Internship
About the Internship
No, all SIGC internships are non-paid.
For term-time internships, you are required to work one full day or two half-days per week. You have to negotiate with your Community Partner (CP) directly and sometimes working days can be re-arranged on a need basis. For example, your working days in the first and second semester may be different depends on your course schedule. It is highly recommended that you take initiative to discuss with your CP on the work arrangement.
The definition of “full time” may be slightly different at each respective CP organisation and in each respective country. Some organisations may consider full time as 9am-5pm, while some may consider it as 9am-6pm, etc.
Full-time, 5-days a week typically refers to the operational hours of the organisation. Some CPs may require overtime work, please pay attention to the “Special Requirements” section on the job descriptions of respective internship.
You can discuss with the CP Supervisor if there is any issue or concern regarding the work schedule. Should there be further issue or concern, you can contact your Academic Tutor for assistance.
There are fewer students applying for term-time internship compared with summer, but there are more CPs offering a more diverse selection of internship projects in summer.
SIGC Internships are credit-bearing with 12 credits (6 credits for Service Learning in China). Your performance at CPs constitutes 50% of the total mark; while the remaining 10% and 40% go to Project Presentation and Integrated Essay respectively.
No, all SIGC internships are credit-bearing and you are required to complete all academic deliverables and assignments. Instead, there are non-credit bearing internships coordinated by CEDARS for you to apply.
Yes, you are welcome to propose a new internship which is not on the list of existing CPs by submitting an application through the Student-initiated Internships scheme. Once an application is received, the Faculty’s Experiential Learning Team (EL Team) will undergo a systematic set of procedures to assess the suitability of service tasks offered.
Eligibility
Yes, but you are strongly recommended to complete the requirement no later than the second semester of your final year of studies. For those students who fulfill SIGC requirements in the summer of their final year, the grades will be formally released by the end of September, which may affect their application for postgraduate studies or graduate jobs.
Year 1 students are eligible to apply for internships. However, students are highly recommended to take part in the internship from their second year of studies when they are expected to have more academic knowledge to integrate the internship experience.
You can apply for the internship if you can come back to Hong Kong before the commencement of the internship orientation/workshops. During the selection process, you may need to attend interviews with the internship team or CPs via telephone or Skype. Please clearly specify in your personal statement the ways (e.g. email address or phone number) that the CPs can contact you for interviews.
No, as you should apply for leave of absence from HKU for the exchange semester, you cannot enroll the internship course at HKU in the same semester. Please note that concurrent enrollment is not allowed.
No, the SIGC internship programme is not open to incoming exchange students concerning their visa status.
Limited quota is offer to non-social sciences students in Summer, as appropriate. For details, you may visit here.
Application and Selection Process
No, you do not need to enroll the internship course during course selection / add/drop period. Please apply via the application system during the designated period if you would like to participate in the internship programme.
The Faculty Office will enroll the internship course for you closer to the start of internship (i.e. around May for summer internship and September for term-time internship) if you have accepted an offer.
You should reserve study load of 12 credits (for FOSS2018/FOSS2019) or 6 credits (for FOSS2022) in the respective semester / academic year. Should your study load exceed the maximum number of 36 / 72 credits in the respective semester / academic year after your enrolment of a term-time internship course, you will be requested to submit the Application Form for Special Approval to the Faculty Office at the time of course enrolment (i.e. around September) for approval of the Board of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
For summer internship course, you are required to apply, via the Experiential Learning System, for the overload (if exceeded 36 / 72 credits for the respective semester / academic year) while accepting the internship offer.
Unless a particular background is specified by the CPs, we welcome you to venture out of your comfort zone, be exposed to a new learning environment and learn from your colleagues.
Both the CP Supervisor and the Academic Tutors will provide you with support, and it is highly recommended that you take initiative in studying relevant theories and resources in the field as an ongoing learning process.
You have to apply for the internship via the application system by completing an online form and personal statement, and submit your CV as attachment. Interview will be arranged by CPs, if appropriate. Sometimes CPs might choose to shortlist candidates for interview based on the CV you provided instead of interviewing all internship applicants. You are advised to stay alert to phone calls and emails as CPs will directly approach you for interview.
The Faculty will arrange various workshops on job seeking skills, e.g. CV writing and interviews, during the Internship Week in January. Please stay tuned for the email announcement from the Faculty.
