Study and Work Abroad

Work Abroad

All Humanities students have the chance to undertake a graduate-level work placement on a Year Abroad. Modern Languages students need to use their internship to improve their language skills and therefore must work in a country of their chosen language. Students of other disciplines however can work abroad in a country of their choice, given the approval of the College of Humanities.

Why Study or Work Abroad?

There are many reasons why a Study Abroad or Work Abroad placement should be considered by all students. Here are a few explaining why it is an unmissable experience:

• Discover a new culture and become part of it. Experience a country without just being a tourist. You get to live there for a year and fully immerse yourself in the local culture.
• See your own culture through different eyes. Get a new perspective of your own country and challenge the assumptions you might have had about the world.
• Meet new people. Study alongside students from your host country and become a part of the local community, and make friends from over the world. These contacts are your keys to the global village.
• Develop independence and resilience. Push yourself. Moving to a new country and settling into a different university is a challenge but you grow enormously in confidence and learn to overcome problems and manage independently.
• Study different modules in a different way. Enjoy studying in a new academic system and try modules that are not available here at Exeter. Challenge your ways of working and open your mind to new ways of thinking.
• Learn new language skills. Even if you are studying in English, you can still pick up the local language outside of the classroom!
• Impress employers. A placement abroad looks great on your CV. Employers want to see students who are willing to expand their horizons, get out of their comfort zones and push themselves to try new experiences. You will stand out from the crowd.

In order to apply for Study or Work Abroad, you will be required to achieve a 2:1 grade average from your first year at Exeter. Modern Languages students are exempt from this requirement.

Year abroad

The four-year 'with Study Abroad' degree programme is an option available across all subjects, and is compulsory for Modern Languages students. A full year abroad is taken in the third year of a four-year degree programme.

Please note that English with Study in North America (ESNA) is a unique three-year degree programme in which students spend the second year of their degree in North America, and application is made directly through UCAS.

Working abroad

Modern Languages students have a choice to apply to work during their compulsory Year Abroad. Students can source their own placements or they can use the support of the University of Exeter's Global Employability team to help them find the most suitable graduate-level internship, whether it be in teaching, translations, tourism, marketing or fashion to name just a few opportunities.

For students of other Humanities disciplines, it will be possible to spend a year working, either in the UK or abroad, and have this contribute to your degree programme. For more information on this, please see the 'with Employment Experience Abroad' section of the degree you would like to study.

Fees and Funding

The cost of a placement abroad can vary depending on the location. However, if a student chooses to Study Abroad, the only tuition fee to be paid would be to the University of Exeter. No tuition fee is paid to the host university abroad. Other costs to factor in include travel, accommodation, visas, insurance and general day-to-day living.

Tuition fees for the Year Abroad are capped at a reduced rate. For students spending the year studying abroad or working in Europe, the rate is capped at 15% of the normal tuition fee. For students working outside of Europe, this rate is capped at 20% of the normal tuition fee. For the latest Year Abroad fees, please see our University of Exeter Study Abroad fees and funding page.

There is help given to students on a placement abroad. Students in Europe are currently able to received an Erasmus grant and Student Finance offer a Travel Grant to eligible students on a placement abroad.

Assessment

The time you spend abroad will count towards your degree, and if you are studying, the marks you gain at your host university will be taken into account. Or, if you are working, you will be expected to complete a project which will be marked on your return.

Support

During your time abroad, you will still be registered as a University of Exeter student and as such you can expect to receive support from the University. You will be in contact not only with the University of Exeter Outbound Team, but also with your Academic Tutor here at Exeter and with the dedicated Study and Work Abroad teams in the College of Humanities.

You will attend several meetings before you leave in order to help you to prepare you for your placement abroad and to make clear to you who to contact if you need any extra help.

You will also have the opportunity to meet previous Year Abroad students to ask them about their placements and get the most recent local information. You will be able to ask questions about anything, from accommodation to finding the best shops/taxi/doctor in a given location.

The College of Humanities has a Study Abroad area on the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE) and on our internal web so you will have access to all the necessary information you will need before leaving and while abroad.