Put yourself at the top of the list for a work placement abroad!
The programme is a competitive one, but you could prioritise your application by:
IAESTE organises trainee exchanges on a reciprocal basis. It follows that the number of British students IAESTE UK can send abroad depends entirely on how many placements we can arrange at home for foreign trainees. If you are able to raise a firm offer of training in a company or within your department IAESTE UK will prioritise your application.
Who do you know at your university or in a company or industry who may be interested in hosting a highly motivated foreign trainee from one of our 80 partner countries? This UK employer would just need to pay them a salary equivalent to the minimum wage of £220 per week for a minimum of six weeks (placements are normally 6-12 weeks in the summer June - September).
Change your future and someone else's! You can raise a placement anywhere in the UK and it does not have to be your subject field but it has to be one of the fields we deal with (Engineering, Science, Computer Science, Architecture and Technology).
The basic rules for a placement are that it should be in the UK in a university department or in a company for a minimum of six weeks and the employer would need to pay the trainee a net salary of £220.00 per week (minimum wage). Most UK placements are normally 6-12 weeks in the summer June - September. The deadline to offer a placement is 13 January 2012, for the trainee to start work from June onwards.
Here are a few examples of placement offers for incoming UK trainees, with the employer's work description, lasting 6-12 weeks. Can you raise something similar?
Placement in a large global firm of engineers, designers, planners and business consultants: We are looking for a student of electrical or mechanical engineering whose specialism is Building Services Engineering: I.e. looking at the design inside a building of essential installations such as - heating, ventilation, lighting, electrical design.
Civil Engineering placement: Office with some site work. Student will assist with: design of structures commensurate with ability. Drawing investigation of existing building and site visits.
Engineering and Materials science placement: The student will join one of the department's research groups. Their work could involve materials processing, mechanical and electrical property measurement, modelling and microstructural characterisation.
If you are successful in raising a placement we will need details of the offer made by 12th January in time for our international exchange conference.
If you would like to receive information on raising placements for foreign trainees you should email your local IAESTE office and we will be pleased to help:
In England or Wales: iaeste@britishcouncil.org
In Scotland: iaestescotland@britishcouncil.org
In Northern Ireland: iaesteni@britishcouncil.org
The Local Committee (LC) is a group of enthusiastic students from universities in your area who:
- promote the IAESTE programme to other students within those universities
- raise UK work placements for incoming trainees from around the world
- arrange an exciting summer social programme for, and welcome, international trainees who come to your Local Committee area on placements
The benefits are:
- getting to know students and make friends from all over the world
- increasing your chances of going on a placement through the IAESTE programme by being an active member
- making contacts in companies through networking, which will be invaluable upon graduation
- opportunities to get involved in unique international events and travel to visit other IAESTE Local Committees overseas
- enhancing your CV
To find out more information on how to get involved please contact us on iaeste@britishcouncil.org.
How does IAESTE UK work?
Click here to see a visual representation of the IAESTE UK process – initial application to placement!
Registration for 2012 placements has now closed.
Click on the following bullet points to get more information on each stage:
You should register your interest in IAESTE during the autumn term by completing the Initial Application form on the left hand column. Provided you are eligible, your name and address will be entered on a mailing list. You must return your initial application by the 6 January deadline. After the IAESTE exchange conference in January those on the mailing list will receive details of all foreign offers of training available to UK students. This list of placements will be issued on 10 February. Am I eligible?
The list of placements will be issued on 3 February and registered students will be sent the link to their university email address. Applicants will have until 5pm on 20 February to apply for positions on the list.
You will be required to submit:
A completed application form containing a personal statement for each placement that you apply for
We expect you to enclose all of the documents listed below in one file, in the below order. The file has to be in PDF format, with the maximum size not exceeding 3MB.
Please name the file according to the scheme:
“UKRegion_Student Name_Discipline_University”
A copy of your C.V. including details of past work experience
A scanned copy of your certificate of enrolment
A scanned copy of your official university transcript file
A copy of a full list of subjects (modules) you have studied at university. To include all courses you will have completed by the time you take up a placement.
