Public Engagement Internships - Information for summer 2025 coming soon
Paid Internships
In Public and Community Engagement
Public and Community Engagement Internships
Gain work experience in public and community engagement by doing a paid internship for (typically) six weeks over the summer. You'll be hosted by an organisation in the West Midlands and funded by the Warwick Institute of Engagement. Hosts will include arts and culture organisations (such as theatres, museums and galleries) and other charities and organisations working with and empowering their local communities. You will be paid the real Living Wage during the internship.
What you'll gain
- Gain real-world experience of public/community engagement and develop your knowledge and skills in this area. Some opportunities may also include learning about community organising.
- Develop your transferable skills for future employment.
- Earn money over the summer, being paid the real Living Wage.
Of course, we hope your host organisation and the people they engage with will also gain a lot from the work you do during the internship!
Possible Activities and Projects
Depending on the host organisation, you might work on some of the following. Details of what you could work on will be included in the internship advert from each organisation when it's time for you to apply.
- Facilitating children's and adults' interaction with exhibitions
- Supporting interactive events and workshops for visitors - helping with preparation and delivery
- Supporting learning programmes for young people
- Supporting community engagement events and activities around Coventry and Warwickshire
- Working directly with artists on community engagement
- Supporting activities related to community organising
- Capturing evaluation data (qualitative and quantitative)
- Writing digital content about the projects you're supporting, e.g., blogs or social media posts
- Promoting events
- Photography
What are the internships like?
There were four internships in summer 2023. Read the interns' reflections on their experiences.
In 2023, the internships were at:
- Coventry Artspace
- Culture Coventry Trust (working across the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry Transport Museum and Lunt Roman Fort)
- Grapevine
- Warwick Arts Centre
Vacancies - Information about summer 2025 opportunities is coming soon. Details below are from our summer 2024 programme
Apply now for:
- Holiday Activity Programme Assistant - The Regional Partnerships and Strategy team at Warwick. Click here for the advert and application instructions. Apply by 5.00pm on Thursday 29th February.
- Digital Engagement Curator - Warwick Institute of Engagement. Click here for the advert and application instructions. Apply by 9.00am on Friday 1st March.
- Public Involvement Assistant - Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration. Click here for the advert and application instructions. Apply by midday on Friday 8th March.
Closed adverts:
- Audience Development Assistant (two roles available) - Warwick Arts Centre. Applications closed on 10th January.
- Learning and Engagement Assistant - Culture Coventry Trust. Applications closed on 7th January.
- Creative Community Projects Assistant - Together for Change at Saints community centre in Nuneaton. Applications closed on Monday 12th February.
Register for updates
Please fill in this form to join our internship mailing list. We'll let you know when it is time to apply for each internship. Please keep checking your email for updates, including during the vacation.
When can I apply?
Application windows for the summer internships will open at different times for each internship, between November and February. The adverts will be published on MyAdvantageLink opens in a new window. Find them by searching the keyword #wieinternships
Who can apply?
All current University of Warwick students are eligible to apply. Warwick alumni are eligible to apply up until one year after they have graduated.Questions?
If you have a question that isn't answered on this page, please get in touch with Helen Luckhurst at
.Support available from the University before, during and after your internship
- Learning and development resources from Warwick’s Student Opportunity team. These focus on employability skills and preparing you to have a successful internship. Explore the WorkReady toolkit.
- Learning and development resources and training from the Warwick Institute of Engagement. These focus on understanding key concepts in public engagement and developing practical skills. Visit our online Skills Festival 24 hours a day to learn in your own time, or book a space on one of our live masterclasses.
- A point of contact at Warwick during the internship.
Advice on applying and preparing for internships and other workLink opens in a new window
Explore the WorkReady toolkit made by Student Opportunity for help with applying and preparing for internships and other work experience as well as graduate jobs. You can also find help with capitalising on your work experience once you've completed it.Accommodation
Accommodation is not included in the internships. If you want to live on campus, you could look into vacation accommodation, which is run by the student information centre. Read information about vacation accommodation on their webpage. To find out more you can contact the student information centre.
Right to work in the UK
If you are a Student Visa holder, you can find information about your right to work in the UK on the
immigration team's FAQs. If you have further questions, please contact Warwick's Student Immigration team directly.
Unitemps will check all interns' right to work prior to their internship commencing.
Equality, diversity and your future career
Explore information, advice and support from the Warwick Careers Team (part of Student Opportunity):"We know that a postcode, a challenging school background, your experience as a first-generation university student or as a member of an underrepresented community should not define your employability chances.
Visit our webpages to find information about:
- Inform you about your rights to equality
- The support the Careers Service offers to help enhance and develop your employability and personal skills
- Events, workshops, and opportunities available through the Careers Service
- Opportunities from employers to help you overcome barriers, achieve your full potential and give you fair access to graduate roles
We are here to support you through career planning, career decision making and job searching."
Careers Team, Student Opportunity.