Information for Imperial College students

Definition of a "placement"

Imperial College defines a "placement" as: Work experience, assessed project work, a period of course-based study or a period of research (for which academic credit is awarded and/or where the student remains subject to College student regulations during the relevant period) and where there is a transfer of direct supervision of the student to a third party (i.e. where a member of staff at the third party acts as the day-to-day supervisor/manager) for a period of 2 weeks or more. The third party would normally be external to the College Estate, however, the College may itself serve as a “third party” by providing a placement (e.g. placements undertaken by students in an area of College other than their home department and managed via a UROP registration). Placements may themselves incorporate a further “placement” elsewhere; in such cases it would be the responsibility of the original placement provider to act as the primary supervisor/manager of the further placement, unless such supervision is formally ceded back to the College. Source: Imperial College's Placement Learning Policy

Examples of placements undertaken by Imperial College students

Undergraduate

• The year spent abroad as part of a generic "Year Abroad" type degree, including language for science degrees
• The year spent in industry or another external organisation as part of a generic "Year in Industry" type degree. 
• A shorter curriculum-based internship in industry, e.g. 6 month Year 3 industrial placement within the MEng Computing
• A period at an external organisation which assists the student in delivering part or all of a project, e.g. MEng Aeronautics final year project
• An extra-ECTS vacation internship undertaken internally (UROP) or externally.

To note that clinical placements which form part of the medicine degree are covered by the College's policy on placement learning, however, they are managed by School of Medicine protocols.

Postgraduate Taught

• A period at an external organisation which assists the student in delivering part or all of a project.
• A scheduled internship/work-placement.

Postgraduate Research

• A period of a student's PhD registration spent at an external third party organisation.

The following are not placements:

• Any vacation internship/research experience undertaken by an undergraduate which is not an extra-ECTS placement.
• Postgraduate Research students who undertake a period of research in the field* (i.e. without a host/supervising third party organisation) as part of their PhD registration under the direct and sole supervision of their Imperial College supervisor (this would still remain subject to study leave procedures.)
• The constructionarium.
• Field trips.*
• Site Visits.*
• Joint degrees (where the purpose necessitates attendance at a partner university). However, a placement which takes place as part of a joint degree (and which fits the definition mentioned above) would be covered by this handbook if Imperial College were deemed the ‘placement manager’ as opposed to the partner university.
• Activities of the Exploration Board.
• Student-led activities.
• Anything pursued during an interruption of studies.

*these might form part of a placement, e.g. a field trip provided by a host university during a year abroad study placement. The principle here would be that the host organisation would be responsible for managing that activity.

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To note again (full note at the top of this page) that clinical placements which form part of the medicine degree are covered by the College's policy on placement learning, however, they are managed by School of Medicine protocols.

The student's home academic department is always responsible for managing a placement, and that includes relevant activity both prior to and after the actual placement.

The InPlace system is now being used by the following departments for managing placements

• Computing (Undergraduate: Year 3 MEng Industrial Placements)
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Undergraduate: Year 3 MEng Industrial Placements)

InPlace operates at Imperial College with due regard to the College's Placement Learning Policy and associated good practice.

Queries concerning logon issues for current users of InPlace should be submitted to the ICT Service Desk

Queries concerning InPlace can be addressed in the first instance to student.placement@imperial.ac.uk

The College requires all placements to be managed in an appropriate manner by the home academic department, according to the College's Placement Learning Policy.

• The policy is supported by Good Practice. Departments, in arranging their management processess for the particular placement activities they offer, can access various resources to assist them. Consult the Placement Learning policy, good practice and resources.
• Placements should only take place in settings where the intended learning outcomes can be achieved, where an appropriate study/work plan and suitable supervision can be provided.
• The College expects all host organisations to assess a student's suitability, whether the student has been nominated by Imperial College or they have put themselves forward for consideration
• The College has a responsibility to ensure that your placement is undertaken in a safe environment (and this covers insurance issues). This applies to the placement content (study/work) itself as well as the host organisation itself and the host location.
• Host organisations should be willing and able to provide appropriate support: most importantly, (1) orientation, (2) training where necessary, (3) to make reasonable adjustments to the study/work environment in case you have a disability (see below), (4) to report accidents to the College, (5) to participate as requested/negotiated in any assessment of study/work undertaken.
• All placements have a before, during and an after element to them, and the management of a placement encompases all three elements.
• All placements should have a designated Placement Manager, but may also have a separate Placement Tutor. A Placement Manager may act as a Placement Tutor. The College's good practice (document) for the management of a placement includes the roles and responsibilities of both a Placement Manager and a Placement Tutor (link to page with document).

