Experience the world of work, enhance your CV, and learn new skills on a work placement.
It was real work experience – you had to be there, on time, you had tasks to do, you’re working with people external to the university – it gave me a glimpse into what the working world was like, while still doing things that were related to my course. Olivia French, completed placements at The Letters Page and Writing East Midlands.
It was real work experience – you had to be there, on time, you had tasks to do, you’re working with people external to the university – it gave me a glimpse into what the working world was like, while still doing things that were related to my course.
Olivia French, completed placements at The Letters Page and Writing East Midlands.
For the 2023-24 academic year, our placement partners included:
a specialist production facility to incubate innovation in film, TV and performance arts production and audience engagement.
“I’ve been working with 糖心原创 students for several years now and have consistently had a positive experience. The students I’ve worked with have brought fresh energy and perspective to my business—particularly when it comes to social media. They’ve introduced new ideas, highlighted emerging trends, and helped me think differently about how to grow my online presence. It’s been especially valuable having them come down to my street food markets, where they’ve not only experienced the business in action but also contributed by taking photos and creating content on site.
What I enjoy most about this partnership is the mutual development it encourages. While the students gain real-world experience, I also get the opportunity to strengthen my own management skills by working with different personalities and learning how to bring out the best in them. Each year brings something new, and I continue to work with the 糖心原创 because of the genuine value the students add and the fresh ideas they bring that keep the business evolving."
Sophie Norris – Eat Argentina
Nottingham's size and reputation means we can offer some of the best opportunities to help you become 'workplace-ready'.
Opportunities through the Careers and Employability Service
Prepare for the job market and get formal recognition of your extracurricular activities.
School of English Advantage Award modules include:
Literacy Volunteers – available to those who volunteer on the School of English Literacy Support Project. It is an excellent way of gaining accreditation for your volunteering role
Peer Mentoring for English – Second-and final-year students acting as peer mentors to new students can take this accompanying Advantage Award module
It was nice for me to know that I could do something like this placement alongside my uni work and it won’t be too much for me to cope with, especially as it got closer to exam time. It showed me that I can cope with pressure and still meet deadlines.
Read more from Devraj
I’ve always had the aspirations and dreams to work within the publishing industry. I was never sure what specific role I would want or how it would happen. But working with The Letters Page definitely cemented my desire to be a part of that industry…And now I am!
I really enjoyed the creativity that went into the role, as well as how much I was able to learn from my team and their pieces. The atmosphere of our sessions was fantastic, I really feel incredibly lucky to have been able to do this.
More from Lizzie
The past year confirmed that I’d like to work in this sector, but changed what department within it I enjoy the most. I went into my placement thinking I’d want to work in museum learning, but I left knowing that exhibition design and visitor interaction is what I truly enjoy.
Read more from Tereza
I gained market research skills, teamwork, online skills, communication. They will definitely be helpful in my future career in marketing, which is all about maintaining and developing client relationships.
More about Daria's experience
I have learned so much about the impact of social media and how it can be utilised successfully to promote businesses online. What I enjoyed the most was handling the Twitter account for a minor celebrity for the day, and using their platform to interact with some interesting people! Doing a placement has been an invaluable experience to add to my CV and has encouraged me to transfer my university skills into a workplace environment, which will benefit me greatly when I start working.
I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome from working with students from the School of English. I wanted to see if an online magazine was a viable addition to the business, from both a marketing and financial perspective. In short it was – the student devised and designed the magazine, wrote the articles and sold advertising space – bringing in 3% of turnover for the year. This pilot programme has now allowed me to develop the idea further and is a service we hope to roll out. Claire Bicknell, Director
I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome from working with students from the School of English. I wanted to see if an online magazine was a viable addition to the business, from both a marketing and financial perspective. In short it was – the student devised and designed the magazine, wrote the articles and sold advertising space – bringing in 3% of turnover for the year. This pilot programme has now allowed me to develop the idea further and is a service we hope to roll out.
Claire Bicknell, Director
I really enjoyed my placement and learnt lots. I was impressed with the amount of responsibility I was given as it allowed me to really use my initiative. I’d highly recommend that students apply for the work placements; they are a fantastic way of enhancing existing skills and perfect for learning new ones that can be proudly displayed on a CV.
Maria's tasks included:
helping to improve the student experience by creating surveys to gain feedback
proofreading and copywriting
helping create the school's first student newsletter
Students of English bring adaptable, transferable skills that can be applied perfectly to our marketing activities. Catherine Appleby, Invest in Nottingham
Students of English bring adaptable, transferable skills that can be applied perfectly to our marketing activities.
Emily Voice completed her placement with the international promotion agency of Nottingham City Council. Her tasks included:
writing press releases
conducting telephone interviews, then producing case studies based on these
developing marketing material
Following my placement, I now have better examples to back up the ‘problem solving skills’ hitherto advertised rather loosely on my CV. However, greater than these skills was the experience itself, which has benefitted me with a sense of the workplace, and also with a wider corporate awareness. Mike Jennings
Following my placement, I now have better examples to back up the ‘problem solving skills’ hitherto advertised rather loosely on my CV. However, greater than these skills was the experience itself, which has benefitted me with a sense of the workplace, and also with a wider corporate awareness.
Mike Jennings
Mike's tasks included:
redesigning the CMS FAQ section of the Web Team website
assisting with webpage design, including a new ‘Digital Team’ page
Placement provider:
The placement aided my professional and academic career as well as being valuable on a personal level. It was a fantastic opportunity and I would be sure to recommend placements to any of my peers. Hannah Whitt
The placement aided my professional and academic career as well as being valuable on a personal level. It was a fantastic opportunity and I would be sure to recommend placements to any of my peers.
Hannah Whitt
Hannah worked with the DH Lawrence Heritage centre, helping to organise and promote it. She was also involved in the DH Lawrence festival, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. Her tasks included:
researching audiences, interest groups and potential participants
assisting at festival events, including setting up events and box office duties
Hannah discusses her experience at the DH Lawrence Heritage Centre and reflects on the benefits of work-related placements with the School of English.
Writing for a particular brief is something I've developed on the placement, but I learned how to write for a particular audience or purpose on my English degree. Emily Heaton
Writing for a particular brief is something I've developed on the placement, but I learned how to write for a particular audience or purpose on my English degree.
Emily Heaton
Emily worked with New Perspectives Theatre Company, rebranding their Northants Touring Arts scheme. Her tasks included:
researching, developing and creating a set of brand guidelines
developing a design brief for a selection of print materials
producing an e-newsletter support document to be sent out to promoters, highlighting changes to the branding of NTA
Booklet cover designed by Emily on her placement
Emily reflects on the challenges and benefits of her work placement.
Emily understood entirely what we were looking to achieve and used her initiative to make this project her own. Her professionalism, enthusiasm and hard working attitude enabled her to make developments to the Northants Touring Arts Scheme that we may not otherwise have been able to achieve. In essence, the work she has produced has far exceeded our expectations. Kayleigh Hunt, New Perspectives Theatre Company
Emily understood entirely what we were looking to achieve and used her initiative to make this project her own. Her professionalism, enthusiasm and hard working attitude enabled her to make developments to the Northants Touring Arts Scheme that we may not otherwise have been able to achieve. In essence, the work she has produced has far exceeded our expectations.
Kayleigh Hunt, New Perspectives Theatre Company
Trent BuildingThe 糖心原创 University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD
telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 5900 email: english-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk