What is a Placement Year?
A placement year, also known as a sandwich year, or internship year, is a structured period of full-time work experience related to the field of study that is integrated into your university degree.
Typically lasting 9-12 months, this experience allows students to apply their academic knowledge in a real-world setting, boosting employability and career prospects. This can provide numerous benefits for students, both during their placement year and after they graduate.
Key Characteristics of a Placement Year
- Integrated into Your Degree: It’s a recognized and often credit-bearing part of your university course.
- Duration: Typically 9–12 months.
- Full-Time: You’ll be working regular full-time hours.
- Paid (Usually): Most placement years are paid, providing students with an income.
- Relevant to Study: The work you do directly relates to your degree discipline.
- Structured Learning: Many placements offer structured training and development opportunities.
Why Do a Placement Year? The Transformative Benefits
Undertaking a placement year is an investment in your future, offering a multitude of benefits that extend far beyond your time in the workplace.
1. Gain Real-World Experience & Practical Skills
A placement year bridges the gap between academic theory and industry practice. You’ll move beyond textbooks and lectures, applying your knowledge to actual projects, solving real business problems, and contributing to a professional team. This hands-on experience develops critical practical skills that are highly sought after by employers, such as:
- Technical Skills: Using industry-standard software, tools, and methodologies relevant to your field (e.g., coding, financial modeling, lab techniques).
- Problem-Solving: Tackling complex challenges and developing innovative solutions.
- Project Management: Learning to manage tasks, deadlines, and resources.
2. Boost Your Employability & Career Prospects
This is arguably the biggest benefit. Graduates with relevant work experience are significantly more attractive to employers. A placement year:
- Enhances Your CV: A year of professional experience makes your resume stand out from other graduates who only have academic qualifications.
- Develops Transferable Skills: You’ll hone essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, adaptability, negotiation, and critical thinking – skills valuable in any career.
- Increased Chance of Graduate Job Offers: Many employers offer placement students a permanent position on their graduate scheme upon successful completion of their degree. According to market data, a significant percentage of placement students convert their experience into full-time employment with their placement company.
- Competitive Edge: It gives you a clear advantage in the graduate job market.
3. Explore Career Paths & Gain Industry Insight
A placement year offers a unique opportunity to test-drive a specific role or industry before committing to it long-term.
- Clarify Career Goals: You can discover if your chosen field is truly the right fit for you, or if you’d prefer to pivot to a different area.
- Industry Immersion: You’ll gain invaluable insight into the day-to-day operations, culture, and challenges of a particular industry or company.
- Informed Decisions: This experience helps you make more informed choices about your final year modules, dissertation topic, and future career direction.
4. Build a Powerful Professional Network
Networking is crucial for career progression, and a placement year provides an unparalleled opportunity to build valuable connections.
- Connect with Professionals: Work alongside and learn from experienced professionals in your field.
- Mentorship Opportunities: Many companies assign mentors or buddies to placement students.
- Future Referrals: The relationships you build can lead to references, advice, and even future job opportunities.
5. Personal Growth & Development
Beyond professional skills, a placement year fosters significant personal development:
- Increased Independence: You’ll learn to live and work away from the university bubble.
- Confidence Boost: Successfully navigating a professional environment builds self-assurance.
- Adaptability: You’ll learn to adjust to new challenges, environments, and team dynamics.
When Do Students Typically Do a Placement Year?
The most common time to undertake a placement year is between the second and final year of an undergraduate degree. This means a 3-year degree becomes a 4-year degree (e.g., Year 1, Year 2, Placement Year, Final Year).
Application Timeline:
Students typically begin applying for placement years in the autumn term of their penultimate (second) year. Large companies often open applications as early as September or October, with deadlines stretching into the new year. It’s a competitive process, so starting early is crucial.
- September – December: Research companies, prepare your CV and cover letter, and begin applying.
- January – March: Assessment centers, interviews, and potential offers.
- Summer (following year): Placement year begins.
What if I’m approaching my final year? While most placements are for penultimate-year students, some opportunities remain open later. At theInterna, we also specialize in helping students secure last-minute placements, even within a 2-week to 3-month timescale, offering support all year round. Alternatives like graduate internships or trainee schemes can provide similar valuable experience after you graduate.
For more on this, see our article: Can You Do a Placement Year After You Graduate?
Common Industries Offering Placement Years
- Business & Finance: Roles in marketing, accounting, and management.
- Technology & Engineering: Software development, data analysis, and engineering projects.
- Healthcare: Research, pharmaceuticals, and lab placements.
- Media & Communications: PR, journalism, and content creation.
