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 an employer requests this document.
To obtain an internship agreement, please check your eligibility below and submit the Internship Agreement Request form on CareerHub. To avoid delays, please submit your request at least 21 days before the internship starts. Please note, whilst we endeavour to sign every internship agreement request we receive, if the eligibility criteria are not met, we may be unable to provide a signature.
Eligibility
To be eligible for an internship agreement from LSE Careers you must:
- Have fully completed campus registration.
- Be a current student or recent graduate (0 – 2 years after programme end date).
Please note, your programme end date is not the same as your official graduation date.
LSE take a hands-off approach to internships; the School are not your employer, don’t have a supervisory role in you internship and won’t 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.
Current students
If your internship takes place at any point during term time LSE Careers will contact your department for approval.
We are normally 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 extends beyond your programme end date, LSE can only provide insurance while you are a registered student. You must inform your employer of your programme end date as this might affect your eligibility.
Internships with the OECD
LSE offers internship agreements for OECD internships. Please check your eligibility, as many OECD internships require you to be enrolled as a student for the entire duration of your internship. For more information, visit https://www.oecd.org/en/about/careers/internships.html.
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 Student Advice and Engagement Team for your individual circumstance and the most up-to-date information. They will also 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:
- To work full time in the UK, your internship must start after the end of the spring term and finish before the start of the new academic year. Full time work is permitted during vacations.
- You are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week during term time in the UK. For more information on your work rights, you can cohort specific information on this web page. Full time work is permitted during vacations.
- 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:
- To work full time in the UK, your internship must start after the end of summer term. Full time work is permitted during vacations.
- You are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week during term time. For more information on your work rights, please read the following web page: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/immigration-advice/Working-on-a-visa-in-the-UK. Full time work is permitted during vacations.
- 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:
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 Student Advice and Engagement Team and contact LSE Careers with your vacation dates, so that the Student Advice and Engagement 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 following Working on a visa in the UK webpage.
- 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.
Graduates (0-2 years)
You can still request an internship agreement from LSE for up to two years after your programme end date.
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, as this may affect your eligibility for the internship.
Once you are no longer a registered student, we will also be unable to provide insurance (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.
How to request an internship agreement
Please use the Internship agreement request form to begin the process.
LSE Careers has its own internship agreement which we will put together based on the information you provide in the internship agreement request form.
Although we endeavour to sign all agreements, if your employer is not able to accept our internship agreement, or has requested amendments to our internship agreement, there is no guarantee that we will be able to sign the agreement.
If using an employer’s own agreement, you will be able to upload this on the request form. 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.
When completing the form you will need the following information:
- Dates of your internship
- Your address
- Employers name and address
- If the internship will be remote or in person and the address you will be working from
- Your job title and key duties and responsibilities
- How many hours a week you will be working
- The person responsible for you in the provider's business
- Renumeration and any extra information
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