FAQs

All students who have a spare elective may be eligible to undertake an internship. College of Business and Law students can check their Study Plan with Business Connect if unsure. All other students can check with their home school if it’s permissible.

If you’d like to get academic credit for doing your internship, your internship should take place within the teaching period of the term or semester you want to enrol in. You can do an internship during Semester 1, Semester 2 or the summer in a flexible term. If you have enough electives, you can also do an internship that may span over more than 1 semester. 

Standard fees per 12cp apply to all courses E.g., BUSM4608 is a 24-credit point internship course and equivalent in fees to two ‘standard’ courses.

For more information about fees, visit Fees, loans and payments or contact Student Connect.

There are various different electives offering flexible options for internships. The shortest length is 120 hours (for 12cp) and the longest 11-18 months (96 credit points). For Law placements, the shortest is 10 days. It will therefore depend on how many electives you want to use and which course you want to enrol in.

From 1 July 2023, student visa holders will not be allowed to work more than 48 hours a fortnight whilst their course is in session. This cap of 48 hours a fortnight is estimated to be equivalent to working approximately two-to-three days per week. For more information, refer here.

Students must know and adhere to the conditions of their visa whilst studying in Australia. Different visa types have varying work requirements and restrictions, which may be impacted by the course level and/or the visa held when applying for a student visa. Therefore, it is important to check the work conditions for your visa to ensure you adhere to the individual requirements of your student visa. To view the work hours cap specific to your type of student visa, go to the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA) website and use the system: ​Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) to check your visa conditions. 

Students must hold a valid elective enrolment for a Business Internship course in a study period that runs concurrently with the dates of their internship and complete the full amount of minimum work hours as stipulated by the course within the official semester dates. This means that whenever a student holds an active enrolment in a Business Internship elective, their university studies will be considered ‘in-session’ for the full duration of the academic semester in which their course is being run. International students seeking enrolment for a Business Internship elective during the Flexible semester are therefore advised to refer here to review the relevant academic semester start and end dates as published for their desired course and consider whether the fortnightly working hours cap restriction will suit their individual circumstances, given their student visa will be subject to the work hours cap for the full duration that flexible semester is considered ‘in session’.

For additional resources on finding work in Australia as an international student, refer here: Working in Australia - RMIT University.

Yes. If MBA or Executive MBAs have spare electives, the 12cp BUSM4483 or 24cp BUSM4609 is available to you.  

Yes, but only up to the standard 48 credit point (4 course load). E.g. BUSM4608 is same as two courses, leaving two other courses to be studied during that semester. Students are advised to negotiate with employers to ensure that internship days and study days don’t clash.

Studying beyond the standard 48 credit point (4 course load) is overloading and this is highly discouraged. Studying more on top often adds unnecessary pressure on both the student and employer.

Only extreme/exceptional circumstances may be considered. You will need to seek written approval by both your workplace supervisor and school. Together with your strong reasons for overloading, this is then forwarded to the Director of Undergraduate Programs for final approval

We encourage students to come and speak to us about Work Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities and how you may incorporate these experiences into the structure of your study program. 

Drop-in to RMIT City Campus to visit us at the new Internship Hub, Building 80, Level 2, POP-UP 2 where the WIL Team will be available 10am – 3pm every Tuesday and Wednesday throughout Semester 1, 2024.

Securing a suitable internship experience is ultimately your own responsibility and students must secure their own placement. However, there is support and help along the way.

We advertise roles we have pre-approved by our academic team via Career Centre Jobs Board.  We also strongly encourage students to utilise free services such as The Job Shop.

Check out job platforms such as RMIT Career Centre Jobs Board, Grad Australia, Seek, Indeed, GradConnection, Ethical Jobs and LinkedIn. You can also check out company career websites directly.  You should also consider your own network including family, friends and businesses in your local community.

New jobs get uploaded into RMIT Career Centre every week so ensure you check regularly or set up alerts. 

Check out the Job Shop for great resources and staff who can help you directly.

We also recommend visiting the Career Development webpage and having a look at the Online Career Support resources available. The toolkit provides some useful advice for resume building, interviews and career development.

We also have a wealth of resources including downloadable resume and cover letter templates on our Resources page.

