Cambridge AHRC DTP Internships at the University of Cambridge Museums: 2021-22 Opportunities
Further Guidance on Eligibility, Funding and Institutional Approval
Application deadline: 10 December 2021
1. Who can apply for this opportunity?
The 2021-22 round of the Cambridge AHRC DTP Internship Programme at the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) is open in the first instance to Cambridge AHRC DTP students in the third year of their PhD, or in the fourth year of their PhD if they have a Covid-related funding extension approved by the Cambridge AHRC DTP, which runs until 1 March 2022 or beyond. This criterion includes fourth-year match-funded or fees-only students whose maintenance comes in part of wholly from another provider, and who have an endorsement from the Cambridge AHRC DTP for an extension which takes their nominal Covid-adjusted funding end date to 1 March 2022 or beyond, whether or not their non-DTP maintenance provider has actually provided funding up until that date. Generally speaking, students may apply whose DTP-approved submission deadline, after adjustment via the UKRI Covid extensions scheme, is set at 1 March 2023 or later. If in doubt about your eligibility to apply, please contact the Cambridge AHRC DTP Leadership Team for advice, via AHRCDTP@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Covid-adjusted funding end dates notwithstanding, these internships may not be held without a maintenance funding extension to cover the activity involved. The Cambridge AHRC DTP’s funding for this scheme comes from its Student Development Fund (SDF), which is subject to AHRC funding restrictions that limit eligibility for a studentship extension to cover living costs during an internship. This scheme is therefore only open to third- or fourth-year AHRC DTP students who receive at least some of their maintenance award directly from the Cambridge AHRC DTP, or whose maintenance funder is willing to provide an extension for internship activity on similar terms. Please read section 4 for more details of the AHRC funding restrictions relating to this scheme.
2. When will this opportunity be available?
These internships are expected to start on Monday 28 February 2022.
3. How long do these internships last?
In the first instance, these internships are available on a full-time basis only. They are expected to last 3 months on that basis.
If you are interested in applying, but are likely to have difficulty completing a full-time internship, please contact the DTP Leadership Team to discuss the matter, via AHRCDTP@admin.cam.uk.
Please note that all successful applicants must start their internship before the Covid-adjusted funded period of their PhD ends, and complete the internship before their submission deadline and actual submission of their thesis. Moreover, they must complete all internship activity for which an SDF funding extension is granted by the end of the SDF-funded extension period. Please read section 6 below for more details of how SDF extensions are paid.
4. How are these internships paid?
Successful applicants who receive at least some of their maintenance award from the Cambridge AHRC DTP will be allocated a funding extension commensurate with their internship activity from the Student Development Fund (SDF). They will continue to receive their standard maintenance grant or Covid-related maintenance extension during their internship, and then receive the approved SDF funding extension once their main Covid-adjusted funded period comes to an end, so that holding the internship does not reduce the amount of funded time during which they are able to concentrate on their thesis. To be eligible for a these internships, fees-only students of the Cambridge AHRC DTP must demonstrate at the point of application that their maintenance funder is willing to provide an extension for internship activity equivalent in value and on similar terms to the DTP’s SDF extension.
Please note, however, that according to AHRC regulations, a student may not receive a total studentship extension of more than 12 months full-time from the SDF. Applicants who have already been allocated an extension or extensions from the SDF must therefore take care not to apply for an internship which will take their total allocation beyond the allowable maximum. For instance, for students who have already received a 9-month SDF extension, this internship would be tenable, while for students who have already received a 10-month SDF extension, it would not. Similarly, eligible fees-only students must take care that they do not apply for an internship which exceeds the funded extension available from their maintenance provider.
Applicants paid through an SDF extension should be aware that if they complete their PhD before the end of the funded extension period, their extension funding will cease at the moment of submission, and any remaining funding will not be payable. Other maintenance funders might have other rules regarding the continuation of funding after submission, and fees-only students are advised to investigate those rules with care.
5. Can I apply for a submission deadline in relation to the internship?
Unfortunately, the AHRC’s rules do not allow for submission deadlines to be extended in relation to any internships which are supported by SDF in any way. Students actively in receipt of maintenance from the AHRC, including an SDF extension, may not intermit their studies or suspend their AHRC award, and the University may not extend their submission deadline.
Other maintenance funders might allow students to intermit their studies while receiving an extension for internship activity, in which case the University and the AHRC might allow a submission deadline extension. Fees-only students should check with their maintenance provider whether they may hold a funding extension for an internship while intermitting their studies. If they may do so, they should consult Student Registry to determine whether the University and the AHRC will allow a deadline extension in their case.
