6 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Placement Year

Gone are the days of turning up to lectures hungover, or completely skipping them in favor of watching Netflix instead.

Undertaking a placement year means you’ll be given real responsibilities and opportunities that will be both challenging and interesting.

“It was also an opportunity to expand my network within the company and industry as a whole. I was fortunate to have done my placement year during a transformative time in the company. This allowed me to use cutting-edge technology and help shape its development,” says Jasmine.

The majority of placement year students are also usually paid a reasonable wage. While the average placement student earns on average £14,000 (~US$17,390), students at the School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering at City, University of London can earn up to £25,000 (~US$32,016), with some organizations sometimes paying significantly more.

A placement year doesn’t mean you’ll be the tea and coffee maker of the office (although, there may be the occasional tea run). Instead, it’s time to take what you’ve learned in the lecture hall into the real world. Impress your colleagues and maximize your confidence by applying what you’ve learned in your lectures, seminars and late-night library sessions to a real job.

A placement year can give students inspiration for final year projects and dissertations. It can also help develop your soft skills, such as being able to work in a team and the ability to solve complex problems, which are all valuable assets for both your academic and professional career, as Jasmine experienced.

She said: “I was able to gain inspiration for my final year project, and learn many soft skills that helped me throughout my final year at Cass.”

Research has shown that those who have undertaken an industrial placement often gain a better final degree classification.

Although placement years are (mainly) about the learning and the working, it doesn’t mean you can’t also use the time to explore the place you’ll call home for 12 months, especially if you’ve moved abroad for your placement.

“I was given the opportunity to move to Belfast, which is a very different experience to London, and learn its history and culture,” says Jasmine.

There are a huge number of placements available for undergraduate students across a wide range of industries and sectors. However, competition in securing a placement year position can be fierce. It may seem like a daunting process to start with, but your university can be on hand to help with the application process.

City, University of London has different placement scheme arrangements across its Schools. For example, it’s School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering has a Professional Liaison Unit which sets up placements for students, whereas City’s School of Arts and Social Sciences has its own Integrated Professional Training Program.