Frequently Asked Questions
1. I'm a first-year student. Can I do a placement in a company or institution?
No. The external curricular work placements regulation stipulate that these can only be done by students of the Bachelor's Degree in Tourism and the Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management who have enrolled for a minimum of 120 credits on their programme and have previously done a compulsory work placement.
2. A company wants to take me on for a placement. What do I need to do?
Contact the Jobs Bank and Placements Unit to get the Company Details form,and return this when it is filled in. These details will be checked and then the formal agreement will be drawn up.
You can also get the form on the Campus Virtual.
3. If I have done an extracurricular placement or have been employed on contract, can this be recognised as a curricular placement?
These validations are handled case by case by each programme's placement coordinators, AND only when you are enrolled on the subject and the academic year is under way.
4. When can I start my placement?
On the start date that appears on the agreement itself, provided the three original copies of the agreement have been signed by the three parties.
5. I've got an agreement in place and I would like to know if I have a right to holidays, leave, and time off for exams.
Leave and holidays must be agreed on with the company or institution. As placements must be completely compatible with their studies, placement students have a right to time off for exams, tutorials and other academic activities, though this may mean extending the agreement to make up the hours missed.
6. I've only got one subject left to finish my degree. Can I do a seven-hour day with an extracurricular placement agreement?
Yes, provided the placement schedule does not prevent you from attending classes in the subject you are enrolled on, and provided it does not exceed 750 hours per academic year.
7. I've enrolled on the Practicum subject. Can I do an extracurricular placement?
Yes, provided there are no scheduling clashes between the two placements.
8. Can I do a placement abroad?
Yes. Contact the person in charge of international placements to arrange this. The arrangements will take longer than usual, so make an early start (January/February).
9. I've nearly finished my degree and a chance to do a placement has just come up. Can I do it? Until when?
Provided the agreement is signed before your academic record is closed, you can do the hours in the agreement. The placement will end on the date set in the agreement and/or the last day of the academic year.
10. I've been on an in-company placement all this academic year and they want me to stay on next year. Is there a limit to the number of agreements that can be made with the same company?
No, provided your academic record is still open and you are currently enrolled, you can do a placement at one company or more than one, taking into account that the maximum number of extracurricular placement hours is750 hours per academic year.
11. Can I do a placement in an area that is not related to my degree subject?
No, placements must be related to the studies you are on at the time.
12. If I have an agreement in place with one company and another one offers me better conditions, can I terminate the first agreement and switch to the other company?
If it is a curricular placement (compulsory and/or optional), you can only terminate the placement agreement with the permission of your placement coordinator.
If it is an extracurricular placement, for justifiable reasons only.
In both cases, the first agreement must be terminated before arranging the second one, and you need to inform the Jobs Bank and Placements Unit, using the form Placement Terminationat least seven days before the end date agreed on with the company or institution.
Terminating an agreement may lead to an administrative penalisation in future placement agreements.
13. I've finished the number of hours allocated to me this year for my extracurricular placement but the company wants me to carry on until the end of the academic year. Can I do this?
You cannot continue the placement because once the total placement hours for the academic year have been completed, no more may be done that year. You will have to wait until next academic year to have more hours available, and fulfil the requirements again.
14. How can I find a company to do my placement with?
Offers of placements are posted on the UAB Campus Virtual and social networks. The requirements for each placement are explained in the offer itself.
In addition, during the Workshop, you can give your curriculum vitae to any company you would like to do a placement with. If you have still not found a company when compulsory placements are about to start, the Jobs Bank and Placements Unit will assign one to you based on your stated preferences.
15. How can I organise my Practicum?
Keep a folder for all the paperwork that builds up during your studies: company data sheets, agreements, preferences, etc. As you will have a chance to do many placements, you will get access to many documents, which are bound to be of use later on, when you are in employment.