Internships

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Internship Application Form

Please note that the Internship Program considers applications from students who:

  • Are enrolled as a current UWA student;
  • Have a "Good Standing" status and Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 50 (available on your academic transcript); and
  • Will be based in Western Australia by the commencement of the internship.

Please include majors/specialisations where possible, for example: "Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Political Science & International Relations"

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It is assumed that you are taking this unit for credit. Check with your student advising office for which unit you should enrol in - SVLG1002, SVLG2002 or SVLG3003. If you have any concerns around taking the unit for credit, please submit your application and contact McCusker Centre via internships@mccuskercentre@uwa.edu.au to discuss your options.

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The McCusker Centre will seek approval from your student advising office on your behalf and you will be advised of the outcome by the McCusker Centre to your student email.

What draws you to this particular program? What you would bring to an internship in the community? What are your past experiences in service to the community? What do you hope to achieve through an internship?

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Please note that by choosing areas, there is not a guarantee that you will be matched with a role of this nature.

Please note that by choosing tasks, there is not a guarantee that you will be matched with a role of this nature.

Please note that by indicating experience, there is not a guarantee that you will be matched with a role of this nature.

Please respond as accurately as possible to the following questions, which are included to help us measure the impact of our programs and are asked again in post-internship surveys.

Please note financial support is available for interns who are required to travel.

Our internship program includes a range of roles; some are in offices, some are more physical, some involve travel. Many of our internships involve learning about difficult social issues and working with disadvantaged communities. This work may be confronting and challenging. The Internships Team and the University are here to support you.

This information will be kept confidential.

You cannot progress you application until you upload your resume. This document will be forwarded upon request (if matched) to your host organisation. For tips on writing resumes, please visit Career Hub.

Please note this is not part of the assessment process, but supports the process matching suitable applicants to roles.

You can read the requirements here.

The McCusker Centre for Citizenship partners with more than 400 not-for-profit, community, government and non-government organisations to provide a structured and quality internship program for UWA students.

Over 2,300 students have undertaken internships through the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, with over 250,000 hours of community services contributed across the Centre’s programs. Feedback on the internship program is overwhelmingly positive, with 97% of past students and supervisors agreeing they would recommend the program to others.

Through an internship with the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, you have the opportunity to:

  • Engage in real work in a community context
  • Demonstrate an understanding of professional responsibility and citizenship
  • Apply and develop valuable and transferable skills for the benefit of the community
  • Develop a deeper awareness of social issues challenging society
  • Make connections and create a professional network
  • Explore your options for ways to apply your knowledge and skills post-degree.

Internships are open to all eligible currently enrolled undergraduate and postgraduate UWA students. Our internships program can be taken as a standalone unit, or as part of the new Minor in Active Citizenship.

You apply to our program as a whole, rather than to a specific role. This enables you to test your knowledge, skills and aptitude for service and tasks you might not otherwise have considered. We match applicants to roles based on interests, skills, experience and the specific requirements of the available roles.

Over the summer and winter internship periods, you also have the opportunity to undertake an internship in a regional town across WA.

You can explore our available opportunities below or read about previous internship roles and student experiences in our booklets:

If you have any questions, please contact the Centre for more information.

Internship Requirements+

Interns are selected on a competitive basis and are matched to suitable roles. Students undertake their internship through enrolment in a UWA McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship unit. To be considered in the matching process, applicants confirm they understand and agree to the following:

  • I will engage fully with the Internships unit, observe assessments and attend all compulsory sessions, including the introductory sessions listed below. I understand that absence will require Special Consideration (See the Dates and Deadlines section on this page).
  • I confirm that I have checked and have space for a 6-point elective unit within my course (Exemptions apply only upon discussion and approval from the Centre).
  • I agree to attend the Introduction to Active Citizenship seminar (Sessions can be booked through CAS after your placement is confirmed).
  • I agree to attend the Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training Session (Sessions can be booked through CAS after your placement is confirmed).
  • I will respond promptly to communication from the Centre (usually via student email, phone or Microsoft Teams). 
  • I will complete 100 hours of community service in the organisation that I have been appointed to, to the best of my abilities.
  • I understand that the McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship Program is focused on service to the community and is different from work experience or Work Integrated Learning (Please read Our Purpose). 
  • I understand that this is a competitive program and some applications are unsuccessful. Faculty approval (where required) does not guarantee placement, but is just a step in the process.
  • I understand that if I am offered a role and choose to decline it, I might not be offered another role in this round. 

