Placements & Work Experience
If you are thinking about placements and work experience, come along to one of our workshops to find out more about where to find opportunities, how to apply, and the support offered for placement year. The workshops are titled ‘Prep for Placement’ and ‘How to Find Work Experience’. See these on our events calendar.
When you are ready to apply Book a 1:1 appointment with a Placement and Work Experience Adviser for help writing CVs and applications, and preparing for interviews. Please note that we do not provide or match students to opportunities.
What is a Placement?
A Placement Year (also known as a Sandwich Year, Year in Industry, internship or Professional Practice Year) is an opportunity for you to work in your chosen sector for a significant period of time. The placement usually takes place between your second and third year of study – some courses have their Placement Year after third year, but this is usually restricted to MChem courses. If you are unsure when your Placement Year is, get in touch with your School Admin Team.
We have provided a guide to support you in securing a Placement Year, and it includes helpful information on finance, accommodation, and the approval process. Please find the guide below.
If you are considering applying for a Placement Year, there is a variety of support you can access from the Careers & Employability team.
Module Placements
This may be a mandatory part of your course, or it may be an elective module. They vary in length, ranging from a few hours to several weeks, as specified in the module’s requirements. They are usually undertaken during term time. Please find the guide below.
How can a placement benefit me?
Placements and work experience have many benefits for improving your employability. They can enhance your studies by putting theory into practice, help with career decisions, develop employability skills, build professional networks and provide strong examples of experience for future job applications and interviews. All undergraduate students now have the option to complete a Placement Year between finishing their second year and returning for their final year.
Support Finding Placements
Click the dropdown titles below to find the relevant information about support finding placements.
How to find a Placement
When searching for a Placement Year, there are many places to identify opportunities including vacancy sites, and employers own specific careers pages. Use the links below and filter opportunities for your chosen sector, location, and opportunity type:
- CareerLinc is your first port of call as it lists specific opportunities for Lincoln students.
- Live Placement Opportunities – we have compiled a list of recommended placement opportunities that are currently taking applications.
- Prospects
- HigherIn
- Gradcracker (for STEM students). See their previous webinars from companies covering placement information.
- Bright Network
Speculative Applications Guide
Another way to identify placement opportunities is through a speculative approach to access the hidden job market. Applying for placements by using the speculative approach can be very effective in showing a legitimate interest and desire to work for a specific employer. University of Lincoln students have been very successful in utilising this approach. Find out more here.
You can share this guide with employers with whom you are interested in completing a placement. It includes all of the criteria they need to meet to provide a student placement. Find out more here.Placement Employer Guide
Application and Interview Support
Application and Interview Support
- Speculative Applications booklet – (Provides information on the hidden job market and how to reach out to employers professionally.)
- CV and Cover Letter Support (Including information on our CV workshop, CV guide with examples, and a review tool to score your current CV).
- Creative CVs (Information and examples of CVs used throughout creative industries).
- Application to Acceptance Booklet (Including information and advice on recruitment processes and how to prepare for interviews and assessment centres).
- Interview Support (A hub of information on preparing for interviews, including workshops, guides, and a review tool).
- Events calendar (Your Careers & Employability team deliver workshops on a variety of different topics to support your career journey).
- Complete The Lincoln Award to improve confidence and employability skills.
AI and Job Applications
Disabled Students
We understand that some students may have additional barriers or considerations to make before taking up a work-based learning opportunity. As a team, we are here to support you by sharing helpful resources and signposting you to further advice.
Our Diversity, Equality, and Mental Health hub includes a wide range of information relating to the protected characteristics listed within the Equality Act (2010).
We have also created the Placement Support for disabled students guide, which includes guidance on where to find support as well as information on reasonable adjustments. This support may apply to anyone with a disability, chronic illness, physical or mental health condition, or neurodivergent individuals.
If you are an international student interested in completing a placement, here are some key considerations. Hours If you are completing a placement as part of your course, it can be on a full-time basis (as long as it occurs before the end date of your course). If the opportunity is not related to your course, then you can complete up to 20 hours of work experience per week whilst a student (as per your visa compliance regulations). This applies when completing paid or unpaid work experience. Location If you are considering completing a placement outside the Lincoln area, please ensure you are aware of the transport options, such as public transport routes and accommodation. For further information regarding the placement process for international students on a Student Visa, please visit our International Students with a Student Visa guide.International students
Virtual Work Experience
Virtual work experience can be a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills and experience. Visit our work experience page for more information.
Hear about student’s placement experiences…