Technical placements
If you want to take part in a technical placement to boost your work experience and technical abilities, take a look at the IAESTE scheme.
What is IAESTE?
IAESTE is International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience: it's open to science, engineering, technology and applied arts undergraduate students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who are in their second year of study and above. In the UK, IAESTE is run by the British Council.
Most placements are for six to 12 weeks, between June and September; longer placements are sometimes available. Not all placements require you to speak a second language, so in some cases you'll only need English.
How to apply
If you’re interested in an IAESTE placement you need to register online during October-December for a placement in the following summer. Provided you meet the IAESTE criteria, you’ll be sent a list of possible placements from which you can choose.
Where are IAESTE placements?
Placements can be found in over 80 countries. Mostly it’s not essential to speak a foreign language to be eligible for a placement, but of course it’s always a good idea to to learn a few basic expressions before you arrive in a non-English-speaking country.
Are there any other organisations that offer placements?
Check with your college or university to see if they are partnered with global organisations that are specifically tailored to your course.
Other things to remember
You can apply for up to five IAESTE placements. You may get any of your five choices (you can’t rank them in order of preference) so it’s important that you only apply for placements that genuinely interest you.
Consider picking placements in countries outside Central Europe and English-speaking countries (those tend to be in high demand). You’ll improve your chances of being accepted on the scheme, and maybe even get some new language skills at the same time!
