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  • School of Business and Law work placements

School of Business and Law work placements

As a Business and Law student you will have the opportunity to take a year’s placement in industry and graduate with confidence, experience and contacts. 

The placement will be paid, contribute directly to your degree and can include a work-based project for your placement employer - demonstrating your employability.

Our students have worked in leading companies including American Express, Barclays, Bosch, Goldman Sachs, the House of Lords, IBM, Metropolitan Police, Nike, Porsche and Virgin Holidays. 

Hear from our students about their placement experiences.

Graduate with experience 

Your experience

Whether you are a postgraduate or undergraduate student, completing a work placement will mean you’ll be graduating with a year’s relevant work experience – giving you a distinct advantage over others when applying for jobs and starting your career. 

Students at Oracle work placement

Add to your CV 

Work experience can be a significant part of your education and career development, alongside the academic study of the degree course. A work placement also significantly adds to your CV and many students have received firm job offers, or direct access to graduate schemes. 

Doing a work placement also helps you to build industry contacts that will be invaluable when you graduate.

Business school student

Support from us  

The School of Business and Law's Employability and Placements team support you through the process of finding, applying for and completing your work placements.

Offering assistance at every stage; from CV writing to mock interviews and techniques, they will also provide ongoing support and guidance, including regular meetings to ensure that everything is going well.

Undergraduate placements

How it works  

One of the benefits of studying at the University of Brighton is the structure of our undergraduate courses to include an optional year-long work placement in the third year.

This helps you put your learning into practice and develops a number of personal and professional skills including communication, problem-solving, confidence building, research and report writing.

Placement years are designed to give you the experience of working in an area associated with your degree. You’ll take part in an interview process for a placement position, and are usually employed on a temporary or fixed term contract for the duration of your placement.

Your work placement project 

As part of your work placement you must complete a work-based project that replaces your final year dissertation and contributes directly to your final degree mark. This will be how your placement year is assessed. 

On our Economics BSc(Hons) course you will still need to complete five final year modules but you will not have to complete a placement project.

The aims of the placement 

By the end of the placement you should: 

  • have a thorough understanding of the working environment and ethos
  • have developed time management skills and completed specific tasks within set parameters
  • be able to manage business relationships and integrate into a team environment
  • have contributed positively to the company or department
  • have built upon your interpersonal skills and confidence
  • have a strong idea of your future career. 
Student on placement with The Body Shop

Courses with placements 

The following School of Business and Law courses offer placements as a part of their syllabuses: 

  • Accounting and Finance BSc(Hons)
  • Finance and Investment BSc(Hons)
  • Economics BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Placement Year BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Economics and Placement Year BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Finance and Placement Year BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Human Resource Management and Placement Year BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Marketing and Placement Year BSc(Hons)
  • International Business Management BSc(Hons)
  • International Event Management BSc(Hons)
  • International Event Management with Marketing BSc(Hons)
  • International Tourism Management BSc(Hons)
  • International Tourism Management with Marketing BSc(Hons)
  • Marketing Management with Placement Year BSc(Hons)
  • Law LLB (Hons)
  • Law with Business LLB(Hons)
  • Law with Criminology BSc(Hons)

The following courses can only offer a placement route upon achieving a 60% grade or above in the first year, enabling a transfer to the four-year course option which includes the placement year. If you are taking a degree with an integrated foundation year, you would need to achieve 60% or above in your second year:

  • Accounting, Finance and Economics BSc(Hons) with integrated foundation year
  • Business Management BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Economics BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Finance BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Human Resource Management BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management with Marketing BSc(Hons)
  • Business Management BSc(Hons) with integrated foundation year
  • Law LLB(Hons) with integrated foundation year
  • Marketing Management BSc(Hons)

How to find a placement 

We recommend that undergraduate students should start looking early in their second year. Whilst a placement isn’t guaranteed, our dedicated Employability and Placements team will support all students throughout the process of finding, applying for and completing their work placement.

Whilst the team will assist you in finding a suitable placement, giving you support and access to placement opportunities and recruitment fairs, you are responsible for applying for as many positions as possible to help your chances of successfully getting a placement.

JobTeaser 

As a School of Business and Law student you will have access to JobTeaser, a new online placements system presenting placement options in the UK and Europe. It gathers together all the job opportunities, events and resources you need to help you with your professional development.

