Your 2017 Visa Guide

A visa is a document associated with your passport that allows you to enter, leave, stay and work in a country for a given period of time. You are required to have one in order to apply for jobs in another country so make sure you do have a valid visa before you apply!

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Become a familiar face to the ones in high places.

You’re an exceptional worker. You go above and beyond when it comes to contributing to the success of your company. However, does the big boss know your name?

Most times, no matter how good you are at your job, it can be hard to move up the career ladder if the person in charge doesn’t take notice of you or the things you do.

Don’t despair though; there is something you could do to change this. Take action and get yourself on your boss’s radar (in a good way). Click below for some tips on how you can do that.

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In the last article from this series we covered Krakow, Poland; how to get there on a budget, where to go and sights to see. Our main goal is to find you the cheapest holiday getaway where you can go away for a weekend to take some stress off university or treat yourself after the completion of your exams! In this article, we will be covering Zagreb, the capital of Croatia!

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Julia CV

 

 

 

 

There is no doubt we live in a modern society obsessed with social media. We spend so much time scrolling through various content on our phones, tablets or computers, rarely giving it much thought. Well, we have a better way you could use this modern obsession to your advantage. Social media is a great way to boost your job search! It can get your name out there and help you find the job you’re looking for. So stop mindlessly wasting your time on social media and use it to do something productive!

Read on for some reasons why you can social media in your job search!

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We have all experienced days in the office where you just don’t feel motivated. Anyone can have bad days and it is unrealistic to think that it won’t happen to you. Staying motivated at all times can be tough but there are a few tricks to help you out with this! According to specialists, motivation is a three part process. The first one is activation, this is making the decision to do something, which in your case is actually deciding to commence a placement. So far so good. The second step is intensity, and that is the amount of effort you are willing to put into your decision.

If you’re reading this blog then I am guessing you have already done this by looking for your placement, interviewing for different positions and working hard in order to prove yourself during your first months. The last step is perseverance; so, how long can you keep up the hard work for? Below, you can find the best tips that will help you keep up the good work and continue to improve whilst on your placement.

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Moving abroad can seem to be a fascinating yet terrifying experience but fear not, some international organisations exist to help you throughout your journey and facilitate every step you take toward the placement of your dreams.

In this article we will be checking out the most famous and recognised student organisation in the EU: Erasmus. In 5 steps, you will learn all there is to know about this incredible student program.

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It is very easy to get tricked by a scammer when you just arrived in the UK, hoping to find an accommodation fast and move in right away. Some landlords intentionally omit mentioning important problems in their ads in order to rent their accommodations, when some others don’t even have a real place to rent. Of course all owners aren’t tricksters but you need to stay vigilant to avoid an unfortunate situation.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid unfortunate situations:

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Yes, here is an official pancake day. Actually, it shouldn’t be all too surprising should it? I mean in the last few years there have been numerous dates being dedicated in the name of food – National Pizza Day, Popcorn day, Peanut butter day and so on and so on. The list is as big as the variety of foods there are out there in the world. Anyway, today we are focusing on one which has been known for a really long time – Pancake Day.

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The United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) attracts more and more students looking for an internship abroad. More and more students give up on doing an internship in Spain or Italy to move to England, whether it be to practice English or to have your first international experience. The concept is interesting but the competition is very hard.

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In the last article from this series, we covered Sofia in Bulgaria, how to get there on a budget, where to go and what to see. Our main goal is to find you the cheapest holiday getaway where you can go over the weekend to take some stress off this busy exam period or treat yourself after the completion of your exams! in this article we will be covering Vilnius in Lithuania!

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Whether you are looking for a full-time position or an internship, you must undergo the interview process where you will be interviewed (most likely) by a recruitment/HR officer to see if you are suitable for the role. This stage can be very nerve wrecking as it solely depends on you and the way you perform in the interview SO…we have put together this blog – we’ll do our best to advise you on what to say and how to act in your interview. Read more

Internships are valuable and more and more students are undertaking them.  According to Laura Noonan, from the Financial Times, the number of applications for internships from both students and graduates has globally risen by more than 40% since 2012. This is a serious competition. In this blog, we will give you some ideas on what you can do in order to enrich your CV.

