Intern in Britain Information for Employers

Employer information - BUNAC’s Intern in Britain programme enables you as a UK employer to benefit from additional temporary input from experienced individuals of any nationality.

The new Intern in Britain programme is officially known as the BUNAC Blue Card Internship Programme and is a Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange (GAE). As a Tier 5 sponsor, BUNAC is authorised by the UK Border Agency to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to successful applicants. Interns will be issued with a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa before entering Britain.

This new programme provides you with an opportunity to offer an internship for up to six months within your UK-based company or organisation to a student or recent graduate of any nationality. The internship offered should be a structured placement for at least 25 hours a week that will help the participant build relevant skills and experience and must be at a skill level equivalent to S/NVQ level 3 or above.

Under the terms of this visa, the position offered must be supernumerary, i.e. interns should not fill vacancies in the workforce and must do work that is additional to your normal staffing requirements. Positions must comply with all relevant United Kingdom and European legislation, such as the National Minimum Wage Act.

The employer must be a UK registered company, a UK registered charity or registered with a UK government department. If the company or organization is not registered in the UK then BUNAC can not offer sponsorship for the internship. If you are in any doubt please contact BUNAC for more information before the intern applies.

Interns can be of any nationality but must be aged 18 or over and currently be a full-time degree level student, or a graduate intending to begin the internship no more than 12 months beyond the end of study. The programme allows the intern to work at a pre-arranged site anywhere in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for up to 6 months. It is not possible to extend this. Participants cannot bring dependents to the UK on this programme.

Your responsibilities as an employer

You should ensure that the internship is appropriate to your needs and those of the intern. It should be designed to help the intern gain overseas experience and ensure their time in the UK is worthwhile
Discuss the internship thoroughly with your potential intern before the intern starts the visa application process. Ensure they know exactly what their role will be, what will be expected of them, where they will be based, what they will be paid and how they will be supervised etc
Although it is the intern’s responsibility to prepare for life in the UK and they will be fully briefed by BUNAC, it would be helpful if you could provide as much information as possible on the local accommodation options, cost of living and local transport etc
You may need to accommodate a site visit by a BUNAC member of staff during the internship. They will need to spend some time with both the intern and the intern supervisor.

Application procedure

You must complete and sign the Employer Application & Agreement and send it to the intern. He/she will then sign it and send it as part of their complete application to BUNAC’s US office. Once the application has been approved, BUNAC will issue the intern with a unique Certificate of Sponsorship reference number which will enable him/her to apply for their UK visa. Find out the full details about the intern’s application procedure.

Financial Support

Interns must demonstrate to BUNAC the ability to support themselves financially for the duration of their intended stay in the UK. It is, therefore, important that both parties are agreed on the remuneration to be provided. Please note that all work in the UK (including internships) is subject to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and all other relevant UK legislation. It is your responsibility to ensure and declare that the position is NMW compliant. See www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/pay/ for more details.

In certain circumstances an Intern may be classed as a volunteer and thus not be liable to receive National Minimum Wage. However, being a volunteer does not simply mean that the intern is willing to work for no pay. You and the intern must agree that you have no contract or formal arrangements and the intern is under no obligation to perform any specific work or carry out instructions. The intern is able to come and go to work as he/she pleases and will have no expectation of, and will not receive, any payment or tangible benefit (including accommodation) for the work he/she does. BUNAC will ask you to verify this before issuing the Certificate of Sponsorship.

During the internship

The intern will be required to attend an arrival orientation at the BUNAC office in central London before starting work with you, as well as keeping BUNAC informed of their contact details. BUNAC staff will be on hand throughout the placement should you have any questions and may arrange a site visit to meet both the placement supervisor and intern. Click for more details about what is expected of the Intern during their placement.