Guide · Updated 15 November 2026 · 10 min read
2026 guide: finding an internship in the UK
Since Brexit, an internship in the UK requires a sponsored visa, even for a few weeks and even without pay. In return, an intern coming from France is in practice paid the minimum wage: £12.71 an hour from age 21, or about £2,065 a month.
This guide is for students enrolled at a French institution who are citizens of the European Union, other than Irish citizens. It explains what changes compared with France, how to search, and how to get the visa once you have accepted an offer.
Key points
The internship is paid. The UK minimum wage applies to overseas interns doing real work.
The visa goes through a sponsor. An approved organisation issues the certificate of sponsorship, then you apply for the GAE visa from France.
Six months is the right length. Beyond that, the healthcare surcharge takes the visa from £340 to £1,375.
How much does an intern earn in the UK?
UK law has no intern status. An intern doing real work is a worker, with the rights that come with it: minimum wage and paid holiday. Source: GOV.UK.
- 12,71 £
- an hour from age 21, since 1 April 2026. That is about £2,065 a month for 37.5 hours a week.
- GOV.UK, minimum wage rates
- 10,85 £
- an hour from age 18 to 20. That is about £1,765 a month on the same basis.
- GOV.UK, minimum wage rates
Why the minimum wage also applies to a French student
The law makes an exception for students who must do an internship of less than a year as part of a course taken in the UK. A course taken in France does not qualify. HMRC’s manual is explicit: overseas students who are legally permitted to work in the UK are entitled to the minimum wage, whether or not the internship is part of their course. Source: HMRC.
Two cases remain without the minimum wage. The first is observation with no real work, known as work shadowing. The second is work done as part of Erasmus+: the same manual excludes from the minimum wage work done for an employer as part of the programme, which reopens in the UK in 2027. Source: HMRC.
What changes compared with an internship in France?
| Topic | United Kingdom | France |
|---|---|---|
| Right of entry | GAE visa required, obtained through a sponsoring organisation | Nothing to do for an EU citizen |
| Salary | Minimum wage: £12.71 an hour from age 21 | At least €4.50 an hour beyond two months |
| Status | No intern status: real work makes you a worker | Specific status, three-party agreement |
| Duration | Summer internships of 8 to 12 weeks, placements of 6 to 12 months; 12 months at most with the visa | Often 4 to 6 months |
| Timing | Large programmes: applications from September to December for the following summer | Offers published four to six months ahead |
Words used in listings
- Internship
- An internship, often a summer internship of 8 to 12 weeks.
- Placement, industrial placement
- A long internship of 6 to 12 months, often called a year in industry.
- Spring week
- A one-week discovery programme, mainly in finance.
- Graduate scheme
- A hiring programme for recent graduates. It is not an internship.
- Assessment centre
- A day of assessment: group exercises, interviews, case study.
- Certificate of Sponsorship
- A reference number issued by the sponsor, required to apply for the visa.
What about the EU–UK youth scheme?
The UK and the European Union are negotiating a youth mobility scheme, the Youth Experience Scheme. It has not been concluded or opened to applications, and the deadline for agreeing its terms could slip to May 2027. For an internship in 2027, plan on the GAE visa. Source: The Boar.
How do I find the internship?
Allow eight to ten months between starting your search and leaving: the sponsor and the visa come on top of recruitment.
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Choose the city and type of company, ten months ahead
London has the vast majority of offers in finance, consulting, tech and media, with very expensive housing. Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol are growing in tech and finance, with lower rents. Cambridge and Oxford attract research, biotech and deeptech.
Large companies have well-run internship programmes, fixed dates and experience of sponsorship. Smaller ones recruit later and more flexibly, but rarely know the GAE visa: you will need to explain it.
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Adapt your application, nine to ten months ahead
A CV in English of one or two pages, with no photo, age or marital status: that is the UK norm. A one-page cover letter aimed at the role.
State in your application that you will need a GAE sponsor and that you will arrange it through a specialist organisation. The employer then knows it does not have to become a sponsor.
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Look for offers, from September to April for a summer internship
LinkedIn and Indeed UK for volume. Bright Network, TARGETjobs, Prospects and RateMyPlacement for offers aimed at students, Gradcracker for science, engineering and tech. Large companies’ summer programmes often open in September and sometimes close before Christmas.
Sponsoring organisations also post offers, and your school’s alumni network in the UK is another way in.
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Write to someone at the company
Large programmes receive huge numbers of online applications, and small companies post few offers. A message to the team manager or to an alumnus of your school lets you explain the visa before the interview.
Screeningpass finds a person in the team linked to the offer and their work email, and drafts a message from your CV. It can also look for alumni of your school at the company. Why write to a person.
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Get through selection
Expect online tests of numerical and logical reasoning, then competency-based interviews: prepare concrete examples with the STAR method, for situation, task, action and result. Large programmes add an assessment centre.
