Join us at our postgraduate Open Event on Wednesday 16 November, book your place today.
Our Open Events offer both face-to-face and virtual options, providing an opportunity to meet our staff and current students across our UK and European campuses.
Category Archives: Student opportunities
Gender Affirmation Fund (trans, non-binary and gender-neutral students)
**This fund has now closed**
At Kent we want all our students to be able to live, work and study to the fullest of their abilities, and we want to ensure that we are removing as many barriers to that success as possible.
We recognise that transgender, non-binary and gender-neutral individuals face additional mental health pressures that are directly related to their gender identity. Many of these additional stresses are directly caused by the potential misalignment between how an individual presents in terms of clothing and appearance, and their own identity. This stress can have a direct impact upon an individual’s ability to work, study and engage in their academic commitments. A significant barrier causing this misalignment is the cost of having to purchase additional items to reduce gender dysphoria.
As part of our commitment to supporting students with their mental health, we have created the Gender Affirmation Fund. This fund is available to students who identify as transgender, non-binary or gender neutral and can be used to help support students with the costs of gender affirming items such as binders, clothing, packers, makeup, hair extensions, pouches, Stand To Pee devices, gendered religious headwear or clothing and minor cosmetic procedures such as ear piercing or for managing body hair to help individuals feel more comfortable in their own bodies.
Applications are now open, and the fund is available to any student who identifies as transgender, non-binary or gender neutral and can be accessed once in your academic career. The only eligibility criteria is that you must be a registered student enrolled on any University of Kent academic programme.
How to prepare for the South East Virtual Careers Fair 2022
The South East Virtual Careers Fair 2022 takes place on Wednesday 19 October, and here’s how you can prepare:
- Register early
University of Kent students have early access to book appointments with exhibitors. Register now. - Create a profile
Exhibitors can search the attendee profiles for students that meet their recruitment criteria and reach out to invite you to chat. - Do your research.
View the company profiles and virtual booths and find out about their opportunities. Many staff representatives add their LinkedIn information. Take a look at who you will be meeting with; what field do they work in? Any projects that interest you? - Exhibitors will be giving live “pitch” presentations on zoom throughout the day.
Check out the list on the platform and decide on which ones you want to attend. Write down any questions you have during the session, then visit the virtual booth to find out more. - What will an employer want to know about you?
Have in mind a short overview about your background, studies and career goals. You’ll then have a clearer idea about what you want to say when meeting. - If there is the option, always turn your video on
It looks more professional and helps to build rapport when you can see who you are speaking with. If you do not have video capability or a poor connection, let the recruiter know. - Be engaged in the conversation and actively listen.
Smile and try to maintain good eye contact, looking into the camera when speaking. - Follow up.
If you had a good conversation, connect with the employer afterwards e.g., on LinkedIn. - Apply!
Make a note of deadlines and start your applications. Mention any valuable conversations in your application, highlighting what you learnt and why that’s encouraged you to apply!
Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser
Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser
You can access help through online or face-to-face appointments using our booking system, where you will find 15-minute Quick Advice appointments, 45-minute Careers Guidance appointments, or even practice interview slots for when you have a job interview lined up.
If you aren’t sure what you want to do after Kent, a Careers Guidance appointment will help you in making decisions and future plans. If you just have a quick question, or would like a CV or application reviewed, a Quick Advice appointment is best.
Online resources
There’s also have a practice interview system that will help you improve your video interview performance.
If you find yourself being invited for an assessment centre, you might want to check out the practice tests which give feedback on how you are performing. If you’re looking to gain some experience, but want to work remotely, check out the guide to developing skills at home.
Become a Student Ambassador
Be inspirational, be a Student Ambassador.
Are you interested in sharing your experience and knowledge of university life with the wider community? Then why not help others and gain valuable experience by becoming a Student Ambassador!
The University of Kent’s Student Ambassador Scheme employs enthusiastic undergraduate and postgraduate students to represent the University at on-campus events, in local schools and colleges, in the community and online.
Students can apply to be an ambassador for:
- The Central Ambassador Scheme
- The Academic Divisional Ambassador Scheme
- BOTH the Central Scheme and their Academic Division.
Medway students are particularly encouraged to apply.
Check out the Student Ambassador vacancy webpage for more information about how to apply.