Placement fairs 

Placement fairs are held twice a year involving companies from well-known names such as Enterprise-Rent-a-Car, Nike, BMW and IBM, through to smaller and more local businesses.

Employability weeks 

Our regular Employability Weeks offer activities designed to enhance your employability, including LinkedIn workshops, sessions on working abroad, advice from the university’s volunteering service and support from the wider university Careers team. 

Postgraduate placements

How it works 

Postgraduate courses with an integrated paid placement year are available to full-time applicants who start their course in September. 

You will take part in an interview process for a placement position with an organisation, and if you are successful, you are usually employed on a temporary or fixed term contract for the duration of your placement. 

Whilst your masters with placement will take two years, the work placement gives you the chance to apply your learning to real-life situations and challenges, to meet and network with potential employers, and have opportunities to get work experience in your area of expertise before you graduate – something that employers value highly. 

During your placement you will also complete a business project. This project is assessed as part of your masters and, depending on the topic that is agreed between you and your employer, could also provide a valuable piece of insight for your placement employer. 

Our placement partners include BMW, Bosch, Disney, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HSBC, IBM, Ipsos Mori, L’Oréal, Nike, Metropolitan Police and The Pensions Regulator. 

Your work placement project

As part of your work placement you will complete a work-based project that replaces your final year project and contributes directly to your final masters degree mark. This is how your placement year is assessed, and is worth 40 credits. 

Courses with placements 

The placement option is only available to full-time students who start in September on the following courses: 

  • Brighton MBA
  • Economics and Finance MSc
  • Finance and Accounting MSc
  • Finance and Banking MSc
  • Finance and Investment MSc
  • Finance and Risk Management MSc
  • International Event Management MSc
  • International Management MSc
  • International Tourism Management MSc
  • Management MSc
  • Management (Human Resources) MSc
  • Management (Entrepreneurship) MSc
  • Marketing MSc
  • Marketing Social Marketing MSc
  • Marketing (International Marketing) MSc
  • Marketing (Digital Marketing) MSc
  • Marketing (Branding & Communication) MSc

The majority of our postgraduate courses offer the option of a placement year. The following courses do not offer a placement due to the structure of the course, or accrediting body requirements.

  • Accounting (ACCA) MSc
  • Diploma in Professional Studies in Accounting (ACCA) 
  • International Law and Social Justice LLM
  • Law Conversion LLM
  • Law CPE

International students

Our two-year masters are available to UK, EU and international students. If you are an international student, you will not require a work visa because the placement is part of your studies.

Please contact us for more information about our two-year international study visa route for our masters with placement courses.

How to find a placement 

We offer the same placement support to all our students, and recommend that Masters students book a discussion with a member of our Employability and Placements team at the end of their first term.

Placements are not automatically guaranteed and it is a competitive process similar to making job applications.

Whilst the team will assist you in finding a suitable placement, giving you support and access to placement opportunities and recruitment fairs, you are responsible for applying for as many positions as possible to help your chances of successfully getting a placement.

JobTeaser

As a School of Business and Law student you will have access to JobTeaser, a new online placements system presenting placement options in the UK and Europe. It gathers together all the job opportunities, events and resources you need to help you with your professional development.

Placement and recruitment events 

Placement fairs are held twice a year involving companies from well-known names such as Enterprise-Rent-a-Car, Nike, BMW and IBM, through to smaller and more local businesses.

Our regular Employability Weeks offer activities designed to enhance your employability, including LinkedIn workshops, sessions on working abroad, advice from the university’s volunteering service and support from the wider university Careers team. 

Hear from our students

Nhung Nguyen 

Athanasios Darras 

Georgia Byrne 

“I chose the placement year as I wanted to gain real life experience and to put the theory and skills I had learnt from my first two years at university into everyday practice. I also wanted to expand my CV and make my chances of employment after university more likely from the experience I had gained.

“I have already gained invaluable knowledge from my first five months on placement. I have been put in charge of the St Wilfrid’s firewalk which is an annual event taking place in March.

“I have also been promoting their events, services and programmes at awareness days in its large catchment area, booking companies and entertainment for events, taking cash, cheque and card donations from supporters, registering people for events, helping with the set up and shut down at events, and liaising with a graphic designer to design marketing materials.

