Work Abroad Placements:
Next Steps
Dominic Prosser
Global Employability Consultant
CareerZone
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
erasmusworkabroad@exeter.ac.uk
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
23/10/2013
Why do a work placement?
65% of employers think that candidates with
international work experience are more employable
“The value of international experience goes beyond
purely the acquisition of language – it lies in the ability
to see business and personal issues from other than
your own cultural perspective.”
(Charles Macleod, Head of Global Resourcing, PwC)
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Why do a work placement?
DLHE 2012 Survey of graduates in graduate jobs or PG study 6
months after graduating
80%
MFL students who did a work placement for YA in grad job
or PG study
77.1% all Exeter students
76%
MFL students who did Language Assistant placement for YA
62%
MFL students who did neither work placement nor LA for YA
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
n. (MFL 2012 graduates)= 137
Why do a work placement?
doing a work placement
boosts your graduate
employability by 29%
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Why do a work placement?
Work placements :
 enhance your employability potential and your CV with ‘stand out’
international employment experience
 may lead directly to future employment
 offer opportunities for personal, academic, cultural and linguistic
development
 Erasmus grant and possibly additional payment or other benefits
from the employer
 develop transferable skills, including …
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Develop a rich mix of highly desirable employability skills
 higher degree of flexibility
and adaptability
 initiative and the ability to
plan
 assertiveness and
independence
 improved information
processing skills
 motivation & greater
confidence
 better listening ability
 commercial awareness in
global context
 cultural dexterity
 more tolerance, patience and
better understanding of people
 greater diplomacy
 global outlook and mindset
 confidence to work in global
business and seize opportunities
 working effectively in multicultural teams
 willingness to learn and adapt to
a different culture
 foreign language skills
 internationalised local
professional
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Why do a work placement?
“ I believe the Work Placement scheme is a challenging
choice. I am proud I took on the challenge and feel
that my employability skills improved immensely … my
organisational skills have improved and the amount of
experience I have behind me makes me feel relatively
calm in the face of job hunting.”
(Laura, BA French and Italian)
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Why do a work placement?
“I believe that I have enhanced my employability as I
have had an experience that not many people will have
had, while also proving that I am adaptable to new
environments, and am comfortable living in foreign
countries.”
(Chris, BA Business Economics with European Study)
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
EU work placements: Erasmus
The Erasmus programme is a European
Commission funded programme designed
to support the European activities of
Higher Education institutions, including the
mobility and exchange of students. This
includes work abroad & study abroad.
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
What is an Erasmus work placement?
An Erasmus Work Placement must be:
 full time | min. 3 months (13 weeks) | max 12 months
 In EU member countries + Switzerland, Liechtenstein (Turkey, Norway, Iceland)
 approved and recognised by the University and contribute to your qualification
and graduate employability skills/competencies – i.e. ‘graduate level work’
 with an eligible organisation – i.e. an organisation of any size that is involved in
economic activities in the public, private or third (voluntary) sector.
 The following types of organisations are not eligible:
• European institutions such as the European Commission and European Parliament
• Organisations managing EU programmes (such as National Agencies)
• National diplomatic representation (embassy/consulate) of the student in the host
country
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
What is an Erasmus work placement?
 Typical placement start dates are July, September, January,
March
 Placements must be completed by 30th September 2015
 You can do more than 1 or 2 placements
 You can do more than 1 semester study and 1 placement
 There should be minimal gap between placements
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
What is the Erasmus grant?
An Erasmus Work Placement must be supported by a series of
paperwork proving entitlement. This will secure you the Erasmus Grant.
 In 2013/14 is:
 375 euros/month for Band 3 countries (e.g. France, Germnay, Italy,
Spain, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland)
 315 euros/month for Band 2 countries (e.g.Cyprus, Greece, Malta,
Poland, Turkey)
 275 euros/month for Band 1 countries (Bulgaria, Romania)
 70% of grant paid in October/November
 30% of grant paid in May/June
 More on this in briefing session in May 2014
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to find work abroad placements?
Ultimately it is your responsibility to find a work placement
 recognise that there may be competition for work placements so
you should start the process early i.e. now!
 be willing to put effort into it and consider a range of countries.
Students find placements in a variety of ways:
 independently by direct contact with an employer in another
country
 via University’s Global Employability Team (GET)
 job ads from employers via web or other media
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to find them : online sources e.g.