Your internship application will be sent to Community Partner for screening and decision after the end of the application period of each round. In this sense, applications are not processed on a first-come-first-served basis.
You are allowed to choose one internship placement in each round of application. If you are not selected for your first choice, you will be asked to select additional choice for the next round. After three rounds of selection, the EL Team will provide individual coaching to unsuccessful applicants to look for a suitable placement.
The selection criteria vary among each internship placement. Please pay attention to the ‘Special Requirements’ section on the job descriptions for the requirements of the respective placement.
No, GPA or CGPA is only ONE of the factors for consideration. Personal statements, working experience, voluntary services experience, level of language proficiency/other skills, academic background and interview performance (if any) will be comprehensively considered by the CPs for their decision on internship applications.
The Faculty only acts as the facilitator and do NOT shortlist any applications. The CPs receive all applications and make the decisions by themselves based on your CV and interview performance, if any.
After Getting the Offer
You will receive an email from the Faculty Office with further information about your internship (e.g. Internship Orientation, contact details of Internship Supervisor and Academic Tutor, course enrollment, etc.) before the commencement of the internship programme.
All the internship orientation and internship workshops are compulsory. Both activities help you prepare for and benefit from the internship programmes. Please make sure you have gone through the required readings before attending the orientation/workshops. When you submit your internship application online, make sure you can attend all the orientations and workshops, and mark your schedule accordingly.
- Select internship placements based on your interest, rather than the popularity of the CPs or peer pressure.
- Attend the internship orientation/workshops which will help you develop competence in personal, social, and academic aspects.
- Take initiative to communicate with the CP Supervisor and Academic Tutors from time to time, which may give you fresh perspectives on understanding yourself and your work performance.
You are recommended to wear smart casual/business casual attire on the first day of the internship. It is better to be over-dressed and professional on the first day rather than under-dressed. You can then seek advice from the CP Supervisor for dress etiquette at the respective organisation. Remember, first impressions are important!
The CP Supervisor will evaluate your work performance using a standard online form. The grade derived from nine assessment criteria will be attributed to 50% of the total mark of the internship course.
Non-local Internships
All students participating in the SIGC Internship endorsed by the Faculty of Social Sciences are covered under the University’s insurance plan for the duration of their internship period as indicated in the letter of acceptance.
Please note that dates may vary from the Faculty’s standard internship period. Hence you should pay attention to your requisite letter of acceptance.
Students who decide to travel before or after the internship period are responsible to arrange your own travel insurance, should you decide to do so.
Visa issuance varies from country to country and depends upon your passport type; students are urged to consult the requisite consulate to gain more information relating to visa issuance once they have confirmed their internship offer. Supporting documentation will be provided to students from both the Faculty and the Community Partner. Please note, the Faculty cannot guarantee visa issuance or expedite the visa process. It is the students’ responsibilities to conduct all the necessary procedures for obtaining their visas.
- The sooner you complete the visa procedures and obtain the visa, the quicker you can start to arrange the air ticket and accommodation in the host country.
- Some non-local internships arrange host stays and/or on-site living options. Hence, the following information relating to accommodation may not be suitable for all non-local internships, though it is for most.
- There have been cases where students have arranged a non-flexible air ticket and accommodation and have been at a financial loss due to delays in the visa process. To avoid such situations, start your visa application procedures early.
- Purchasing a flexible air ticket is highly recommended because it will allow you to change your flight dates without penalty should there be a delay in visa issuance.
The Faculty offers Scholarship and Bursary opportunities to Social Sciences students participating in the non-local SIGC Internship Programme. Please note that the Scholarship/Bursary schemes offer a notional amount of award for students’ participation of non-local internships in summer. Students should not consider it a major financial source. For details of eligibilities and selection criteria, please visit here.
Outbound Exchange Programme
Prepare Exchange Application
Non-final year full-time HKU undergraduate students who have never joined any previous semester exchange programmes organised by HKU (i.e. IAO, faculties or departments).
Yes, you can. We will refer to your CGPA after the announcement of the 1st semester results.
Students are NOT recommended to go for exchange in final semester of their final year of study. Since there are many uncertainties on credit transfer from exchange study, i.e. courses offered in host institution, approval of credit transfer, delay in transcript arrival, etc., exchange in final semester may lead to a risk of deferral of graduation.
HKUWW has a wider range of partner institutions available for selection, while partner institutions under Faculty-level exchange programmes offer more Social Sciences specific courses. You can apply for both Faculty-level and HKUWW exchange programmes, but only one offer would be made if you are shortlisted. After getting the offer, the remaining processes are identical.
