Financial Support

The scheme is open to all current Lancaster University UK and EU undergraduate students who are part of the GROW Your Future programme, and the amount received is dependent on the following:

• Lancaster Bursary holder: £400 maximum
  
  
• Not a Lancaster Bursary holder, with a household income of less than £42,600: £300 maximum
  
  
• Not a Lancaster Bursary holder, with a household income of more than £42,600 but less than £60,000: £200 maximum
  
  
• Not a Lancaster Bursary holder, with a household income of more than £60,000: £100 maximum

If you are in receipt of a Lancaster Bursary, you are eligible to join the GROW Your Future programme - find out more!

Note: for the purposes of the Travel2Interview Bursary and the Work Experience Bursary, household income is calculated via information submitted to Student Finance England.

If students are not in receipt of a maintenance loan from Student Finance England due to personal choice or their EU/UK status, then we can only award a maximum of £100 for the Travel2Interview Bursary or £250 for the Work Experience Bursary.

You can apply for a Travel2Interview once you have received an invitation to attend for interview or assessment. You will need to:

• Complete an initial eligibility application form
• Provide a copy of initial invitation to interview or assessment centre
• Complete claim form with travel/accommodation receipts attached
• Provide feedback on interview/assessment process

Application to the Travel2Interview bursary is a 2-part process. The first step is to apply prior to attending your interview to check eligibility. The second step is to complete a claim form to be reimbursed after you have attended your interview.

Apply now by completing the Travel2Interview eligibility application form.

In cases where students are unable to afford the upfront costs associated with travelling to an interview, there may be ways to assist with this e.g. an emergency loan. Please email careersprojects@lancaster.ac.uk for further information.

Travel Bursary 2019/20 Terms & Conditions

The scheme is open to all current Lancaster University UK undergraduate students who are in receipt of an income-related university bursary.

1. Eligible students can claim travel and accommodation costs in order to attend a graduate job or post graduate study interview, student internship or placement interview and/or assessment centre.

2. At the discretion of the Careers team, assistance is also available for travel costs and accommodation costs to attend workplace visits undertaken as part of The Career Mentoring Programme, Insight Days and Open Days.

3. Bursaries will be awarded up to £400 per student, per academic year.

4. There is a limit of £100 for claims for accommodation related to attendance at an interview or assessment centre.

5. Students can claim more than once in an academic year, however the totality of their travel bursary will not exceed £400 per academic year.

6. The bursary will pay for standard class rail fares. Flights are not usually covered unless these are cheaper than the rail fares – evidence of this will need to be provided.

7. Applicants must provide evidence that travel expenses are not being reimbursed by the recruiting organisation. For example, an email or screen shot of a statement on the organisations website.

8. Students should apply for their bursary prior to attendance at interview/assessment centre to check their eligibility. This will require completion of an application form and attachment of initial invite to interview/assessment.

9. Students will claim their bursary retrospectively once they have attended the interview/assessment. This will require submission of a completed claim form, attachment of relevant travel receipts and completion of an online feedback survey on the interview/assessment process. In cases where students are unable to afford the upfront costs associated with travelling to an interview, there may be ways to assist with this e.g. an emergency loan. Please email careersprojects@lancaster.ac.uk for further information.

10. All claims for a travel bursary will be made in the same academic year as the interview/assessment took place. Late claims cannot be forwarded to the next academic year.

11. Where possible application forms will be processed within 2 weeks of submission providing confirmation of student eligibility as appropriate.

12. The Bursary Scheme Fund will operate on a first come first served basis. Once the annual fund is exhausted no additional funds will be made available until the start of a new academic year.

13. Interviews for non-graduate jobs are not eligible for support.

14. The Bursary Scheme will operate until 31st July 2020.

15. Final year students must submit their claim by 1st June 2020 as their payments must be processed before they graduate.

16. Where possible payments will be made directly into claimants’ bank accounts within 3 weeks of claim forms being submitted with the necessary evidence of travel costs.

