Summer Stars Internship Programme
Running for its eighth year, this annual programme connects PR, public affairs, and communications agencies, as well as in-house teams, with talented students, graduates, and school leavers (18+) from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds. It offers a unique opportunity to support the next generation of PR and communications professionals while helping diversify our industry.
About the Programme
The Summer Stars Internship Programme provides paid internships, with no prior experience required. Each intern benefits from entry-level exposure to the industry, which helps foster professional growth in their area of interest.
Employers benefit from the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s matching service, where we shortlist and propose suitable candidates, advancing our shared commitment to inclusion and diversity.
All internships are paid directly by employers, with a minimum expectation of the London Living Wage (or Living Wage for placements outside of London). We advocate for standard salaries to ensure fair compensation, reflecting what you would offer for similar internal roles.
A few of our
annual Summer Stars Employers
Our Summer Stars Internship Programme has been designed to support an organisation’s early career DEIB talent attraction strategy, goals and objectives. As attracting diverse talent continues to remain competitive, our programme delivers success in our tailored and collaborative recruitment approach which meets your talent attraction goals, alongside introducing you to some of the best and brightest talent of the future. Our pastoral support for interns and employers throughout the process sets us apart when it comes to employers confidently securing, managing, retaining and converting diverse talent into permanent hires.
Before starting an internship, the programme begins with a three-day PR & Communications bootcamp from June 23rd to 25th, 2025, preparing interns with sector insights, media landscape overviews, and workplace skills like professionalism and confidence.
Why participate?
The Summer Stars Programme isn’t just an internship; it’s a pipeline for future talent. By participating, you can inspire and motivate interns, potentially inviting them back in subsequent years or considering them for entry-level roles upon graduation. Many employers, including Four Communications, Amazon Web Services, and Barclays, have hired interns full-time after their Summer Stars experience, integrating them as valuable team members.
“Applying for the Summer Stars program was the best decision I made. There is so much support and the team will work endlessly in order to ensure you have an internship at the end of it. My internship provided me with so many hard skills and a glimpse into life with PR & Communications that you can only gain from a physical internship. I cannot thank the TBF team enough for the impact that the Summer Stars program made for my career development and I will definitely be recommending it to friends/ family” – Summer Stars Intern
How to get involved
To get involved and host an intern, please following the below steps:
- Submit a written application (including an internship role description) starting November 13th, 2024. Applications will close on February 7th 2025.
- New Employers – We invite you to schedule an introductory call with our team to discuss the programme and understand how it aligns with your organisation’s goals.
- Upon submission, you’ll receive feedback and an invitation to an employer briefing session covering key dates and programme details
Recruitment Options
To best support your hiring process, we offer two recruitment methods:
- TBF Shortlisting: We handle all initial assessments and select candidates for your review.
- Employer Shortlisting: We provide pre-screened candidates, and you lead final interviews.
How to apply
Interested in learning more about the programme before taking part or a new employer? We will be hosting an employer information session on January 16th 2025 (12.15pm-1.00pm).
To register for our employer information session, please click HERE.
If you are interested in offering an internship through our Summer Stars Internship Programme and have questions, please contact summerstars@taylorbennettfoundation.org and we can arrange an introductory call.
Applications are open | Host an Intern
Applications for the 2025 programme are now open. If you would like to host an intern in 2025 (Summer), please click HERE to submit a written application form (including the attachment of your internship role description) by Friday, February 7th 2025 (11.59pm).
