Placement Guidance for Students

Criteria

For a placement to receive GUDTP approval and support, it needs to meet the following criteria:

Criterion 1. The placement needs to be mutually beneficial to the student and the host.

Criterion 2. The placement needs to address the specific professional development needs of the student. For DTP 2 students, these will need to be identified by the student and their supervisor in their Development Needs Analysis.

Criterion 3. The placement needs to be completely distinct from the student’s doctorate and not ‘feed into it’ in any way (for example, it cannot be a source of data collection). A student cannot undertake an academic placement with/for their current supervisor, research team, or home department.

Criterion 4. The placement needs to be clearly defined from the start through a specific project plan/list of activities and cannot be used to substitute temporary staff or to cover business as usual within the host organisation.

Criterion 5. The student needs to have been offered the placement (at least in-principle), as evidenced by the host co-signing the project plan. 

Criterion 6. The placement needs to appear feasible at the time of application.

The GUDTP might reject applications that present ethical or reputational risk.

 

Is it optional?

Undertaking a 3-month placement is a requirement for DTP2 students but remains optional for DTP1 students.

If you are unsure, please consider the start date of your GUDTP studentship. 

 

You are eligible to undertake a GUDTP placement but this has not been included in the duration of your studentship award.

You will need to apply to amend your studentship end date by the equivalent of the duration of the placement.

Undertaking a GUDTP-approved placement is a requirement and assessed as part of your studentship. The placement needs to take place within your funded period. An additional 3 months has been included in the duration of your award.

! Placements undertaken without prior GUDTP approval will not be considered for the fulfilment of the placement requirement.

! You will not have fulfilled their placement requirement until you have passed your placement assessment.

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All GUDTP students currently enrolled in a doctoral programme may undertake a placement.

GUDTP-funded students currently enrolled in a Masters course are normally not eligible for placement support. Any placement/internship undertaken by DTP2 students before the start of their doctorate, will not normally be considered towards the fulfilment of their placement requirement.

Ordinarily, we expect students to have passed the first formal assessment of their doctorate before undertaking a placement. This might be called a first-year review or transfer of status.

These guidelines have been primarily written with full-time students and full-time placements in mind. If you are studying part-time and/or interested in a part-time placement, please consider the part-time equivalent when planning the duration and timeline of your placement. It might be possible to change mode of study (from part-time to full-time and vice versa) for the duration of the placement but terms and conditions apply so please consult your university/department in the first instance.

DTP1 students are eligible for up to three months of GUDTP placement support.

DTP2 students are required to spend three months of their studentship in placement with one or more external organisations. Their placements are subject to formal assessment. If six months before the award end date, a DTP2 student cannot produce a clear and feasible plan to meet this requirement in full by the end of the studentship, the GUDTP will initiate shortening the duration of the studentship accordingly.

All students can choose to undertake more than one placement of shorter duration, provided that each is at least four weeks long. The placements can take place consecutively or apart.

Placements need to be completed within the student’s funded period.

We expect students to submit their applications to the GUDTP at least three months before the proposed placement start date to allow time for consideration. However, if an opportunity arises with less notice, please do still contact the GUDTP Placements Co-ordinator, as, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to approve it on time or help you renegotiate the start date.  Please note that we will not review applications submitted within one month from the proposed start date, unless the reasons for the delay are explained and justifiable.

For all GUDTP purposes, the placement is not considered complete before the receipt of either the student feedback form (for DTP1 students) or the successful completion of the placement assessment (for DTP2 students). These need to be submitted to the DTP no later than one month after the end of the placement.Warning goes here

 

Placements can be in-person, remote, or hybrid.

Placements are normally expected to take place in the UK.

The GUDTP will consider supporting overseas placements if there is clear evidence that the applicants cannot acquire the same skills and equivalent experience domestically.

Whether in the UK or overseas, all placements are subject to a formal risk assessment and departmental approval.

Whether in the UK of overseas, all students should check any VISA restrictions that might apply to them.

The GUDTP will not approve applications for which the student’s department/university has not granted risk assessment approval and travel insurance (if applicable). However, we appreciate that both these processes might take time. If you are constrained for time, please submit your application for placement support to the GUDTP explaining which documents are still pending and when you anticipate them to be finalised (question D5). We will review the application and if everything else is in order, we can grant conditional approval, subject to receipt of the missing documents.

