Placements Abroad

Guidelines for Professional Placements

This article deals with the organisation of student placements abroad and aims at being a hands-on guide for the implementation of placement programmes in higher education institutions. It provides an overview of what to consider when organising placement programmes abroad and what resources are needed. It offers tips for acting as an intermediary between the students and host institutions and an agent for the home institution, and depicts the potential benefits and difficulties. These guidelines are written mainly from the perspective of Universities of Applied Sciences as, due to their practical orientation, placements often are an integral part of their education programme. Certain crucial aspects, however, also apply to research universities, depending on the importance of placements as part of the training and the existing or potential business partnerships of the institution.