Securing 3rd year placement locally through university or finding it yourself abroad?

Mr Rhode Island Red · 12-04-2019 8:13pm #1

Hi all,

Currently a 2nd year mech eng student at NUIG, we have a placement in second semester of third year. Just looking for some input on the following. We can either arrange our placements through interviews set up by the college with (mostly) local engineering companies in and around Galway and the west. We can also sort our placement out ourselves, on the condition that we have it sorted by the start of October of third year.

I would like to work/study abroad for a while at some point in the next few years. I'm not sure if placement would be a good opportunity to do this. My main interest is in medical devices which is a big industry in Galway, so it wouldn't make much sense to go elsewhere unless it was for the sake of going abroad.

I want to go work/study abroad for a year or so, don't want to do my undergrad, placement, (probably masters), and graduate work all in Galway/Ireland without ever going further afield. I just don't really want to go abroad when I'm finding employment after the completion of my degree.

In short, would I be better off to stay put in Galway for my placement, and perhaps do my masters abroad in order to go abroad for a while, say in the likes of Germany or somewhere? Or is an 8 month placement as good a time as any to try and gain some experience abroad (in medical devices)?

Also, for anyone who has organised their own placement as opposed to going through the college system, did you encounter difficulties? Is it hard to secure a placement abroad yourself (considering I don't have any personal contacts as such)?

MarkR · 12-04-2019 8:23pm

Mr Rhode Island Red wrote: »

Hi all,

Currently a 2nd year mech eng student at NUIG, we have a placement in second semester of third year. Just looking for some input on the following. We can either arrange our placements through interviews set up by the college with (mostly) local engineering companies in and around Galway and the west. We can also sort our placement out ourselves, on the condition that we have it sorted by the start of October of third year.

I would like to work/study abroad for a while at some point in the next few years. I'm not sure if placement would be a good opportunity to do this. My main interest is in medical devices which is a big industry in Galway, so it wouldn't make much sense to go elsewhere unless it was for the sake of going abroad.

I want to go work/study abroad for a year or so, don't want to do my undergrad, placement, (probably masters), and graduate work all in Galway/Ireland without ever going further afield. I just don't really want to go abroad when I'm finding employment after the completion of my degree.

In short, would I be better off to stay put in Galway for my placement, and perhaps do my masters abroad in order to go abroad for a while, say in the likes of Germany or somewhere? Or is an 8 month placement as good a time as any to try and gain some experience abroad (in medical devices)?

Also, for anyone who has organised their own placement as opposed to going through the college system, did you encounter difficulties? Is it hard to secure a placement abroad yourself (considering I don't have any personal contacts as such)?

Abroad, do you have additional languages? Do you have experience living on your own? Is there someone who deals with international placement in nuig? Speak with them, do a bit of a screening, see if it's what you think it's like.

KeithTS · 16-04-2019 12:29pm

Personally, I would work on getting the best placement regardless of where it is.
A good company on your CV when looking at grad opportunities can make a difference so I would go with the best company that'll have you whether at home or abroad.

Don't settle on a worse placement just to get out in the world coz there's lots of time for that when you graduate.

Turbulent Bill · 17-04-2019 12:08am

I'd go abroad, even for an inferior placement. You'll get some exposure to a different culture, without the longer term commitment of a masters. The working career is long enough to be stuck in one place all the time.

From an employability perspective, I'd always go for someone with more life experience, all else being equal, and that includes travel. Placements are fairly low value unless you want to work for the same company after graduation, and even then you should be broadening your experience.

taytobreath · 15-06-2019 4:34pm

The best placement you could choose are the companies that will likely hire you full time after you graduate. Alot of my class are now working full time with the placements they had in 3rd year.

15-06-2019 6:25pm

taytobreath wrote: »

The best placement you could choose are the companies that will likely hire you full time after you graduate. Alot of my class are now working full time with the placements they had in 3rd year.

My thoughts exactly.
I ended up working for the same consultancy (for 10 years) that I did work experience in. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and I had a firm job offer on the table before my final year started.

taytobreath · 18-06-2019 10:21am

2011 wrote: »

My thoughts exactly.
I ended up working for the same consultancy (for 10 years) that I did work experience in. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and I had a firm job offer on the table before my final year started.

And you also have that peace of mind knowing that you have a job waiting for you, providing you get the required result.

19-06-2019 8:36pm

taytobreath wrote: »

And you also have that peace of mind knowing that you have a job waiting for you, providing you get the required result.

Yes, I knew who I would be working with, roughly what I would be doing and I did not have to go through an interview process either.

Securing 3rd year placement locally through university or finding it yourself abroad?

Comments