For overseas placements only:

  • The DTP cannot provide support for overseas placements if the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) advises against visiting the country or area concerned. Foreign nationals and students with dual nationality need to consult the advice of their own government(s), in addition to the FCDO.
  • The visit should be covered by the travel insurance policy of the student’s home institution. Please speak to your respective department/university body about this process.

Funding Arrangements

DTP1 students are expected to suspend their doctorate for the duration of their placement and thus they will not be liable to pay tuition fees.

For DTP2 students the placement is a course requirement. Therefore, students remain enrolled and their tuition fees are covered by the GUDTP for the duration of the placement.

Whether students continue receiving their stipend (in-part or in-full) during their time on placement depends on the level of any remuneration they may receive from the host/employer.

Unpaid Placement

The student will continue receiving their stipend for the duration of the placement, if they provide evidence that the placement is unpaid.

Placement Paid by the Host LESS than the Stipend

The GUDTP will co-fund the placement to ensure that the student continues receiving funds equivalent of the stipend for the duration of the placement. The DTP will need supporting documentation for the exact amount paid by the host.  

Placement Paid by the Host MORE than the Stipend

The GUDTP will discontinue the stipend for the duration of the placement. The host will need to confirm that the payment they offer is more than the stipend. Neither the student nor the host will be asked to disclose the exact amount of payment.

Being a student does not exempt you from paying income tax. Your ESRC stipend in particular is tax-exempt, whereas income earned from employment duties is taxable in the normal way.

When students suspend their full-time student status to undertake a placement, they might not be eligible for Council Tax exemption. Oxford based students are ineligible for Council Tax exemption during the period of suspension and other Councils may adopt similar practice.

The GUDTP can offer limited additional financial support towards costs incurred by the placement and which are not normally expected to be covered by the student’s stipend.

Your cost estimates need to be reasonable and demonstrate value for money, as evidenced by price comparison screenshots or downloads attached to your application. We recommend including an additional 10% in your budget to account for potential cost variations during the approval process.

Students from the Open University are encouraged to contact their school or faculty administration team to obtain an estimate of their travel and accommodation expenses before submitting the placement request. Booking cost via ClickTravel (the University’s approved system) might be different from what is available by other providers.

The GUDTP will not support placements that appear to be non-feasible at the time of application. Feasibility is assessed based on the list of funding contributions stated in the project plan. Please ensure to include all in-kind contributions by third parties (e.g. if you have arranged to stay with members of your support network during the placement).

If a placement is expected to incur costs beyond the maximum financial support offered by the GUDTP, we expect the host to co-fund and/or the student to apply to their home university/department/college or other funding bodies for support. If you are concerned about the feasibility of the placement you are considering, please do let us know as soon as possible and we will advise you on your next steps.

The GUDTP will not cover project costs, i.e. costs incurred for the delivery of the placement project. We expect these to be covered by the host and their contribution to be stated in the project plan.

Costs incurred for VISA applications made solely for the purpose of undertaking the placement are eligible.      

For DTP1 students, the maximum that can be provided for additional costs/expenses is up to £1,000 per month for the duration of the placement (i.e. a maximum of £3000).

For DTP2 students the maximum that can be provided for additional costs/expenses is up to £1,000 for the whole duration of the placement (i.e. a maximum of £1000).

Additionally, the GUDTP maintains an Access Fund designated to assist students who would otherwise be unable to undertake a placement due to caring responsibilities, or for those with disabilities associated with higher costs for activities. This is particularly the case for overseas placements where the Government’s Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) is not available. Access funding is limited and is intended to supplement, rather than replace support available through home universities. Both home universities and host organisation are asked to assist where possible.

You will normally receive the funds that the GUDT has approved for your placement before the start of the placement. To claim these funds, please follow local practice at your home institution, as detailed in the placement approval email.

Following the end of your placement you are required to submit copies of the original receipts with itemised costs corresponding to your placement offer letter (e.g. international flights, accommodation, visas). You need to submit these to the GUDTP no later than one month from your last day on placement. Please check with your department whether they need you to submit copies of your receipts to them as well. 

The GUDTP is unlikely to offer funding beyond the amount confirmed in the placement award letter so please ensure that your budget is comprehensive and realistic at the time of application. Retrospective applications will not be considered.

If the total expenditure incurred is less than the grant provided, or if your placement is prematurely terminated, you may be required to repay any overpaid funds (the amount will be determined by the GUDTP).