10 things you need to know about placements

A quick guide to placement terminology

What is a placement year?

A placement year is an integrated, assessed period of work experience that forms part of your degree. Unlike internships, which are extra-curricular, a placement year links directly to your course - you’ll apply what you’ve learned in class to real-world settings, and bring that experience back into your studies.

If you’re looking for Health and Social Care placements, Education placements, or courses with a short work experience module, please visit those specific pages instead. Otherwise, read on to find out all about sandwich placements.

1. Why is it called a placement year?

Placements last a minimum of 24 weeks, though we still call it a placement year. We recommend completing a full year to maximise your academic and professional development.

Undergraduates: At least 24 weeks (minimum 21 hours per week).
Postgraduates: Typically 3–12 months - check your course team for details. You can split the placement across multiple organisations (e.g. 12 weeks at two different companies).
Zero-hour contracts are not accepted, as they can’t guarantee minimum hours.

All placements must include at least one day per week on-site - fully remote placements are no longer approved.

Remember: Your placement must be approved by the Work Experience Team before you start. Starting early may mean it won’t count toward your degree and you will breach your student visa conditions (if you’re an international student).

2. Does my placement year have to match my degree subject?

Most Sheffield Hallam courses don’t require subject-specific placements. You’re encouraged to think creatively about the kind of experience that will boost your skills and employability. You could even set up your own business or social enterprise through the Sheffield Hallam Enterprise team.

When searching, don’t just look for roles labelled placement year, as employers may use other terms like “Year in Industry” or “Internship.”

If you’re thinking about different options, you can talk to your Academic Adviser (find your named advisers on Blackboard), or any of our Employability Advisers.

3. Are all opportunities for placement year advertised?

Many students find placements through speculative applications, reaching out directly to organisations they admire. This approach often reduces competition and can lead to great results.

Check our how to find a placement resources for guidance and listings.

4. You can take up a placement year abroad, or closer to home, or perhaps both

You aren’t limited to Sheffield, or even the UK! If the type of opportunities you want aren’t in Sheffield, don’t worry! You can complete your placement locally, nationally, or internationally.

For overseas opportunities, visit our dedicated international placements page.
If staying in the UK, consider your accommodation and travel needs early — don’t commit to Sheffield housing until your placement plans are confirmed.
Try not to limit yourself too early by booking accommodation in Sheffield that you can’t be released from before you’ve fully considered your options. Our accommodation team have flexible options available.

5. You’re there to learn, and to be learned from

A placement year is different from a regular job because it’s part of your learning journey. You’ll gain hands-on experience, while your employer benefits from your academic knowledge.

An academic supervisor will support your development, helping you connect your placement experience with your coursework.

6. Will my placement year be paid or unpaid?

Being paid is not a requirement, but we certainly encourage you to secure a salaried role and there is funding available.

Many placements will enable you to earn good money with salaries regularly between £15k - £20k, but that isn’t always the case in all industry sectors, particularly the charitable and voluntary sector. We give this guidance to placement providers when they advertise placement roles with us.

We want you to be treated fairly and to be able to sustain your living costs, so if your placement salary is below average for the industry, we will ask you to fully consider the implications on your finances before we approve your placement year. In addition, there are a variety of different sources of funding available for unpaid and paid placements and we have a funding page which outlines each of them.

7. When do placements years take place?

Placements usually occur between your second and final year (undergraduate) or before your dissertation (postgraduate).

Undergraduates: Typically your 3rd year. Must start before the end of Semester 1 of your placement year.
Postgraduates: Usually start right after your taught modules and before your dissertation.

Placement years should not be longer than your course end date (for postgraduates) and no longer than 12 months (for postgraduate international students), or your final year induction week (for undergraduates).

If you are a student studying with us on a student visa, there are additional things you must consider, and these are on our international students on student visas page.

8. You need a supervisor, even if you’re working for yourself

All placement students have two supervisors:

An academic supervisor from Sheffield Hallam.

A line manager or equivalent from your placement organisation.

If you’re working for yourself on our ‘Work for yourself placement year’ scheme – we’ve got that covered for you. Exploring whether ‘working for yourself’ might work for your placement year? Chat to the Enterprise team.

9. Am I still a student during my placement year?

You must enrol for your placement year (usually in August, or January for some courses).This keeps your student status active and gives you continued access to university support and resources, e.g. those mentioned on the funding page.

Tuition fees are significantly reduced: £1,200 for undergraduates or included in the course fee for postgraduates.
You’ll complete assessed work, such as the Applied Professional Diploma, to pass your placement year.

Naturally, being a student still means there is still ‘uni work’ to do, set by your Placement Academic Supervisor, including the Applied Professional Diploma, a requirement to pass the placement year.

10. Approval deadlines - don’t miss them!

Finally, as placements are an integrated and assessed part of your degree, they need to be formally approved before you start. This approval also makes them legal in some cases, e.g. if you’re being sponsored on a student visa. The best time to get your placement approved is immediately after you have a job offer from a placement. You must inform the University you have a placement before these dates, whichever is the earliest that’s relevant to you.

Undergraduates

31 July (for all undergraduate courses), or
One month before your placement starts, whichever comes first.

Final cut-off: The week before your final-year induction week.

Postgraduates

Deadline set by your course team (often May), or
31 July (September starters), or
30 November (January starters), or
One month before your dissertation or placement start date, whichever is earliest.

Late approvals are considered only in exceptional circumstances. You must contact the Work Experience Team if you don’t have a placement secured by then and you want to continue looking for a placement.

If you’re worried about approval or timing, contact workexperience@shu.ac.uk.

Your work placement