Work Placements
The History department can support you in undertaking a work placement during an intercalated year as part of your degree (occurring between the Second and Final Year of an Undergraduate degree).
Placements are an opportunity to gain and/or to build on your existing experience of work or the voluntary sector. You will spend time in a professional environment, working with and learning from non-academic professionals in the commercial, industrial, not-for-profit, or voluntary sector.
This is an opportunity to develop new skills, to enhance and consolidate the knowledge and skills you are developing through your studies, as well as to reinforce your employability and further prepare you for the next stage of your career after graduation.
This webpage has been developed to provide guidance and answer common questions that you might have in relation to work placements. There's lots of information here, so please take the time to read through it carefully.
You are encouraged to discuss your plans with the department鈥檚 Employability Lead, to ensure that you can receive some support and guidance specific to your requirements.
You can also find central University guidance for before a placement, during a placement, and after completing a placement.
What is a work placement?
A work placement in an intercalated year of your degree is a type of work experience that forms part of your degree programme. The objective of a work placement is to enhance and consolidate the knowledge and skills that you are developing through your studies. It involves a collaborative partnership between you as the student, your placement Host and the History department. It is an assessed placement (although the mark is not included in the calculation of your overall degree classification), so placements require the prior approval of the History department.
The History department supports work placements that take place during an intercalated year as part of your degree (occurring between the Second and Final Year of an Undergraduate degree), and you will be transferred onto a different 4-year degree course that includes an intercalated year.
Placements can either be for the full academic year, or you can combine half a year on work placement with half a year of study abroad 鈥� although you should think carefully about taking this approach, because it will require additional organisation to manage both, and single-term placements are usually more limited.
Placements are the responsibility of students to arrange for themselves and require departmental approval.
Process: how to organise your work placement
- Find a work placement that appeals to you, ensuring that it meets the requirements for placements. It is your responsibility to organise this in plenty of time, taking note of deadlines:
Deadlines
The deadline for having your work placement(s) confirmed by the department is 1 July before the start of your third academic year.
Please note that students wanting to combine half a year on work placement with half a year of study abroad must follow the 果冻传媒 Abroad application process and deadline during the first term of their Second year of study.
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If your proposed placement(s) is outside of the UK, there are additional stages and forms that you must complete for your placement to be approved by the University. This can take some time to organise, so should be completed as soon as possible.
- Once you have found a placement, and confirmed the opportunity with the placement Host, please complete the work placement form and email it to the department鈥檚 Employability and Placement Lead (). You are able to undertake a maximum of two placements, if you are doing the full-year Work Placement Year variant, and you must complete the form for BOTH proposed placements.
- The department鈥檚 Employability and Placement Lead will contact the placement Host to confirm your placement details. They will also advise the placement Host of their responsibilities in relation to Health and Safety requirements.
- Once confirmation is received from the placement Host, your placement(s) will usually be approved, and you will be notified.
Requirements
Please pay careful attention to the requirements for placements.
Deciding whether to do a placement
You should think carefully about whether a work placement is the right thing for you. We recommend that you discuss this with your personal tutor as well as the Employability and Placement lead.
FAQs: International
If you are a Student Visa Holder, or if you are considering a work placement outside the UK, then there are additional factors to consider. Please pay attention to the following information.
FAQs: Support and Practical Information
Please read through the following information to make sure you understand the practical details of a work placement year.
If you have additional questions, please email: historyplacements@warwick.ac.uk
During your Placement Year
- You will be enrolled onto one of the History department鈥檚 intercalated year modules that best reflects your circumstances:
- Work Placement Year
- 果冻传媒 Abroad and Work Placement Year
- There will be University 鈥榤onitoring points鈥� throughout the year, which include contact with the department鈥檚 Employability and Placement Lead and your Personal Tutor.
- Once the placement has been completed, the department鈥檚 Employability and Placement Lead will contact the placement Host to confirm the placement duration and working hour requirements have been met.
- Your 3,000-word reflective assignment will need to be submitted via Tabula, with a deadline specified on Tabula in the usual way (this is typically in May). You will receive either a 鈥減ass鈥� or 鈥渇ail鈥� for this assignment. Successfully passing this assignment concludes your placement(s), and you are eligible to be awarded the four-year degree with intercalated year, with the placement acknowledged on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). Failure to pass this assignment and/or to meet the placement duration and working hour requirements will result in you being reverted back to the three-year variant of your degree and the intercalated year will not appear on your HEAR.
- During your intercalated year, you should follow departmental processes for expressing preferences for your Final Year optional modules Failure to engage with this process in good time will result in a reduced choice of modules and/or modules being assigned to you for your Final Year. Once your intercalated year has finished, you can then then enrol onto your Final Year for the next academic year through the usual enrolment process.