Should work placement during summer months be compulsory

memaul

I am a fouth year civil engineering student in a 5 years honours degree course. During the summer months between 4th and 5th year we are required to gain 12 weeks work experience in a position relevant to the course and we have to write up a major project in relation to what we have learned. My problem with this is that if I do manage to get work experience for the summer it will more than likely be unpaid. I work part time during the college term as it is and I have full time work during the summer months and it will be be hard for me to give up my paid job to take on unpaid work experience. If i did not have my current job it would be very difficult for me to be in college in the first place.

If we do not secure work experience we have to complete a thesis during the summer months. This wouldn't be too bad if we didn't have to complete another thesis in fifth year. Both the work experience project or the thesis will go towards our final year marks to decide how good of a degree we get.

Basically the question that i'm asking is:

Are the summer months from college not suppose to be a break from college and are they allowed to enforce that we have we have college work to do during the summer months . I really dont think it is fair that students will have to forfeit any chance of making a few euro during the summer months to help them get through the college year ahead. I think that if the work experience is necessary it should be completed during the college term. I know that a lot of people will be thinking that the work experience is a very positive thing. I myself think that the work experience would be great. The only problem is that it would be 12 weeks work with no income.

Anyway thanks for reading.

Dave D

Im pretty much in the same position except I have to do 6 months placement from the end of march(well I have the option to do a project but not going for that option).
The way i look at it is at least im getting real world experience in the industry I want to work in.
who knows hopefully you can find a place that will pay you

memaul

cheers for the reply. I think its just a matter of putting the head down and getting through it. I would need to get very lucky to get a job that will pay but who knows.