6. How are SDF extensions paid, and how is the timing of internships affected?
For full-time students, SDF extensions are payable as a full-time maintenance grant at the end of their standard funding period.
Part-time students who are interested in these opportunities should contact the DTP Leadership Team via AHRCDTP@admin.cam.ac.uk, to discuss options.
As explained in section 3 above, successful applicants must start their internship before their Covid-adjusted maintenance grant ends, and complete all internship activity by the end of their SDF-funded extension period.
Fees-only students should consult their maintenance provider to determine whether comparable parameters affect internship extensions in their case. Nonetheless, they must complete all internship activity by the end of their extension, so that they are not unpaid for any part of their internship.
7. How do I apply for an internship?
Please return a completed Expression of Interest form to Adrienn Dobos via ahrcdtp@admin.cam.ac.uk by 10 December 2021.
The form requires you to seek the formal agreement of your supervisor and your Faculty or Department (typically in the person of its Director of Graduate Studies, or of the Secretary or Chair of its Degree Committee). If you have difficulty in gaining approval from your Faculty or Department before the deadline, please let the DTP Leadership Team know via AHRCDTP@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Please note that the University’s regulations relating to Leave to Work Away now cover activities in Cambridge which involve significant time away from primary research. Even locally based or online internships now require Leave to Work Away. It can take a while for Leave to Work Away to be granted, so please plan ahead with regard to that requirement.
At the end of your internship, we ask you to complete a brief report, providing a critical analysis of the skills you developed and capturing your insights into the sector that you have been working in.
Cambridge AHRC DTP Internships at the University of Cambridge Museums
Further Guidance on Eligibility, Funding and Institutional Approval
Application deadline: 30 November 2020
1. Who can apply for this opportunity?
The Cambridge AHRC DTP Internship Programme at the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) is open in the first instance to Cambridge AHRC DTP students in the third year of their PhD.
These internships may not be held without a maintenance funding extension to cover the activity involved. The Cambridge AHRC DTP’s funding for this scheme comes from its Student Development Fund (SDF), which is subject to AHRC funding restrictions that limit eligibility for a studentship extension to cover living costs during an internship. This scheme is therefore only open to third-year AHRC DTP students who receive at least some of their maintenance award directly from the Cambridge AHRC DTP, or whose maintenance funder is willing to provide an extension for internship activity on similar terms. Please read section 4 for more details of the AHRC funding restrictions relating to this scheme.
2. When will this opportunity be available?
These internships are expected to start between February and April 2021. It is envisaged that they would normally be completed by the end of October 2021. However, individual end dates will depend on the total time commitment agreed between successful applicants and the UCM, and on whether that time commitment is concentrated in a single full-time block or spread part-time over a longer period.
3. How long do these internships last?
We envisage that these internships will last around 3 months full-time, or up to 6 months part-time. They must equate to a minimum of 1 month of full-time work. However, as the call suggests, there is a degree of flexibility around these timings.
Please note that all successful applicants must start their internship before the standard funded period of their PhD ends, and complete it before their submission deadline and actual submission of their thesis. Moreover, they must complete all internship activity for which a funding extension is granted by the end of the funded extension period. Please read section 6 below for more details of how SDF extensions are paid and implications for part-time internship arrangements.
4. How are these internships paid?
Successful applicants who receive at least some of their maintenance award from the Cambridge AHRC DTP will be allocated a funding extension commensurate with their internship activity from the Student Development Fund (SDF). They will continue to receive their standard maintenance grant during their internship, and then receive the approved funding extension once their standard funded period comes to an end, so that holding the internship does not reduce the amount of funded time during which they are able to concentrate on their thesis. To be eligible for a these internship, fees-only students of the Cambridge AHRC DTP must demonstrate at the point of application that their maintenance funder is willing to provide an extension for internship activity equivalent in value and on similar terms to the DTP’s SDF extension.
Please note, however, that according to AHRC regulations, a student may not receive a total studentship extension of more than 12 months full-time or 24 months (12 months FTE) part-time from the SDF. Applicants who have already been allocated an extension or extensions from the SDF must therefore take care to propose an internship which will not take their total allocation beyond the allowable maximum. For instance, for students who have already received a 7-month extension, the maximum duration of this internship would be 5 months full-time. Similarly, eligible fees-only students must take care to propose an internship which does not exceed the funded extension available from their maintenance provider.
As indicated in section 1 above, to qualify for maintenance extension funding from the AHRC DTP’s Student Development Fund (SDF), an internship must equate to at least 1 month (4 working weeks or 20 working days) of full-time work. For fees-only students, the equivalent minimum fundable period will depend on their maintenance funder’s regulations, and they are advised to check carefully what it might be.
