Work placements

Internships or other workplaces may be approved by the year abroad co-ordinator. It is your responsibility to find a placement and to have this pre-approved by your year abroad co-ordinator. The University of Edinburgh is unable to assist in finding or creating work placements.

The receiving organisation should ideally be:

1) a Higher Education Institution awarded with an Erasmus Charter

2) any public or private organisation active in the labour market or in the fields of education, training and youth. For example, such an organisation can be:

− a public or private, a small, medium or large enterprise (including social enterprises);

− a public body at local, regional or national level;

− a social partner or other representative of working life, including chambers of commerce, craft/professional associations and trade unions;

− a research institute;

− a foundation;

− a school/institute/educational centre (at any level, from pre-school to upper secondary education, and including vocational education and adult education);

− a non-profit organisation, association, NGO;

− a body providing career guidance, professional counselling and information services.

Other work placements or internships may be supported if you are able to provide evidence that it is beneficial to your degree programme, and will offer immersion in the language being studied. 

IMPORTANT NOTE 1: ALL PLACEMENTS MUST BE PRE-APPROVED and signed off by your year abroad co-ordinator before you travel abroad.  You should be aware that you are also required to provide a reference from the receiving organisation confirming completion. 

IMPORTANT NOTE 2:  If you are undertaking a work placement in Europe (outside the UK) which will count towards your degree and will last a minimum of three months, you may be eligible to apply for Erasmus funding.  There will be different forms to fill in depending if you are going down the Erasmus funded route or the independent route.  Therefore, to avoid duplication, it is important that you identify well in advance whether you will be Erasmus funded or independent.

Erasmus funded placements can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/global/exchanges/erasmus-traineeships

Independent work placement paperwork can be found here: 

You may find the enclosed information helpful.