Unpaid politics internship for law, helpful or not?

Would a post-GCSE unpaid summer internship with a public policy professor be useful for law applications? Could it be listed as work experience for UCAS applications?

Reply 1

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Hi there,

I am a student at Coventry University studying law.

An internship with a public policy professor can be very useful in the law application. It can be quite daunting, completing an unpaid internship, however these experiences will pay off. I know a student who studied law and wanted to involve herself in international human rights law, which meant completing a lot of unpaid volunteering work, however it was all worth it. Now they work for the European Commission.

Tip for your application: briefly explain what you did in the internship but definitely point out what you learnt from it and what skills you gained from the internship, and how this is useful in the future when you decide to work in the law field.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Narusha
Coventry University Student Ambassador

Reply 2

Muttley79

Original post by antique-prescrip

Would a post-GCSE unpaid summer internship with a public policy professor be useful for law applications? Could it be listed as work experience for UCAS applications?

Unpaid internships are not recommended.

Reply 3

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by antique-prescrip

Would a post-GCSE unpaid summer internship with a public policy professor be useful for law applications? Could it be listed as work experience for UCAS applications?

Hi there

I know that trying to secure paid law work experience can be really difficult, and it is okay to try an unpaid internship (and I would list it as work experience for applications and CVs).

I completed an unpaid internship over the summer. Even though I was not paid, I was happy about the experience overall, as it gave me a good insight into the legal practice, and I definitely developed quite a lot of skills throughout.

I think it depends on whether you prefer looking for internships (that could give you an insight into law) or perhaps other paid job opportunities. (Most jobs will give you the transferrable skills to study law, and it is your reflection on these experiences in your Personal statement that will reflect your skills and abilities). In your application, if you link the work experience to your interest in law, and how the work relates to law it should boost your application. Hope this helps.

Chloe
-University of Kent Student Rep