Unable to do summer internships due to UK visa restrictions

Hello,

I'll be doing a 12-month full-time master's program at the LSE. UK student visa rules stipulate that full-time work under a student visa (including internships) can only be undertaken in vacation periods (i.e. not during a university term). Is there a way around this?

I'm not necessarily aiming for IB (though I posted this on the IB forum because I thought it would be relevant for others as well), but this policy restricts me from seeking a summer full-time position in any role. There has to be a way around this, right?

I know other LSE masters students manage to do summer internships, though it should be kept in mind that their masters programs are usually shorter.

I'd appreciate any help, Thanks!

11 Comments
 

Are you sure that you will be attending classes for the full 12 months with no vacation period? Then yes, you won't be able to undertake any internships.

Same reason why I can't apply for off-cycles here as an intl undergrad

 

Unfortunately, I am sure of this. I have to complete a summer term that lasts until late September. I honestly did not know that these were the rules prior to selecting the program. My fault honestly.

One way to make up for the lack of a summer internship is to seek out solid and relevant part-time positions throughout my masters, but I doubt that would add the same kind of value. Otherwise, I have to seek internships starting after September, or directly apply for full-time positions.

 

Might be wrong, but I expect you’ll have official term dates that still track the rest of LSE. Your classes will be done around Easter and then it will be exams in May and thesis work onwards. 
 

Would check with the careers/international student office, but I would genuinely expect this to be a non issue from a visa perspective providing you stay inside the LSE summer vacation dates. 

 

Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case.

If you are a 12 month or second year Masters student, you do not benefit from a summer vacation. You are still academically engaged with writing your dissertation at this point. This means you are unable to take a full time position starting before the official end date of your programme as stated on your CAS.

https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/immigration-advice/Working-on-a…

I think some people do evade the rules but I personally wouldn't risk it.

 

Unfortunately OP, it seems you are 100% right. That actually sucks for internationals, I'd never realised this was a problem.

If you don't have previous IBD experience then tbh, it might not be worth doing the masters at all since recruiting for FT IB may be difficult.

Edit: just seen you're not aiming for IB necessarily. But that sentiment would apply to most FO positions.

 

I'm personally more interested in consulting so this is less of an issue (I think?), but I still wanted to shoot my shot and send a few IB apps so this is a bit disappointing I guess. I'll probably shoot for off-cycle internships for IB, but I understand that these are more difficult to get and less likely to convert to FT offers. Any insight? Thanks.

 

Program is 12 months long extending until late September 2022, with the summer period used for dissertation. Unfortunately these are UK visa regulations (not just from the university). If the university finds out, they have the obligation of reporting me to visa authorities and I could lose my visa. That's not a risk I'd be willing to take.

 

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