Program requirements are detailed in the Handbook and the Internship Guide for Students. Once enrolled, this guide and LMS are your primary sources of unit information and internship progress.

Eligibility Requirements+

To be eligible for our program, you must:

  • Be a currently enrolled UWA student
  • Be of good standing with a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 50 or above
  • Have good interpersonal skills
  • Have good written and spoken communication skills

Postgraduate/Honours students only

Be eligible via Student Advising Office approval (you will need to request this at the point of application, see application form for details)

How to Apply+

  1. Review your study plan and consider your other commitments to ensure that you can undertake an internship as part of your course.
  2. Read the Internship Guide for Students to familiarise yourself with the program requirements.
  3. View the list of internships on offer below. This will give you an idea of the types of roles we have available this round. However, please note your application is for the program, not a specific role.
  4. Consider if you will need a Working with Children Check and/or a National Police Clearance. Be prepared to obtain these before starting your internship, including covering any associated expenses.
  5. Review the Dates and Deadlines section (these dates may be subject to change but are a good guide).
  6. Seek the additional information you may need. Check askUWA, or email the Internships Team.
  7. Prepare a current CV, for which UWA Careers and Employability can assist you. You can find the Résumé Factsheet here.
  8. Submit your application via our webform above. Please answer all questions carefully - it is a good idea to draft and workshop answers first (e.g. in Word), then copy them into the application form. Strong applications will be well written, provide good detail about your skills and experiences, and align closely with the program's ethos of active citizenship.

What Happens Next?+

Our program is competitive; there are always more applications than roles. Your application will be considered for its quality and suitability to available roles. We take into account your CV, answers to application questions, areas of interest and identified skills.

Please check your student email regularly; this is how we will contact you if we have any questions. After the closing date of applications, you will be asked to confirm that you still wish to be considered.

Applicants are then matched to roles based on their interests and skills and the specific requirements of the available roles. When selecting and matching, preferences will usually, but not always, be given to:

• Applications ranked highly;

• Applications that indicate a ‘for credit’ unit option;

• Applicants who have not undertaken an Internship with the centre before; and

• Applicants who are enrolled in the Active Citizenship Minor.

These criteria cannot be strictly observed because the Internships Coordinator needs to consider best suitability to available roles based on the applicant’s course of study, preferences indicated in the application, and other skills identified by the applicant.

By the outcome date (listed in Dates and Deadlines) you will be notified of the outcome of your application. If successfully matched to an internship role, you will receive further instructions about enrolment. If your application is unsuccessful, you are strongly encouraged to try again in a future round.

Many internships incur small incidental costs, like any university unit. These are minimal and, in most cases, less than the cost of text books. For example, you may be required to obtain a Police Clearance, Working with Children Check, or a sector-specific screening check. You will also need to factor in transport costs (i.e. fuel or public transport).

FAQs - General+

FAQs - Applying for an internship+

Eligibility

Application process

Course planning

Internship program

FAQs - Internship Pre-commencement+

Dates and Deadlines+

We offer four internship rounds per year:

  • Semester 1 – late February to late May
  • Winter – mid-June to late July
  • Semester 2 – early August to early November
  • Summer – mid-November to mid-December

Please refer to the table below for our 2023 dates and deadlines.

