The Student Room Group

Things you wish you'd known before starting placement

Whether you're on a placement for a couple of weeks, months, or even for a year in industry, there's bound to be a number of aspects you did expect, and even more that you didn't.

Whilst learning on the job is always going to be an aspect, and an important one at that, some parts of placement will always have been easier if you'd been more aware of them beforehand.

So for those of you on placement, or those of you who've finished, what do you now wish you'd known before you started? And what advice would you give to someone applying for - or about to start - their own placement?

Please include what job or course you did, and how long your placement was for :h:



More placement help and FAQ here :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Watching. Starting my placement in a few months. :ninja:
Original post by SeanFM
Watching. Starting my placement in a few months. :ninja:


I'll give this a bit of a start up for you then :mmm:

- Expect it to be a very different environment to uni; you may well have a lot of learning on the job, but that's a great opportunity, so make the most of it
- Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, most companies will have had placement students before, and they'll be happy to offer support if you need it
- Take advantage of as many of the opportunities as possible, especially any additional projects or training. It will benefit you in the long run!
I think we all know what our placements will involve......
Original post by GettingitDone
I think we all know what our placements will involve......


Of course - this isn't about the finer details of your course or placement though. It's about what people may have encountered that they didn't expect, or things they think they would have benefited from knowing beforehand :smile:
Original post by shadowdweller
Of course - this isn't about the finer details of your course or placement though. It's about what people may have encountered that they didn't expect, or things they think they would have benefited from knowing beforehand :smile:


It's a dead thread.
Original post by GettingitDone
It's a dead thread.


We'll see what happens, and if anyone has anything to add :h:
I'll be joining a Business Management University course soon and contemplating whether to do a placement year or not, any suggestions?
Original post by Matt14451
I'll be joining a Business Management University course soon and contemplating whether to do a placement year or not, any suggestions?


Personally I'd recommend it - it's great experience to get, and good to have something on the CV when you come out of uni and are looking for jobs :smile:
Original post by shadowdweller
Personally I'd recommend it - it's great experience to get, and good to have something on the CV when you come out of uni and are looking for jobs :smile:


Thanks!
I'd be interested to know how much work is involved outside of the actual placement e.g uni work? Does it depend on the placement or uni? Was it more or less than people expected? How did you manage it around placement? :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by BurstingBubbles
I'd be interested to know how much work is involved outside of the actual placement e.g uni work? Does it depend on the placement or uni? Was it more or less than people expected? How did you manage it around placement? :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile


From talking to other (non-TSR) students about this, it seems to depend on the university, and what their procedure for it is. Mine's a relatively heavy workload compared to others I've spoken to, and was more than I expected, but the day-to-day things can be done around the placement if you're good with time management. For instance, I have to write a daily log for my uni - which seems to be a rarer requirement - but that can be easily done as you complete the work, and then written up easily enough.

A lot seem to involve a presentation, or a general report/write-up at the end; I've yet to do that, but I imagine that will be a bit more challenging to fit around placement! One thing to bear in mind though, is that unlike uni, when you're not on placement, you generally won't have work work to do - so whilst you do longer hours, when you leave, you're done for the day. Which means that whatever time you have left is your own, and you can focus on uni work instead of having to juggle multiple assignments :tongue:

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