Most Modern Languages and Cultures students may work abroad but it's not possible for students going to China or Russia dues to visa complications. However, it's important to consider the idea of a work placement carefully before you commit to this idea. For example, please bear in mind that in almost all cases you will have to look for work placements independently and in all cases you will have to go through a normal job application process (i.e. application forms and probably telephone interviews as a minimum). For more information about work placements, please visit the relevant Working Abroad section of these webpages.
If working abroad for a whole year, you will be put onto SML3010. If you are splitting the year, you will be put onto SML3025. Each involves different components, although both include an oral examination upon return to Exeter. See the ML Year Abroad ELE page for more information.
Yes, Modern Languages and Cultures students (except for ab initio Russian or Chinese students) can split the year studying for one semester and working for the other if they wish. However, it will be your responsibility to ensure that the dates of each placement do not clash if you go down this route
Yes, Modern Languages and Cultures students can split the year studying for one semester and working for the other if they wish. However, it will be your responsibility to ensure that the dates of each placement do not clash if you go down this route.
Yes, however, you must ensure that the dates do not clash.
Please visit the Working Abroad section of our webpages or the Work Abroad Placements webpages.
No, it is both down to your eagerness and persistance in applying, coupled with the availability of jobs in each country. The latter is something that you will only find out through research and application. The former you will need to possess before you even consider applying to work abroad.
The deadline for confirming a first semester work plaement is the 1st of May. By this point, you must have absolutely everything sorted - i.e. contracts signed by all three parties (placement provider, you and the university). This means that you should be applying for jobs long before the Christmas holidays, as the process of applying, interviewing, and filling out paperwork can be long and laborious.
Any job that you apply for must be of a professional level and be of a minimum 35 hours per week. Please see the Worklng Abroad page for more information.
This will depend on a number of things, including where the placement is located and what you will be doing. For example, even with a charity, the job role must be professional level as defined by the Outbound team. Also, the location of the placement must be safe and appropriate. This means that in areas where working for a charity or NGO is dangerous, you will not be allowed to work there. This will be assessed by the Outbound team with the support of the College.
Possibly. Please see the Work Abroad Placcements webpages for more information.
Yes, but the job must be of a professional level and must adhere to any other restrictions and stipulations, as defined and agreed by the Placements team. Please visit the Working Abroad section for more guidance.
Yes, but the job must be of a professional level and must adhere to any other restrictions and stipulations, as defined and agreed by the Placements team. Please visit the Working Abroad section for more guidance.
Yes, as long as the placement's location is safe and appropriate, and the job is of a professional level and adheres to any other restrictions and stipulations, as defined and agreed by the Placements team. Please visit the Working Abroad section for more guidance.
This will depend entirely on the placement provider. There is no obligation for companies to pay for you to work with them, so you will have to weigh up the benefit of the experience versus the cost of working unpaid to decide whether or not it is beneficial for you. Of course, you must only work unpaid if you are in a financially stable enough position to do so, as your maintenance loan (if applicable) is very unlikely to be enough to cover all costs whilst abroad.
Once you have found a work placement and have been offered a job, you must submit the role for approval by the Placements team as outlined in their Work Abroad Placements webpages. If you have any doubt as to whether or not the role will be suitable, please contact the Placements team in advance of making an application to the company in question.
If you are diligent and proactive enough, it is very unlikely that you will not find a work placement in time for the 1st of May deadline. If you are struggling to find a placement or you will miss the deadline, please do not hesitate to contact the Outbound team. Modern Languages and Cultures students are guaranteed a placement for the compulsory Year Abroad, so ultimately we will try to find you a study placement if you have told us by 1st of May that you do not have a work placement. Please note that you are very unlikely to have a choice of where you study if it reaches this point, as the most popular places will have gone.
Yes, most Modern Languages and Cultures students may work abroad as a British Council English Language Assistant. However, it is not available to undergraduate students of Chinese, Russian or Portuguese.
Please note that the British Council have some restrictions, such as proficiency of language in English (native-speaker) and location of your secondary school (UK). If you do not meet their criteria then you will usually have to take part in a telephone interview. Please see the British Council's Language Assistants webpages for more details on eligibility.
For information about applying to the British Council, please visit the British Council's Language Assistants section of our webpages.
The deadline to apply is usually in February but please keep an eye on the British Council's Language Assistants webpages and come to our presentations for confirmation of this.
No, as the British Council is a third party, we are unable to guarantee that you will obtain a placement with them. It is very rare that a student meeting all eligibility criteria will not get a place, but it is possible for the BC to reject students' applications.
You will be put onto SML3010. Please see the ML Year Abroad ELE page for more information.
Yes, as long as the placements are available.
Yes, there is a salary for British Council ELAs.
Generally no. Most British Council English Language Assistants are not able to split the year with an ELA placement elsewhere or any other sort of placement.
However, a small number of BC placements last 6 months (such as in Argentina) so those students need to do another placement to complete the minimum 28 weeks abroad requirement set by Modern Languages and Cultures.