Note: Please consult Class Allocation System (CAS) for the schedule of all unit sessions.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 (midnight) Application deadline Online
Monday 27 February - Friday 3 March 2023 Compulsory pre-internship seminars Select on CAS
Monday 27 February - Friday 26 May 2023 Internship Period Host Organisation
Monday 23 January 2023 - Sunday 7 May 2023 (midnight) Application period Website
Monday 19 June - Friday 23 June 2023 Compulsory pre-internship seminars Select on CAS
Monday 19 June – Friday 21 July 2023 Internship Period Host Organisation
Monday 21 November 2022 - Sunday 25 June 2023 (midnight) Application Period Website
Monday 24 July 2023 - Friday 20 October 2023 Internship Period Host Organisation
Monday 26 June 2023 - Sunday 15 October 2023 (midnight) Application period Website
Monday 13 November 2023 - Friday 15 December 2023 Internship Period Host Organisation

Opportunities

Perth

Customer Experience Intern - Marketing - Video focus

Cahoots — Winter (June - July)

Assist Customer Experience Team Leader in promoting Cahoots services to schools and other organisations. The intern will be working with our marketing team, Customer Experience Team Leader and Family relationships Officers to create a video in regards to our services. We have started this project with an intern this year and we are very happy about what she has produced however we would like to organise a video that explains what we do and what our goals are. We will then go around schools and organisations to talk about our services and try to get more participants so the video can be attractive to our families and participants. Responsibilities and Activities: Communication, Marketing, Creative writing, Graphic Design, Video production, Administration/organisational support.

View the role description →

Perth

Vaping and young adults Intern 1: Creating digital assets for public health education

Cancer Council WA — Winter (June - July)

This is one of two identical internships to work together on the same project. Cancer Council WA is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer in the WA community. The Make Smoking History program at Cancer Council WA often needs digital resources (predominantly photographs) to use in media releases, publications, websites, and social media. We are looking an intern to create digital resources that depict diverse members of the WA community in a realistic and unglamorous way. The intern will create a series of photographs/digital assets to be used by Cancer Council's Make Smoking History and vaping education programs. The intern will approach a diverse range of people from the general public and their own community and will ask for consent to photograph them. This may include taking photographs of people vaping and conducting everyday activities. Depending on the intern's skills, the role may also involve videography, graphic design and copy writing for social media and digital platforms. Cancer Council WA is an inclusive place to volunteer and work. We embrace diversity, celebrate our differences and inspire each person to be their authentic self at work. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply for this internship.

View the role description →

Perth

Vaping and young adults Intern 2: Creating digital assets for public health education

Cancer Council WA — Winter (June - July)

This is one of two identical internships to work together on the same project. Cancer Council WA is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer in the WA community. The Make Smoking History program at Cancer Council WA often needs digital resources (predominantly photographs) to use in media releases, publications, websites, and social media. We are looking an intern to create digital resources that depict diverse members of the WA community in a realistic and unglamorous way. The intern will create a series of photographs/digital assets to be used by Cancer Council's Make Smoking History and vaping education programs. The intern will approach a diverse range of people from the general public and their own community and will ask for consent to photograph them. This may include taking photographs of people vaping and conducting everyday activities. Depending on the intern's skills, the role may also involve videography, graphic design and copy writing for social media and digital platforms. Cancer Council WA is an inclusive place to volunteer and work. We embrace diversity, celebrate our differences and inspire each person to be their authentic self at work. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply for this internship.

View the role description →

Perth

Event Planning & Marketing Support Intern

Centre For Accessibility Australia — Winter (June - July)

The Centre For Accessibility (CFA) Australia is a not-for-profit dedicated to alleviating hardship faced by people with disability in gaining independence to online content. CFA Australia is seeking support in our marketing and communications area to assist in building up some of its projects. The role will report directly to the CEO of CFA Australia and provide regular liaising with one of Perth's leading digital agencies across the projects.

