Placements

Placement opportunities and developing your employability

During your time in the Archaeology Department you will have the opportunity to develop your archaeological and non-archaeological employability through various placements. You will be able to apply for placements that will develop your fieldwork skills (e.g. excavation and recording, geophysics and other scientific techniques, planning and post-excavation, presentation to the public). These include:

• the Placement and Trainee Schemes at Silchester.
• through other active research projects such as the Amheida Project in Egypt's Dakhleh Oasis (the range of projects available will vary from year-to-year). 
• a limited number of placements are also available to graduating 3rd year students within our commercial scientific company QUEST, which provides archaeological, forensic and environmental scientific services to the commercial sector.

You may have also have the opportunity to develop curatorial and presentational skills through voluntary work placements (Museum voluntary work) at one or more of  of the University's three museums:

• Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology
• Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)
• Cole Museum of Zoology

Read about Volunteering at MERL.

During your time at Reading you will also have the opportunity to develop non-vocational (i.e. non-archaeological) skills, gain new work experiences, and further boost your employability through a diverse range of other placement opportunities. The University's Student Employment, Experience and Careers Centre (SEECC) provide all Reading students with information about a wide range of placement opportunities (Student work experience) including:

• Summer Enterprise Experience & Discovery internship scheme
• Community Service Volunteering scheme Student tutoring in schools
• Student Associates Scheme (work experience in local schools)
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP)

Placements will help you to develop both subject-specific and core transferable skills which will enhance your employability.

"My supervisor gave me a good level of responsibility; he respected my views, he discussed ideas and brainstormed theories with me and he was enthusiastic and passionate about the work. I feel that I have learnt just as much from him as from the research material"
2007 UROP Placement Student