Rare Internships FAQ

What types of internships are offered?
Rare offers paid internships in the Midlands in the UK. Internship positions are offered on a one-year basis. For 2024, we are offering internships in our Engineering, Audio and VFX teams.

Who isn't eligible for an internship?
Please check the individual role descriptions for full details on requirements. Unfortunately, we cannot select those who have already completed a year-long internship or have significant experience working in the games industry.

Where are the internships located? Do you provide housing?
We offer internships at Rare HQ in Twycross, UK, CV9 3QN. We are not able to offer housing or relocation assistance, we can, however, put successful candidates in contact with our current interns who will be able to provide some guidance.

Please note, internships at Rare require time spent at the studio for at least part of the week, so you’ll need to be able to commute or relocate closer to our Twycross studio as appropriate.

Can I apply for more than one internship?
Yes, if you meet the requirements and are interested in applying for more than one internship. We recommend that you apply separately for each one through our online application system. Additionally, we highly recommend that you tailor your application for each individual position. If you are unsure which internship to apply for, always target the one for which you feel you hold the strongest skillset.

I'm currently enrolled in university, can I apply?
Of course! Please just check that you meet the role requirements in the application, and most importantly that you can take a gap/placement year for the 12 months of the internship.

Do I have to provide a cover letter?
Yes please! Providing a Cover Letter gives you the best opportunity to introduce yourself, show us who you are and tell us why you want to work at Rare. Having no cover letter or a generic "Dear Company" letter may see your application overlooked in favour of someone more interested in Rare.

We encourage candidates to get creative! We've seen some really eye-catching cover letter formats, from videos to comic books.

Do I have to provide a portfolio?
Yes please! As above, this is a great opportunity to let us know what you'd bring to the role. It doesn't need to be finished or incredibly polished, we just want to get an idea of what you can do. Of course, if you do have completed or released projects, we'd love to see them.

Do I need a LinkedIn or other professional profile?
Entirely optional! If you do have one, don't forget to include a link in your application so that we can find out a little more about you.

What format should my application be in?
PDF is preferred, to ensure that what you see is the same as what we will see. Word documents are fine but be aware that their appearance and accessibility can vary across different versions of Word.

How does the interview process work?
First you need to apply with an awesome cover letter, CV and portfolio. Then there are usually 2-3 rounds of interviews, one of which will be an assessment day at the Studio which will include face to face interviews as well as some tests (if relevant to the discipline). If you get offered an interview after applying, feel free to ask more about how it works for your particular discipline then.

What if I don't get selected?
Intern placements are limited and competition is strong, so unfortunately, we can’t take everyone on! If you're not selected but you ask for feedback, we'll do our best to provide it so that you can come back stronger next time. You're then welcome to apply for an internship next year (if you're still eligible), or check out the other permanent and contract roles we have open to see if any of them are appropriate for you.

Do I need C++ skills for an Engineering internship?
You don't need to know C++ specifically – as long as you're capable of programming and have the right spirit, you can be in for selection.

Do I need source control/game engine/cloud engineering experience for an Engineering internship?
No! As long as you meet the required qualifications for the role you wish to apply for, any extra experience is just nice to have on top.

What should I put in my portfolio for an Engineering internship?
Anything that can show off your programming or game development skills! If you've made a game or app that we can play with, please provide links to get to it, this is much easier if we can run it straight in a browser and don't have to download or compile anything. Videos of your work running are also an easy way to show something in action, please upload to YouTube or similar rather than sending files directly to us as we may not be able to open them. GitHub or other hosted code repositories will be really handy to show off the code underneath your projects, so we can really see what you can do.

Can I show off University projects for my portfolio?
Yes! So long as it isn’t breaking any of your University’s terms (hopefully they want you to share your awesome work!) then please show it off to us. If any base code or frameworks were provided and used or work done in teams, please mention where that starts and ends, and where your contributed work begins.

Do I need to be able to use an engine e.g. Unity or Unreal?
No, but if you have experience with an engine or made your projects with an engine then that is great.

What should I put in my portfolio for a VFX internship?
Try to tailor your portfolio or showreel to Rare's general style. We always look for quality over quantity, so don't try to include everything you’ve ever done. Your portfolio should reflect the work you're most happy with, or where you overcame the most challenges. We love to see clear examples of Realtime VFX with consideration to presentation, but we also enjoy asset breakdowns or various working stages of development from ideation to final result. You will be asked about your work, so think about why you've included things and what you'd do differently if you could do it again.

What software should I know?
There are so many different ways to create VFX and so much software out there to create them, we’re open to everyone’s creative approach.

Do I need to be able to use an engine e.g. Unity or Unreal?
Preferably yes but any experience with a game engine to create Realtime VFX is great.

If I do a test for a VFX internship, can I use it in my portfolio afterwards?
Ask at the interview stage whether you're able to put your test work into your portfolio, but if the answer is yes, please ensure you put it in for the right reasons and state that it was a part of a test.

What should I put in my portfolio for an Audio internship?
We are always looking for someone with a fantastic ear, and the inner drive to learn and grow this sonic skillset.
But with interactive audio, this is not where the journey ends. We would love to see some knowledge of the implementation side of your work too - be this in popular audio middleware ( Wwise / FMod ) or scripting / visual scripting.
This combined with your sonic abilities, will give is a clear sense that you know the skills required for a successful year as an Audio Intern at Rare. Quality of portfolio over quantity - so keep it snappy and ear grabbing - putting your best work at the start! You should ideally aim for under a minute where possible. Bear in mind, if you get to the interview stage, we will be asking you about this wonderful work. If you have worked as part of a group - great, this shows you can work as part of a team, but please only include the bits you have done in your portfolio. You can show off university projects as part of your portfolio, so long as it isn’t breaking any of your University’s terms - we are certain they will want you to share your awesome work, but please check.

Do I need to be able to use an engine e.g. Unity or Unreal?
No, but if you have experience with an engine or made your projects with an engine then that is great. But knowledge - and hopefully some experience of how audio is constructed to work with interactive media is a must.

Nothing is an instant pass or fail
It's important to stress this. Applications are about building a case to show us why you should be considered. The more opportunities you give yourself to highlight your talents, the greater your chances of getting through.

Don't compare yourself to others
Be ambitious, but don't be harsh on yourself. Aim to be the best version of you, comparing yourself to the you of last week/month/year, not to other people. If you've grown and improved in that time, that's all you can ask!