Find out about where you're going!
Researching your placement
You should visit the Work Abroad Placements pages for information about researching placements abroad.
However, once you have found a job which you might be interested in applying for, there are other aspects of the placement to research. Below are a couple of the considerations that you should make, although there may be others that you can think of, and we would strongly encourage you to talk to fourth year students to discuss other aspects regarding working in the country of your choice.
What type of work can you do and for how long?
Please see our Working Abroad pages for more information about the type of work that you can do and the minimum length of time you should be on placement.
Cost of living and Finance
The main costs that you will bear on a Year Abroad are the following:
- Tuition fee to Exeter (reduced by 85%)
- Flights and travel
- Travel Insurance with emergency medical cover (compulsory)
- Health insurance
- Visa
- Accommodation
- Living costs (food, transport, socialising etc)
Location
If finances are at all a concern for you, then you should seriously consider the effect living in a certain location could have. For example, if you live in a capital city, then the likelihood is that the cost of accommodation, transport and even food will be a lot higher. As such, you must ensure that you would not be disadvantaged or hard off if you were to live in such a location.
Student Finance
Bear in mind that whilst you can still apply for Student Finance loans (i.e. maintenance) in the same way that you can when you're studying in Exeter, this money may not be sufficient. This is particularly true as costs can increase when abroad, in that most people want to do a bit of travelling around the country or surrounding countries, and participate in more tourist activities. This is an understandable desire, and indeed we would recommend it, but just make sure that you can realistically afford whatever you want to do.
Finally, please note that Student Finance currently pay travel grants to students who are eligible. These are means-tested but they can cover up to 3 return flights plus visa and medical insurance costs. We certainly recommend you research whether you are eligible for this financial support. Here is the Student Finance England Travel Grant page but each national body has its own information so please check.
Voluntary or paid work
Some students are very lucky and are paid a good living wage on their Year Abroad placement. However, this is not guranteed and it depends entirely on the internship each student finds. Some work placements are voluntary and therefore unpaid, while other employers pay a minimal stipend. If finances are a concern, then it's essential you research your placement(s) carefully.
Accommodation
Accommodation availability in any location changes on a regular basis: in any given year there may be significantly more or fewer spaces in private accommodation. For this reason, the College and University are unable to keep track of what happens in each city surrounding each of the numerous work placements available to Humanities students. Please note that some cities have very limited or very expensive accommodation.
As such, the most up-to-date information can only realistically be obtained from students who are either currently abroad or who have recently returned. Please let the Placements Team or the Global Opportunities Outbound team know if you would like to be put in touch with a student who knows and has experience of a particular location.