 “Taking a placement year has widened my knowledge, enabled me to gain invaluable experience. I believe I have grown professionally and personally, noticing an improved difference in my interpersonal skills from interacting and communicating with local supporters of the hospice, businesses, colleagues and members of the public.” 

Georgia studied International Event Management at Brighton – she took a paid placement year at St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Eastbourne.

Business placement

Frequently asked questions

Why do a placement? 

Students who complete a placement year usually get a better degree, are more career focused, develop their in-depth and practical understanding, transition easier from an academic to a work environment, improve personal communication skills, problem solving and confidence building and are generally one step ahead when starting their career.

How much could I earn?

Salaries vary from employer to employer, depending upon the degree of responsibility involved in the job and the location where you will be working.

On your one-year placement you can expect to earn between £15,000 and £24,000, with the average salary somewhere around £17,000. MBA students who already have significant work experience may be able to achieve higher salaries.

Please remember that your focus and priority for your placement is on the value of the learning experience as a key component of your course.

A successful placement at a reputable company/organisation is an investment in your future and should be viewed by the value of the experience, skills, knowledge and potential openings that it may bring rather than a short-term high salary. 

When can I start? 

Some employers have a specific date on which they want you to start, generally in early July. If they do not, then you need to negotiate a starting date with them. Please do not book holidays until you are sure you know your placement starting date.

The company will also determine the finish date. It will usually be twelve months after you start, but you may be able to arrange an extension. If another student is taking your place the company may ask you to stay on for at least a week or two, in order to hand-over to your replacement.

What support will I get during the placement year?

You will receive the support of the Employability and Placements Office throughout the placement should you need it at any time. You will also be allocated a personal academic supervisor who will support you in developing your placement project.

Can I still use the library or My Studies?

As a registered student you can use all university facilities and some areas you will still be able to claim student rates for public transport. 

Placement costs, visas and finance 

Finance for placements

Our (2021–22) fee for the professional placement year is £1,330 for home students and £2,100 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation, but these are the only fees that you will have to pay for this year apart from your usual living expenses.

This fee includes the support of the Employability and Placements Office throughout the placement as well as an allocated personal academic supervisor to help develop your placement project.

Student loans 

You will still be able to obtain a student loan, letters are issued by the Student Registry following registration and payment of the reduced fee.

Council tax

Council tax exemption is not guaranteed. It is at the discretion of the local authority. Most local authorities do give placement students full exemption, but a very few will only give discounts and one or two give discounts to placement students living in university-approved accommodation only. It also depends on who you share accommodation with. If it is other full-time registered students, exemptions are the norm.

However, if you live with wage-earning graduates you may have to pay in full. You may wish to check with your local council.

Which companies offer placement schemes?

A wide range of companies and organisations participate in our placements program, from both public and private sectors, and varying in size from smaller companies to large multinationals. Here are some of the organisations that have taken on our students:

  • American Express
  • Apple Inc
  • Balfour Beatty
  • Barclays Corporate
  • Bigfoot Travel
  • BMW (GB) Ltd
  • Channel 4
  • Computacenter
  • Coty UK Ltd
  • David Lloyd Leisure
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Disney
  • Dolby
  • Electronic Arts
  • Enterprise Rent-a-Car
  • Ernst & Young
  • Ford Motors Co. Ltd
  • GE Money
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Golfbreaks Ltd
  • Harrods Ltd
  • Hewlett Packard Ltd
  • Hitachi
  • Home Office
  • House of Lords
  • Hyundai
  • IBM
  • ITV
  • Lastminute.com
  • Legal & General
  • Lloyds Banking Group
  • Microsoft
  • NHS Salford PCT
  • Nike EMEA HQ
  • PepsiCo
  • Porsche Cars Great Britain
  • Quantum Marketing
  • Roche Diagnostics Ltd
  • Rolls Royce Motor Cars
  • The Body Shop
  • The Studio Theatre
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • The Wealth Works
  • Total Gas and Power Ltd
  • UK Border Agency
  • Unilever UK Limited
  • Vodafone HP
  • Warner Bros

Contact us

The Employability and Placements Office
School of Business and Law
University of Brighton
Elm House
Lewes Road
Brighton
BN2 4NU

Telephone: +44 (0)1273 642168
Telephone: +44 (0)1273 642167

Email: placements.business@brighton.ac.uk

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