Placements in 2021/22

All students can start their curricular work placements once approved by your school. Please do not begin your placement without formal authorisation. 

We expect placement providers to allow students to continue or start placements in a format deemed appropriate by the provider and in line with government advice. We will be led by our placement providers’ decisions to avoid unnecessary disruption to curricular placement activities and training wherever possible. 

If your placement cannot go ahead for any reason, please liaise with your school or department regarding alternative arrangements or contact placements@reading.ac.uk 

Please note if your placement is unpaid, it can start remotely but must not start in person until June 11. 

The Placements team are available to help you with any placement query you may have. Please email placements@reading.ac.uk or contact your Placement Coordinator directly.  
Find your placement coordinator. 

You can also book daily remote appointments with your Placement Coordinator as well as attendance at our workshops (delivered as online webinars) via your My Jobs Online account or call the Careers Centre on 0118 378 8359.  

Please visit our website for our range of online resources.

You will not be put at a disadvantage for being unable to complete the minimum number of weeks or hours normally expected if you have been impacted by Coronavirus, especially if you are still able to fulfil the learning objectives of your placement assessments.  

If you think you may not achieve your placement learning outcomes, we will support you and an alternative assessment may be offered if necessary.  

Please speak to your Placement Coordinator or Placement Tutor directly and we will be able to provide you with specific advice, taking into account your personal situation. 

We understand that some placements may still be remote experiences for some or all of your placement period. If your placement involves any remote working, then please let your Placement Tutor and Placement Coordinator know. We strongly advise that if required, your employer provides you with the necessary technical and other vital resources and equipment to help you meet your objectives and conduct your role.  

Most employers will provide induction and training, which should include how to access their services for staff remotely. For further tips on effective remote working, please see our Careers blog.

We would encourage students to continue with your placement search as there are still some excellent opportunities available and many placement providers are continuing their recruitment campaigns. If you are unable to secure a placement and you are undertaking a placement year, you may wish to transfer to a 3 year variant of your programme . Please see the following guidance.

If you are trying to secure a shorter placement which is an optional or mandatory-non regulated  placement, please let your placement tutor/coordinator know so they can advise on the alternative options or assessment if required. 

We understand that some placements might be slightly shorter than usual or have later start dates due to the impact of COVID-19, we will be adapting our usual arrangements around this to ensure students can benefit from their placement experience as part of their degree programme. Remote support is available from the Placements and Careers team. Daily remote appointments with your Placement Coordinator and our workshops, now converted into webinars, can be booked via your My Jobs Online account or call the Careers Centre on 0118 378 8359.

We hope many placements starting in the summer vacation period can go ahead as planned. Some placements may start remotely, or at a slightly later date, and we will work with you and your placement provider to ensure that your placement experience is still viable.  

If you are undertaking a unpaid placement which is an optional part of your degree, placements must only begin in person until June 11th when lockdown restrictions are confirmed by the Government.
Your placement paperwork must completed by your Placement Coordinator or Placement Tutor before you can start. Please speak to your Placement Coordinator as soon as possible if you have accepted a placement offer.

A small number of placements may be cancelled due the impact of COVID-19 and, while this is very disappointing, the decision will not have been taken lightly by your placement provider. Please be professional when your employer breaks the news as there may be future opportunities with the business. 

If your placement is a short one, then you may like some support to secure a new opportunity. If not, then there will be an alternative assessment or module made available to ensure you are not put at a disadvantage. 

If your Professional Placement Year has been cancelled, you may wish to look for an alternative placement or convert to the 3-year version of your programme and return to your final year in September. Please speak to your Placement Coordinator / Placement Tutor and we will support you. 
To transfer between a placement degree programme and a non-placement degree programme, please complete the  request to transfer degree form (editable version here), and get this authorised by your Placement Tutor and School Director of Teaching and Learning (or nominee) before submitting it to your Student Support Co-ordinator via the 'Ask a Question' function on RISIS. 

Should you require a space in halls of residence in 21/22, please see further information regarding our process for returning students. 

If your degree programme includes Education, Pharmacy, Clinical Sciences or Speech and Language Therapy, your placements will be a mandatory and regulated element of your degree and will be likely to continue as planned in 2021/22, this will be subject to the review of government guidance in early September.  

Placements with professional, statutory and regulatory bodies will be discussed directly with our professional partners at local and national level.