You may apply for the late rounds of HKUWW exchange. There are plenty of alternatives to fulfill GC, please refer to SIGC Fulfillment for the possible options.
Yes, the International Affairs Office (IAO) will assign an appropriate scholarship to you according to your financial needs and academic standing once your application to the host institution becomes successful. For details, please check here.
No, application from students who have previously been or are going to be on exchange under the HKUWW Programmes or any other student exchange programmes organised by other faculties or departments will NOT be considered.
Credit Transfer & Global Citizenship (GC)
No, you are required to apply for credit transfer via the Outgoing Exchange Studies Credit Transfer Application System (OES) prior to your exchange. No retrospective application will be considered.
Please stay tuned for the notification email announcing the commencement of the OES application period. (First semester is usually around July and Second semester is usually around November)
Not necessarily, please refer to the Credit Conversion for Outgoing Exchange Students here.
You are advised to visit the website of the host university to obtain the course information (e.g. course outline/description), and should submit the application for credit transfer with relevant information via the OES system before the commencement of the exchange. The approval of course equivalence is determined by the relevant course offering departments (approving units). You might consult the course offering departments to check whether your initial study plan is acceptable, or check the credit transfer approval history at Credit Transfer Database (For Reference Only).
No, the exchange programme itself is not necessarily able to suffice the GC requirement. You have to apply for credit transfer with 12 HKU-equivalent credits of advanced level courses (course level determined by HKU, not the host institution) in order to fulfill GC requirement.
Yes, you can apply for credit transfer to fulfill GC requirement from the University-level exchange programmes. Please be reminded to undertake 12 credits of advanced courses (course level determined by HKU, not the host institution) from the exchange programme for GC.
Yes, the credits earned from course-based short term study abroad programmes organised by IAO can be used to fulfill GC. You are reminded to transfer 12 HKU-equivalence advanced-level credits for the GC requirement.
No, those credits being transferred for GC or your major/minor can only serve for either purpose, but not both.
No, repeated enrolment is not allowed.
Detailed course information including course title, number of contact hours, number of credits, course objectives, learning outcomes, reading list and assessment methods are usually required. This information must be available in English.
The Faculty Office will notify you the result via email. The date of releasing the final result is subject to the receipt date of the official transcript from the host institution. You may also submit an official hard copy of the transcript to the Faculty Office for processing. Please allow at least 2 months for processing upon receipt of the official transcipt.
The assessment results of the courses will NOT be included in the calculation of GPA and Honors Classification. Only the name of the host university, location, course titles and credits will be recorded on the HKU official transcript.
During Exchange
You are NOT required to seek approval and delete any processed application(s) on the OES system. You might choose which course you took when you confirm study plan in a later phase on the OES system.
You are required to notify the organiser of the exchange programme (i.e., IAO) and the Faculty Office as soon as possible.
You should check your HKU email account regularly. All email correspondences between the Faculty and students shall be conducted via HKU email account.
Inbound Exchange Programme
About the Programme
To apply for HKU Incoming Student Exchange Programme, your must:
- confirm that your home institution have an exchange partnership with HKU / FOSS (Faculty of Social Sciences)
- be nominated for the programme by the exchange coordinator of your home institution
Please visit International Affairs Office (IAO) for details.
Course Enrolment
You have not been enrolled into any course yet and are required to enrol them yourself in Student Information System (SIS) during the course selection period and/or add/drop period. Your course enrolment would be subject to the availability of courses and approval of the course offering department(s).
The normal credit load at HKU is 30 credits (i.e. 5 courses because most HKU course carries 6 credits each) per semester. The minimum and maximum load are 24 credits and 36 credits respectively.
Yes, upon the approval from the course offering department(s). Social Sciences incoming exchange / visiting students must select at least 50% or more of the courses offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences, which are those with prefixes GEOG, POLI, PSYC, SINO, SOCI, SOWK and JMSC.
Please visit the website(s) of the course offering department(s). The websites of core departments under Faculty of Social Sciences can be accessed via http://www.socsc.hku.hk/ (under “Departments & Centres”).
During Exchange
No. Non-local exchange students whose study period is less than one academic year (i.e. 12 months including summer semester) are not eligible to take up internship in Hong Kong. For details, please refer to Hong Kong Immigration Department.
No.