Consult the flow diagrams of the general placement process (link to page with diagrams). The flow diagrams provided aim to give both students and Placement Managers/Tutors a better understanding of it's features.

However, please refer initially to your Placement Manager (or the administrative staff in your department who are providing support).

Here are a few important points to consider (not an exhaustive list):

You are advised to read the Placement Learning policy (link to page with form) as it lists the rights and responsibilities of the College, of the student and of an host organisation.

Before

• While your department should take the lead in managing your placement, it is a reasonable expectation of the College that you participate in the pre-departure tasks which are required in order to have your particular placement approved and which will ensure that you are adequately prepared for both the placement itself and its location.
• Equally, you have a responsibility to disclose to the College any personal information (e.g. health, disability, linguistic or cultural) which it would be reasonable for all parties to be aware of so that they can take it into account when preparing for a placement. The College would normally wish to engage with Placement Providers who are positive about making reasonable adjustments to working environments, and of course in terms of disabilities this is a legal requirement in the EU and some other countries.
• You should expect to receive information as to how the study/work undertaken on your placement will be supervised, assessed/marked (including all deadlines for work which you need to submit).
• Overseas students (Student Visa Students) who change their degree programme after admission to the College to accommodate a placement (ordinarily this would be undergraduates who opt to change to a year in industry) should review the change of programme of study guidance provided by the International Student Support Team.
• Overseas students (Student Visa Students) who have plans to undertake a placement in the UK should read the guidance available in the Careers Service (Internship and Placement Unit) for employers who wish to host a student who is present in the UK on a Student Visa (UK employers have certain legal obligations when employing a student on a Student visa). It is perfectly OK to undertake a placement in the UK on a TIER 4 student visa as a placement is part of your degree.
• Your home academic department must have formally approved your participation on a particular placement and the host organisation must have formally agreed a start date with you BEFORE you depart to the placement provider (the host organisation).
• If your placement is to be undertaken abroad then you should review the Placements Abroad Handbook (see later section) which covers many issues, such as insurance.
• A template Emergency Contacts and Pre-departure Checklist (for non-UK placements; link to page with form) is available, should your dept not have something similar.

During

• To work constructively with your Placement Manager/Tutor and your host supervisor (host organisation) throughout.
• To meet all deadlines set by your home academic department and your host organisation in a prompt and efficient manner.
• To keep in regular contact with your home academic department (who have a requirement placed on them by College to make contact with you at least once a month), and to seek assistance from them and your host organisation if you are experiencing problems. Indeed, to discuss issues as early as possible so it lowers the risk of those issues becoming problems. If you are a Student Visa (visa to the UK) student your dept is required to maintain a formal log of contacts with you thoruhgout your placement, whether in the UK, in your home country if not the UK or in another country.
• To report all accidents you are involved in using the appropriate College procedure (see the Placements Abroad Handbook), and to provide feedback on any health and safety concerns that are not addressed by their Placement Provider
• To remember at all times that you are an ambassador for Imperial College London whilst you are on your placement, whether it is in the UK or abroad.

After

• You should be fully prepared to interact with both your home academic department and the host organisation on any outstanding issues, especially assessment issues.
• Your department should have asked you for at least a single piece of written feedback on your placement. There is a template feedback sheet which can be used.
• The College encourages you to make yourself available for students in your department who may be planning on going to the same placement provider.

Imperial College allows undergraduate full-degree students* to gain formal recognition (ECTS credits) for specific types of academic work which is not part of the curriculum.  The academic work can be linked to research-based or curriculum-related work undertaken in vacations (for example UROP or structured external internships) but must be relevant to the student's degree discipline. The extra ECTS credit does not contribute to a student's degree at Imperial, and the scheme is voluntary.

Participating departments

• Bioengineering
• Computing
• Electrical & Electronic Engineering
• Materials
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Physics

For some departments the extra-ECTS scheme:

• is only pursued in relation to internal UROP research experiences.
• supports the delivery of accredited development activities of professional institutes.

