What happens before, during and after the placement?

Before the placement begins

To ensure a meaningful experience between all parties involved in the placement process, there is an agreement between yourselves and UCL which will need to be completed. The purpose of the agreement is to ensure that you are aware of your responsibilities as the host employer and that you agree to its terms and conditions. A separate agreement between the Student and UCL will also be raised to ensure that students are aware of their responsibilities whilst on placement. 

• If you would like further information about the UCL/Employer agreement or would like to receive a sample copy, please contact our Placement Team at economics.placements@ucl.ac.uk.

The UCL/Employer agreement is different from, but builds on, the contract of employment that the student will have agreed with you. In particular, the agreement relates to the ‘academic placement period ’ which starts from the end of September and runs to early June. This is synchronized to the UCL academic year. 

The contract of employment between yourselves and a student however can apply to a longer period of work, and in this context it is not unusual for the employment period to overlap with the ‘academic placement period’.

Students can start their employment with the host organisation once they have finished Term 3 at UCL (mid-June typically) of their 2nd year, and this employment (if mutually agreed) can continue for a period of up to 12 months. All students will recommence their final year of studies in the following September.

During the placement

During the placement year, we keep in touch with the students through monthly engagement (usually email) and a 1:1 online appointment in December. At the beginning of Term 3 students will submit a Personal Skills Audit where we expect them to reflect on their development over the placement year, whcih is closely followed by a placement visit, normally in April/May, where the Placement Tutor meets the student and their line manager to discuss the experience so far. These are always enriching opportunities for all parties and a great way for us to get to understand organisations better. Before the commencement of their final year of studies (and any time after the placement ends) the students submit a poster detailing the key points of their placement. There is no requirement on employers to be involved with any of the required submissions but of course any advice offered to the student is welcomed.

If the student you have hired is an international student, we would require confirmation that the student is engaging with their work to fulfil our obligations as the sponsor of the student’s visa linked to their academic programme. We usually contact the student directly and ask for employment information such as hours worked in a monthly period, and copy the employer in in a supervisory role. More generally, we are always available to answer any queries the employer may have during the year.

After the placement

After a student has completed their placement, we welcome feedback from you on your experience with a UCL Economics Placement student. We would welcome the opportunity to build on our relationship and invite you to deliver seminars to our students about opportunities for BSc Economics students, and more generally by keeping in touch to ensure we have a deeper understanding of your organisation’s needs. We would hope that your organisation would become well known to all our students by ensuring that your promotions are embedded into the wider support we offer all our students.