Tutor's letter of recommendation
A scanned copy of the front outer cover of passport along with the picture page of your passport
And ONLY if you are a non UK national
A scanned copy of the English Language Form or an English Language Proficiency certificate
Inevitably demand will be greater than the supply of training offers. Selection panels will view all applications and one student will be chosen per placement according to:
- motivation
- qualifications
- previous experience
- language abilities (see Will I need a foreign language?)
- general suitability for the position
Our selection panels give emphasis to a student’s reasons given for each placement, so please think about these carefully before submitting your application
Tips
- The selection panel are looking for highly motivated, open minded, flexible, individuals who will make the most of an IAESTE placement abroad both professionally and culturally. Think about what you can offer international employers and IAESTE.
- Applicants should bear in mind that, with only one student nominated per placement, the popularity of placements will affect their chances of selection. Placements in central Europe and English-speaking countries tend to be most popular, so, applying for placements out with these areas can increase chances of selection.
- Applicants are able to apply for up to 5 placements. It follows that applicants who only apply for 1 or 2 placements decrease their chances of selection. However, applicants should be equally prepared and motivated to go to all of the placements they apply for because there is no prioritisation.
At the end of this selection process, one UK student will have been chosen to be nominated for each foreign training offer available. Before or by 11 March, applicants will be informed if they have been selected for a placement.
If you are not selected, you will still be eligible for “Late Offers”, which are sent by email to eligible applicants between April to June.
If you are selected, you will be sent the actual Offer of Training form detailing the placement you have been selected for. You will be asked to complete a nomination form and to return this with a £200 placement fee (refundable if you are not accepted or circumstances force the foreign employer to withdraw from the programme). At this stage, once you have accepted the nomination, we expect you to be committed to the placement you have chosen and cease to follow up any other opportunities that you may have applied for.
Once selected by the British Council, IAESTE UK panel, applicants will need to commit to the placement by completing a nomination form and returning this with a £200 placement fee(refundable if you are not accepted or circumstances force the foreign employer to withdraw from the programme).
IAESTE UK will then nominate you by forwarding your completed application to the IAESTE office in the host country; it will be their responsibility to liaise with the employer and ascertain whether you have been accepted. The international IAESTE deadline for sending nominations abroad is 31 March.
Because of the stringent matching process and the fact that ultimately only one student may be nominated for a foreign placement, at least 90% of IAESTE nominees are accepted by foreign employers. If offers are withdrawn this is usually due to economic recession or unforeseen reorganisation within companies.
If an applicant is rejected or the placement is withdrawn for any reason, IAESTE UK will do our best to find a suitable alternative placement. If no suitable alternative can be found, the £200 placement fee will be refunded.
Most applicants will be informed during May whether they have been accepted.
Once applicants have been accepted for their placement, they will need to buy travel and insurance. IAESTE will advise them on the need for visas, work permits, and other relevant documentation but they will be expected to organise these themselves.
IAESTE will inform them of their accommodation details, as organised by the receiving IAESTE committee.
Pre-Departure briefings are organised by IAESTE Uk for outgoing IAESTE trainees, usually at the beginning of June, and it is highly recommended that you attend.
During the placement, IAESTE trainees will be able to partake in social programmes organised by the receiving IAESTE committee (which vary from country to country) and receive newsletters from IAESTE UK, which they are able to submit content for.
If any problems arise, the local IAESTE committee should be trainees first point of contact but IAESTE UK staff at the British Council are also there to support trainees with problems they are not able to resolve locally.
Summary of Important Dates:
01 October to 06 January: Initial registration
10 February: Date of issue of document listing all training offers available
27 February: Deadline for return of full application with list of up to five foreign placements
11 March: Date by which IAESTE UK will notify you if you have been selected for nomination for a placement abroad
31 March: International deadline for sending completed nominations to IAESTE member countries abroad.
May: Period in which you will be notified if the foreign employer has accepted you.
How does IAESTE work internationally?
Each member country is committed to raising placements within their country for international IAESTE students. The majority of these placements are for 6 to 12 weeks in the summer months, although longer ones are sometimes available. These placements are exchanged on a reciprocal basis with delegations from other member countries at the IAESTE General Conference in mid-January.
The international placements received are then matched with student applications; IAESTE regulations require that only one student is nominated for any placement abroad, an indication of how high chances are of being accepted by the foreign employer. Selection of students for placements abroad is the responsibility of the national IAESTE office and procedures will vary from country to country.