To be suitable, roles should be as follows:

• A professional role that supports your chosen study pathway or future career
• Duration matches the internship course e.g. 120 hours for 12cp, 240 for 24cp or 480 hours for 48cp
• Anything over 240 hours it must be paid in accordance with relevant industrial legislation, advice provided by the Fair Work Commission. For more information on the current minimum wage, click here. 
• The job must not have been used to get academic credit for another course before

Search for an email, inbox or send a message via LinkedIn and write a professional and brief message. For example:

“I’m a 2nd year student at RMIT University studying the Bachelor of Business. As part of my degree, I’d love to do a short term internship at your company especially in your Marketing department. I’m especially interested in digital marketing and social media. Is there a person or team I can please be referred to?”

Looking up relevant contacts via LinkedIn and sending them direct messages is acceptable.

Other ways include calling to ask the best person to speak to or dropping in if they’re a local business. 

Absolutely! Consider maximising the experience and seek opportunities outside Melbourne, Victoria or even Australia! Roles based in another country will also go through an extra check by our team so keep us informed if you're keen on interning abroad. Check out Overseas programs for possible opportunities.

Please note there may be funding available for certain rural and international placements. Check with the Global or WIL team for more information. 

If you are having difficulty with your InPlace submission, please see here for a video on how to make a submission and here  for a quick reference guide.

If you are still experiencing difficulties with InPlace, please advise me within five (5) working days and I will assign this to our WIL Team who will be able to assist you further.

Visit RMIT Job Shop where you can make an appointment for resume and cover letter support. You should also regularly check out RMIT Career Centre for workshops about preparing your resume. 

For a downloadable template, check out our Resources page.

Visit RMIT Job Shop where you can make an appointment for interviewing support. You should also regularly check out RMIT Career Centre for workshops about interviewing. 

Yes. There are assessment tasks that need to be completed and these count toward your total grade point average (GPA). You must read your respective course guides for further information and ensure you check the course Canvas site regularly when semester starts.

There are no classes or lectures for the Law, Business Internship and Professional Apprentice courses. You need to check Canvas and ensure you complete your assessments on time.

There are no exams for the Law, Business Internship or Professional Apprentice courses. Ensure you stay on top of your assessments in Canvas and submit in time.

Yes. This is encouraged providing your job/role meets the criteria for approval. Contact the team via Business Connect for more information.

Internships under 240 hours can be paid or unpaid. Anything over 240 hours must be paid in accordance with relevant industrial legislation provided by the Fair Work Commission. Click here for more information on the current minimum wage.

You can do an unpaid internship if your internship is no more than 240 hours. Beyond these hours, the internship should be paid per Fair Work guidelines.

Your academic coordinator for all Business Internship or Professional Practice Courses is Dr Simon Thornton.

Simon is available by appointment via simon.thornton@rmit.edu.au with sufficient notice for voice/video or in person chats.

For any other courses, you could check the course guide or Canvas. Please contact the team via Business Connect if you’re unable to locate your Course Coordinator.

Yes - in many circumstances, students are offered on-going part-time or casual work upon completion of their placement. However, we advise to consider the implications for your studies. If your employer wishes you to continue full-time employment you need to consider the impact on the completion date of your degree as many courses are only offered during the day.

Please note as an international onshore student you only have the option of working the maximum number of part-time hours according to your visa and continuing your studies full-time.

If you are no longer receiving academic credit for undertaking the work, the role should be paid in accordance with Fair Work.

Concerns about any issues should be addressed at the earliest opportunity. You may withdraw early from your placement or project if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

Contact the WIL Team for support and guidance.

Your WIL Coordinator may be advised of these concerns either by you or your partner organisation.

RMIT has the right to withdraw a student from a WIL activity for issues such as:

• consistent failure by the student to perform after guidance has been given.
• a health condition which significantly restricts the ability of a student to comply with the partner organisation’s OHS requirements.
• breaches of legal, professional or ethical codes by the student or partner organisation.

You must not withdraw from your placement or project without sufficient reason. This includes not un-enrolling in your WIL course and not turning up to your placement/agreed project time. You must contact your WIL Coordinator as soon as possible if you have any concerns.

You can also read your WIL Agreement for more information.