The Director of Undergraduate Studies is responsible for implementing the process. Enquiries should be directed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Key features of the extra-ECTS scheme

• the internship must be within the easter or summer vacation, and be for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks.
• the internship (whether external or internal) becomes a "placement" and should be managed in line with Placement Learning Policy and Good Practice.
• ECTS is calculated for attendance (1.5 ECTS per week of full-time work-place attendance) and is awarded upon successful completion of an assessment. 
• Activities must be primarily academic in nature, with clearly defined learning outcomes and criteria for assessment.
• A dept should approve an internship for extra-ECTS ahead of the internship commencing (the credit cannot be applied retrospectively).
• A dept communicates successful awards of extra ECTS to the Registry.
• The ECTS is highlighted on the student's next available transcript, and again in the student's Diploma Supplement at the end of the degree programme. 

Further information on Extra-ECTS for vacation industrial/research internships.

NEWS (9 OCTOBER 2024): The 2024-25 Placements Abroad Handbook has been reissued as Version 3 (V3) with notable web-page reference changes in the Imperial travel insurance section.

NEWS (7 AUGUST 2024): The 2024-25 Placements Abroad Handbook has been reissued as Version 2 (V2) with the only changes of note being a recognition that the Imperial travel insurance has been renewed for a further 12 months from 1 August 2024. V1 remains available below.

NEWS (14 JUNE 2024): An updated edition of the Placements Abroad Handbook for 2024-25 has now been published. The 2023-24 version (2023-24) also remains available below.

Version 3 Placements Abroad Handbook (2024-25) Imperial College London (Oct2024) [PDF]

Version 2 Placements Abroad Handbook 2024-25 (Imperial College London) Aug 2024 [PDF]

Version 1 2024-25 Placements Abroad Handbook (Imperial College London) V1 June 2024 [PDF]

2023-24 Placements Abroad Handbook (Version 2 - August 2023) [PDF]

‌intended for current UG/PGT/PGR students only: bookmark this webpage and always refer to the version here as updates do occur.

Please remember that a new version for the following academic year (2025-26) is normally available by the end of June 2025.

Placement Abroad Handbook: Contents

• Arranging a Placement (Part 1): covering placement options and scenarios; planning a placement, info for students with a disability, language preparation, information for LGBT students.
• Arranging a Placement (Part 2): Advice and guidance around logistical aspects such as visas/immigration, housing, insurance, health/safety and health care.
• Arranging a Placement (Part 3): Advice on financial aspects including tuition fees payable to Imperial for the year in which a placement takes place, fees payable to a host university, UK Student Finance, banking while abroad, the Turing Scheme, when you might be experiencing financial difficultiess.
• On your placement, including keeping in touch with your home dept, considering your well-being; dealing with emergencies.
• At the end of your placement, including the provision of feedback.
• Specific information for internaitonal (overseas) students
• Non-exhaustive checklist for a placement abroad (with reference to the template Pre-departure Checklist and Emergency Contacts Form)

Aim of the handbook

• to assist any student for whom a placement abroad is an option to understand the various issues which may come to prominence when planning and undertaking such a placement.

• to provide students with important information on logistical matters.

• the content aims to help students consider other sources of information.

....and in more detail

Firstly, to assist any student for whom a placement abroad is an option (as part of their degree at Imperial College London or in the case of undergraduates for whom extra-ECTS credit has been approved for a vacation internship) to understand the various issues which may come to prominence when planning and undertaking such a placement.

• Exception: This handbook is not meant to be read by a undergraduate medicine student planning a final year clinical elective (placement) abroad. Specific guidance and support for such students can be obtained from the Faculty Education Office.
• Furthermore, this handbook is not intended to cover the following activities abroad: (1) field trips; (2) research in the field; (3) site visits; (4) "gap" years; (5) vacation internships which have not been approved for extra-ECTS credit. These activities are not considered to fit the definition of a placement.

Secondly, to provide students with important information on logistical matters: for example, acquiring accommodation, considering insurance cover and the need for a visa or other type of entry permit/clearance, assessing financial issues (your budget) and considering the financial support which is available (e.g. Turing grants)

• For example, it is the best starting point on insurance matters (e.g. all students are in principle covered by Imperial's overseas travel insurance which also contains personal accident cover), and it provides external weblinks (in context) for issues such as health care abroad (e.g. Global Health Insurance Card for UK residents).

