Information for Placement Providers
About
The Off-Campus Programme is a distinctive feature of the Bachelor of Arts degree at Mary Immaculate College. It complements the academic programme by providing for student work placements in a broad range of economic sectors.
Since the inception of the BA programme, the Placement Office has worked closely with a wide variety of employer organisations in establishing mutually beneficial work experience placements which enable our BA students to gain relevant and real life workplace experience whilst also offering host organisations an opportunity to bring highly-skilled and motivated undergraduates into the workplace.
Participating students are in their third year of the Bachelor of Arts degree. They are studying two main subjects selected from the following: Drama & Theatre Studies; English Literature; French Studies; Gaeilge; Geography; German Studies; History; Mathematics; Media and Communication Studies; Music; Philosophy; Psychology and, Theology and Religious Studies.
Additional courses taken by students include: Education; Gender Studies; Information Technology; Irish Heritage Studies and, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
Placements are normally arranged for four-five months or nine months and placement periods are aligned with the academic semesters/year. The usual periods are:
- September to December (autumn semester)
- January to May (spring semester)
- September to May (full academic year)
See below for some Frequently Asked Questions about becoming a placement provider.
If you are an employer who is interested in recruiting an off-campus placement student, please email the Placement Office Manager, Patricia.Casserly@mic.ul.ie.
Students on work placement bring to their employers the knowledge, skills and understanding they have gained from university studies to date, together with their own personal attributes. They are typically highly motivated, flexible and capable of learning quickly.
Students may be assigned to special projects, requiring specific skills or time commitment and/or they may perform regular day-to-day duties, thereby freeing staff for other duties.
Placements also provide an opportunity to assess a student as a potential future employee with many of our students progressing to full-time employment with their undergraduate placement host organisation following graduation from the BA Programme.
If you are an employer who is interested in recruiting an off-campus placement student, please email the Placement Office Manager, Patricia.Casserly@mic.ul.ie, who will subsequently contact you to further discuss the process and your recruitment needs.
You will be asked to complete a Placement Information/Request form available to download below.
The selection and recruitment of students is overseen by the Placement Office Manager who remains in close contact with the host organisation and placement candidates throughout the process.
The Placement Office Manager will short list potential candidates based on the employer organisation’s requirements (as detailed on the Placement Information/Request form) and student preferences and will forward a selection of CVs for review, subject to suitable candidates being available.
Interviews are then organised for the candidates and can be facilitated on or off campus as well as virtually if required.
Placement offers are made to the successful candidate(s) who can then liaise directly with the host organisation to agree on a placement start date and other practicalities.
Students out on work placement are assigned a Placement Tutor from the College, typically a member of the Arts Faculty, who will link in regularly with both the student and placement provider and act as the main point of contact for the duration of the placement.
The MIC Placement Tutor will make contact with both the student and Placement Provider once the placement has commenced in order to check in with both parties and to arrange an interim assessment visit.
The staff of the Placement Office are also on hand to address any queries or issues the students or their host might have and we welcome feedback on any aspect of the programme.
Host organisations are expected to have appropriate employer liability insurance in place and to insure students on placement against accidents in the workplace in accordance with national law (usually arranged at no additional cost).
Further information and FAQs regarding insurance and students out on placement.
All students embarking on placements which may involve substantial, unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults are required to be Garda Vetted through the College in Year 2 i.e. the year prior to going out on placement.
Students must provide their host organisation with a copy of their Garda Vetting clearance letter before commencing their placement.
Further information regarding Garda Vetting and the College Garda Vetting Office.
Both existing and potential work placement providers can download more information on the Off-Campus Programme here.
Please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Placement Office team should you wish to further discuss any aspect of the programme.
Testimonials
"This is my 5th year involved in this programme, I cannot praise it highly enough. When I am choosing PME students, my first preference is always students who have done this programme as I can see how they mature over the year and all the skills they learn that cannot be obtained from theory. Skills such as developing good relationships with all the staff and students. Developing presence and authority on the corridor and the classroom. Learning all the aspects of school life, and how a school is run. We are very impressed with the calibre of students that you send to us, they are an absolute credit to your programme and College..."
"[Our placement student] has everything it takes to be an asset to any employer. His integrity and honesty sets a high standard for other employees. He is really flexible and has helped out so many staff over the last few months with IT issues, policies, procedures, marketing and general day to day issues..."
"Ba mhaith liom aitheantas a thabhairt don na micléinn atá liom i láthair na huaire. Tá siad den scoth, iad ar fad! Chomh deas is chomh cabhrach. Is ionadaithe iontacha den Choláiste iad agus ba mhaith liom go mbeidh sibh ar an eolas sin. An méid a thug siad don scoil i mbliana agus iad chomh cneasta leis na páistí. Molaim go hard na spéire iad..."
"The placement students have skills in social media and technology and can inject new ideas and methods of doing work more efficiently..."
"Excellent rapport, empathy and understanding of school environment, student and teachers. Diligent in all tasks undertaken in the school, willing to participate in any task assigned/given to him. Lovely engagement in the staffroom with peers…"
"The Off-Campus Programme is an overall great opportunity and experience both for the student and the host organisation. Giving students the opportunity to engage and work with organisations outside of their university ecosystem and in different countries is a rewarding experience for everyone involved…"
"Tapaim an deis seo chun mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libhse as ucht triúr mac leinn den scoth a chur inár dtreo. Bhí siad thar a bheith toillteanach cabhrú, foghlaim agus tacú linne mar fhoireann, agus liomsa mar phríomhoide. Caitheadh isteach iad i mbunscoil iad i lár paindéime agus thacaigh siad linn an strúchtúr nua foghlama a chur i bhfeidhm. Bhí siad gealgháireach, cineálta agus tuisceannach leis na páistí ar fud na scoile. Tá féith na múinteoireachta le feiceáil go soiléir ins an triúr acu agus beidh an tádh dearg le aon scoil ina mbeidh siad ag obair. Tháinig feabhas dochreidthe ar a gcaighdeán Gaeilge agus chuardaigh siad agus ghlacadar le ceartúcháin na múinteoirí. Chuireadar go mór le caighdeán Gaeilge ár bpáistí féin agus chabhraigh siad go mór linn an chultúr Gaelach a chur chun cinn anseo…"
- About
- Testimonials
