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Who can do a work placement? | What work are you not allowed to do as a work placement? | How do you get your placement authorised? | What are your responsibilities while you are on your placement? | What is your working allowance while you are on your placement? | If your visa is not long enough | Who can you contact with any questions? | More information

Who can do a work placement?

You can find out if your course has the option to take a work placement from your faculty Placement Coordinator. This may be a short placement or a long placement, and could be during your course, or if you are on a postgraduate course, your placement may be after you have submitted your dissertation. You can contact your Placement Coordinator via MyCareerHub.

Your Student visa allows you to work full-time during your work placement, if it is an official placement. Your placement is not official until it has been authorised by the university.

Check our guidance for part-time work or read below for details on securing your full-time placement as part of your studies.

What work are you not allowed to do as a work placement?

  • You cannot be self-employed or run your own business
  • You are not allowed to work the restricted field of professional entertainment
  • Sporting placements can be undertaken but must not be professional coaching or playing.

How do you get your placement authorised?

When you find a placement, complete and submit the Placement Details Form on myHub - under the My Placements & International Activity tab. It will then be assessed and authorised by your faculty.

You should complete this form at least two weeks before the date you want to begin your placement. The placement must then be approved by your faculty. We will email your employer explaining the conditions of your visa. They will take a copy of your passport and visa when you start working.

If you start your placement before it has been authorised, you will be in breach of the immigration rules and also of the BU Placements: Policy and Procedure, and may be withdrawn from your course.

If you do more than one placement, you must get authorisation on myHub, before starting each placement.

What are your responsibilities while you are on your placement?

You must complete the Student visa monitoring form on myHub on the first day of each month.

When do you start to complete these monitoring forms?

  • If you are on an undergraduate course and doing a long placement, you need to complete your first form in September of placement year (Level P)
  • If you are on a postgraduate course and doing a long placement, you need to complete your first form the month after the earliest date you can start your placement. For example, if you start your placement in February, you complete the form on 1 March.
  • If you are on a short placement which is less than 60 days, you do not need to complete the forms
  • If you have any problems or questions about any of these procedures, please contact your Placement Coordinator (before your placement) or your Placement Development Adviser (during your placement). You can find the details of your Placement Coordinator and Placement Development Adviser on MyCareerHub.
  • You can find more information about the working conditions of your Student visa on our working during your studies page.

What is your working allowance while you are on your placement?

You can work full-time while on an approved placement.

While you are doing your BU official work placement, your Student visa allows you to undertake the additional 20 hours part-time work.

If you are on an undergraduate course and you finish your placement before the end of the academic year, you are only allowed to work 20 hours per week in a part-time job from the end of the placement, until the beginning of the summer vacation.

If your visa is not long enough

Before you start a placement you should check that your visa is long enough to cover the whole length of the placement. If it is not, you will not be permitted to begin your placement until you have applied to extend your visa. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Who can you contact with any questions?

  • If you have questions while you are looking for your placement, you can contact your faculty Placement Coordinator (PC)
  • If you need support during your placement, you can contact your Placement Development Adviser (PDA)
  • You can find the details of your Placement Coordinator and Placement Development Adviser on MyCareerHub
  • If your employer asks for a letter to confirm your term dates and/or placement dates, you can request this letter from AskBU
  • If you have concerns about your Student visa and working, you can contact [email protected].

Where can you get more information?