17. Students who claim for financial support through the Travel2Interview Bursary are expected to complete a short report outlining the experience and providing insights into the recruitment process. Without this report claims
may not be reimbursed.

The scheme is open to all current Lancaster University UK and EU undergraduate students who are part of the GROW Your Future programme

The amount that you can apply for is dependent on the following:

• Lancaster Bursary holder- £1000 maximum
• GROW Your Future students who are not Lancaster Bursary holders with household income less than £42,600 – £750 maximum
• GROW Your Future students who are not Lancaster Bursary holders with household income more than £42,600 but less than £60,000 - £500 maximum
• GROW Your Future students who are not Lancaster Bursary holders with household income more than £60,000 - £250 maximum

If you are in receipt of a Lancaster Bursary, you are eligible to join the GROW Your Future programme - find out more!

Note: for the purposes of the Travel2Interview Bursary and the Work Experience Bursary, household income is calculated via information submitted to Student Finance England.

If students are not in receipt of a maintenance loan from Student Finance England due to personal choice or their EU/UK status, then we can only award a maximum of £100 for the Travel2Interview Bursary or £250 for the Work Experience Bursary.

Make sure that you follow the steps below to increase your chances of making a successful application!

1. Before completing the application form, ensure that you have downloaded, read and understood the Work Experience Bursaries Terms & Conditions below. This document outlines your responsibilities should you be awarded a bursary.

2. You must then complete the 2020 Application Form. As part of the online application process students will be asked to provide:

1. A copy of the work experience offer details and/or job description
2. Evidence of potential costs (e.g screen grabs of transport/accommodation costs)
3. An outline of how the work experience will:
         •  contribute to personal development; and/or
         • enhance skills development; and/or
         • support future career aspirations; and/or
         • enhance workplace skills in the eyes of future employers.

Assessing your application

The work experience Bursary funds are limited. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis by the Careers team until the funding is closed. Once you have provided all the relevant information we will aim to inform you if you application has been successful within three weeks.

If your application is successful, the bursary will be paid in advance of completing your work experience. You will be required to evidence, with original receipts, the expenses incurred as part of the work experience.

You will be required to repay any unreceipted or unspent elements of the bursary to the University. 

WORK EXPERIENCE BURSARY TERMS and CONDITIONS  

January-July 2020 

(Careers & Employability Service, Lancaster University) 

Please read this document and sign and date at the end to acknowledge that you have understood the terms and conditions of the Work Experience Bursary. 

What is the Work Experience Bursary? 

Work experience is a valuable opportunity to build up experience, skills and confidence in the workplace. Lancaster University has therefore established a limited bursary to help support undergraduate students with some of the costs associated with undertaking work experience.  

Students must secure their own work experience opportunity; advice on how to secure work experience can be found on the Careers Website. 

Who can apply?  

Full-time undergraduate students.  

How much can be applied for 

Non-Final Year Students 

• Lancaster Bursary holder- £1000 maximum 
• GROW Your Future students who are not Lancaster Bursary holders with household income less than £42,600  – £750 maximum 
• GROW Your Future students who are not Lancaster Bursary holders with household income more than £42,600  but less than £60,000 - £500 maximum 
• GROW Your Future students who are not Lancaster Bursary holders with household income more than £60,000 - £250 maximum 

Final Year students.  

There is very limited funding available for final year students and each application is assessed on its individual merits. Final year students must submit their application before 7^th June 2019 to ensure payment whilst still a student. Final year students must attend an appointment with the Student Opportunities and Skills Developer to help identify if the Work Experience Bursary is appropriate for their situation. Final year students can apply for up to a maximum of 75% of the amounts outlined above.  

The Work Experience Bursary will be awarded on a competitive, first come first served basis, assessed against the strength of the information provided in the application form, until the allocated funding for the Work Experience Bursary has been exhausted.  

The Work Experience 

The Work Experience Bursary is designed to support students undertaking a ‘short’ work experience e.g. less than 4 months in length.  

