Societies, building their interpersonal skills, leadership, team working, time-management, budgetary or event-organising techniques
Through the many paid, voluntary and funded opportunities available on-campus, students develop working skills such as professionalism, customer service and commercial awareness
Warwick students may also undertake work experience outside of the University
An opportunity that is a good investment for their time in terms of CV, reference and potential job outcome
Clear aims and objectives, clear cultural and practical expectations, e.g. hours and professional relationships
Hands-on opportunity to test a job and gain insights into the sector, organisation or workplace
Meaningful, appropriate work, chance for them to take responsibility and prove themselves
Want to be treated and valued as a member of the team
Guidance and support – Mentor/Buddy
Orientation, training and learning
Want their emphasis on learning to be recognised and acknowledged
Access to a supervisor, with feedback and direction
Networking opportunities
Apply their education and knowledge (when the work based experience is coupled with University-required learning activities, you may wish to give clear guidance about how to balance priorities)
Development opportunities such as chairing meetings, work shadowing another part of the organisation, coaching and mentoring schemes, personal and professional development courses
As of 2023/24 our total number of students are 28,065 including; 18,560 undergraduates and 9,505 postgraduates, of which 10,793 are non-UK students from over 147 countries.
