Let’s face it – when you’re in the thick of university life, adding an extra placement year to your degree might not sound particularly appealing. But here’s the thing: placement years are becoming increasingly valuable in today’s competitive job market. So, should you bite the bullet and go for it?  

What’s a placement year, anyway? 

Think of it as a ‘try before you buy’ career experience. Usually sandwiched between your second and third year, it’s your chance to swap textbooks for timesheets and get stuck into a real job in your chosen industry, usually for nine to 12 months. Unlike those summer internships where you’ve barely learned everyone’s names before it’s time to leave, this is a proper dive into working life. 

Who’s offering these placements? 

Plenty of industries offer placements, but some are particularly keen:

• Accounting and finance (think Big Four firms) 

• Banking 

• Science and medicine 

• Marketing and advertising 

• Engineering 

• Logistics 

Major players like Johnson & Johnson and Boots regularly open their doors to placement students. But competition can be fierce. You’ll need to start looking early, usually between October and January of your second year. This is to give you and employers time to go through the application process and have everything set for a July or September start of the following year. However, not all companies are the same, so you need to do your research. 

Employer benefits of taking placement year students

I asked my contact Amy Russell, who’s head of HR at Expect Distribution, why she was so enthusiastic about taking on and supporting placement students. Amy said: “Fundamentally, placement students are our talent pipeline. Whether they’re aspiring future leaders or specialists in their field, some of our most successful colleagues today joined us as placement students.  

“If you make the right student hires, they can be transformational for your business. They’re not afraid to challenge the norm, generate new ideas and always work extra hard to prove themselves. We assign all our placement students with a collective business project during their time with us. We empower them to work together to generate ideas and solutions that are then presented back to our senior leadership team.  

“A number of years back I came across a student project where the group designed a new seasonal product for a high-end food retailer. Months later, this product was put into production and on the shelves by Christmas – that’s the power of Internship programmes!” 

Show me the money – are placements paid? 

Good news – unlike those unpaid internships that seem to expect you to live on thin air, placement years typically come with a salary. It might not have you shopping at Waitrose, but it should keep you in textbooks and pizza. 

But what’s it actually like? 

I caught up with Olivia Hayday, who secured her placement at Window to the Womb during her Marketing with Advertising Management degree and now has a full-time job with the organisation. She didn’t sugar-coat it: “One potential downside is the added time to complete your degree. And yes, getting back into academic mode afterwards can be a bit of a shock to the system.” 

 Rhys Swallow, a BA Business Management undergraduate at the University of Durham recently secured a placement year. working for Deloitte as an auditor. Rhys said he found the applications process quite time consuming and difficult, particularly because it was his first experience of the tools recruiters use to narrow down candidates. But he counters that if you get an offer from the company you work for – which lots of students do – you’ll save time applying for graduate jobs, meaning you can focus on your dissertation in your final year.  

“The main drawback is that it’s a year out of university, meaning many friends won’t be there when you return for your final year.”  

But before you write it off, consider this: over a third of top graduate recruiters have warned that graduates with no work experience are unlikely to make it through their selection process.  

What’s in it for you? 

• Real-world, hands-on experience (because there’s only so much you can learn from case studies) it really does give you that insight into the industry the types of different jobs and application processes. 

• Boosts your skills and your employability prospects – it can put you ahead of others when you do graduate as you have proven practical skills or industry specific tools and systems as well as knowledge of the theory giving you that competitive edge. 

• Helps you figure out what you actually enjoy before you graduate (equally important: what you don’t!) helping you clarify your career objectives and choices. 

• Kickstarts your network building (AKA people who might hire you later) – it’s a great way to work closely with professionals in your chosen sector which can be great for future endorsements/recommendations on LinkedIn and access to advice/support in your future job search and career development. 

• Potentially fast-tracks you to a graduate job (42% of placement students return to their placement provider after graduating) 

Convinced? Here’s how to land one 

You’ll need to treat this like a proper job hunt (because it is). Do your research and look out for opportunities through: 

• Your university careers service – they often have contacts with employers and will sometimes hold employment fairs 

• Websites like Bright Network, Rate My Placement and Prospects 

• Company career pages and social media 

• Speculative applications to targeted companies you might love to work for 

Amy offers some advice here too: “Go into your placement search with an open mind. My roles have seen me oversee intern and graduate programmes in large global businesses through to SMEs – and what they all have to offer isn’t hugely different. Don’t be put off by an opportunity if it’s with a company you hadn’t previously heard of.  

“Be prepared to be flexible – if you limit your search based on location or placement type, you could be restricting yourself and therefore hindering the quality of your experience.” 

In terms of applying, be prepared for the full works. It can be a lengthy process and it’s competitive. Expect to have/go through:

• CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile – tailor these towards your placement application 

• Online assessments – psychometric tests or personality questionnaires 

• Initial Telephone or Video Interviews – often exploring your interest in the company and motivation for applying for the opportunity and may include some competency-based questions too. 

• Assessment centres and interviews – some will include a day of activities with other candidates. Some will involve group work, problem solving and collaboration and may also include some individual activities and an interview or even short presentation. Don’t worry these are not like on The Apprentice! Often these are assessed and marked by observers from the company. Sometimes there will be opportunities to meet and greet other employers including current placement students, graduates and managers from different areas of the business. 

Yes, it might sound daunting but think of it as a dress rehearsal for your graduate job hunt. By the time your friends are nervously preparing for their first assessment centre, you’ll be an old hand. 

Should you go for it? 

Deciding to do a placement year is a personal choice and is dependent on a number of factors and personal preferences that you need to consider to make the right choice for you and it’s not always an option on some courses. 

 A placement year could be your thing if:

• You’ve had very limited work experience 

• You want more than just a degree on your CV 

• You’re keen to test-drive a career before committing 

• You’d like to graduate with actual industry contacts 

• The idea of having a potential job lined up before your final year appeals

Olivia says: “My placement year was incredibly beneficial because it gave me practical, hands-on experience where I could apply what I’d learned in my degree to real-world situations. It boosted my skills, improved my confidence, and helped me gain a much clearer sense of my career direction.  

“The experience definitely makes you more employable, as it’s a chance to build industry connections and explore potential career paths.  

“My advice would be to see it as a learning opportunity, even if the role isn’t exactly what you imagined. Make the most of networking and don’t be afraid to ask questions – it’s a great way to develop professionally before you graduate.” 

Despite the effort needed to do the applications and interviews, Rhys says the placement is worth it. “It’s certainly an adjustment to full time work but I’m really enjoying the structure and the work. I’ve felt myself becoming more outgoing and better at communicating already. I’ve been given lots of opportunities to take on responsibilities, while at the same time I have lots of support and my seniors are understanding and willing to help me understand processes or software.” 

Adding a year to your degree isn’t a small decision. But in a job market where experience often trumps education, it could be the key differentiator that sets you apart from the crowd. 

Need a hand with your university work placement applications? Drop me a line at meg@megburtoncoach.co.uk or book in for your free chemistry session here.