Earn money while studying - the best way to gain real-world experience and advance your career while at university. I study Chemistry at Bristol University and I’m on the MSci Chemistry with industry placement course. What this means is that I spent my first two years studying at Bristol, secured a yearlong placement for my 3rd year, and will be returning to Bristol for my 4th and final year in September. At the end of the 4-year course I’ll graduate with a Master of Chemistry degree, I’ll have completed a yearlong masters research project, and I’ll have a year’s industry experience to top it off. As far as I’m concerned, this course (and others like it) are an incredible opportunity to grow, gain a vast amount of experience, and build up some savings to take out of university. If you’re at all on the fence, go for it. I’ve spent almost 5 months on placement now and have absolutely no regrets. I love what I do, have met some incredible people, and have been exposed to so many new opportunities I wouldn’t have had if I’d stayed at university.

If it’s that black and white why write this post at all? I feel there are few resources out there that discuss placement years, and while they are incredible, there are many challenges worth considering before signing up to a whole year of work.

*I’ve peppered this post with pictures taken in and around my placement - enjoy.*

What I’ve Gained

A quick breakdown of the most important skills and benefits I’ve gained from my placement so far.

Professional network
Degree application within industry
Behaviour in a corporate setting
Confidence
Public speaking
Working with incredibly intelligent and qualified people
Insight into many different aspects of Chemistry and business
Time to work on individual projects (such as this blog)

Course Structure

The structure of an MSci Chemistry degree with placement year varies significantly for university to university. Some unis like Bristol and Birmingham have you spend your 3rd year away before returning for the masters year. Some like York and Southampton have you spend your 4th and final year on placement. There are also unis like Imperial that require you to take a year out and carry out your placement in between your 3rd and 4th year, meaning the course will take a total of 5 years. The structure of your course should be a big consideration when deciding whether to pursue a placement.

I really like the structure Bristol has, where I have the year out to break up the monotony of studying and doing uni work, before returning refreshed and ready to make the most of my final year. The downside of this is I’ll have to re-adapt to sitting in lectures and working without getting paid (not looking forward to that at all). It’s also given me the chance to explore what side of Chemistry I enjoy, before choosing my final masters project. I had thought I wanted to do an organic synthetic research project, but industry has shown me I prefer the analytical side of Chemistry, and that I might want to do something related to proteins.

I do have to watch lectures and study while on placement. For Bristol students this really is low pressure as it’s all assessed with a multiple-choice quiz worth 2.5% of my degree at the end of the year, but that’s not the same everywhere. For example, Birmingham mandate their placement students to carry out regular assessments while working a full time job. Hard work but not impossible. The great thing about a 9-5 is that there isn’t any work to do once you get home. Unlike uni with constant assignments, I have a lot of free time that can be used to do any required study.

There’s pros and cons to all the formats unis offer, and while important to look at, they all have their merits. However it’s set up, you’ll have the time and support to carry out your work and make the most of the experience.

Obtaining A Placement

This is the most challenging and stressful part of your whole placement journey. If you manage to secure a placement, everything that comes after will be well within your capabilities. At the start of my second year when uni work is ramping up I had to:

Write a CV
Write a tailored cover letter for each company
Complete online assessments and forms
Decide (early) that I wouldn’t be living with my friends in Bristol without having secured a placement
Hear nothing from companies for months - they mostly don’t tell you if you’re rejected so you’re left in the dark for a LONG time
Prep for and carry out interviews

I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t really tough. All the applications are very impersonal and provide little to no feedback for every rejection you get (and you will get a lot). I submitted around 10 applications to receive only one interview. It’s a constant conveyor belt of applications all while doing uni work and trying to have a life at the same time. It is hard.

Equally, going through this process shows you what it takes to get your dream job after uni. You will have vastly more experience in job seeking than most of your peers and will be positioned to be much more successful than you otherwise would. If you can control the stress, you will learn a lot about yourself and the capacity you have to achieve. I think the whole process can be summarised with:

““To achieve what no-one else has, you have to do what no-one else does. Nothing of value ever comes easy.””

— Unknown

My advice would be try to tailor your application as much as possible to the role you’re applying for. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I was successful with my placement, as it tied most closely into my interests. My application focussed on one essay I wrote on biological nitrogen fixation with the nitrogenase enzyme, and unsurprisingly I was placed with the biologicals team. I think showing passion and interest for the field which you’re applying for goes a long way in crafting an application that stands out.

Life On Placement

*Taken during a Friday morning run with one of the other placement students.*

It takes time to get used to working a 9-5. The first month or so are hard work with everything you learn, all the people you meet, and all new training you receive. After the first couple of weeks I thought my head would explode, but it does get easier. At the beginning I was convinced I didn’t want to have a lab-based career and had started exploring other options such as patent law. However, the longer I spend working, the more I can see myself seeking out a full-time graduate role. I’ve even started exploring possible PhD’s - something I never would have considered 6 months ago!

Depending on where you go this can vary, but I get a lot of autonomy as a placement student to focus on what I enjoy. While obviously you have a job and there are responsibilities that come with that, often the direction and focus of your project work can be guided by what you enjoy and are interested in. Everyone is more than willing to share their work, and there is ample opportunity to take advantage of everything on offer. I’d say my work split is 60:40 lab to desk work and I really enjoy the balance. Everyone encourages you to take advantage of the opportunities available and get as much out of the year as possible.

