Get help to find an internship or supported internship for young people with SEND

How to choose an internship or supported internship

Before you look for an internship or a supported internship, you should think about:

Internships let you work at a company. This gives you work experience. It will help you prepare for the kind of job you want to do.

Internships can be paid or unpaid.

They can be anything from a week to a year long, but are usually for a few months.

Internships are for anyone, not just people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Find an internship by going to:

your sixth form or college
GOV.UK to search and apply for internships
Amaze to find paid internships with Amazing Futures, their project for young people with SEND
Leonard Cheshire who offer internships for students and recent graduates with disabilities
St. John’s College (part of Ambitious about Autism) offer supported internships for young people ages 18 to 25 with autism or a related learning difficulty, who want to work in competitive employment

Supported internships help young people with SEND to get the skills they need for work.

They are structured study programmes, based mainly at an employer.

This means you get lots of work experience, with the help of a job coach.

You will also have a personalised study programme to help you get skills and qualifications to prepare you for paid work.

Supported internships take between 6 months to a year and are usually unpaid.

You must be aged 16 to 24 years old and have an Education, Health and Care plan to do a supported internship.