Work Experience

Work experience will give you the opportunity to get an overview of a certain field or company, generally by shadowing a professional and performing tasks.

This will allow you to develop your knowledge and skills, gain insight into a certain role and/or sector and a valuable set of contacts for the future.

Additionally, you’ll be able to clarify your career goals and potentially find a referee for future jobs applications.

To find a suitable work experience placement, speak with a teacher, your institution's careers service, or a careers adviser to see if they have contacts at local organisations.

If you have an idea of what you would like to do, contact the Human Resources department at organisations you’re interested in.

Where could you look for work experience?

Placements for school and college students

Nuffield Research Placements are for year 12 or S5 students to undergo 4-6 week summer placements working on engaging, real-life research or development projects in STEM

Nuffield Research Placements

In2scienceUK offer summer placements to year 12 or S5 students from disadvantaged backgrounds

In2scienceUK

If you are thinking about a career in healthcare, take a look at this guide to finding work experience in the NHS

Step into the NHS

Placements and internships for undergraduate students and graduates

The summers during your degree are a good opportunity to get some work experience, and many organisations offer these specifically to undergraduate students and recent graduates. In the molecular bioscience sector, internship positions are open mainly to undergraduates and higher education graduates.

Explore our Summer Vacation Studentship scheme

Summer Vacation Studentships

Discover more work experience ideas and resources at Prospects

PROSPECTS

Explore a range of undergraduate studentships curated by the Royal Society of Biology

Undergraduate studentships curated by the RSB

Explore a range of resources on industry placements from the RSB

Industry placements curated by the RSB

The Wellcome Trust run a summer internship programme for undergraduates in different areas of the organisation

Wellcome summer internship programme

The MRC London School of Medical Sciences offer laboratory-based research projects as well as a project in science communication

MRC Summer Students

If you are thinking about a career in healthcare, take a look at this guide to finding work experience in the NHS

Step into the NHS: work experience

Get advice on applying for internships and placements and explore current vacancies at targetjobs

targetjobs

Sandwich courses during your university degree

Work placements provide similar benefits to internships but last up to a year and are often a part of a sandwich course at university.

As well as visiting the websites above, your university careers service should be able to provide you with more details of companies, learned societies and other organisations which offer internships and placements. For industrial placements you can also try contacting companies’ human resources or outreach departments directly.

Discover more

Webinars

Our Biochemistry Focus webinar series covers different topics related to the molecular biosciences, as well as practical sessions to support career development. Each webinar is free to attend and provides attendees with the opportunity to submit questions for the speakers.

Careers and Education

Careers and education resources aiming to support the next generation of biochemists in their careers, help school pupils with bioscience topics and support educators at all levels.

Two students in a lab using a microscope and computer

Resource

16 Nov 2022

A guide to studying biochemistry at undergraduate level

A guide to the typical course content of a Biochemistry degree, as well as the skills and attributes you will develop during your undergraduate studies.