Securing a placement

Placements, which are often called internships by employers, can be with any organisation in the UK or overseas. However, please think carefully about the practical arrangements and additional costs of working away from your current place of residence. There are two options for securing a placement:

Apply for an existing opportunity

On occasion we will advertise opportunities specifically developed for OOC DTP students. We may also circulate information about placement and internship schemes run by external organisations. Your university may also have its own internship programme. In addition, you are eligible to apply to UKRI placement schemes, including the Policy Internships scheme and the UK-Canada Globalink doctoral exchange scheme.

Create your own placement

You are welcome to set up your own placement. If you have identified an organisation with which you'd like to work, you can contact them directly and negotiate a suitable project. If you would like to work with one of our strategic partners, we can help set up a conversation. You may find this resource helpful, from Oxford University's Careers Service. It sets out 50 sectors and occupations for you to explore, and provides links to organisations and resources.  

If you are looking to set up a placement from scratch or if you have questions about applying to the DTP for support to undertake a placement advertised externally, please get in touch to arrange an informal discussion with the OOC DTP team on training@oocdtp.ac.uk.

Please note that the placement scheme cannot be used to fund visiting research fellowships at another university, even if the project is different to your area of doctoral study.

When should I do a placement?

Please consider the timing and duration of any placement carefully within the planning of your doctoral study and training.

  • You need to pass the first formal hurdle of your programme before commencing a placement - this might be called a first year review or transfer of status.
  • Placements must be completed before your award end date and before you submit your thesis.

Plan ahead and apply well in advance of any opportunity.