International placements for accredited programmes

International placements can be undertaken as part of the placement year, year in industry or year abroad programmes and they offer a unique opportunity to pick up substantive work experience while experiencing a new culture.

Explore your options

If you are thinking about working abroad as part of your degree, have a read of these guides for inspiration and research.

If you decide that you would like to pursue a placement outside of the UK, here are some tips to help with your search:

Focus your search

The world is a big place! Here are some questions to ask yourself to help focus your search:

  • What do you want to achieve by working abroad?
  • What are important factors for you/your search parameters?
  • What countries interest you?  
  • What sectors/roles interest you?

Be proactive

  • There is not one search platform for international placements. Familiarise yourself with the websites and networks used to advertise opportunities in your countries of interest. 
  • There may not be many advertised placements in your area of interest. Be prepared for a speculative search, contacting organisations directly, as well as applying for advertised opportunities. You could use York Profiles and Mentors or a LinkedIn Alumni Search to help you find contacts. You may have work experience with a company in the UK that has worldwide branches that you could contact.

Do your research

  • You will most likely need to speak the business language fluently in your chosen destination, so make sure you are familiar with the language requirements. Languages for International Mobility can help.
  • Placements outside of the UK don’t always align with our academic cycle, so check the duration and see what options are available. 
  • Be clear on the financial implications of working abroad. Consider the salary, costs of flights, accommodation, visas, bills, insurance, socialising. Placement salaries outside of the UK are not always comparable with roles in the UK.

It may cost more to work abroad. Think carefully about your financial situation and explore funding options available, such as:

This is a selection of websites that advertise international vacancies. They are not all bespoke to placement years or internships, so amend your search filters accordingly:

  • InternJobs.com - a global online portal with a section for internships and placements
  • OECD - international policy placements through the OECD internship programme
  • Globalplacement.com - online portal for global internship and placements roles
  • Erasmus Intern - online portal for European placements and internships. You can set up a profile, similar to LinkedIn
  • Eurasmus Internship - online portal for placements, internships and graduate roles in Europe
  • Training Experience - connects you directly with employers in Europe offering internships and placements
  • Eurojobs.com - general online jobs portal for European vacancies
  • Eures – EU jobs portal including country specific employability advice

The University has no particular relationship with any of the above organisations. Any opportunity that you may find through them will require the approval of your University Placements contact and is not guaranteed to be appropriate.

There are companies that can help with finding work experience abroad. These may be of interest to you, so it’s important to do your research carefully as many of them will charge for their services. 

Remember that your placement needs to be approved by the University, so talk to your departmental placement contact before making any payment to one of these companies.

In the UK employers are bound by law to provide employers and public liability insurances for their employees. Outside of the UK this may not be the case, however we would expect an equivalent offer. Insurances will form part of the placement approval process, so it’s worth asking your employer if you would be covered for accidents in the workplace and legal costs if you are involved in a claim made by a client. 

Travel insurance will be provided by the University, subject to your placement being approved and on completion of the Travel Log and risk assessment. There are some countries to which the University does not permit travel.