Some deadlines are coming up very soon so if you’re interested, check it out today.
Join a focus group to shape the student experience off campus
Have you lived, or are you planning to live, off campus whilst studying at Kent? A huge percentage of our students live in their local community and we need your help to shape the student experience off campus. College and Community Life are running a few community living focus groups to discuss what students living in the city want from support teams, events, volunteering and community building opportunities.
We love being in the heart of Canterbury, a beautiful historical city with a lot to offer its local residents; and we want to know how, we as a university, can help to make your off-campus experience the best it can possibly be.
The focus groups will be held online between Wednesday 3 August and Thursday 11 August 2022, with the Community Life Officer Josh.
We will be talking about:
- What events and community building would you like us to organise off campus?
- What is the best way to share information about the university, events, and internal and external support services?
- What is the best way to get in touch with your house off campus?
- What will help to improve your sense of belonging in the local community?
We will be offering a £10 voucher to all participants for an hour-long online focus group on Microsoft Teams.
If you are interested in signing up, please fill out this online focus group interest form, and we will be in touch!
Apply for funding to support unpaid work, training or a networking event
Are you planning to undertake some unpaid work experience this summer? Or, are you looking to complete a training course or attend a networking event? You could be entitled to funding to support the costs of your experience!
The Careers and Employability Service are able to provide funding to current students of at least £150, towards the cost of travel, training fees and work attire for opportunities that will support your employability.
This is open to current students, who’ll be returning to their studies for at least one term, after the opportunity has taken place. You can claim the funding against costs incurred in the first 3 weeks (or 120 hours) of your opportunity, which will be reimbursed after the experience has taken place.
Many students have already taken advantage of this; helping them to take part in valuable experiences, to develop their employability. Here are just a couple of the experiences students have undertaken with the help of the funding:
“The University of Kent Work Experience Bursary has allowed me to advance my experience, technical knowledge and professional skill-set, in the Heritage and Estate Management sectors. I benefitted from the Work Experience Bursary during a two-week period of professional-level work experience at Chiddingstone Castle in West Kent. My time at Chiddingstone Castle has significantly improved my professional skill-set and I believe will enhance my opportunities for employment in the future.”
“Thanks to the University of Kent Work Experience Bursary, I was able to afford travel to and from my unpaid extended work experience placement, along with appropriate work attire. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with established artists from varying backgrounds, see first-hand how seasoned curators organise an exhibition, while learning crucial knowledge about sales, the relationship between a gallery and its artists, how to interact with potential clients, how artwork is displayed within the gallery and on social media.”
“The University of Kent Work Experience Bursary has enabled me to continue on a two-month legal internship at Whitestone Chambers in London, a highly specialised commercial set of Chambers. Attending hearings made me realise that commercial litigation goes far beyond my assumption of big businesses bringing cases against each other, but in fact it is far more personal, and is now an area of the law I will consider for my own career more seriously than prior to my internship.”
To apply, you just need to complete a simple online application form. Requests for reimbursement need to be received by mid-July 2022.
Access the form and read the full terms and conditions see the Work Opportunities Fund webpage.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Access skills development training and quizzes for free
Over the years, The MTD Training Group have provided several courses as part of the Employability Points programmes.
These have included Management Training Courses, Sales Training Courses and also access to an Online Learning Platform.
They are now giving all Kent students access to several FREE resources to help them with their studies and to also help prepare them for the working world.
Benchmarks your management and leadership skills against 12 competencies and 96 key skills. Learners receive a personalised report with the findings and tips on how to improve.
Just how good are you at coaching? Answer 36 questions and receive a personalised report of the results and areas to work on.
How emotional intelligent are you? We’re talking EQ not IQ here. How good are you are recognising and then managing your emotions? This 50-question diagnostic will reveal all.
Answer 64 questions and receive a personalised report on your sales and influencing skills.
Further information on management and leadership apprenticeships.
Over 1,000 quality articles and blogs on leadership and management theories and models.
Over 1,000 tips and techniques on how to improve your sales and marketing.
Sales Techniques & Free Sales Training Material
Videos, audios, and cheat sheets to help you improve your sales and sales management skills.
Applications open for Internship Experience UK, 20-22 June
Applications are now open for Internship Experience UK,which is taking place on 20-22 June.