Past Experience

First fear students often have when applying for their placement or internship ‘do I have enough experience, I am a junior, what do I do?’   This is a real issue, therefore you must prepare yourself prior to your internship. Many companies provide summer internship programs where you can either work part time or shadow employees – do it! Yes, you’re sacrificing your last summer of freedom, but this experience could prove to be the reason why you secure your internship over other students.

Volunteering

Hiring managers go through hundreds if not thousands of CV’s every day, so you must make your CV and experience stand out from your competitors and volunteering is a perfect way to do that. It shows employers that you have interests beyond academics, that you are a human and not a machine. It also shows your loyalty to an organisation – you are performing work for which you are not being paid and it is fully optional. Volunteering is something every student should consider to build on their CV but most importantly feel better by knowing that you are helping to make a change. You can apply for these online or at your University.

Extracurricular activities

University provides a broad range of extracurricular activities from the Literature Book Club to American Football Society. By participating in these clubs, you are improving your skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership – it is a perfect opportunity to develop and build new skills. It also shows the employer that you are dedicated and well organised, you are willing to invest your time into projects outside of your normal day to day routine aka you are willing to go that extra mile. It is also another thing you can add to your CV under skills and interests.

Courses at University

Universities have additional classes that you can attend throughout the year. My university had a series of lectures called “Meet an Entrepreneur” which were presentations delivered by real business owners and entrepreneurs that have given me further insight on start-ups. There are classes on how to effectively use Excel, on how to develop your marketing skills, how to write a CV – every university holds some sort of classes, talks, courses that you can attend in order to gain more skills which can enrich your CV and give you that edge over other students.

Additional Languages

In this day and age, many people are bilingual and able to communicate effectively in more than one language; many students now choose to learn a second (third, fourth, fifth…you get the idea) language to boost their chances for employment. More and more business are becoming international thanks to the internet and the modern world and those companies seek multilingual employees who can communicate effectively with possible partners and clients all over the globe. According to Janet Fowler on Investopedia, these are the languages you should try and learn in order to broaden your career opportunities; Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, German or Portuguese.

These are only some of the tips that can help you to build on your experience and make your more appealing to employers – all of this can be achieved while you are still studying at your university.  Remember this could be the difference between securing an internship or not.

Becoming a team leader is not easy, it is much more than just the title as you’ll soon learn that your job happiness can rely very much on your team, on a professional and friendship level.  To become a true leader you must become part of the team and to successfully make that transition, we have come up with several points that with guide you through this process. Read more

If you are in the UK around autumn time, a few days into November you will start noticing people wearing poppy flower pins on their clothing. You can also see them being sold at almost any popular grocery store even see people selling them on the streets. Well that is probably because Remembrance Day is around the corner. Read more

The first day at your new placement position may be among the most memorable — and perhaps stressful — of your career; especially if it is your first office based job. However, as with every stressful situation, there are a few steps you can take to avoid any unexpected surprises and give the best first impression. Read more

We all look forward to leaving the comfortable nest we call home. We grow up and the time comes when we need to spread our wings and take care of ourselves, gulp!  Once you move out, everything is sweet, you don’t have to clean daily, leave dishes to “soak in” for a couple of days, listen to loud music 24/7…the list is endless! Life is great until you realise you can’t cook and you might just not survive on dry chicken and over cooked rice for very long…

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Placements are all about new experiences and getting to experience things that will challenge you and of course teach you how to become a better professional. Impressing in your first interview will definitely give you the job but you will need to prove yourself many times during your placement period. Read more

Life of a student is really not too bad. Yeah it can get stressful at times, one day you are chilling with your friends, going out and enjoying the “adult” life and the next day you have 7 coursework deadlines, 3 presentations and an exam. We get it. We really do. We have all been there but believe me when I say this 9 to 5 malarkey is quite a different story. Read more

Let’s face it, a student’s finances are not amongst the richest ones. We know that most students live on a budget and try to spend as less as they can. When you are a student your favourite phrases while shopping become – “Buy one, get one free!”, “Three for the price of one” and so on and so on, you get the idea. This blog post will give you a bit more information about where to shop for what. For all of those who have no idea where would be the cheapest place to get stuff like laundry detergent to finding the best deal for a sack of potatoes, this one is for you. Read more

As if moving away is not hard enough, then you realise you are going to start a new placement and even more stress hits you. You keep on worrying whether it’s going to be difficult? Are you going to be under much pressure? Are your colleagues going to be nice? Are you going to like the whole experience in general? So many questions! Relax, don’t worry, this is normal. Every new venture is stressful as most of us have a fear of the unknown (if you don’t, good for you, you are a very lucky individual!). Read more

