Creative Internships

What is a creative internship?

A creative internship is a short-term (one to six months) work experience opportunity designed to give you a full taste of the creative industry. You’ll spend your time working on real projects, adding to your portfolio and getting involved in the day-to-day running of office life. They’re great if you’re looking to try out an industry but don’t want the full-time year commitment of a placement year.

They usually take place during the summer holidays between your second and final year, but you can also intern after university.

Creative internships are super diverse, too. The creative pathway you choose will depend on your interests and the skills you want to develop, but these are some of the most common types: 

• Graphic design. Creating visual content, branding, and digital assets across multiple platforms

• Copywriting. Crafting compelling copy for campaigns, social media, websites and marketing materials

• Social media. Curating a brand’s online presence by creating content and engaging with audiences across multiple platforms.

• UX/UI design. Using research and visual design to create experiences that make websites and apps easier and engaging

• Production. Turning concepts into real-life outputs (think film, music, advertising and more).

Looking for an internship in broader design? We’ve got a guide for that:

There are loads more exciting pathways in the creative industry, like journalism, fashion design, VFX, SFX and game design. Now you know what they are, what do you actually do? Let’s explore.

What does a creative intern do?

Creative interns will get responsibility from the jump, and you’ll get involved in so much. What you get out of it will depend on the type of internship you want.

Some creative internships allow you to wear multiple hats to get a feel for the various cogs of the industry. Others will give you the chance to specialise in one aspect of the creative industry.

While your day-to-day will depend on the types of internship you’ve chosen, you’ll spend a lot of time working on projects and tasks that actually contribute. Some of your tasks could include:

• Creating assets for clients according to a brief

• Attending sets and visiting clients

• Assist in editing and production sessions

• Sourcing and organising materials

• Generate ideas and concepts

• Working with internal and external teams.

Ever wondered what it’s like to work for The Walt Disney Company? Hear it from an intern:

I was given a level of responsibility where I felt I was trusted and able to develop myself, without feeling too stressed or pressured. I was given the opportunity to get stuck in with real, full-on projects and share my ideas. It wasn't just a case of sitting on the sidelines and doing admin work; I always felt really involved in everything. Disney+ Creative Intern, The Walt Disney Company

Are creative internships worth it?

Long story short. YES. Doing an internship in the creative industry is 100% worth it. Here’s why.

The creative industry is super competitive and can be hard to break into without any prior experience or contacts. On average, graduate jobs get around 140 applications per role - that’s a lot of competition.

Internships can help a huge deal as they're a great opportunity to add real-life projects to your portfolio, give you office experience, develop your technical skills and get on employers' radars before graduation.

Want to know what it's really like to work for TikTok? One intern said:

I really grew as a person during this internship. TikTok really is the most popular platform at the moment, so this opportunity has allowed me to develop my spirit of initiative, my corporate culture and my autonomy, as well as to work on the various facets of sports-specific marketing. I worked with people who, despite their much greater experience than mine, were listening to me and my ideas, so that has also helped me a lot to gain confidence and develop new skills. Social & Culture Summer Intern, TikTok

How much does a creative intern earn?

This depends on the employer you intern with. On average, a creative intern earns between £18,000 and £25,000 pro rata.

If you're not quite sure what pro rata is, we've got you. Pro rata basically means you're paid in proportion to the time you work. So if a role’s paying £25,000 per year but your internship only lasts six months, you'd earn £12,500.

On your job hunt, you might come across the odd pesky unpaid or travel expenses/lunch covered types of creative internships. We don’t believe in unpaid work experience, so we’ll only ever advertise paid roles.

How to apply

Most employers start looking for interns in September, and the most popular schemes fill up quickly. If you’ve missed deadlines, there are a few employers that recruit throughout the year.

Once you’ve got a cracking internship CV and cover letter down, it’s on to the online application, which will hopefully lead to an interview. Always tailor your application to each internship you apply for. 

One of the most crucial parts of the application will be your portfolio. They’re the best way to show off the thing you do best, your creativity. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have any professional work in there. Honestly? Employers aren’t expecting perfection. Any uni or passion projects you’re really proud of are enough.

There are loads of free portfolio builders online. Behance, Canva, PortfolioBox and Archifolio are great places to start. Focus on three or four really strong pieces of work and don’t forget to include your design process.

Need a little help organising all your applications in one place? Use our internship application tracker!