Our students

From the first year, our students prepare for a career in an increasingly international employment market. Only those who have successfully completed the first and second years of their degree are allowed to proceed to work placements abroad.

Upon successful completion of Year 2, all students will have acquired the following:

• language skills (competence level C1 in the CEFR)
• professional communication
• IT skills (Word, PowerPoint)
• basic translation skills
• presentation skills
• research skills
• Team working skills
• IT skills
• Knowledge of Business

Depending on their chosen undergraduate degree programmes, students also have knowledge of

• business accounting and finance
• marketing principles
• managing organisation and human resource
• specialised translation and translation technology
• foreign language teaching

Aims and objectives of work placements

These are:

• to gain an insight into how foreign companies and institutions work;
• to learn about different job markets;
• to enable students to apply their linguistic and cultural knowledge in workplace and everyday situations;
• to improve their command of the language, particularly in contexts other than those encountered at university;
• to learn how rules of behaviour in the workplace may vary according to country;
• to improve the interpersonal skills needed in an organisational setting;
• to improve and acquire work-related transferable skills;
• to build up a portfolio of personal development.

Length and number of work placements

Students are required to spend a minimum of 46 weeks on placement abroad. Whether these 46 weeks are spent in the same placement or divided between two or more different placements depends on the specific requirements of the chosen degree programme and the individual language combinations.

How it Works

1. Students take part in a preparation programme throughout their second year aimed at honing their professional skills.
2. After considering the profile of the individual students, the Placement Co-ordinator selects the students who are best suited for a particular placement.
3. The co-ordinator will contact you to inform you of the availability of these candidates who then apply for the post.
4. The decision about whether to accept or reject a candidate is entirely yours.
5. Once the student has been accepted, the three parties, employer, student and university, sign a placement agreement (copy available on request). This document lays out the responsibilities, rights and duties of the student, the university and the host company.
6. The student’s performance during the placement will be monitored and assessed by the university and the host company. During the placement the student will receive two or three visits depending on the length of the placement from their tutors. During these visits the tutor will hold separate meetings with the student and the supervisor in order to monitor the student’s progress. The company’s assessment consists of two short forms to be completed during the year.