FAQs
Graduate Payroll & HR Service
What is the Graduate Payroll & HR Service?
This is a free payroll and HR service. The graduate intern is seconded to your company for the duration of their internship. Your intern will be paid weekly by Aston University and you will be sent a weekly summary.
What are the benefits of the Graduate Payroll & HR Service?
This free service saves you time and money. GA will administer the payroll for your intern and you will save 13.8% Employers National Insurance contributions.
How long can the Graduate Payroll & HR Service last?
The Graduate Payroll and HR Service can last up to a maximum of 12 weeks. After 12 weeks you are welcome to offer your intern further employment directly with your company. For this you will need to provide them with an employment contract.
Can I take the graduate intern on after the initial 12 weeks?
Yes please free to offer them further employment. You will need to put an employment contract in place. Please keep us in the loop as we love to hear about success stories.
Who employs the graduate on the Graduate Payroll & HR Service?
The graduate intern is seconded from Aston University to your company for the duration of their internship.
How many graduate interns can I have on the Graduate Payroll & HR Service?
If you are looking to take on a number of graduate interns please contact the office on 0121 204 4767 to discuss your specific requirements.
What is the minimum rate on the Graduate Payroll & HR Service?
The minimum hourly rate is £6.75 per hour.
Are they entitled to holiday pay on the Graduate Payroll & HR Service?
The hourly rate of £6.75 includes holiday pay, so you do not need to pay additional holiday pay.
Can they take time off?
If their request is reasonable and acceptable to you, then the graduate can take time off unpaid.
It is not working out. What do I do?
Your graduate intern should be treated the same as any other member of staff. You will need to set them clear objectives and provide full training and support. If it is not working out please contact us as early as possible.
Paid Internships
How long is a graduate internship?
An internship can vary in length up to 12 months.
Can I employ a graduate on a permanent contract?
The internship will run on a temporary contract and if you love your new recruit and don't want to let them go you can extend their contract.
Do you charge any fees for your service?
As we are a government funded project we do not charge a fee for our service, the only cost to you is the graduates wage.
How much do I need to pay the graduate?
Graduate salaries depend upon the role and sector, but on average they earn around £16-17K per year. The lowest salary starts around £13,000 (basic salary, bonuses not included) and the maximum being £28,000. The minimum rate for a graduate Internship through this scheme is £6.75 per hour.
How long does the recruitment process take?
We will advertise your role for 7 days on our website but it does very much depend on the time of year and type of role. We reckon a normal recruitment process takes around a month; however, it can be much quicker during peak recruitment times in the summer and autumn. Some internships can take longer to fill due to the skills required, but rest assured we will be working our hardest to find your new recruit and we will keep you posted on how we're getting on.
Why do I need to complete the state aid form?
As we are a European Regional Development Fund part-funded project our funders do need to know if you have received any other government funding in the last three years.
Is there a lot of paperwork to complete?
A little bit of paperwork is involved but think of the big savings you are making on your recruitment costs.
Do you offer any funding towards the internship?
Unfortunately we don't offer any bursary for the graduate internship.
Voluntary Internships
Why would I want to take on a voluntary intern?
It is a great way to access graduate talent:
a) Low cost to the business
b) Corporate social responsibility
c) Staff development. Supervising a graduate intern will develop coaching and communication skills
d) Keep graduate talent in the West Midlands and aid future prospects for the leaders of the future.
How much will it cost?
The voluntary internship is unpaid. However, we do encourage you to donate to the Volunteer Travel
Expenses Fund.
How long will the voluntary internship last?
An intern can volunteer their time from 4 weeks to 16 weeks and can volunteer a minimum of 8 hours and a maximum of 30 hours per week.
Can the intern volunteer full time?
Not quite, up to a maximum of 30 hours per week.
Can I pay their expenses?
No. GA has an expenses fund and will look at each intern on a case by case basis liaising directly with the intern.
Will they give notice if they wish to leave?
We encourage all graduates to operate in an open and professional manner and would encourage them to give as much notice as possible.
What if they are working on an important piece of work and get offered a paid job?
It is important that you offer your intern work experience not business critical project work as they are not being paid. Projects of this nature would be classed as work.
Will they be experienced?
This will depend on the individual. They may be fresh out of university with no experience or may have undertaken part-time work during term time or in their summer holidays. They may have undertaken an industrial placement year and have considerable experience.
What can I expect?
Each intern will be unique and this is a great opportunity to introduce them to your organisation and environment.
Can I make them a paid employee?
Yes, either by ending the voluntary agreement early and offering them a contract of employment or waiting until they have completed the agreed initial timeframe and once again, offering them a contract of employment.
Is there a recruitment or finders fee?
No.
Can they holiday during the internship?
The intern is volunteering their time and if they wish to take holiday they can. Because they are not a paid employee you will not need to pay them holiday pay. However, a conversation prior to offering the internship will allow you to identify if and when they have holiday booked.
Can I set the days and times I want them to work?
You can give a guideline of what would suit your business needs however, ultimately it is their time they are volunteering and they may only be able to offer up certain hours/days.
Can I have more than one intern?
We will look at this on a case by case basis.
