Internship Week 2023 – Co-creating Future Ready 'Socientists'
The Social Innovation and Global Citizenship (SIGC) internship programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences of HKU aims to nurture its students to become future-ready ‘Socientists’: Global citizens who think critically, embrace diversity, and are ready to make an impact on society. In the summer of 2023, there will be over 480 available placement opportunities around the world. If this is the first time for you to apply for an internship, you may need assistance to navigate the variety of options and complete the application process. The purpose of Internship Week 2023 is to assist students in the application process. We have prepared a series of workshops for job-seeking skills, meet-up events with Community Partners and alumni, in addition to individual consultation sessions. This mini-website serves to provide you with a one-stop overview of the SIGC summer internship application details and all in-person and online activities to facilitate your application.
and Culture
(CSR & ESG)[CSR]
Services [CSS]
Services [LES]
Well-being [MHW]
Analysis [RPA]
and Innovation [SEI]
Over 150
Community Partners
More than 210
Internship Topics/Posts
Around 490
Placement Quota
Deadline of Application
February 1 (12noon) -
10 (12noon), 2023
Internship Period
June 5 – July 28, 2023*
*unless otherwise specified
Events, Workshops & Activities
| Date & Time | Topic | Activity |
|---|---|---|
|
February 1 (Wed),
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm |
Overview & introduction
How to start your internship application |
Opening Session @Chamber Individual Consultation Session @Room 1108 / Zoom |
|
February 2 (Thu),
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
Advice from EL team |
Individual Consultation Session @Room 1108 / Zoom |
|
February 3 (Fri),
12 noon – 2:00 pm |
Tips on choosing your internship and your career development |
Chit-chat with Experienced SIGCers (Online) |
|
February 3 (Fri), 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm |
Knowing your options |
Chit-chat with Community Partners (Online) |
|
February 6 (Mon) |
Job seeking skills |
Workshop @Chamber |
|
February 6 (Mon), 1:00 pm – 3:00pm |
Advice from EL team |
Individual Consultation Session @Room 1108 / Zoom |
|
February 7 (Tue) |
Job seeking skills |
Workshop @Chamber |
|
February 8 (Wed) |
Job seeking skills |
Workshop @Chamber |
|
February 9 (Thu), 11:00 am – 1:00 pm |
Advice from EL team |
Individual Consultation Session @Room 1108 / Zoom |
Internship Week Schedule 2023
A series of activities, both online and in-person, are available during Internship Week to assist you in preparing the application. Join our three workshops on job-seeking skills and individual consultation sessions to seek advice on identifying your choices among the number of internship opportunities and get prepared for the application. You are also invited to join the online meet-up events to meet with our Community Partners and past interns via Miro. Register now to reserve a seat!
Opening: 2023 Summer SIGC Overview
Time: Feb 1 (3:00 pm–4:00 pm)
Venue: Social Sciences Chamber, 11/F, The Jockey Club Tower
Come and join us to learn about the arrangements of Internship Week 2023. The Experiential Learning Team will provide you with guidance on how to start your application, what your options are and how to choose a suitable one for yourself. This will be followed by a parallel session for students who have specific questions on fulfilling the SI or GC requirements.
Chit-chat Sessionsvia Miro
Interactive dialogues for students to learn more about expectations and requirements of specific placements.
ONLINE
Session 1 :
Chit-chat with Experienced SIGCers*
*Experienced SIGCers are past interns consist of current students and alumni who are now the supervisors of our Community Partners
Session 2 :
Chit-chat with Community Partners
Chit-chat Sessionsvia Miro
Interactive dialogues for students to learn more about expectations and requirements of specific placements.
Session 1 :
*Experienced SIGCers are past interns consist of current students and alumni who are now the supervisors of our Community Partners
Session 2 :
Chit-chat with Community Partners
Job-seeking Skills Workshops
Technical training on various topics to assist students in preparing the application.
FEB 6 (MON) 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Venue: CPD-LG.08, LG/F, Centennial Campus
Speaker: Ms. Connie Tsui-Burchfield, Executive Coach & Founder, Radix Consulting Ltd.
