Career Focus: Study a pathway course with internship

At Kaplan, you can now gain professional experience during your pathway course when you choose to integrate a virtual internship into your studies.

We understand the importance of helping you get ready for your future career, and with this innovative study option, your career preparation is taken to the next level: it gives you the chance to undertake a work placement before you even start your degree at university!

When you choose a pathway course, you’ll usually have the option to add a virtual internship. So, you’ll take your pathway course and, once you complete your academic studies, you’ll start your one-term integrated online internship remotely from your college in the UK or from your home country if you’re studying your pathway course online.*

The online internship is available on many of our UK pathway courses, as well as courses at the University of York International Pathway College. There are options at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and for a wide range of English levels. It’s particularly useful for students who would like an extra boost to their future employability.

As with all our pathway courses, you are guaranteed progression to your chosen degree when you pass your course at the required level with good attendance.

This means that you’ll have the fantastic opportunity to boost your career prospects before you even progress to university.

*If you don’t select an internship before you confirm your pathway course, but decide after enrolment that you’d like to do one, speak to your College Services team about adding an internship to the end of your pathway course. This option is for online internships taken outside of the UK or not on the pathway course visa.

Internships during your pathway course are arranged through Virtual Internships, which has been named one of Europe’s Top EdTech Companies by HolonIQ.

Your work placement will have tailored projects that meet your specific career development and employability goals. You’ll receive support from a dedicated Intern Experience Manager, Internship Coach, and CareerBridge, an award-winning online professional development hub.

You will work between 15 and 30 hours per week, and you will be guaranteed a remote internship with one of 3,500+ host companies in more than 70 countries around the world.

You’ll be allocated an internship in a career field that is related to your area of degree study. Virtual Internships have links with a wide range of companies in 18 different career fields:

Your online internship is seamlessly integrated into your pathway course, which means that staff at your college will help you with the internship application process, and they will be there to offer you additional support during the internship itself.

It also means that you’ll finish your work experience shortly before you start your degree at university.

Overall, studying a pathway course with internship is an exciting opportunity to get a head start: you’ll practise and improve your English in an online professional setting, and boost your CV and future career prospects, all before you progress to your degree.

It will also put you in a good position when it comes to finding work placement opportunities at university — and, with the Graduate Route post-study work visa available for international graduates in the UK, you can look forward to becoming a well-rounded, employable candidate for your dream job.

Please note: progression to the University of Birmingham and University of Bristol via a pathway course with internship is only available through the Kaplan International College (KIC) London route, not through on-campus routes.

Progression is not currently available from fully online pathway courses to Bournemouth University, the University of Brighton, the University of Bristol and the University of Glasgow.

You can apply for a pathway course now and select the internship option in your application, or you can speak to one of our expert education advisers to learn more — they’ll be happy to help!