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I recently started my placement year at the University of Bristol and wanted to share my experience of getting a placement with you in this blog. I will be talking about what a placement is and the different ways to do it, why I decided to do a placement and how you can get one too! You can also watch my  on this topic.

What is a placement?

A placement year is an academic year during your undergraduate degree in which, instead of studying, you work in an industry related to your field of study. For example, as a psychology student, I considered clinical, charity and social work and, what I am currently doing, research. 

In this year you will learn how to enter a professional field relating to your studies, what skills you may need to learn (and learn them), how the industry works and how you can apply what you learn in your studies to it. 

A placement year can be done in between your second and third year of study, which is called a sandwich year placement. Sometimes you can also do it after your third year, so sort of as an addition after you have finished your studies. This is called a connected degree. 

Also, you can do your placement wherever you want! This can be anywhere in the UK or even around the world. If you want to go abroad but not in the form of a work placement, you might want to consider a study abroad year. For this you will go to one of our partner universities for one year and study in a different country.

Why I decided to do a placement

A placement is an incredible opportunity to apply what you have learnt during your degree on a professional level. This does not only allow you to perfect those skills but it will also allow you to see what your strengths are and how you can apply yourself to your industry in a way that feels right to you.

For example, I was really intrigued by the research aspect of my course and wanted to see if I could see myself doing a PhD and staying in academia. So, I decided to do a research based placement to give myself a chance of exploring this interest and seeing where it leads.

It is also a great chance to meet people in industry that can help you enter that company or field later on. Knowing people in the industry you want to enter is an invaluable resource. Even if you decide to change direction later on, it will still look great on your CV and improve your employability.

If you are concerned about committing to a placement for a year I have this piece of advice: Something I was told while I was applying for placements was that even if all I learn from the placement is what I do not want to do in future, that is still a very valuable lesson. It is unlikely that that is all you would take away from it though, trust me. 

In summary, I decided to do a placement to explore my career interests, develop and learn new skills, boost my CV and also to meet new people and make great friends and networking connections.

How you can get a placement

If you want to do a placement, the first thing you need to know about are the at the University. As Psychology is a Science and Health course, I was in contact with the Science and Health Placements Hub. These hubs are your go to place for any questions, concerns or plans regarding placements. If you are not sure of what kind of placement you would like to do, book an appointment with them just to have a chat and discuss your ideas.

As I was quite unsure of what I wanted to do for my placement during my first year, I signed up to the Placements Hub mailing list and scrolled through the opportunities they sent out via email once in a while. This and the chats I had with the placement advisors really helped me to figure out what I wanted to do for my placement.

Once first year came to an end and second year was on the horizon, I stayed in contact with the placements hub as well as the careers team to make sure my CV and LinkedIn were up to date and as best as they could be. I also got templates for Cover Letters to make sure I was prepared for when the time came.

Then, during the first couple of months of second year, the opportunities start rolling in. I applied to a lot of opportunities and my tip here is to apply to those that you are not that keen on first. This will give you experience of the application and potentially already the interview process and help you be less nervous about applying for those opportunities you really want. I want to note here though that you should not keep any opportunity lying around for too long, as some of them close applications once a certain number of them have been sent in.

The best way to find opportunities is via the placements hub’s mailing list and website, where many opportunities will be listed. You can also search online and on platforms like LinkedIn as well.

Another, not so well known, way of finding opportunities is by applying speculatively. This means that you send your CV to a company of interest that is not actively listing vacancies online. You might be surprised at the number of companies that accept but don't search for placement students! This is particularly fitting for those who know what they are looking for as it allows you to actively seek out what you want. It also shows great initiative to the employers as you are finding them first.

The more specific you can get, the better. I, for example, sent an email with my CV to a supervisor of an interesting project I saw listed on the University of Bristol’s research portal asking whether they took placement students and nearly a year later here I am, working with them!

And remember not to get discouraged when you receive rejections, and it is likely you will. Placements, especially paid ones, can be very competitive and hundreds of students may apply.

What happens next?

Hopefully the steps I listed above can help you get more acceptances than rejections but when you do get them, try writing an email back thanking them for their time and the opportunity and checking for feedback on your application and interview. This will allow you to bounce back even stronger for the next application.

When you get accepted, you will notify your placement hub and enter a stage of paperwork and technicalities. But this blows over quickly and the placement hub is there to support you at every step of the process, so do not despair! During this time, it is important you discuss things with your placement provider such as start and end dates, payment and working hours. This is so you can plan ahead for next year and you know exactly what you are going to do, where and when. Lastly, you will need to ensure you have sorted out your accommodation for your placement year! This is very important as you want to make sure you are well set up to focus on your placement. 

Finally, I recommend (if you can) to visit your placement provider before starting your placement. I did this and it was great getting to know the team ahead of time and it allowed me to be less nervous and look forward to what is to come!

I hope my tips will help you on your journey.