Thirdly, the content aims to help students consider other sources of information, e.g. placement provider, home department, students who have previously undertaken similar placements, students who have undertaken a placement at the same placement provider.

Imperial College has an extensive list of university partnerships to support placements (study-based)

Study abroad participant to France from Imperial College: "My year abroad has made me reflect on what I am studying and re-ignited my love and passion for my subject. I am not the only one that has said this, going abroad makes you see your subject in a different light. You are faced with a challenge and you have to find solutions to problems. I have thoroughly improved my French and met some really amazing people. At the end of the day, it's up to you to make your time abroad what you want it to be."

Consult our list of official (curriculum) student exchanges.

To support the integration of exchange students the Imperial College Union has an Erasmus Club (which is affiliated to the Erasmus Student Network). The Erasmus brand is a well known one and the ICU Club will retain its name despite the UK withdrawing from the EU's Erasmus scheme.

The UK, and therefore Imperial College, is currently withdrawing from the EU's Erasmus scheme, and this process will have been completed by the summer of 2023. The College no longer has access to mobility grant funding from the Erasmus scheme. Students should consult the College's Turing Scheme page.

The Imperial College Union continues to have an Erasmus Club (which is affiliated to the Erasmus Student Network.)

Your Home Department

All Imperial College students should start their discussion with the appropriate member of staff in the home academic department.

• Your UG or PG student's office should know who to direct you to. All placements should be managed by a departmetnally appointed Placement Manager (perhaps with a specific Placement Tutor involved as well)
• Perhaps it is someone based in the UG or PG student's office.
• However, for some students in some departments (e.g. PGT, PGR) there may not be a continual history of managing placements, so you and your department are welcome to contact the Assistant Registrar for guidance.

The Registry (c/o the Student Hub)

• Any student, who has first discussed matters with their home academic department, can email the Assistant Registrar (Placements) for guidance on any issue: a.hawksworth@imperial.ac.uk
• All departments can also email the Assistant Registrar (Placements) for guidance.
• If your planned placement is abroad make sure you read the Placements Abroad Handbook, as it contains a lot of information and guidance. It is the best starting point on insurance matters (College's Overseas Travlel Insurance Policy), and it provides external weblinks (in context) for issues such as health care abroad (e.g. European Health Insurance Card).
• The Assistant Registrar can also provide guidance to departments and students about tri-partite training agreements, especially French convention de stage agreements, and signpost on other matters related to agreements with placement providers (i.e. the host organisation).
  

The Careers Service

• The internship & placement advisors in the Careers Service are available to advise you and your home department on potential host employers for industrial placements (and undergraduate vacation internships which may end up being approved for extra-ECTS credit), and in helping students to prepare for the world of work (if it is your first experience or significant experience).

Student Financial Support

• Review the Student Financial Support website.

College's Insurance Manager

• The Placements Abroad Handbook is the best starting point on insurance matters.
• However, the Insurance Manager is very helpful and if you are concerned about any aspect feel free to contact her (especially, if you are currently on a placement abroad).

This part of the website will develop as more students use it.

Please email a.hawksworth@imperial.ac.uk if you have a particular issue which you think students would like to hear about or you would like the College to answer.

Question: Does the College provide travel insurance for a "placement" undertaken abroad? Answer: Yes, in principle and it is free of charge. However, please review the relevant section of the Placements Abroad Handbook thoroughly for details, including the steps a student should take in order to secure coverage by this policy, and the limitations of the policy which may mean it might not necessarily be the best solution (or the only solution required) for your particular situation (particular placement). Please remember that a travel insurance is not a health insurance, although it does include specific health cover.

Question: What is a convention de stage, and when is the College able to enter into (sign) a convention de stage? Answer: A convention de stage is basically a training agreement between the individual undertaking an internship, their home university and the placement provider (host organisation). It is peculiar to France and other francophone HE systems. In the context of Imperial College students, the College would normally only consider entering into a convention de stage if our student was undertaking a "placement" (see the College's definition of a placement). A student should discuss with their Placement Manager and advice can be obtained from the Assistant Registrar (Placements).