An Employer's Guide to Student Placements
The Careers, Placement and Experience Centre's Employer Team specialises in providing professional support for employers, professional bodies and voluntary groups looking to recruit students for industrial placements, vacation internships and part time and seasonal work.
Whether you're a regular recruiter of students and graduates or are considering working with students for the first time, we can help identify your particular needs and help you to meet them.
We have designed this information sheet based on the 'frequently asked questions' we receive from employers.
The University of Reading is a front runner in offering placement options on all degree programmes, either short term or for a year in industry. Opportunities for you to recruit or involve students in your work are wide ranging, including:
- 12 month Industrial placements
- Shorter term internships, 2-12 weeks
- Flexible term time and vacation project work
Placement FAQs
A: Most students at the University of Reading can take a year out from their degree course to do an industrial placement, provided they have approval from their department and it's relevant to their degree studies.
There are, however, specific courses with established industrial placements / short corporate secondments as a structured part of the degree programme and are fully supported by the University.
They include:
| Subject Grouping |
Course |
| Agriculture |
Rural Environmental Science
Rural Resource Management
Agricultural Business Management
Food Marketing Business Economics
Consumer Behaviour and Marketing |
| Biological Sciences |
Biological Sciences with Industrial Experience |
Business School
(Please contact Julie Rees - 0118 378 8584, j.a.rees@reading.ac.uk) |
Accounting and Economics
Accounting and Management
Business and Management
International Management and Business Administration (with French, German or Italian)
Management and IT |
| Chemistry |
Chemistry and a year in industry |
| Environmental |
Environmental Science BSc and MEniSci |
Food Science & Technology
(Please contact Lilly-Mae Liddicott - 0118 378 8710, l.m.liddicott@reading.ac.uk) |
Nutrition & Food Science
Business & Food Science
Food Technology
Biotechnology |
| Mathematics |
Mathematics and Applied Statistics |
| Pharmacy |
MPharm |
Systems Engineering
(Please contact Julie Rees - 0118 378 8584, j.a.rees@reading.ac.uk) |
Applied Computer Science
Applied Information Technology |
| Engineering |
Electronic Engineering
Engineering & Construction Management |
If you would like us to put you directly in touch with the placement tutors responsible directly for the industrial placements not listed here, we are very happy to do so.
A: Industrial (year out) placements are best advertised during the late autumn/ early spring term, between November and March, well in advance of the exams in the summer term. Many employers interview pre-Easter and students traditionally start their placements in July. Students must return to their course by the October of the following year.
A: It varies on the location and industry but we recommend employers pay an average of between £12-17,000 for a year in industry student.
Students who take a placement year have to pay a percentage of their University fees to retain student status and have contact with their tutor / department as well as managing their living expenses. Be realistic about what you can offer in terms of your business size and industry, but please do not expect a student to work the whole year for nothing.
A: The Reading Internship Scheme (RIS) is our flexible summer internship scheme for local / regional employers needing an intern in the summer or in the longer term. For more information visit our RIS pages.
We also have a Job Shop based in the Students' Union where we promote part time and seasonal vacancies - email: jobshop@reading.ac.uk.
A: All our courses have placement options on them so we are very grateful for any opportunities for our students to engage with real world projects. Please give Em Sowden, our Placements and Development Manager, a call on 0118 378 8354 or email e.l.sowden@reading.ac.uk
A: We advise employers to pay the adult minimum wage if they are advertising an opportunity which is clearly a job that someone would be paid to do otherwise. The guidance the government offer to help you understand what qualifies for paid and unpaid work experience is here - http://bit.ly/oMEcs5
If you are still unclear please give Em Sowden our Placement and Development Manager a call on 0118 378 8354
A: We are very supportive of our students engaging in charity and voluntary work, which also counts towards our Reading Experience and Development Award. You can promote your voluntary opportunity on our vacancy advertising service, My Jobs Online - Register now.
A: We have a Job Shop, based in our Students' Union, and a supporting website called My Jobs Online where you can post your vacancies free of charge - Register now.
A: Yes and it's free! You will need to register with us on our My Jobs Online website and then you'll be able to submit your vacancies for us to approve - Register now
A: We offer professional advice and consultancy to help guide you through the process of recruiting students for whatever needs you have as well as suggesting good placement practice. You can either telephone us or book an appointment to speak with one of our team. We are also very happy to visit you. This service is also free.
Further information
For further information on working with students please contact:
