You may sometimes be required by your organisation to complete an internship agreement. This page gives you information on how to obtain an internship agreement when your future potential employer requests this document.
Whether or not LSE will accept to be signatory of an internship is entirely at the discretion of the School. Please check your eligibility and the instructions below before completing the Internship Agreement Request form via CareerHub.
The Internship Agreement Request form must be submitted for processing at least 21 working days before the start of the internship. Failure to do so may jeopardise the chances of receiving the necessary documents.
Eligibility
You must have already fully campus registered for the start of your programme and fit under one of the following criteria:
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You are enrolled on at least a yearlong programme at LSE studying full-time (or equivalent part-time).
Please ensure you check your registration status with the Student Services Centre or by requesting a Certificate of Registration as your registration status for the full duration of your internship may affect your eligibility with the employer to undertake the internship.
Registration status: Registered (for the full duration of the internship):
LSE Careers and the School are not an employer to you (the intern) and take a hands-off approach with internships; we will not be supervising the you, we will also not be able to cover any costs associated with the internship. We will review any obligations being placed on us by the potential employer/host organisation.
As a registered student we are normally only able to provide travel, personal accident and limited personal liability insurance. As part of the internship process the Health and Safety Team will need to approve your internship. If your internship takes place at any point during term time LSE Careers will contact your department for approval.
Registration status: Unregistered (for all or part of the internship):
LSE Careers and the School are not an employer to you (the intern) and take a hands-off approach with internships; we will not be supervising the you, we will also not be able to cover any costs associated with the internship. We will review any obligations being placed on us by the potential employer/host organisation.
If your internship takes place at any point during term time LSE Careers will contact your department for approval.
If at any point during the internship your registration is not registered, we will be unable to provide insurance (as a registered student we are normally only able to provide travel, personal accident and limited personal liability) and it will be the responsibility first and foremost of the employer/host organisation and then you to ensure the correct insurance cover is in place.
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You have completed your programme (at least a year-long programme at LSE studying full-time or equivalent part-time) in the last two years.
If you complete (or will complete) your programme at LSE at any point in the duration of the internship, it is important that your employer is aware of this as you will no longer be enrolled on your programme and this may affect your eligibility.
LSE Careers and the School are not an employer to you (the intern) and take a hands-off approach with internships; we will not be supervising you, we will also not be able to cover any costs associated with the internship. We will not accept any obligations being placed on us by the potential employer/host organisation.
Once you are no longer a registered student, we will also be unable to provide insurance (as a registered student we are normally only able to provide travel, personal accident and limited personal liability) and it will be the responsibility first and foremost of the employer/host organisation and then you to ensure the correct insurance cover is in place.
UK and EU students with settled or pre-settled status:
If your internship starts before the end of summer term or ends after the start of a new academic year, your department will need to provide approval for the internship agreement/document to be signed. LSE Careers will liaise directly with your department to obtain approval however, it is recommended that you speak with your department as early as possible so that they are aware of your intention. If your internship takes place outside of term time or once your programme has completed LSE Careers does not need to seek department approval.
EU/EEA students: The Visa Compliance Team in the Student Services will need to give approval for the internship to go ahead and EU/EEA students may be required to submit evidence of their status in the UK before an internship in the UK is approved. Please note, the School does not accept responsibility for assessing a student's right to work in paid or unpaid employment or as a volunteer. This verification properly rests with the employing organisation.
Students with visas:
The following information is for all students who have a Student visa (including EU and EEA students) and is for general guidance only. Please check directly the International Student Visa Advice Team for your individual circumstance and the most uptodate information. The Visa Compliance Team in the Student Services will need to give approval for the internship to go ahead.
1st, 2nd undergraduate students and 3rd year BSc PPE students
9/10 months taught postgraduate students and 1st year taught postgraduate students on a 2 year programme:
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To work full time in the UK, your internship must start after the end of the summer term and finish before the start of the new academic year. Full time work is permitted during vacations.
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You are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week during term time in the UK. For more information on your work rights, please contact the International Student Visa Advice Team (ISVAT). Full time work is permitted during vacations.
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Your department will need to provide approval for the internship agreement/document to be signed. LSE Careers will liaise directly with your department to obtain approval however, it is recommended that you speak with your department as early as possible so that they are aware of your intention. If your internship takes place outside of term time or once your programme has completed LSE Careers does not need to seek department approval.
- Please note, the School does not accept responsibility for assessing a student's right to work in paid or unpaid employment or as a volunteer. This verification properly rests with the employing organisation.
Final year undergraduate students:
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To work full time in the UK, your internship must start after the end of summer term. Full time work is permitted during vacations.
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You are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week during term time. For more information on your work rights, please contact International Student Visa Advice Team (ISVAT). Full time work is permitted during vacations.
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Your department will need to provide approval for the internship agreement/document to be signed. LSE Careers will liaise directly with your department to obtain approval however, it is recommended that you speak with your department as early as possible so that they are aware of your intention. If your internship takes place outside of term time or once your programme has completed LSE Careers does not need to seek department approval.
- Please note, the School does not accept responsibility for assessing a student's right to work in paid or unpaid employment or as a volunteer. This verification properly rests with the employing organisation.
12 months taught postgraduate students and 2nd year students on a 2 year taught postgraduate programme:
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You are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week during term time. For more information on your work rights, please contact International Student Visa Advice Team (ISVAT).
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You can work full time during the Christmas and Easter vacations.
Your summer term extends to your programme end date as it includes your dissertation writing period, as stipulated on your CAS and student records. You are eligible to request a vacation for a maximum of four weeks after the examination period until your programme end date, with the permission of your department. If you department permits your vacation, they should notify the Visa Compliance Team and contact LSE Careers with your vacation dates, so that the Visa Compliance Team can issue you a letter. This letter must be sent to LSE Careers. For more information, please read the section ‘Can I request a vacation?’ on the International Student Visa Advice Team (ISVAT) Working on a visa in the UK webpage.
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If your internship starts once your programme has completed LSE Careers does not need to seek department approval.
- Please note, the School does not accept responsibility for assessing a student's right to work in paid or unpaid employment or as a volunteer. This verification properly rests with the employing organisation.
How to get an internship agreement from LSE Careers
Please see below for instructions on how to request an internship agreement. LSE Careers has its own internship agreement which we will put together based on the information you provide in the internship agreement request form.
If the employer is not able to accept our internship agreement or has requested amendments to our internship agreement, although we endeavour to sign all agreements, there is no guarantee that we will be able to sign the agreement. On the Internship Agreement Request form you will be able to upload the employer's own agreement, you will also be able to request amendments to our own agreement. Please note that such agreements are required to be reviewed by the School’s legal team and this can, depending on the complexity of the agreement, take roughly 21 days.
1. Complete the Internship Agreement Request form. You will be asked to submit the below information:
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Dates of your internship
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Your address
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Employers name and address
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If the internship will be remote or in person and the address you will be working from
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Your job title and key duties and responsibilities
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How many hours a week you will be working
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The person responsible for you in the provider's business
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Renumeration and any extra information
2. Once you have submitted this information to us we will review the information and if approved create an internship agreement for you which you and the employer will need to sign and return.
More information
Please review our FAQs to learn more about our internship agreement process. If you have any further questions regarding your internship agreement that are not clarified by the information provided, please contact careers@lse.ac.uk.