Work Experience Placements

Introduction

This page is designed to provide guidance on how to ensure that there is consistency across the University when employing staff on a work experience placement contract.

Contracts

To determine whether a work placement student should be paid the Head of Department/Section consider the following:

Will the person be providing a service on behalf of the University?
Will the person be taking/contributing on a project?
Would the department employ someone else to do this job if they were not taking on a work experience placement?

If the answer was ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, the work experience placement should be paid for the placement period.

However if a person is going to be work shadowing a member of staff or is at the University purely for their own benefit (e.g college project), then this placement will not be paid. (Please note if you do not intend to pay the work experience placement, a contract will not be issued by Human Resources).

If you are unsure whether an individual should be paid or not , please contact your Faculty HR Adviser.

Any appointments should be treated in the same way as any other appointment. Approval must be sought in the usual way, via Operations Sub-Committee. The University’s Good Recruitment Guide also applies.

Human Resources will generate a contract of employment based on the information provided in the offer form and the approval from Operations Sub-Committee.

The employee will be subject to the Conditions of Service relevant to the role which they will be undertaking.

Contract extensions and terminations will be treated in the normal way. Periods of notice as laid out in the appropriate Conditions of Service will apply.

Salary

Successful candidates should be paid on the grade appropriate for the job, (e.g. someone employed to carry out secretarial duties should be paid at the appropriate level within the Administrative Services Grades). The spinal point offered should be paid after considering the nature and duties of the work.

It would be unusual for Work Experience Placements to be paid higher than the bottom point of a grade, given that the role will be very much developmental in focus.

Costs to Consider

When employing staff, whether short or long term, it is important to consider the additional costs involved.

As all employees who are employed for more than three months are entitled to join the pension scheme, the Department will incur an additional cost.

PLEASE NOTE: This document is a guidance document only. If you have any questions or are unsure of what action to take, please contact your Faculty HR Adviser.

Human Resources

June 2008