The added value of international placements

1. The added value of international placements Cristina López-Moreno Course Leader - languages UG courses Placement Officer - Spain Mrs Rachel Bower Placement Officer - France ULS Academic Coordinator

2. Contents • SBS expertise in international work placements • The graduate recruiter's view • Case study: how language students are prepared for their time abroad • What students say • Challenges of working abroad

3. SBS international placements • Compulsory for language students, who must work for 12 months in France, Germany or Spain in addition to their 6-month study period abroad. • Optional for students on other courses - growing interest from Marketing, Tourism Management and International Business students.

4. SBS Good practice in international placements • SBS international placements have been recognised as good practice by the British Council, who award grants for study and work abroad • Debate panel member at the British Academy Careers for Global Graduates conference

5. Graduate recruiters • What defines a global graduate? • 'adaptability, flexibility and the ability to work in situations of ambiguity and risk' • Association of Graduate Recruiters, the Council for Industry & Higher Education (CFE Research and Consulting, 2010) • = the definition of an international placement period

6. Graduate recruiters • 'the candidates who end up with job offers also demonstrate determination and resilience, and are able to work hard and thrive in difficult situations......able to cope if they are sent half way across the world to work on a client project.' • graduates should 'build resilience and get out of their comfort zones.' • Stephen Isherwood, head of graduate recruitment at Ernst & Young, (international consultancy), Personnel Today, 2012

7. Graduate recruiters • graduates "aren't always willing to take risks and can struggle to recover from setbacks". • weaknesses highlighted by the survey included: resilience; time optimisation; showing courage at overcoming their fears; taking risks; and making themselves the centre of attention. • Centre of Applied Positive Psychology (Capp) survey 2012

8. Language students: preparation for the time abroad Pre-departure • Information sessions • LTA strategy • PDP sessions • Language-specific placement officers • Extra curricular activities / Facebook On placement • Very active peer support • Support and visit from placement tutor • Placement coursework

9. Help available to students on other courses • Promotion of work placement opportunities in Europe for SBS students • Support provided during the application process • Pre-departure advice, including help with documentation and information Erasmus funding. • Peer-support encouraged at all times • Placement

10. What our students say Will Smith (Corporate Purchasing Department Intern. NH Hotels HQ, Madrid): I do not think there is another internship in England or abroad that would entrust this responsibility to an intern, and so for that I am extremely grateful to my María[Will's supervisor] and yourself for giving me this opportunity. Jack Reilly (E-Programmes/Webcasts Intern. Agilent Technologies, Barcelona): Because my placement is abroad and I am working in a multi-national company, I work with teams all over the world, ranging from USA to Israel, which is a fantastic thing to have on your CV.

11. challenges of an international placement • preparation & support whilst on placement • culture shock, openness & resilience • communication difficulties • finance • home-sickness • accommodation

12. Contact details Cristina López-Moreno for Spain and Europe c.l.moreno@shu.ac.uk Rachel Bower for France r.bower@shu.ac.uk

13. References CBI, (2012), Employability Skills, [online], last accessed 15/04/12 at http://www.cbi.org.uk/business-issues/education-and-skills/in-focus/employability Centre of Applied Positive Psychology, (2012), Strengths based graduate recruitment, [online], last accessed 15/04/12 at http://www.cappeu.com/Advisory/Assess/AssessmentSolutions/GraduateRecruitment.aspx Council for Industry and Higher Education, (2012), Employability: university education isn't just about developing skills, [online], last accessed 15/04/12 at http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2012/apr/04/employability-university-education-developing-skills Personnel Today, (2012), Graduate attitude 'more important than degree', says survey, [online], last accessed 15/02/12 at http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2012/02/11/58339/graduate-attitude-more-important-than-degree-says-survey.html QAA, (2012),Enterprise and entrepreneurship education Guidance for UK higher education providers, [online], last accessed 15/02/12 at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/EE_Draft_Guidance.pdf

14. References The European Commission, (2006), The Oslo Agenda for Entrepreneurship Education in Europe, [online], last accessed 15/04/12 at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/files/support_measures/training_education/doc/oslo_agenda_final_en.pdf The Guardian, (2012), Employability: university education isn't just about developing skills, [online], last accessed 15/04/12 at http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2012/apr/04/employability-university-education-developing-skills UK Government Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, (2011), Students at the heart of the system, [online], last accessed 15/04/12 at http://c561635.r35.cf2.rackcdn.com/11-944-WP-students-at-heart.pdf World Economic Forum, (2009) Educating the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs: Unlocking entrepreneurial capabilities to meet the global challenges of the 21st Century, Report of the Global Education Initiative, Switzerland, [online]' last accessed 15/04/12 at https://members.weforum.org/pdf/GEI/2009/EE_ExecutiveSummary.pdf