- Where can I go on a work placement and what can I do?
You may go to any country where the target language is spoken, providing the placement meets the conditions set by the university.
- Are all placements paid?
There is no set wage for employers to pay students on a year abroad placement; it depends on the country, organisation and employers. However, this is a factor you have to take into account when applying for a position.
- When should I start looking for a work placement?
It is very important to plan ahead; finding a job or internship abroad is not an easy task, but the rewards will be worth the effort. Currently, unemployment rates in Europe are generally quite high but it should not put you off, European employers are constantly looking for native-English speakers and it is often easier to find an internship, and therefore suitable for the YA placement. It is advisable to start at the beginning of your second year.
N.B.: if you do not find a work placement by the given deadline, you will have to take up an Erasmus study placement.
- What skills will I gain on a work placement?
There are many benefits which come from living and working abroad; confidence, maturity, independence, initiative, resilience and cultural awareness, just to name a few! By being a languages student you are naturally showing you are a good communicator. Yet during your course and on your YA you will gain these attributes as well as a whole range of transferable skills which employers particularly favour. You will be able to cope with new situations and challenges.
- What are the benefits of a work placement?
Employers value work experience and, when combining this with a period of residency abroad, it will be a valuable asset to you and extremely beneficial when looking for a graduate career. Today’s current economic climate means that businesses are looking to create links and gain clients overseas and therefore being able to speak a language, and have profession experience in a certain field, will be favourable. An article by The Guardian (de Valk 2012) on graduate employment advises students to “Make your CV stand out by demonstrating that you have worked with diverse groups of people” and a work placement for your year abroad is a great opportunity to do so.
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of a work placement?
The language skills you gain whilst working abroad are invaluable as you are usually surrounded by native speakers and operate in the target language in different contexts and scenarios. You will be gaining valuable work experience, which is important in today’s current climate. As you will be working full time, you may have to compromise on certain areas (which you may not have to do on a study placement) such as social life or travelling time.
- Do I still get an Erasmus mobility grant if I go on a work placement?
If the work placement is within Europe and it is signed under the LLP/Erasmus Work Placements scheme, then you will be entitled to receive the Erasmus grant (which you do not pay back).
- If I work outside of Europe, will I still get a grant?
You will not receive an Erasmus grant; however, your Local Education Authority (LEA) may have grants available to help with travel and living costs.
- Where do I start looking for a placement?
Looking for a year abroad work plcement.
Once you have decided what country you would like to go to, it is then worth thinking about the kind of industry/sector you would like to work in and start by looking at the country’s search engines i.e. for Spain: www.google.es. The Prospects website contains a section on working abroad, with links to vacancy sources as well as a section on finding employers.The European Job Mobility Portal provides vacancies in over 30 European countries. It is useful to have a CV and covering letter in the target language. The europass© website offers the facility to create a standardised CV in different languages.
It is advisable to contact employers directly, because even though they may not have vacancies at the time, but they may be able to offer you some other form of internship or work placement. Your university’s careers service may be able to offer advice on working abroad so please make an appointment to see one of the Careers Advisers. There is also a student-run organisation, AIESEC, which offers help locating posts abroad. You will also be able to find links, advertisements and tips on the Blackboard site.
- Will I be entitled to any holiday time?
This is something you need to speak to your employer about once you have started work (not the first question to be asked!). You must be aware that you may not be entitled to any holiday time; this usually applies when you are on an internship (i.e. stagiaires in France) – however, your employer knows you are not there purely to work; you are also there to explore the country and culture, so you should be able to negotiate something.
- What are my working rights? (i.e. sick leave, working hours)
This is something you need to speak to your employer about; you would generally be working “normal” full-time hours – i.e. those set by the organisation/company/enterprise. Don’t forget that you have a project to complete, if you are finding juggling your time with work and your project, talk to your employer to negotiate some time where you can set aside to do this.
- What are the risks involved in a work placement abroad?
Not all countries comply with the Health & Safety laws that there are in the UK; this does not mean that you shouldn’t find out about what do in case of an emergency/ fire, etc. It is your responsibility to do this, your home university should provide advice and forms to complete regarding health and safety, and it is not their responsibility should anything happen due to carelessness on your behalf.