o A Year in Employment Placement is suitable for full-time undergraduate students on eligible courses.
o Full-time undergraduates on eligible courses studying on a Student Visa can undertake a Year in Employment Placement, but there are additional costs associated due to visa requirements. Please read our International Student Briefing Sheet for further information. International students considering taking a Year in Employment should contact the Visa and Immigration Student Advice Service in the first instance for further information and guidance.
o A student who wishes to transfer to a programme with Year in Employment in the title must progress from the relevant Part at the first attempt in order to proceed onto the Year in Employment module. This means you must pass your second year at the first attempt to be eligible for the Year in Employment.
o In order to qualify for a Year in Employment Placement, a role must fulfil the following criteria:
- Minimum length of 30 weeks - not including annual leave. This can be achieved across more than one placement role.
- Full-time hours (minimum 35 hours per week) for paid placements. Those on unpaid placements are permitted to work 4 days per week (minimum 28 hours per week) to allow extra time for paid part-time work.
- A role which is beneficial to your long term career goal and/or you would usually require a degree level qualification to be employed into permanently.
Students are responsible for securing their own placements, however, support from Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise is available throughout this process. All placements are undertaken after the second year of study (this applies to students on both 3 and 4 year degree programmes). We recommend that you begin considering where you'd like to complete a placement in the summer before your second year as many placement vacancies open in the autumn of your second year.
During the placement year, students are only required to pay 20% of the usual tuition fee and will continue to remain an enrolled student at the University. For further information about the financial practicalities of the placement year, please read our Financial Briefing Sheet.
Year in Employment Placement opportunities are advertised on MyCareer or you can source your own placements elsewhere (see 'Apply here' tab). If you are considering or searching for a placement, you can contact our Work Experience Advisers for further guidance and support: workexp@southampton.ac.uk
The process for the Year in Employment Placements:
Step 1: Find and secure a suitable placement. Please ensure that placements fulfil the learning outcomes, which can be checked by examining the job description. We cannot approve placements that do not offer the opportunity to fulfil these requirements. Contact the Work Experience Team if you are unsure of a role’s suitability
Step 2: Notify the Work Experience Team of your role, job description and offer letter. You will then be invited to an Induction, where you will be guided through completing a Risk Assessment
Step 3: Once your role is confirmed, the Work Experience Team will notify your Faculty and change your course to include "with a Year in Employment". After this point you will be advised to apply to student finance
Step 4: You begin your placement after your second year semester 2 exams. You must pass these exams at the first attempt to continue with your placement
During your placement, the University will be in regular contact to ensure everything runs smoothly. In order to successfully complete your Year in Employment Placement, you will need to complete the following:
- Return an induction checklist to us within your first 2 weeks – this helps us to ensure you have received the appropriate health & safety training for your role
- Liaise with the Work Experience Team and your placement supervisor to organise your placement visit within the first 3 months
- Six optional blogs, tracking your progress throughout the year in relation to the learning outcomes
- Update us if there are any changes to your placement or personal circumstances
- Submit a reflective report of up to 3500 words, evidencing your fulfilment of the learning outcomes
- Complete our feedback forms upon completion of your placement to help improve the programme for future students
Before your placement:
o Help finding suitable placements - just contact the team through workexp@southampton.ac.uk
o Book a 1-1 Year in Employment Placement Appointment to discuss your placement search progress with a Work Experience Adviser
o Resources for making successful applications are available on the UoS Career Hub
o Access to our Ask the Adviser appointments
During your placement:
o As an enrolled student you will be able to access all University services remotely or in person if you remain in Southampton
o Ongoing contact and support throughout your placement with the Work Experience Team including two check in calls and a visit
o Additional contact with the University as desired
o Help with your Year in Employment Placement assessment through a Blackboard module
After your placement:
o A reunion event for you to catch up with other students and staff before you return for your next year of studying
o Continued support and access to opportunities through Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise
Placement opportunities are listed on MyCareer and you can find additional resources through our Year in Employment Student Guide. You can also source your own placements from elsewhere. Some useful sites are: