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Vacation Experience

For students in our department who are looking for exciting opportunities to explore the world beyond campus, and to put their hard-earned transferrable skills to the test in reality, there are many different possibilities of ways to acquire new experience, especially during the summer vacation. This is a list of some sources of funding, and some examples of what recent students have enjoyed doing.

Funding opportunities at the University of Warwick

  • The Warwick Work Experience Bursary Scheme (WWEBS) supports unpaid work experience and internships. You can apply for a maximum of £200, depending upon the length of your work experience (@ £20 per day). This is a fund that supports students undertaking unpaid work experience financially and to help you maximise your career prospects as a result. Awards are made at £20 per day for up to 10 days per year. All current University of Warwick students who study an undergraduate or postgraduate course when the work experience commences can apply, as long as it ends before graduation. Undergraduates can apply for the maximum £200 bursary for unpaid work experience in one financial year (University’s financial year starts at 1 August and ends 31 July).
    Postgraduates (research and taught) can apply only once for the maximum £200 bursary for any work experience conducted until the end of the month after they graduate.
  • The Opportunity Fund provides bursaries to clubs, societies and other groups of students as well as individual students to help fund extra-curricular activities. They are ‘one-off’ contributions aimed at supporting unique activities that will benefit the individuals involved and help enrich their Warwick experience. The Opportunity Fund exists as a result of generous donations from Warwick's alumni and friends. Bursaries usually range from £100 to £1,000.

    In recent years the Opportunity Fund has supported many student projects including: Society tours abroad; Unique opportunities for individual students looking to gain new skills; Equipment for sports clubs and societies.

  • Lord Rootes Memorial Fund: cash for exciting student projects! The Lord Rootes Memorial Fund provides grants to Warwick students normally ranging from £100 to £3,000. The Fund is intended to encourage personal development by supporting challenging projects proposed by individual and groups of Warwick students, especially projects:
  • a) involving observation and the intelligent use of experience in the scientific, cultural, environmental or business context; and/or
    b) demonstrating creativity of thought and the development of an original and personal idea or objective.

    A number of previous projects have involved travel abroad.

    Further information about the Fund, the application process and eligibility for awards.


Subject-related experience

  • The Worship Company of Arts Scholars - via its charitable trust, offers two awards annually - the Geoffrey Bond Travel Award and the Arts Scholars Award. Both are worth around £400-£500 and open to students studying any aspect of the decorative arts, including archaeology, arts management, conservation, heritage and history of art at a UK university.
    THE GEOFFREY BOND TRAVEL AWARD: This award is presented annually to a person studying any aspect of the decorative arts, including archaeology, arts management, conservation, heritage and history of art at a UK university or institution of further education to enable him or her to travel in pursuit of their studies within the UK or abroad. The purpose of the grant is to allow the successful applicant to undertake travel essential for their ongoing research and studies. The successful applicant will be expected to present a copy of his or her dissertation to the Company. The successful applicant will be expected to attend, at the Company's cost, an event (annual dinner (black tie), attended by the Lord Mayor) where the presentation of the award will be made.

    THE ARTS SCHOLARS AWARD: This award is presented annually to a person studying any aspect of the decorative arts, including archaeology, arts management, conservation, heritage and history of art at a UK university or institution of further education to enable him or her to travel in pursuit of their studies within the UK or abroad. The purpose of the grant is to allow the successful applicant to cover expenses related to their ongoing research and studies (including travel, reprographics, books, etc).
    Applications forms and a brief CV should be returned to: Via email: taradraperstumm@gmail.com OR GeorginaEGough@hotmail.com. Or by post to: Tara Draper-Stumm, 33 Browns Road, London E17 4RN
    Please email taradraperstumm@gmail.com for further details. www.artsscholars.org

  • Society of Dilettanti, Travel Scholarships for Classics students - ANNUAL TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CLASSICAL STUDENTS 2018

    Through the generosity of Lord Normanby, the Society of Dilettanti is able to offer annual awards for British students of Classical Studies at a British University for visiting classical sites and museums in Greece, Italy or the Eastern Mediterranean. The intention is that this should provide an opportunity for those who would not otherwise be able to travel to see and experience at first hand works of Classical art and architecture. Appropriate candidates would be undergraduates planning an independent visit to the Mediterranean in the summer vacation.

    Scholarships for 2018 are expected to be £1,000. Applicants should give a brief account of their academic career and status, and provide a statement (roughly 500 words) of their reasons for applying, indicating the dates when the travel is planned and how the scholarship would be used.

    Applications must not exceed four A4 pages, including the CV and description of proposed travel, and should be sent in PDF format.

    Candidates should send their applications by email to the Manager of the Institute of Classical Studies Valerie.James@sas.ac.uk At the same time they should invite two referees to e-mail the Classics Manager on their behalf. The closing date for receipt of applications and references is Thursday 1 March 2018.

    Successful candidates will be asked to submit a brief report on their travels to the awarding Committee.

  • Museum internships, sponsored by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies. The Roman Society offers internships at UK museums over the summer vacation. All Undergraduate and MA students are eligible to apply.
  • Association of Art Historians- financial support for gaining experience in museum/ gallery work - we fund volunteering at museums, galleries, heritage sites or other visual arts environments. You must be a member of the Association (student rate £25) to be eligible to apply.

    The AAH Voluntary Work Fund offers funding to UK-based undergraduate and postgraduate students on placements or internships within the UK. Individuals are entitled to up to £500 towards placement-related expenses such as accommodation, travel and food. The Voluntary Work Fund supports both full-time and part-time placements/ internships.The placement can last up to 6 weeks full-time (Monday-Friday) or up to 30 days part-time.

  • Undergraduate summer schools at British School at Rome/ British School at Athens - 21 August to 10 Sept 2016: deadline 1st April 2016: further details from BSA website.
  • Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme (URSS)