Applicants paid through an SDF extension should be aware that if they complete their PhD before the end of the funded extension period, their extension funding will cease at the moment of submission, and any remaining funding will not be payable. Other maintenance funders might have other rules regarding the continuation of funding after submission, and fees-only students are advised to investigate those rules with care.
5. Can I apply for a submission deadline in relation to the internship?
Unfortunately, the AHRC’s rules do not allow for submission deadlines to be extended in relation to any internships which are supported by SDF in any way. Students actively in receipt of maintenance from the AHRC, including an SDF extension, may not intermit their studies or suspend their AHRC award, and the University may not extend their submission deadline.
Other maintenance funders might allow students to intermit their studies while receiving an extension for internship activity, in which case the University and the AHRC might allow a submission deadline extension. Fees-only students should check with their maintenance provider whether they may hold a funding extension for an internship while intermitting their studies. If they may do so, they should consult Student Registry to determine whether the University and the AHRC will allow a deadline extension in their case.
6. How are SDF extensions paid, and how is the timing of internships affected?
For full-time students, SDF extensions are payable as a full-time maintenance grant at the end of their standard funding period. This is the case even if they have completed their internship on a part-time basis: their total part-time commitment is converted to its full-time equivalent for the purposes of payment.
For part-time students, SDF extensions are payable at the usual FTE rate which governs their standard maintenance payments.
As explained in section 3 above, successful applicants must start their internship before their standard maintenance grant ends, and complete all internship activity by the end of their funded extension period. Meeting these requirements is straightforward for students who hold their internship full-time, and start it as expected between February and April 2021. However, they limit the extent to which students can delay the start of an internship should they wish to. Moreover, for students who hold their internship on a part-time basis, this requirement might also affect the modality of the activity, especially if their studentship is full-time.
For example, a full-time student whose standard funding end date is 30 September 2021 may not delay the start of a full-time internship beyond that date. If that student wishes to complete a 6-month part-time internship equivalent to 3 months of full-time activity, they will need to start it by 30 June 2021 in order to complete the activity before the end of their SDF-supported extension period on 31 December 2021. To complete the same work in 2 days per week, they will need to start their internship by the week commencing 7 June 2021. And if they decide to reduce their internship to 2 months of full-time activity in 2 days per week, they will still need to start by the week commencing 19 July 2021, in order to complete their work by 30 November 2021.
Fees-only students should consult their maintenance provider to determine whether comparable parameters affect internship extensions in their case. Nonetheless, they must complete all internship activity by the end of their extension, so that they are not unpaid for any part of their internship.
7. How do I apply for an internship?
Please return a completed Expression of Interest form to Adrienn Dobos via ahrcdtp@admin.cam.ac.uk by 30 November 2020.
The form requires you to seek the formal agreement of your supervisor and your Faculty or Department (typically in the person of its Director of Graduate Studies, or of the Secretary or Chair of its Degree Committee).
Please note that the University’s regulations relating to Leave to Work Away have been updated recently, to cover activities in Cambridge which involve significant time away from primary research. Even locally based internships now require Leave to Work Away, including part-time internships. It can take a while for Leave to Work Away to be granted, so please plan ahead with regard to that requirement.
At the end of your internship, we ask you to complete a brief report, providing a critical analysis of the skills you developed and capturing your insights into the sector that you have been working in.
Members of the AHRC DTP Advisory Board currently offering internships include:
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Eva-Maria Magel is Cultural Editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the German newspaper with the widest circulation abroad. Eva-Maria studied in Regensburg and at the University of Konstanz, where she graduated with a thesis on Mme de Staël.
- Historyworks
Professor Helen Weinstein is Director of the media production company, Historyworks, an organisation that brings together highly talented media industry professionals to bridge the gap between knowledge and public engagement. During her career as both an academic and working with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Helen has produced over eighty documentaries and history programmes for both radio and television. Professor Weinstein also holds appointments on a variety of Editorial and Commissioning Boards, including the History Editorial Advisory Board for the BBC.
- National Football Museum
John Hughson is Professor of Sport and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Lancashire and Director of the International Football Institute. His working partnership with the National Football Museum has involved him in a number of 'football as culture' projects and related public engagement activities. His most recent book is England and the 1966 World Cup: A Cultural History (2016).
We are also able to offer internships at the Centre for Science and Policy - www.csap.cam.ac.uk
For more information on internships please contact: Adrienn Dobos at AHRCDTP@admin.cam.ac.uk