Your School’s academic placement leads will advise you of any rescheduled dates or alternative arrangements for your placements which were planned for the spring or summer terms, as soon as they have further information to share.  

We are also working with our placement partners to consider plans for mandatory and regulated placements due to start in September and you will be formally notified of any changes affecting your placements in the academic year 2021/22. 

We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic may cause financial concerns for our students for a variety of reasons. 

Our Student Financial Support team are able to provide advice and guidance about what temporary or permanent help might be available in your particular circumstances. Please contact them as soon as possible if you are in this situation.

If you have a medical condition and you are concerned about attending your placement, we suggest that you check with your GP or healthcare professional for official medical advice. Please see some further useful information on the NHS website.

You can share any information confidentially with your placement coordinator / tutor so we can support you appropriately as part of our Enhanced Risk Assessment.

If you receive a positive test result for COVID-19 you must follow the steps to notify the University as outlined on this page so we can support you. It is also important that you inform your Study Abroad / Placement contact for your School as well as placements@reading.ac.uk and studyabroad@reading.ac.uk

If you, or anyone you live with has symptoms of the virus, you must self-isolate in line with government guidelines which also includes guidance from the country you are located. Please contact your placement provider immediately as well as your named placement contact within your school and placements@reading.ac.uk to keep us informed.

The University of Reading will be in contact with students and their placement providers if the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance for a country (or region) changes. However, you should:

• Ensure you stay safe.
• Follow the local and /or national advice provided by your employer and local authorities
• Share this local information with the placements team as soon as possible placements@reading.ac.uk

Students should also ensure that you access the various Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office information sources for your country, and the information on the Healix Travel Oracle app. Do not make any decisions without consulting your placement tutor or the placements team.

Your overseas placement 

All students wishing to undertake their placements overseas, including international students returning to their home countries for placement activities, will need enhanced risk assessment checks completed before placements can be authorised and travel arranged. Please contact placements@reading.ac.uk or your placement tutor if you have any questions.

 

Travel during placement

If your placement involves any significant overseas travel from the country you are located to another, please inform placements@reading.ac.uk as this will also need to be considered.  All students must complete the overseas travel register on RISIS once their placement has been approved.

All UK students undertaking overseas placements are advised to monitor travel advice issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and comply with any COVID-19 control measures put in place by their host nation.

We will also be advising students directly of our placement evacuation plan should you be required to return to your home country in an emergency.

In some very specific cases we may grant permission for essential travel to countries not exempted by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. However, a full risk assessment must be carried out and relevant approval sought. We may consider this for the following activities:

1. External research funding purposes
2. Research/Placement/Study Abroad/Fieldwork
3. Overseas recruitment

If approval is granted by the relevant University authorities then you would be covered by the University insurance policy, with the following exceptions. Cover will not apply for the following:

Cancellation or curtailment 
Political or natural disaster evacuation 
Crisis management

Please ensure that you:

Regularly review the information provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 
Web: www.gov.uk/guidance/foreign-travel-checklist
Twitter: @fcotravel 
Facebook
Healix Travel Oracle app (University Insurance)

If the relevant University authorities have approved the travel then you will be covered if the appropriate Risk Assessments and other documents have been completed.

When your travel has been approved, the University Insurance policy covers you if you develop symptoms or contract COVID-19, but you must be adhering to all local government and UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice.

If you are undertaking a placement in a country which is not your home country whilst on placement and your placement was formally approved, please see the below details:

Emergency assistance in country and medical / travel claims:

University of Reading insurance number RTT306251

Via the RSA Travel Assistance App or Healix +44 (0) 208 608 4100 or

You can also contact the University Insurance office on +44 (0)118 378 8309

uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk

Please be aware that it can take up to 6-8 weeks to ensure all formal paperwork is completed in order to approve an overseas placement.

Please contact your placement provider and follow the guidance provided to you. They can provide you with local, up-to-date, and in-country guidance. Please also inform Healix our University insurance providers University of Reading insurance number RTT306251 Healix +44 (0) 208 608 4100 or via the RSA Travel Assistance App

In addition, please update your Placement Coordinator / Tutor here at Reading.

When you arrive in your host country, please ensure that you are aware of the local medical facilities and how you may access them in case of emergency.

Each country will have different policies, which might be different between various regions within that country, including the UK. It is important that you keep up to date with and follow the government advice provided by the host country’s government and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website guidance.