- Education: Classroom assistants or educational research roles.
Placement Year Jobs Abroad
Key Considerations Before Committing to a Placement Year
While the benefits are extensive, it’s important to weigh a few factors:
- Degree Extension: A placement year adds an extra year to your overall university degree.
- Financial Costs: While many placements are paid, you will still incur living costs.
- Application Process: Securing a placement can be competitive and requires dedicated effort in applications and interviews.
5 Tips to Apply for Placement Year Jobs
- Apply to at least 10-15 Placement Year Jobs: According to market data, students typically apply for an average of 15 placement year positions before securing a role. Widen your search across various companies to increase your chances of finding a match.
- Tailor Your CV for Each Application: Personalizing your CV to highlight relevant skills is key. Employers are looking for specific qualities that match their job descriptions, so avoid using a generic CV. theInterna offers free CV templates to help you stand out.
- Prepare for Interviews: Practice common interview questions and research the companies you’re applying to. Strong preparation not only boosts your confidence but shows employers your dedication.
- Submit Applications Early: Many companies start accepting placement year applications as early as October, so don’t wait until the last minute. Early applications increase your chances of being considered before the competition gets tougher.
- Onboarding Process: Once accepted, ensure you’re familiar with the onboarding process. Set up accounts with theInterna to track your progress and get updates on onboarding procedures.
By following these tips, you’ll be better prepared to land a successful placement year job.
Making the Most of Your Placement Year: Tips for Success
Maximize your placement year with these key strategies:
- Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve, whether it’s gaining specific skills or exploring career options.
- Build Strong Relationships: Network actively with colleagues, mentors, and supervisors to open doors for future opportunities.
- Take Initiative & Seek Feedback: Be proactive in taking on responsibilities, and regularly ask for feedback to show commitment to growth.
- Develop Transferable Skills: Focus on building valuable skills like communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, applicable across industries.
- Reflect & Document: Keep a log of your projects and achievements to articulate your experience in future interviews and boost confidence.
For more in-depth advice on making the most of your time, check out our guide on how to make the most of your internship.
How to Get a Placement Year Job: Step by Step
- Search for Jobs: Use theInterna to find placement year jobs by filtering your search by location, industry, and field.
- Create a Profile: Set up your Candidate Profile on theInterna, complete all required information, and upload your CV.
- Apply to Multiple Jobs: Apply directly through the platform to several roles (10-15 recommended) to increase your chances.
- Tailor Your Application: Customize your CV and cover letter for each job, highlighting relevant skills and experiences.
- Prepare for Interviews: Research the companies and practice interview questions to strengthen your candidacy. We will also help you prepare for everything
Not sure if you should apply for a Placement Year?
Many students who’ve completed a placement year, like those featured on theInterna, highlight how it transformed their careers by offering hands-on experience and valuable connections.
To help with your decision, consider reading testimonials or listening to real stories from students who’ve gone through placements.
Thank you theinterna for the solid support you and your team have provided. Running a start up in such competitive times, your organisation has added tremendous value by helping us onboard yet an excellent candidate, Hannah. The onboarding process is smooth and thoughtfully designed to favour the companies! It’s been a win-win for all and I hope to work further with your team. I wish you guys a prosperous company lifespan.
We are very happy with TheInterna’s work. The quality of the candidates is excellent and thanks to their training we were able to accelerate the onboarding of our UK sales team. A very rewarding and frictionless experience.
theInterna has been very helpful with not only finding me a valuable internship in a Spain but also by providing a crash course into the world of start-ups that means I can provide more value to the company I’ll be working for. The course content was perfectly balanced between concepts, tools, and practical exercises. I feel ready to hit the ground running!
theInterna has been a true revelation. Their service is extremely professional and without them it would have been impossible for us to identify highly qualified interns. They facilitated the process, making it easy to find the right match and without their support we wouldn’t have taken into consideration finding an intern. The Interna combines extraordinary human and professional competence and are the perfect partner to accompany a Start Up or small company on their path to growth. We have already recommended The Interna to other companies and friends and will absolutely continue doing so.
The Strategy, Sales and Digital Marketing course ran by theInterna has been truly amazing. Packed with content, diagrams and links to external platforms, I have learnt so many new things and it has broadened my areas of interest. I now feel much better equipped and have formed more of an idea of my career path when I graduate. theInterna also set me up with a brilliant internship in Spain, providing a flawless process from the initial call through to securing the placement, and it has been a pleasure having the agency as a point of contact. Without a doubt I would recommend theInterna.
