Placements and Internships

If you're interested in completing an optional work placement (one that is not a compulsory part of your course), you'll find all the help you need - from searching for a role through to support during your placement year - at the Careers and Employability Centre, on Guildhall Walk.

Evidence from past students shows that taking a placement year can greatly improve your job prospects and starting salary. It can also boost your academic grades, on average by up to half a degree classification.

Get started with placements

We offer expert advice, the latest placement opportunities and support when you are on your Placement.

Thinking of completing a placement? You need to:

Get in touch through our online form to access our in-person and virtual appointments.
Search for placement opportunities on our Work Placements Jobs board.
Look out in your inbox for the latest placement opportunities and support.

Register your interest in placements

Support with your CV and cover letter

If you're preparing your CV ready to start making applications, you can come to our drop-in sessions. Drop-in runs Monday-Friday between 1.00-4.00pm during term time. You don't need to book - just come into our Careers and Employability centre and we'll try to see you on the day.

If you have any questions about placements you can email us placements@port.ac.uk.

Placement Club

Every Thursday in November

The Placement Club provides a relaxed space to work on all things placements including:

Searching and applying for roles
Getting your application, CV or cover letter checked
Seeking advice for an upcoming interview/assessment centre

You’ll get advice from former placement students and speak to other students looking for placements. Our Placement Advisers will be on hand to answer your questions and guide you through the process.

Grab a coffee, bring your laptop and come anytime between 10.00am-12.00pm for support.

Come along

Benefits of completing a placement year

Boost your job prospects and potential starting salary
Build your professional network before graduating
Increase your workplace skills and access to professional roles
Graduate with a professional mindset and industry experience
Potential to be invited back for a graduate job role
Boost your chance of getting a 2:1 or first-class degree
Use your final year to explore and apply for jobs
You’ll likely find better-paid, professional work faster if you have a placement year on your CV.
Students who do placements are often offered a permanent job, back with their placement employer.

Placement Stories

Technology Placements

Pelham talks about his experience on placement as a Technology student.

I decided to do a placement due to employers requiring real world experience and it's hard to go into a field without any background knowledge or experience in it. So a placement year would be the best way to get both of those things.

One of the most important things that you can't be taught in class is the importance of good communication skills and good interpersonal skills. It's not just about what you know, it's also about who you know and how to get the information across in an efficient way.

The advice I'd give to students considering doing placements is absolutely go for it, you will not regret it. It is one of the best things you can possibly do to prepare yourself for a career.

Science and Health Placements

Oakley talks about her experience on placement as a Psychology student.

The placement opportunity was a massive pull for me because psychology is huge.

There are so many opportunities, so many different career options you can explore. So it was really useful for me to be able to go down those avenues to work out what I wanted to do before I got there.

My placement was in frontline mental health. I learnt a lot about not only my degree, my subject and my field, but also about myself, I think.

It really helped consolidate my learning, there were a lot of things that I had learnt in my course that were then translated and I could see them working in practice.

So the University of Portsmouth really helped me to realise who I am by allowing me to pursue these career opportunities.

Business and Law Placements

Amy talks about her experience on placement as a Business and Law student.

On placement, I found that it's quite affirming when you realise this is real life and you're doing a real job. It's not just textbook, it's what you’ve put into practice and that's an amazing feeling.

Being able to run my own projects and have the entirety of site see them has really boosted my confidence.

I feel very proud of what I've achieved within such a short time frame. I would encourage anybody who's considering doing a placement to go for it. It's been life-changing for me.

Humanities and Social Sciences Placements

Ellen talks about her experience on placement as an Early Childhood Studies student.

On my course, there are opportunities to have placements. It really helped me a lot to get to the place I am now.

I did a placement in one of the nurseries in Portsmouth and I was working with really young children, that I hadn't worked with before. I hadn't had the opportunity to work with such young children. Working with these younger years really showed me that this is something that I really enjoy and I have loved every second of it.

It's been such a real insight, a practical insight into learning with children and I'm able to use my knowledge, that I've used at university and learnt, in my teaching today.

Creative and Cultural Industries Placements

Jake talks about his experience on placement as a Television Broadcasting student.

I was extremely fortunate to get the experience at the football club. I don't think there's anywhere else that's offered anything like that.

I did a placement with Premier League Productions. I think it’s massively helped me to get where I am today and I think that's something that's just been so beneficial for my career, to have that on my CV, to say I've worked in club football, I understand club football and how media works within it.

Doing the placement year was absolutely crucial for me.I think it's massively thanks to the partnership between the football club and the university as to why I've got the experience that I do, which has then led me to employment.