In the previous blog post we have discussed how to deal with the experience of moving away from home, for the majority of you this would be moving to a different city, but for some of you this could mean moving away to a completely new country. We know this can be stressful, therefore we have created this blog to guide you through the process of finding accommodation in the UK. In this blog we focused on websites rather than letting agents or universities as we are aware that the majority of students starting their placements are moving away and start their search by looking online as that would be the best and easiest way of securing accommodation. Read more

Having trouble deciding what kind of internship to pursue? Whether you have to undertake an internship as part of your university course or simply just to improve your CV, it is vital to choose the internship that will personally benefit you. Your work experience does not necessarily mean that this will be your final destination but landing the “right” internship can prove advantageous during your future journey.

Here at Placement UK we have developed a couple of pointers that you should consider in order to find the right placement.

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Why is it that when someone mentions the UK, our minds immediately go to London? Yes, it is the capital and largest city in the country however there is so much more to this island in the north of Europe than just London. That is why we created ‘Top 10’ lists for big cities in the UK that we think you should try out for your placement. Each one of the cities we have chosen have a unique atmosphere that students worship so we wanted you to know too.

This week we introduce to you Birmingham; located in the heart of England Birmingham – or ‘Brum’ as it’s affectionately known – has reinvented itself in recent years and there are more than 10 reasons for it to be your first option. Read more

So your internship is closely approaching and you’ve decided to pull yourself out of your comfy bed, and put together some applications to ensure that you actually get some work experience before you leave university for the big bad world.

That is something we can help with, below you will find the 5 do’s and 5 don’ts to applying and gaining a placement, some of these may seem obvious, but in this world you’ve got to play to the 1%.

Happy reading, and good luck!

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In 2016, it seems that every company’s moto is ‘Do it quickly and do it right’. When everything in the business world is changing, you cannot expect the interview process to remain the same. Employers, especially in smaller companies, are far too busy to interview all applicants face to face.

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Even in the fast-paced land of start-ups, many companies still don’t fully utilize their youngest employees: interns.

Instead of taking advantage of their passion and motivation, they saddle them with busy work in place of meaningful assignments. It’s clear most companies still don’t know how to incorporate workers whose tenure is temporary.

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Relevant work experience is more valued than qualifications when firms are looking to recruit new staff, a survey of 2,000 employers in Wales has found.

Almost two thirds (63%) said they regarded experience as significant or critical but fewer than four in 10 (39%) provided placement opportunities.

The findings have prompted calls for firms to offer more work experience.

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An illustration student has landed a prestigious work placement with a national publishing house after being ‘highly commended’ for her book cover design.

Angharad Burnard, a third-year student at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), was chosen from more than 1,100 entries to the 2014 Penguin Random House Design Award.
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A medical student on work experience has made a breakthrough in cystic fibrosis research that will improve treatment and could extend sufferers’ life expectancy.

Jo Armstead, 21, spent hundreds of hours at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester over the summer using data from 30 countries to examine the link between the debilitating lung condition and the aspergillus fungus.
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University summer holidays are a student’s best opportunity to try out different careers – even if they’re not what you expected

Doing work experience during the summer is one of the best ways for students to try out different careers.

When you’re older it’s much harder to change career direction. But for us students it’s easy. This is the one period in our lives where we can try different jobs, even if just to satisfy a curiosity.

That’s why the summer is your best opportunity to get work experience and try something new.
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Top TV producer Nigel Hall has revealed the format for the hit primetime show, which sees audience members vie to win the contents of ad breaks, was actually thought up by a ”work experience kid” after he, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly had arduously tried to think up a hit show for the duo to front.
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After previously working in finance, Princess Beatrice has taken up an exciting new post in the world of TV and Entertainment. Prince Andrew’s elder daughter has reportedly started an internship at the London offices of Sony Pictures Television, which is a branch of Sony Entertainment.
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Great! We wholeheartedly support this.
Placement students deserve to be offered a decent allowance to provide for their essential needs whilst on placement (and maybe the odd luxury too).
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Interns are to get more support to protect their right to fair pay, as the government launches new advice for young people and cracks down on unfair practices.

Interns will also benefit from a concise guide on what to expect from a high-quality internship, and what interns’ rights are with regard to pay.
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