Initially I spent a lot of time shadowing members of my team while trying to get to grips with all the acronyms and new concepts (believe me there are a lot). I’d say it took me about 3 months to be truly comfortable with working independently. Within that time, I had training in all the standard equipment I’d be using, such as the SEM, HPLC, and agar plating techniques. There are also regular seminars and project shares by scientists working in all aspects of the business, so I get a broad education in the science taking place within the agrochemicals area. As I’ve moved through my placement year, I continue to spend time helping members of my team with day-to-day tasks, with an increasing amount of my time being spent on my project.

Social Aspects

One of my biggest fears when going on placement was that I’d miss out on life, and that I’d have much less time to spend with my friends in Bristol. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Earning money opens doors to have more enjoyable experiences that going out every Friday, spending too much money on alcohol, and regretting my decisions the next day.

Firstly, I’ve made great friends on placement and spend a lot of time with them. I think it’s easy to forget that while you’re leaving some friends behind at uni, you’ll make more wherever you go.

Secondly, earning money and being only 1.5 hours from Bristol means I can visit and stay with my friends whenever I want to see them. I know people that visit most weekends and you can do that easily if that’s what you want to do.

Finally, the ability to take time off whenever you want means you can seek out cheap times to travel and I’ve really taken advantage of this visiting France, Germany, Slovenia, and Ireland so far. I’ve visited and met so many people, and being away from Bristol has given me the opportunity to do that.

Rather than thinking negatively about what you’re leaving behind, focus your attention on the experiences a placement opens up for you.

When Shouldn’t You Do A Placement

I genuinely think everyone has something to gain by completing an industry placement, but there are some circumstances where it might not be a definite yes.

If your course allows you to do a placement as part of a 4-year integrated masters course, I’d 100% say go for it. In no extra time you’ll come out of uni with vastly more experience and money than those who stay at uni through all 4 years.

When I think it becomes less of a no-brainer is when you only receive a Bsc as part of a 4-year placement + degree program. There’s of course a lot to gain, but it’s true that a graduate role might provide similar benefits. The key positive of a placement is you get to experience what you like/don’t like in a professional setting BEFORE applying to full time roles.

I’d also consider the size of company and the number of students taken on. Where I am there’s 11 of us placement students and we spend a lot of time together, while I could imagine it becoming isolating if you were one of only a handful of students. From my experience a large company gives exposure to all aspects of business in the way a smaller company might not - but I’m sure working for a smaller company has its benefits too.

The other thing to note is you lose a year of university, and while I definitely think you’ll get less fomo that you’d expect, it can be hard at the beginning when everyone is back at uni and sending you videos at 3am. Personally, I’d had enough of the party culture and was ready to step away, but if you’re not it might be a tough transition. Many of my friends are also on 4-year courses so will still be there when I go back. I can imagine it would be difficult if you had no-one to go back to, but you have to strike your own path in life, and your friends should never stop you from pursuing your goals.

Financial Benefit

I think this aspect can be hugely beneficial, and I’m now in an extremely good financial situation for someone in their third year of university. Imagine the three following scenarios:

You complete 4 years of the integrated masters program without a placement taking £14,015 in loan every year (£9250 + £4765) which is assuming you only qualify for the lowest maintenance loan. You will finish your 4 years having taken £56,060 in loans but thanks to the interest rate currently sitting at 7.3% you will have a total debt of £67,065.
You complete 4 years of the integrated masters program with a placement where you earn around £20,000 for the year. You earn money AND fees will only be around £1500 (depending on your university). With relatively sensible spending you could take no loan in your third year and a reduced loan in your last. This means if, for example, you take the max £28,030 in your first two years, none in your third, and just £4765 in your final year, you will finish university with a net debt of £41,000 - a whole £27,000 less for only putting around £10,000 towards fees.
If you don’t think you will ever get near to repaying your student loan, the final option is to take max loan every year, and easily build up cash savings of >£10,000 at the end of your degree. With how difficult it is to buy a first house; this is a significant positive step towards a deposit. You would still leave uni with a large debt BUT if you won’t get near the threshold to pay it off this is actually okay and the cash savings you’ll have built up will go a long way.

Ultimately, while a placement seems like a minimum wage job, it also eliminates a year of university fees (worth around £8000) and for me, moving out of Bristol decreased my rent by more than half. This means that carrying out a placement has been worth a considerable amount more than the £20,000 wage I am paid.

I’d like to write an in-depth blog post in the future around student loans, and whether it’s sensible to max it, pay it off, or pay the minimum. It’s a really important issue that I don’t think is well understood, but for now just know I am doing option 2.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately a placement provides you with skills, knowledge, money, and time. I cannot emphasize enough how much I’ve learnt and experienced, while having the time to pursue other projects and passions. As well as working my 9-5, I study my core chemistry module online, run an online tutoring business, have started this blog, travel a lot (Berlin, Grenoble, Ljubljana, & Dublin so far), visit Bristol whenever I want a night out, workout 5 days a week, and practice learning French every-single-day. I have felt so inspired and motivated by what I’ve achieved on my placement so far, all while saving £250 /wk and building a baseline of wealth that will position me far ahead of my peers. The personal and professional development I’ve made has been immeasurable, and there is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision.

My final piece of advice is this: be brave. Take the step and do something different. Doing a placement is not an opportunity to be disregarded.

Why Do A Year In Industry?