Sarah, BUIP intern in Careers Network, summer 2017
This title states the obvious – after all, BUIP stands for Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Programme – but the name highlights why this internship scheme offers more than those in other organisations. As you are probably aware, it can be difficult to get meaningful work experience as an undergraduate: from my perspective as a College of Arts and Law student, we hear of the large, prestigious companies that are highly competitive and sometimes inaccessible due to their location (like London) or their unpaid placements. The BUIP programme on the other hand is open to non-final year undergraduates only, including first years like me, and you work on campus over the summer. The main attraction though is having responsibility over your own project. Far from the status of student being held against you, instead you are valued for your work and insight. It is a paid internship where you are treated as a colleague rather than an extra. I have really appreciated the supportive environment and the many benefits of doing an internship at the university rather than externally.