Careers Service

Find an internship

The Internship Office sources and co-ordinates hundreds of internships for Oxford students. Located in the UK and abroad, internships can enable you to get an insight into a foreign country and sector of your choice; from publishing in Hong Kong, to museums in the USA and climate change in the UK. Many are paid or include a generous financial contribution.

Learn business skills

The Student Consultancy programme trains teams of students to help Oxfordshire organisations solve a real business problem: it gives great work experience for all types of work including consultancy. ‘The Shed’ provides a space to develop your own ideas for innovation and entrepreneurship. There is training for students intending to start their own business.

Gain confidence

Based on the award-winning Springboard programme for professional women, this unique version for Oxford has been designed to provide female undergraduates with the tools to enhance their personal development in all aspects of life, including assertiveness, getting support and goal setting.

Develop your transferable skills

Undertaking an intellectually demanding academic course will equip you for the demands of many jobs. The tutorial system will teach you to research, summarise, present and defend an argument. Taking part in student societies (there are more than 600 to choose from) can also be really helpful: 

• An elected position in a society is the easiest way of showing leadership and teamwork
• Juggling academic study with extra-curricular activities is powerful proof of time management and organisation
• It shows your sociability, which implies people skills
• You can demonstrate responsibility (e.g. by turning up to sports practice or a rehearsal every week)
• You’ll find opportunities within the society to prove or improve many other employability skills – such as communication, financial numeracy, and business awareness.

The Careers Service helps all Oxford students with almost anything to do with your career at and after Oxford. They can help you:

Find work experience

• Thousands of work experience opportunities are advertised each year on CareerConnect – a website just for Oxford students.
• 5000 one-to-one meetings with Careers Advisers are available each year – for help with job-hunting strategies.

Make applications

• Workshops are regularly held on CVs, cover letters, application forms and interview skills.
• Mock interviews are offered with real employers, along with weekly CV clinics for one-to-one feedback.
• A wealth of advice about the application process is held in the Resource Centre and on the careers website.

Get inspiration for the future

• A dozen careers fairs are held each year, with hundreds of employers attending.
• Regular talks explore a wide range of different careers.
• The Oxford Careers Network allows you to contact alumni online for advice.
• Oxford’s Careers Advisers have experience in everything from NGOs to teaching and from consultancy to dentistry.

For information of the careers chosen by Oxford graduates, please see details on each of the course pages, and also Graduate destinations.