Before signing, check that the offer states the pay, the dates and who pays for the sponsor and the visa.
How do I get the GAE visa?
This is the longest step. Start it as soon as you sign the offer, at least two months before leaving.
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Find a sponsor
For an internship, the sponsor is an organisation running an approved exchange scheme, not the company. BUNAC, for example, sponsors JENZA’s Intern UK programme, listed from US$1,655. The sponsor checks the offer and the training plan before committing. Source: JENZA.
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Receive the Certificate of Sponsorship
It is a reference number, not a paper document. It summarises your internship, its sponsor and its length, and is valid for three months.
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Apply for the visa online from France
You apply on GOV.UK before leaving. Allow about three weeks for processing from abroad. The visa is electronic, an eVisa linked to your passport. Source: GOV.UK.
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Show your savings
You must hold at least £1,270 for 28 days in a row before applying, unless your employer commits to covering your first month’s costs up to that amount. This money is not spent: it just has to be in your account. Source: GOV.UK.
Beyond six months, the visa costs four times as much
Fees paid to the UK government for a GAE visa applied for from France, in pounds
Application feeHealthcare surcharge
Internship of 6 months or less
Internship of 7 to 12 months
View the figures
| Internship length | Application fee | Healthcare surcharge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months or less | 340 £ | 0 £ | 340 £ |
| 7 to 12 months | 340 £ | 1 035 £ | 1 375 £ |
The healthcare surcharge only applies to visas longer than six months applied for from abroad. An internship of six months or less therefore cuts the bill considerably. Source: GOV.UK.
The internship must also be supernumerary: it is in addition to normal staffing and does not replace a permanent or vacant post, even temporarily. Sponsors have been checking this more closely since April 2025. Source: Lewis Silkin.
What other steps before and after arriving?
The internship agreement
Your school’s three-party agreement is still needed to count the internship towards your degree. UK companies do not always know this document: send it early and explain that it comes in addition to the UK contract or offer letter, without replacing it.
Health and social security
With a visa longer than six months, the healthcare surcharge gives you access to the NHS like a resident. With a visa of six months or less, take your European Health Insurance Card: it remains valid in the UK for medically necessary care during a temporary stay. Also check your top-up insurance or your school’s. Source: Cleiss.
Once there, apply online for your National Insurance number, the UK social security number. You can start working before you receive it.
Funding: Erasmus+ returns in 2027
The UK rejoins Erasmus+ on 1 January 2027. Its contribution is only set for 2027, and what follows is still to be negotiated. Ask your school’s international office from which dates it will open placements to the UK. Source: The Brussels Times.
Erasmus+ does not replace the visa. And an internship done as part of the programme falls outside the minimum wage: compare what the company and the grant would pay you before choosing.
Housing and banking
Search on SpareRoom for flatshares, and Rightmove and Zoopla for rentals. In London, a room in a flatshare can take nearly half of an intern’s minimum-wage pay: set a budget before accepting an offer. Never pay a deposit before you or someone you trust has visited the place.
For banking, a digital bank such as Monzo or Revolut opens in minutes and is enough to receive your pay.
What should I check before leaving?
- Offer signed, with pay at least equal to the minimum wage, the dates and who covers the sponsor fees.
- GAE sponsor chosen and application accepted.
- Certificate of Sponsorship received.
- £1,270 held for 28 days, unless the employer commits to cover it.
- Visa obtained before leaving.
- Agreement signed by the company, the school and you.
- European Health Insurance Card and insurance checked, for an internship of six months or less.
- Erasmus+ application submitted, if the school opens it for your dates.
- Housing found, visited or checked.
- National Insurance number to apply for on arrival.
Your questions
Do I need a visa for a short internship in the UK?
Yes, even for a few weeks and even if unpaid. Visitors cannot do internships. An EU citizen, other than an Irish citizen, needs the Government Authorised Exchange visa, obtained through a sponsoring organisation.
Does an internship in the UK have to be paid?
In practice, yes. An intern doing real work is entitled to the minimum wage, and HMRC states that this applies to overseas students, even if the internship is part of their course. The exceptions are work shadowing with no real work, and work done as part of Erasmus+.
How much does the internship visa cost?
£340 application fee. For a visa longer than six months, add the healthcare surcharge, £1,035 a year. Sponsor fees come on top: JENZA, for example, lists its internship programme from US$1,655.
Can the company sponsor me itself?
Generally not. For an internship, the sponsor is an organisation that runs an exchange scheme approved by the UK government. The company hosts the intern; the organisation checks the offer and issues the certificate of sponsorship.
Does my European Health Insurance Card work in the UK?
Yes, for medically necessary care during a temporary stay, under the agreement between the European Union and the UK. Beyond six months, the healthcare surcharge paid with the visa gives you access to the NHS.
Where to start?
Choose the city, then shortlist about ten companies there that take interns and check when their programmes open. The Screeningpass catalogue lists internship offers published in the UK, with the city and company for each one.