View the role description →

Perth

Project Intern - Community Services - Policy and Services Design

Department of Communities — Winter (June - July)

The Earlier Intervention and Family Support (EIFS) Team are currently preparing to undertake commissioning activities for the suite of EIFS services across the state, including a newly developed regional service model to be implemented in the East Kimberley, Pilbara and South West. The intern will assist part of this project including engaging with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO) as part of capacity building workshops, engaging with current service providers around implementation of the new model and business as usual aspects of the work including bringing together forums, undertaking evaluations and data reviews, presentations to sector and other stakeholders.

View the role description →

Perth

Event Management Intern

Good Sammy Enterprises — Winter (June - July)

The Event Management Intern will work within the Finance department to assist in planning upcoming Good Sammy events and community engagement activities. The intern will shadow and report to the Events and Fundraising coordinator to support the planning, coordination and implementation of events and community engagement activities.

View the role description →

Perth

HR Project and Policy Intern

Good Sammy Enterprises — Winter (June - July)

The HR project intern will work within the People and Culture team to assist with updating the organisation’s HR policies and procedures. They will also recommend ways to improve our organisation’s value proposition and come up with employee benefits to ensure Good Sammy is able to retain our current workforce and attract new talents.

View the role description →

Perth

Project Intern, Textile Recycling Options

Good Sammy Enterprises — Winter (June - July)

The textile recycling intern will work with our Resource Recovery Coordinator to assist in determining preferred options for managing non-saleable clothing donations. The Australian textile product stewardship scheme commences in 2030 and Good Sammy are determining how we can prepare for the new scheme including getting a better understanding of the fabric types, quality and processing options.

View the role description →

Perth

Project Intern: Board, Committee and Management Governance

Good Sammy Enterprises — Winter (June - July)

To review Board and Management Governance processes and make recommendations to improve arrangements

View the role description →

Perth

Volunteer Coordinator

Good Sammy Enterprises — Winter (June - July)

This exciting new role sits within the People and Culture Team. This is a great opportunity for someone who is a natural relationship builder, is passionate about promoting the benefits of volunteering and giving back to their community. This person loves the challenge of creating and maintaining partnerships.

View the role description →

Perth

Project Intern - Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Committee

Holyoake — Winter (June - July)

1. Undertake allocated Reconciliation Action Plan tasks/actions included on Holyoake's 'Stretch' Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2. Attend monthly RAP Committee Meetings (1.5 hrs)

View the role description →

Perth

Marketing and Communications Intern

Interchange Incorporated — Winter (June - July)

Interchange is growing, and needs t place a heavier focus on intern/external communication, and marketing strategy and tactical campaigns. This intern would work with the Marketing & Communications function within Interchange. Specifically, the role would support the incumbent Marketing Officer with producing and formulating promotional activities, such as content creation, website updates, social media content, paid digital campaigns, and electronic direct mail campaigns. Very occasional local travel may be required (metro area) as well as event management. Excellent interpersonal skills are a requirement.

View the role description →

Perth

Cultural competence project intern

Law Access — Winter (June - July)

The project involves identifying resources that are available in cultural competence and determining how Law Access can best promote cultural competence to the legal profession. The project may include or extend to creation of relevant media (if creation of digital content is within the skill set of the intern) or working with other UWA students to plan content.

View the role description →

Perth

Community Engagement Intern 1

Multicultural Communities Council of WA — Winter (June - July)

The intern will be involved in working on a number of projects including Family empowerment through community and services connections, EnCOMPASS, and healthy together program. The intern will be involved developing and maintaining relations with stakeholders, facilitating education and awareness raising activities, conducting research work and exploring funding opportunities.

View the role description →

Perth

Community Engagement Intern 2

Multicultural Communities Council of WA — Winter (June - July)

The intern will be involved in working on a number of of projects including Harmony Week awards, CaLD Seniors Citizens Awareness Program. The intern will be involved developing and maintaining relations with stakeholders, facilitating education and awareness raising activities, conducting research work and exploring funding opportunities.