Outstanding training and support provided by theInterna. The training comprised a variety of invaluable resources, presented clearly and concisely, with a good mixture of videos, articles and exercises to put our knowledge into practice. The calls were useful to consolidate what I’d learnt over the week and get clarity on anything I was unsure of. Not only do I feel better equipped to begin my internship, but I feel inspired to create my own startup in the near future!
the Interna is a fantastic organisation which feels so tailor made to your needs: you get a consultation call with theInterna to help you find the best option for an internship. The new Interna training course is an amazing free add on to boost business skills and add to your CV.
I personally believe that this course was so beneficial for me whilst also on my placement. Joining a Start-up can be very fast-paced sometimes, and you often have to learn on the job. Doing this course alongside my job allowed me to learn some valuable skills that I needed in future weeks! What I liked most was the flexibility of the course, there were lots of resources that you could use, but if you did not have enough time, there were summary pages that were clear and concise! It as a great and very interesting course.
Thank you theinterna for the solid support you and your team have provided. Running a start up in such competitive times, your organisation has added tremendous value by helping us onboard yet an excellent candidate, Hannah. The onboarding process is smooth and thoughtfully designed to favour the companies! It’s been a win-win for all and I hope to work further with your team. I wish you guys a prosperous company lifespan.
We are very happy with TheInterna’s work. The quality of the candidates is excellent and thanks to their training we were able to accelerate the onboarding of our UK sales team. A very rewarding and frictionless experience.
theInterna has been very helpful with not only finding me a valuable internship in a Spain but also by providing a crash course into the world of start-ups that means I can provide more value to the company I’ll be working for. The course content was perfectly balanced between concepts, tools, and practical exercises. I feel ready to hit the ground running!
The Strategy, Sales and Digital Marketing course ran by theInterna has been truly amazing. Packed with content, diagrams and links to external platforms, I have learnt so many new things and it has broadened my areas of interest. I now feel much better equipped and have formed more of an idea of my career path when I graduate. theInterna also set me up with a brilliant internship in Spain, providing a flawless process from the initial call through to securing the placement, and it has been a pleasure having the agency as a point of contact. Without a doubt I would recommend theInterna.
Outstanding training and support provided by theInterna. The training comprised a variety of invaluable resources, presented clearly and concisely, with a good mixture of videos, articles and exercises to put our knowledge into practice. The calls were useful to consolidate what I’d learnt over the week and get clarity on anything I was unsure of. Not only do I feel better equipped to begin my internship, but I feel inspired to create my own startup in the near future!
the Interna is a fantastic organisation which feels so tailor made to your needs: you get a consultation call with theInterna to help you find the best option for an internship. The new Interna training course is an amazing free add on to boost business skills and add to your CV.
I personally believe that this course was so beneficial for me whilst also on my placement. Joining a Start-up can be very fast-paced sometimes, and you often have to learn on the job. Doing this course alongside my job allowed me to learn some valuable skills that I needed in future weeks! What I liked most was the flexibility of the course, there were lots of resources that you could use, but if you did not have enough time, there were summary pages that were clear and concise! It as a great and very interesting course.
FAQs about What is a Placement Year
Are placement year jobs always paid?
While many placement year jobs offer competitive salaries, some may be unpaid or provide stipends. The pay often depends on the industry, with sectors like engineering and IT typically offering higher salaries, while internships in non-profits or arts may be unpaid
Can I do a placement year abroad?
Yes, you can find placement year abroad jobs with theInterna.
How long does a placement year last?
A placement year usually lasts between 6 to 12 months, though some industries or programs may offer shorter placements, typically over the summer.
Is a placement year compulsory?
For some degree programs, like engineering, healthcare, or business, a placement year may be compulsory. However, for many other degrees, it’s optional but highly recommended for boosting employability.
Can I still graduate on time if I do a placement year?
A placement year typically extends your degree by a year, turning a three-year degree into four years.
However, the experience gained often makes it worth the extra time.
Do I get academic credit for a placement year?
In many degree programs, you can earn academic credit for your placement year, which counts toward your final degree. This can include submitting reports or projects based on your work experience
Links Related to What is a Placement Year
- Pre-Internship Training Course
- What is the Turing Scheme and how does it work?
- Can I work during my Erasmus year?
- How to decide whether to study a new subject on your Erasmus year
- A Guide to Making the Most of Your Erasmus Experience
- 5 Tips for Building a Strong Personal Brand During Your Internship
- Spain Study Visa
- Interning at a Startup
- Erasmus Internships
- What are Pre-Placement Offers (PPO)?
- What are internships / intern jobs?
Placement Year Jobs Filter
Placement Year Jobs Opportunities 2025
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(Remote) Founders Associate Intern at an AI startup
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