Work Placements

Mayfair School of English's work placement scheme is offered in partnership with Professionals UK.

Aim

This programme is ideal for students and young professionals aged between 18 and 32 depending on their visa status* who want to improve their English in a working environment and gain practical knowledge of certain UK business sectors. It is most suitable for students who have studied /worked or are planning on studying/working in the requested area of business. The internship is unpaid, but the experience invaluable.

*Please note that, according to UKBA requirements, visa-national students on a Student Visitor Visa (SVV) are not currently eligible to apply for the work placement programme. However, visa-national students on a General Student Visa (GSV) may undertake a work placement if they are enrolled on a course of study which is ranked at NQF (National Qualifications Framework) Level 3 or above; although the placement must not exceed 50% of their study time. As a result Mayfair School is only able to arrange work placements for visa-national students enrolled on Mayfair College courses; visa-national students on language courses are not currently eligible to apply for a work placement.

Language Requirement

All candidates for this scheme are required to first complete a course of language study at Mayfair School of English so that we can ensure their language ability is sufficient for them to get the most benefit from their placement. Students must have an English language ability equivalent to at least a Level 5 IELTS before beginning their placement.

If you need to pass the IELTS exam for university entrance or if you need to take the First Certificate, Cambridge Advanced or Cambridge Proficiency exams to improve your career prospects then we have a variety of courses to suit your needs.

Sector of Placements

Most areas of business are covered, everything from Marketing to Architecture. It is always best to complete the application form and send it along with the C.V. We will need to evaluate the English level and experience of the applicant, and then advise on what would be suitable for their experience and qualifications.

Popular Sectors

• Marketing
• Business administration
• Advertising
• Fasion
• Engineering
• Architecture
• Charities
• Law
• PR
• Hotels
• Museums

Application procedure

We require that the Application Form is completed and sent to us along with the Curriculum Vitae for the student. It should be emailed to us at least 6 weeks in advance of the desired start date. The student will then have an interview with a Placement Coordinator. The Placement coordinator will then evaluate and contact the agent to advise on how we can place them. Students who speak no English will not be accepted and they must have English language ability equivalent to at least a Level 5 IELTS before beginning their placement. If the language level is only the minimum required they should not expect to do anything but the most basic tasks.

Placing Details

We submit student details to our agreed companies in the sector or area the candidate wants. Most students will be required to go for an interview before they begin their placement. This is a good opportunity to assess what the placement is like, and to see whether or not it is what the student is looking for. The interviews can range from very formal to completely informal and we will advise on this and all other details about the company prior to the interview. Some companies will notify the result of the interview at the end of the interview, some may take a couple of days.

Our work placement partner contacts the company after the interview to check how they got on and then advises the agent/school of the result. If the student was unsuccessful, then we will advise the candidate on the reasons why and give them some tips on how to have a better interview the second time, however we will only find a maximum of 3 interviews for them in exceptional circumstances , if the chosen sector allows for it.

Successful Interviews

If the student is successful, we confirm this and give full details of exactly what the student will do and what is expected of them. If the student was unhappy with the company, we will find them an alternative placement. A second interview is only arranged if the first is not suitable. In this case the student loses the right to take the first placement if they choose to reject it. The student must accept a placement if it complies with the area requested on the application form. Generally the student will have to work full time hours and behave as any other employee in the company would. The placements are unpaid but some companies do pay reasonable expenses. This is however a bonus and should not be expected. The student should not discuss payment with the company.

Placement Location

The placement is located in the city requested unless mutually agreed otherwise. A student must expect to travel to work as other city dwellers do, via public transport for distances up to 1 hour from their accommodation.

Cancellations & Payments

Based on the fact that when the placement starts the majority of the services have already been carried out, the following cancellation fees apply:

Prior to interviews

• £50: for any accepted booking up to 2 weeks prior to placement commence date.
• £100: cancellation thereafter.

With interviews arranged/attended

• £150: When an interview has been arranged but not yet attended or if a 1st suitable interview was unsuccessful and a further interview is not available within the chosen field (In the case of more specialised fields).
• £275/£325: Cancellation after a successful interview will require full payment or after 2 suitable interviews have been attended, whatever the outcome