Students must secure their own work experience. Work experience can be either full-time or part-time and must not form part of the student’s degree programme (n.b. Placement students are not eligible as the placement is part of their degree programme)   

Work experience can be paid or unpaid experience (including voluntary work) in the workplace. Lancaster University Careers Service does not endorse unpaid internships – further information about unpaid work experience and your rights can be found on TargetJobs. 

The work experience must be conducted with a reputable organisation, company or individual within the UK, or overseas. The university reserves the right to assess the suitability of the work experience as part of the application process and its decision is final.  

The university accepts no responsibility for the work experience or any other matters relating to, or arising out of  it and excludes its liability for all matters (including without limitation any employment-related issues) related to, or arising out of, the work experience.  

The work experience must contribute to student’s personal development, skills development and/or support future career aspirations.  

What can a Work Experience Bursary cover? 

The Work Experience Bursary can be used to cover travel, accommodation or dependant’s care costs¹ incurred by a student as a result of undertaking work experience in the UK or overseas. 

The Work Experience Bursary cannot be used to cover daily expenses such as food, clothes, visa/passport application fees 

How to apply 

Eligible students should complete the online application form. 

As part of the online application process students will be asked to provide: 

1. a copy of the work experience offer details and/or job description 
2. evidence of potential costs (e.g. screen grabs of transport/accommodation costs) If you have multiple screen shots, paste them into 1 word document)  
3. an outline of how the work experience will: 

• contribute to personal development; and/or 
• enhance skills development; and/or 
• support future career aspirations; and/or 
• enhance workplace skills in the eyes of future employers. 

Please address all these points above with as much information as you can to support your application. Applications with too little detail will risk being rejected.  

Completed applicants for the bursary will be considered by Careers staff on a weekly basis; applicants who provide all the relevant information will be informed if their application has been successful within 3 weeks. 

The university reserves the right to interview applicants, either by telephone or in person should it wish to do so. In addition, the university may take steps to verify the information provided in the “Your Details” section of the application form. 

Successful Applications 

If an application is successful, the university will notify the successful applicant of the maximum amount they can claim; this money will be paid into their nominated bank account. 

Once a student has completed their work experience they will be required to evidence, with original receipts, the expenses incurred as part of the work experience.  

The university reserves the right to terminate and, where appropriate, require payment from the student should it become apparent that the work experience is not being carried out by the recipient or there is a failure to produce the relevant original receipts. 

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Contact following receipt of a Work Experience Bursary 

Following their work experience, students will be required to provide a short report (maximum 400 words) outlining the impact of their work experience skills on confidence, skills, and experience and/or career thinking.  

A condition of the work experience is that students are required to provide feedback at different stages during the remainder of their time at the university to determine if/how the work experience has supported, influenced or made a difference to their career choices and decisions. 

If you have any questions or queries about the bursaries or the application process please contact the Lancaster Careers Projects team 

Terms of agreement for Work Experience Bursary.  

By applying for the Work Experience Bursary you are agreeing to the following:  

1. You will complete the application form as accurately and fully as possible 
2. You understand that you must provide evidence, by way of full VAT receipts ( not credit card slips) to prove that you have incurred the expenses as claim 
3. You will pay back any unspent money or that for which you cannot provide a receipt. Failure to do so will result in you being formally invoiced by the university. Unpaid invoices may prevent you from being able to graduate. If already graduated we will look to debt recovery firms to recover the costs.  
4. You will write a short report (min 250 words- max 400 words) outlining the impact of the work experience you have undertaken within 1 month of the end of your Work experience and email it to careersprojects@lancaster.ac.uk 
5. For the Lancaster University Careers team to hold your contact details and personal information in order to make contact with you at a future point to either offer you future opportunities or to help evaluate the impact that the work experience bursary has had on your graduate prospects.  

Name: ______________________________________________________________________ 

Signature: ____________________________________________________________________ 

Date: ________________________________________________________________________ 

Please keep a copy of this for your own records. You will be asked to electronically acknowledge your agreement to these terms within your application form