Placements

A placement year is a unique option for our students in which they gain professional experience in an area that aligns to their career aspirations.

One of the most liberating aspects of doing a placement year with the Geography department at Durham is that it doesn’t have to be related to your degree, leaving you free to pursue a placement in any sector that you are interested in.

Whether you have a passion for marketing, conservation, finance or sustainability, a placement year allows you to pursue your academic or long-term career goals. Graduates from Geography go to work in a huge rang of sectors and a placement year helps to inform those choices, prior to graduation. 

What does a Geography placement look like?

For a placement year, students spend a minimum of 40 weeks working for an organisation either in the UK or internationally. For Geography students at Durham, you have the opportunity to do either of the following options:

• One placement for the entirety of the year
• Up to three smaller placements

One of the most liberating aspects of doing a placement year with the Geography department at Durham is that it doesn’t have to be related to your degree, leaving you free to pursue a placement in any sector that you are interested in. Previous students have completed placements with:

• Field Studies Council
• Rate My Placement
• Office for National Statistics (ONS)
• L’Oreal

Your Placement Year is completed between your 2^nd and 3^rd year and will extend your undergraduate studies into a fourth year (moving your 3^rd year into year 4).

You only need to make a decision to do a placement once you are at University, where we will move you across to the “with Placement Year” variant of your Geography degree when you have successfully secured a role. 

Why do a placement year?

A placement year can help you to:

• Have relevant experience in your chosen field(s) which will enhance your CV
• Trial one or more potential career paths
• Improve your professional network and open doors for the future
• Discover a new city or country
• Earn a salary (on average the salary for a placement year is £21k- £26k)

During your placement, you retain your student status for the year and continue to receive academic guidance.

How do I secure a placement?

You have a dedicated Faculty Placement Manager who will support you in your placement search through:

• 1:1 appointments
• application checks
• mock interviews
• weekly newsletter which has placement vacancies and resources to help you with your search

Alongside this, the Faculty Placement Team hosts regular events with students and employers. These have included Geography specific employer panels with key employers across multiple sectors, LinkedIn and networking workshops, panels with current or returned placement year students, and a Placement showcase, featuring providers such as Apple, Warner Bros, and British Airways.

The Careers and Enterprise Centre can also provide you with support that will help you to secure a placement. From CV Seminars to a range of sector specific resources and employer presentations, workshops and fairs to give you exposure to a range of organisations on campus and virtually. Their Develop Yourself page contains additional information about placements.

Download the full Placement Years: A complete guide for students (pdf 900kb)