Eures – the EU jobs portal
http://ec.europa.eu/eures/
Entrypark – International Career Book
www.entrypark.com/career_book/
LEO-NET: a dedicated internships site
http://leonet.globalplacement.com/en/22/1-home.html
Search for local newspapers using online directories
e.g www.kidon.com/media-link/
Local versions of “monster”
e.g. www.monster.fr
The University’s jobs portal, my career zone :
https://mycareerzone.exeter.ac.uk/
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to find them: EU job alert pages
 global placements in International Virtual Careers Fair
www.exeter.ac.uk/ivcf (closes 25/10/13)
get access to Exeter-friendly EU employers from our GET
Employer Database:
http://ex.ac.uk/getjobs
get fast track updates on other employers advertising EU
placements on my career zone
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Employers offering placements for 2013/14 included:
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to use the EU employer database
Autumn term
•Regularly check the University’s new erasmus job alert pages – we’re
adding new opportunities daily
•Apply by CV and covering letter in English and Target Language via the
ERASMUS Work Abroad Office to up to 3 employers
• Deadlines specified on each advert : 31st December 2013
GET Applications checked to ensure quality of application and fit to
employer needs.
•Poor applications will not be submitted to employers but returned to
you for corrections
Where necessary applications will be screened/shortlisted to meet quota
of applications (typically 10) to prevent employers being swamped.
Attend a careerzone CV/Applications session to sharpen your draft
application
We will help prevent potentially
faux pas such as…
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to find placements: networking
An estimated 60-80% of jobs are now found informally
through networking with direct or indirect contacts such as
friends, relatives, and alumni.
Networking is the process of discovering and exploiting
connections between people.
It requires moving beyond your immediate network and
tapping into other people’s networks
Use physical and virtual networking
Start by networking with people you already know and
speak with them about what you want to do.
Ask whether they know of any employers doing the type
of work that interests you.
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to find them: social media
Use linked in , twitter and facebook to find jobs –
Link to corporate facebooks, twitter feeds etc.
Linked in:
•
Start a profile being clear about career aims
•
Keep it clear and professional
•
Link in with people you can trust who can help you
•
Join relevant groups:
•
For more tips on linked in /social media go:
www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/jobapplications/social-media/
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
How to find them: creative personal branding
“Cole fined for Twitter outburst”
Avoid Ashley Cole outburst and
compromising photos
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Application support & guidance
 CV and Application checklist
• http://ex.ac.uk/getapplying
Standard tips for CVs and covering letters, and country specific
guides
• http://ex.ac.uk/getapplying
Careerzone CV and covering letter checking service
Career Zone offers a CV and covering letter checking service. Before you
book an appointment please ensure you have:
•Read our guides to creating CVs and Covering letters
•Prepared a CV and/or covering letter for a specific Erasmus
placement to bring to the appointment
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Success: what to do when you’ve got a placement offer
As soon as you have a firm offer of a placement from an employer,
send the placement details form which will be on mycareerzone:
•EWA002_A for EU placements
•IWA002_A for international placements outside EU
• links will be on via http://ex.ac.uk/workabroad
The University will then:
assess the placement
and if approved liaise with the employer to complete, sign and
return a placement agreement between
• Employer
• University
• Student
once contract is ready you will be asked to make an appointment
with the Global Employability Team to sign the contract and sign
off a Risk Assessment
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Placement approval
Job includes mostly graduate level tasks
Jobs that we’ve not approved include
• au pair
• bar & restaurant work
• farm work (grape picking)
• child minding
• shop sales assistant
• live-in placements
• chalet host
North America, Australasia
• any employer
Outside EU, North America, Australasia
• Multinationals (with HQ in EU, N. America or Australasia)
• Other employers must provide additional Health and Safety
and Risk Assessment documentation
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
Timeline
Deadline
Requirement
October 2013
Start looking for placements
November 2013
Book to get a draft CV and application letter reviewed in
the career zone
31st December 2013
Submit completed applications for Exeter EU placements
on mycareeerzone as per deadline supplied in job ad
1st May 2014
Deadline: to submit EWA002_A Placement Proposal Form
Early May 2014
Erasmus Grant application at Erasmus Work Abroad Grant
briefing talk
13th June 2014
Deadline by which all employer placement agreements
must be signed by all 3 parties www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs
and Risk Assessments
signed and completed by student and University (me).
Work Abroad:
Next Steps
Dominic Prosser
Global Employability Consultant
erasmusworkabroad@exeter.ac.uk
www.exeter.ac.uk/globaljobs