A work placement is a period of paid or unpaid, temporary work, where students have the opportunity to gain experience working within a company.  The aim of a placement is to bridge the gap between academic study and vocational graduate experience. 

Giving students the opportunity to apply the theory and skills gained during their degree to a period of practical and professional work.  There are a variety of types of placement and our Careers Team will be able to help you work out which is best for you.

Full time Tier 4/Student visa holders can undertake placements on their course as long as the placement is:

• an assessed and integral part of the course
• is no more than 33% or 50% of the course length - this depends on the academic level of the course

Full time placements, both paid and unpaid, are allowed as long as the criteria above are met.  Self-employment, employment as a professional or semi-professional sportsperson or sports coach or as an entertainer is still prohibited.

If the placement is not both assessed and integral as part of your course, you will not be able to undertake the placement full time during term time, and any work you did would count towards the maximum hours per week (10 or 20 hours) you can work part time during term time.

A number of courses at the University either have guaranteed placements or placements which can be added. If your course has a guaranteed placement, then your visa should be long enough to cover the taught element of your course and the work placement.

In most other cases where you are adding a placement to your course, you will need a new visa to undertake a placement you are adding into your course. 

You can check on the University website if your course has a guaranteed placement or if you have the opportunity to add a placement.  If, once you have checked the list, you want to add a placement to your course you need to:

1. Speak with your department's Placement Partner.
   
2. Get a course change form from the Advice Zone.
3. You will need to come and see the Immigration and International Student Advice Team for advice on extending your visa.  The IISA team will go through the immigration rules with you, ensuring you have enough time left on your study cap, making sure you understand the maintenance requirements and provide a timeline for making the visa application.
4. You must not start the placement until all of the internal processes have been completed and your start date has been agreed.

In most cases, you are permitted to change onto a placement course as long as your visa has enough time to complete the placement, before obtaining your new visa.

You can normally apply for your new visa either before the placement or after the placement has finished (but not during the placement).  An adviser from the IISA team will provide individual advice to you when you meet them to discuss your placement.

The University is happy to support students who want to undertake placements overseas. You must, however, ensure you follow all the same guidelines as if you were working in the UK and keep the University informed of any changes.

The University may need to curtail (cut short) your visa for the period of time you are undertaking the placement overseas. Before agreeing your placement overseas you should contact the IISA team for advice on your individual situaiton.

If you decide not to do your placement, or because of a change of situation you are unable to undertake the placement, then you need to follow the steps below:

1. Contact your Placement Partners at the University and update them.
2. Contact Immigration and International Student Advice (IISA) for immigration advice. If you have made an immigration application for additional time to undertake the placement then you will need to book an appointment to withdraw this application.
3. Contact the Advice Zone to ensure they know you will be enrolling for the next year of your course, and not going out on placement.  You may need to complete a course transfer form.

The University will inform UKVI that you will not be completing your placement.  If your original visa included a year to undertake the placement, then your visa will be curtailed.  The visa will remain valid until 4 months after your new course end date.

You will be updated once the University has reported the change to the UKVI, but if you have any concerns about your visa or immigration status please contact the IISA team.

The University will provide your placement provider with all the details needed to secure the placement.  However, the placement provider may need the following from you:

• Your passport
• Your BRP (both sides)
• Your National Insurance Number
• Letter or email from the University confirming the details of your placement