FEB 8 (WED) 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Venue: Social Sciences Chamber, 11/F, The Jockey Club Tower
Speaker: Ms. Connie Tsui-Burchfield, Executive Coach & Founder, Radix Consulting Ltd.
FEB 7 (TUE) 11:00am – 12:30pm
Co-organised by CEDARS (Careers and Placement Section) on Zoom
Individual Consultation Sessions
Personal coaching provided by teachers from the Experiential Learning Team.
With EL Team @ Zoom/ @Experiential Learning Hub (Walk-ins are welcome)
- FEB 2 (THU) 3:00pm-5:00pm
- FEB 6 (MON) 1:00pm-3:00pm
- FEB 9 (THU) 11:00am-1:00pm
Internship Opportunities & Options
Before choosing an internship, students should first know the SIGC requirements of their curriculum — whether they are required to fulfill SI or GC, or both. Please review the SIGC requirements of your degree programme if you are not sure.
We understand there are many considerations in choosing an internship. There is no perfect internship to apply for but you can figure out which one aligns best with your interest, career goals, skills, language requirements, and experience. And we encourage you to be curious and to venture out of your comfort zone. Here are some possible criteria you may consider for making a wise choice –
- By Types of Projects – Specialised project-based internships that match your unique learning experience
- By Social Issues – Exploration of specific problems categorised under the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that match your interest
- By Job Categories – Industry nature that fits your career aspirations, skills, and knowledge
Visit the Experiential Learning Application System to view the internship topics with detailed job descriptions.
Types of Internships
Placement-based Internships
Local 
and Non-local Internships 
Placement-based internships offer students off-campus, work-integrated learning opportunities to work at local or non-local organisations, including NGOs, social enterprises, think-tanks, startups, business corporations etc., in a variety of posts and on topics ranging from education, sustainability, communication to policy research and community services.
In this summer, we have non-local placement opportunities in Australia, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Mainland China, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan, the USA and the UK.
Global Citizenship@Home (GC@Home)
The GC@Home programme provides a pathway for students to achieve global learning via internship placement in Hong Kong. Students have the opportunity to work with international NGOs and/or local partners in Hong Kong to address global issues, such as migrant workers, refugees, global poverty, and ethnic minorities, with local engagement.
Project-based Internships
Social Innovator: The IDEA Incubator
GLoCal Projects: Social Business in Africa and Asia
GLoCal Projects provide project-based/cross-disciplinary learning opportunities to work with international NGOs and/or local Community Partners addressing global issues with local engagement. In the past, we worked on issues such as human trafficking in Nepal, fair trade issues with tea pluckers in Sri Lanka and coffee farmers in Indonesia, and quality education issues in Vietnam by building libraries, swimming pools, toilets and classrooms in the rural areas. In the summer of 2023, we will work with small social business owners in Kenya and social problem solvers in Singapore and Mainland China to document their success stories.
Community-engaged Research Internships
In the Community-engaged Research internships you will apply your research skills to the evaluation and assessment of the performance and progress of a real community project. You will submit a project report to the management of the organisation for their consideration. Please see the project details under Local Internships.
Types of Internships
Placement-based Internships
Local and Non-local Internships
Placement-based internships offer students off-campus, work-integrated learning opportunities to work at local or non-local organisations, including NGOs, social enterprises, think-tanks, startups, business corporations etc., in a variety of posts and on topics ranging from education, sustainability, communication to policy research and community services.
In this summer, we have non-local placement opportunities in Australia, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Mainland China, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan, the USA and the UK.
Global Citizenship@Home (GC@Home)
The GC@Home programme provides a pathway for students to achieve global learning via internship placement in Hong Kong. Students have the opportunity to work with international NGOs and/or local partners in Hong Kong to address global issues, such as migrant workers, refugees, global poverty, and ethnic minorities, with local engagement.
