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Interested in hosting an internship? Find more information about the scheme, how it works and how it might benefit your organisation.
Key Information:
The UCL Social Data Institute equips students with the skills to understand, interpret, evaluate - and importantly - produce research from a wide range of data. Now in its 9th year, our internship programme places students with organisations either already working with data or who need some temporary data expertise.
If you participate in the scheme, we ask that:
- Internships are around 6 weeks in length (mid June - September)
- Your organisation pays the student a wage of at least London Living Wage (£13.85/hr in 2025)
- Interns are assigned a supervisor from your organisation to support their work
If you are interested in hiring a UCL Social Data Institute student on a summer internship, we will send you a short form to provide information about the post, a brief description of the work the student would be doing, and the skill level required.
Students apply for roles in April, and the UCL Social Data Institute will send you a shortlist of applicants to interview in May, with internships commencing in June/July/August. All internships should be completed by the end of September.
Internship Brochure
FAQ's:
What is the Social Data Institute Internship and how does it work?
The Social Data Institute internship is an opportunity for UCL students from the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences to apply their data skills in a real-world setting. The internships focus on data-related projects that are exclusive to our students and hosted by our partner organisations.
The Social data Institute works with the host organisation to help advertise, shortlist and place the student in the internship. The Social Data Institute also checks in with the host organisation and student whilst the internship is in place to make sure that both parties are happy. After the internship has taken place we ask students and organisation to write reflective statements so that we can greater understand how the placement has gone.
How long do the internships last?
Internships typically last 6 weeks, however, they can be extended if the project is ongoing, and the host organisation would like to keep the student on.
Which organisation have undertaken the internships in the past?
We work with a number of partners and organisations such as the Financial Times, CPI, the British Red Cross as well as a number of smaller more bespoke consultancies and charities. You can see some of the companies we've worked with in the past below:
How much does an internship cost?
We ask that students are paid at least London living wage which is currently £13.85 per hour in 2025. We also ask that organisations consider covering some travel/food costs for the interns.
Do the internships need to take place in person or remotely?
This completely depends on your organisation and how you would like the internships to take place. Internships can take place, in person, remotely or a hybrid style of both in person and remote.
Partner Feedback:
Our interns joined us during an exceptionally busy period for our team (during the July 2024 UK general election), and having the extra capacity was incredibly helpful and made a significant difference in our ability to conduct research into political candidates and manage requests from clients. Seeing their political/data knowledge and confidence develop over the internship was also hugely rewarding to see, and made us feel proud to be a part of their development. As the internship covered 10 weeks they essentially became full members of our team with their own responsibilities, rather than just helping us with odd jobs and basic tasks. DoDs Political Intelligence “
“Great quality candidates who have the right data and analytical skills to be able to provide meaningul support to programms. [The} UCL students [we've hosted] appear very interested in pursuing a career in climate finance and very engaged in the sector and subject matter. Climate Policy Initiative
It was wonderful having the interns around. They worked really hard and helped us test new ideas. Their contributions provided valuable support that we otherwise wouldn’t have. Save the Children UK