Created to help you explore a new sector and upskill, this is the no.1 virtual internship experience to supercharge your CV ahead of the autumn application season. Better yet, you’ll also be able to hear from top employers who have renowned internship, placement and graduate programmes and ask them your questions on how to secure a role.
What is Internship Experience UK?
Internship Experience UK is a three-day virtual internship programme which takes place every summer – each year is a completely new programme designed to support you with your career. So far, over 140,000 students and graduates have taken part and reaped the rewards of spending a few days of their summer with the world’s top employers. 10,000 of them have even secured roles with the firms they met on the experience. Now it’s your turn!
You can join any one of the following streams, with no experience or prior knowledge required:
- Business, Operations & Marketing
- Commercial Law
- Financial Services & Consulting
- Investment Banking & Asset Management
- Public Sector, Policy & Charity
- Technology
Can’t make the live experiences or want to take more than one stream? You can always catch up and take multiple streams with Internship Experience UK On-Demand.
How does it work?
12+ leading businesses and organisations will be joining each stream, running sessions to help you enhance your CV and get a taste of what it’s like to work in your chosen sector by completing a work sample.
With the majority of employers hiring more graduates, and none hiring fewer than last year, Internship Experience UK is the perfect springboard to land your dream role.
What’s new for 2022?
- Meet the winner of The Apprentice and top business mogul, Tim Campbell, who will be joining us as the keynote speaker. As an MBE for Enterprise Culture, author of one of Amazon’s Top 10 business books and co-founder of the Bright Ideas Trust (a charity that helps young people set up their own businesses), Tim is a fantastic person to learn from at the start of your career journey.
- Complete internship-style projects set by top global employers to help you familiarise yourself with the types of tasks you’d be doing as a graduate. Completing the work sample provides you with a tangible example to talk about in your interviews that can make you stand out from the competition.
- Each year features even more top employers for you to meet and be trained by on a range of new topics. In 2022, you’ll meet: Amazon, Bank of America, Bloomberg, British Airways, Clyde & Co, EY, Google, Macquarie, Nestle, Ofcom, PwC, PA Consulting, Teach First, Vodafone… and many more still to be announced!
Who is Internship Experience UK for?
Students and graduates at any level are welcome to apply to Internship Experience UK.
Whether you’re certain about joining a specific industry or have no idea what you want to do or where to start, Internship Experience UK is for you! You don’t need any previous experience – this is a chance for you to learn about different sectors and gain clarity over what roles suit you.
Took part in the 2021 stream and wondering if you can still take part? This year’s programme is completely new so you can build on your learnings from previous experiences with training on new topic areas, meet new employers and widen your network.
How to apply
Applications for Internship Experience UK 2022 are now open. To apply, click on the stream you’re interested above.
Any questions in the meantime? Take a look at the FAQ page.
Job opportunity: Work at Lambeth Conference this summer
Are you looking to earn some extra money this summer?
The Commercial Services & Estates catering team are looking for enthusiastic, hard-working individuals to lend a hand at this year’s Lambeth Conference (18 July – 10 August).
What is the Lambeth Conference?
Meeting around every ten years since 1867, the Lambeth Conference is an international meeting of Anglican bishops convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The conference takes place across venues at the University of Kent, Canterbury Cathedral, and Lambeth Palace during the British summer of 2022.
Over six hundred bishops (and their partners), from all over the world, will travel to the conference.
What roles are available?
To ensure the Lambeth Conference is a success, the catering team are looking to recruit extra Food and Beverage Assistants and Bar Bistro Supervisors to help deliver a professional and memorable catering experience.
Duties will include:
- Assisting with the preparation and serving of meals and beverages.
- Providing first class customer service.
- Ensuring kitchen and service areas are clean and tidy.
- Working within a team to provide a high-quality catering experience.
Applicants must have a can-do attitude, bags of energy, and be willing to muck in! They will need to be able to work quickly and accurately within a busy environment and have a flexible approach to work.
Working at the Lambeth Conference will be challenging, but it will also be exciting and rewarding.
This is a great way to gain experience in the catering industry; and add valuable, transferable skills to a CV!
FREE on-campus accommodation will be available to those working 35 hours or more!
How to apply?
For more information, please email Adam Watkins A.P.J.Watkins@kent.ac.uk.