Project-based Internships
Social Innovator: The IDEA Incubator
Social Innovator offers opportunities for students to learn the entrepreneurial process, create out-of-the-box solutions from first-hand work experience in innovative social enterprises, interact with changemakers and understand how the system works for social innovative startups.
GLoCal Projects: Social Business in Africa and Asia
GLoCal Projects provide project-based/cross-disciplinary learning opportunities to work with international NGOs and/or local Community Partners addressing global issues with local engagement. In the past, we worked on issues such as human trafficking in Nepal, fair trade issues with tea pluckers in Sri Lanka and coffee farmers in Indonesia, and quality education issues in Vietnam by building libraries, swimming pools, toilets and classrooms in the rural areas. In the summer of 2023, we will work with small social business owners in Kenya and social problem solvers in Singapore and Mainland China to document their success stories.
Community-engaged Research Internships
In the Community-engaged Research internships you will apply your research skills to the evaluation and assessment of the performance and progress of a real community project. You will submit a project report to the management of the organisation for their consideration. Please see the project details under Local Internships.
Social Issue (SDGs)
Placements are categorised under the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assist you in filtering the options by social issues that match your interest. Please visit the Experiential Learning Application System to view the full list of placements with SDGs.
Job Categories (7 Categories)
The internship opportunities are grouped under the 7 categories below based on the nature of the job task and the job sector. You can filter the placements by category in the Experiential Learning Application System :
- Communication, Media and Culture (CMC)
- Corporate Sustainability (CSR & ESG) (CSR)
- Community or Social Services (CSS)
- Learning and Educational Services (LES)
- Mental Health and Social Well-being (MHW)
- Research and Policy Analysis (RPA)
- Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation (SEI)
Application Tips
Application and Selection Procedures
How to Secure an Internship Offer
Step-by-step Guide on the Online Application System (Video)
Application
Application Schedule
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
|
Application Period |
February 1, 2023 (12:00 noon) - February 10, 2023 (12:00 noon) |
|
Announcement of 1st round results |
March 2, 2023 |
|
Announcement of 2nd round results |
March 23, 2023 |
|
Announcement of 3rd round results |
April 13, 2023 |
* Students from BPsych should only apply for SIGC internships starting from Term-time in their second year of study, which application will start in June 2023. Applications made before then will not be processed.
* For non-FOSS students, applications will only be processed in a later round, subject to quota availability. Applications by non-FOSS students in their first year of study will not be processed.
* We will continue to observe the development of COVID-19 and make any necessary adjustment in internship arrangements according to the situation.
* Visa requirements: Students should be responsible for their own visa application and checking the visa requirements of their country of origin.
Before your application submission, please note the following important regulations about internship application:
- For non-local internships, some of the placements may be cancelled or switched to remote work if travel restrictions are imposed. Students should pay attention to the Faculty’s announcement on the latest update(s), if any.
- According to the Regulation, students are not allowed to take courses over the maximum study load of 72 credits in one academic year. In this connection, you are reminded to reserve 12 credits for Social Innovation / Global Citizenship Internship in the 2022– 2023 academic year.
- Non-acceptance of internship offers will be penalised and your entire application will be withdrawn. Your next application for internship placement will only be processed from the second round in that exercise.
- Once you have accepted the internship offer, your withdrawal or failure to complete the internship will result in a FAIL grade for the internship course.
- As stipulated from the above Regulation (3), for students who did not accept the internship offer in the previous exercise but wish to apply for Summer Internship 2023, your application will only be processed from the second round in March 2023 as a penalty. However, you will still need to submit your internship application before the deadline at noon time on February 10, 2023.
Apply Now
Application Tips
Application and Selection Procedures
How to Secure an Internship Offer
Step-by-step Guide on the Online Application System (Video)
Contact Us
General Enquiries:
Tel: (852) 3917 1212
Email: socii@hku.hk
Address:
11/F, Faculty of Social Sciences,
The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus,
The University of Hong Kong
Office hours:
Monday – Friday
9:00am – 1:00pm; 2:00pm – 6:00pm
