Paid experience, in weeks rather than years
Paid, 1–4 week projects with real UK startups. No experience required, because the project is how you get it.
From sign-up to signed-off in four steps
Sign up free
Tell us your skills, degree and availability. There are no fees, and coursework and society roles count as evidence.
Browse and apply
Every listing shows the deliverable, duration, pay and skills before you apply. Pick projects that fit your timetable.
Do the work, and get paid
One to four weeks in a managed workspace, with Project Manager support on the plans that include it. You may be one of up to three interns on the brief. You are paid for your work either way, with hours agreed up front.
Bank it in your Passport
The startup signs off your work and it becomes a verified MicroSkill Passport entry you can point to in interviews.
You do not have to know what you want yet
Most people work out what they want to do by doing it. A graduate scheme asks you to be sure first, then takes a year or two to show you were wrong. A micro-internship asks for one to four weeks.
- Test the sector
- Four weeks inside a real startup tells you more about whether the work suits you than any careers fair or job description will.
- Change your mind cheaply
- Deciding a field is not for you is a useful answer, and you come out of it with a finished piece of work rather than a lost year.
- Try more than one
- Two or three short projects in different industries make a clearer case at an interview than one long placement in the wrong one.
The board runs 6 kinds of project, from marketing and content to product and support. See what startups actually post.
The MicroSkill Passport
On a CV, experience is something you assert. The Passport is a record: each completed project logs what you delivered, the skills you used, and the startup’s verification. When an interviewer asks whether you have actually done this, you open it and show them.
- Verified by the startup you worked with
- Grows with every project you finish
- Yours to keep and share, at no cost
The fine print, up front
Paid work, always
Some roles open with a short trial, capped at four weeks and 20 hours so it fits around your studies. Past that the work is paid, and the terms are on the listing before you apply. We never charge students anything, at any point.
Fits around lectures
Short projects, with flexible hours agreed before you start. We match around your timetable.
UK-wide, remote-friendly
Born in Aberdeen, open to students at any UK university. Most projects run remotely.
Why we use a MicroInternship
We could give you a traditional assessment and ask you to complete a task in isolation. That is not really how we want to work.
A CV, an interview or an assessment can only tell us so much about a person. We want to see how someone actually works with us. So rather than judging you only on what you already know, we give you the chance to work on a real MicroInterns challenge, anywhere from one to four weeks.
What you develop
- Communication and professional communication
- Networking and relationship-building
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Initiative and ownership
- Time management and accountability
- Adaptability and working with ambiguity
- Confidence in a professional environment
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Understanding workplace expectations
- Using real workplace tools and processes
- Building evidence of your skills through real work
Most importantly, you experience what it is like to work with a real company, on a real challenge, with real expectations and real people. You will finish with skills, confidence and real examples of your work that you can take into your next internship, job, graduate role or freelance opportunity.
You do not need to know everything before you start. Skills can be developed. What matters to us is how you communicate, how you learn, how you approach problems, how you work with others, and how willing you are to take ownership.
That is why we choose to work with people rather than simply assess them.
Students who did it
“My micro-internship gave me real work to point to in interviews — a finished project for a real company, not another classroom exercise.”
“It was short enough to fit around my course and paid, which most 'experience' opportunities are not.”
Before you ask: yes, it pays
Do micro-internships pay?
Yes. Every MicroInterns project is paid, and you will see the pay band on the listing before you apply. We never charge students anything, to join or to apply.
Do I need experience to apply?
No. Projects are scoped for capable students rather than experienced professionals. Coursework, society roles and personal projects all count as evidence, and the micro-internship itself becomes your experience.
What if I'm one of three interns on a brief?
Some briefs run with up to three students in parallel. You are paid for your work whether or not the startup picks your version to build on, and every completed project still becomes a verified MicroSkill Passport entry.
Will it fit around my lectures?
Yes. Projects run one to four weeks with flexible hours agreed up front, and most are remote-friendly. You agree the schedule with the startup before you start, so it works around your timetable.
What is the MicroSkill Passport?
A verified record of every project you complete: what you did, the skills you used, and the startup's sign-off. In a CV or an interview you can point to work someone else has confirmed you did.
Where do I need to be based?
Anywhere in the UK. MicroInterns started in Aberdeen and many projects are with Scottish startups, but most run remotely and are open to students at any UK university.