View the role description →

Perth

Research Intern

Ombudsman WA — Winter (June - July)

This intern will plan and undertake a project to contribute to major research being undertaken by the office.

View the role description →

Perth

Project Intern: Grant finding, Fundraising Event and Networking Ideas

Rainbow Community House — Winter (June - July)

This role will involve someone looking for grants that would be appropriate for our organisation. We are counselling service in suicide prevention working with LGBTIQA+ young people 12-25. We are in constant need of funds so finding good grants is a priority. This role will also involve someone who can think of fundraising events/ideas that we could do at some future date. Finally the role will have this intern look for ways we can network our organisation better.

View the role description →

Regional

Research Intern, Project for Thriving Community Study

Shire of Waroona — Winter (June - July)

The research intern will support the team in undertaking a sociological appraisal of the communities and how they function with the Shire - Waroona, Preston Beach and Lake Clifton: as comparative case-studies to quantify the community ‘spirit’ we would like to nurture, grow and replicate throughout the Shire; o In alignment with the states Community Investment framework - Focusing on the pillar “Inclusive thriving communities”, the intern will investigate:  What promotes a sense of belonging / what discourages it?  How is vulnerability and disadvantage reduced across our community / what makes these factors increase?  How is community connection and participation strengthened / how are they weakened? The intern will explore - o what is it that gives Waroona its ‘rural community vibe’. o what factors lead to the high rates of volunteerism in the Shire. o the factors and community indicators that underpin the cultural nature of the Waroona communities; and o Investigate how can these factors and community indicators be nurtured, grown and replicated throughout the Shire in each key location.

View the role description →

Perth

Community Engagement Intern: A Culturally Responsive School

South Thornlie Primary School — Winter (June - July)

We commit to building relationships with our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community that are built on mutual respect, trust and inclusiveness. The intern will build knowledge of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and stakeholders in the local area local area and develop a stakeholder list. The role involves researching local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture - establishing links with City of Gosnells to tap into their knowledge. The intern will work closely with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents involved in the Aboriginal committee and plan for Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents to read books and share stories about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

View the role description →

Perth

Marketing and School Promotion: Community Engagement and Staff Well Being

South Thornlie Primary School — Winter (June - July)

The intern will undertake the following tasks: Marketing Plan implementation Social media posts Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, web page Raising school profile on radio, TV, newspaper Parent interviews for feedback and staff well being activities. Through the implementation of marketing strategies the following will be the benefits to the community: - Cultural diversity and inclusiveness in the community - greater understanding of the diversity of cultures in our communities, the strengths that these cultures bring and the uniqueness of these cultures as well as respect and through this, it is hoped that it will make our communities more inclusive. - Greater understanding and celebrating of the strengths and opportunities of our local community through social media, radio/TV and newspaper messages - previous messages have been greyhound retirement, rescue and adoption, early childhood education and importance heritage, school open night for local businesses and Government.

View the role description →

Perth

Project Intern, A Sustainable School Community

South Thornlie Primary School — Winter (June - July)

Currently our school has some school sustainable practices in place. We are a water wise school and we collect for recycling cans and drink containers. We would like our students and their families to have a greater understanding of the importance of sustainability in terms of carbon footprint and ecologically sound sustainable practices and that these practices are reflected in school practices and supported by our students’ families at home. The intern will research sustainable practices suitable for a school environment, develop and implement a variety of sustainable strategies inclusive of a school community garden.

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Perth

Audit Research Intern

Wanslea Family Services — Winter (June - July)

The role of this Intern, is to research legislative requirements and assist the Quality and Compliance Team to prepare information required for internal audits.

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Perth

Regional Program Policy and Procedure Development

Wanslea Family Services — Winter (June - July)

Working with the Regional Program Coordinators, The intern will assist in the alignment and development of Policies and Procedural Handbooks. The role will be part of and be supported by the Quality Team.

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