Placements

There are several practical ways in which you can prepare for your placement. The best way of ensuring a successful position is to adopt a positive attitude. If you are open-minded, willing to listen to advice, and are enthusiastic, then you’ll certainly have a positive and beneficial experience.

Confirmation Interviews

What should I expect from my on-site interview?

Your placement interview takes place onsite with the employer once you have arrived in Dublin. This is a formal interview where you will be asked questions and given the opportunity to ask your own questions about the position. It is also an opportunity for you to see the office, meet your co-workers, and make sure that the organization feels comfortable with you and that you feel comfortable with them.

Interview tips

Dress to impress. The way in which you dress during your internship very much depends on where you are placed.  However, it is always best to dress-up for an interview (unless we advise otherwise, ask EUSA if you are unsure).  Smartness is the key.  For business type placements a suit is always preferable. T-shirts, blue jeans, miniskirts and sandals are NOT appropriate. Dress for an interview, not a Friday night.

No smoking please. Don’t smoke even if the interviewer smokes and offers you a cigarette.  Do not chew gum.

Remember what your mother taught you. Mind your manners. Do not be late, shake hands firmly, and wait until you are offered a chair before sitting.  Don’t slouch: sit upright and be alert. Take notes. Look the interviewer in the eye when you talk to him/her.

Talk like you’re old friends. Don’t be a robot. Avoid answering questions with a simple “yes” or “no” if you can expand.  At the same time, don’t needlessly talk about irrelevant matters. Stick to the conversation, be personable and professional.

Research and prepare. Before the interview, write some questions of your own.  Research your field of interest and the company itself.

Smile. A little one goes a long way. Remember it’s your time to show yourself and start off on the right foot.  Take a deep breath. Relax, your interview will be fine!

If you would like to accept the placement

If you like everything you are hearing during your interview and they offer you a placement, what do you do? Easy! You smile and accept the offer. Keep in mind, when you accept a placement and agree on a start time, you have made a commitment to that placement that you are expected to honor. You will only be moved under extenuating circumstances.

If you are concerned about the placement

So what do you do if you are interviewing and the placement is offered, but you have serious concerns (for example, the position discussed in the interview is materially different from what EUSA described, or the interviewer said or did something that made you uncomfortable)? Simple. Do not say you accept the placement. Tell the interviewer, “Thank you very much, I need to speak with my EUSA placement advisor and I’ll get back to you.” From there we’ll discuss your options and figure out a solution.

Report back to EUSA

You must report back to the Placement Team within 24-hours of your interview.  Please, call, email, or come see us. If you do not report back to us, your placement will not be confirmed.

Workplace Guidelines

Placement performance. Your supervisors will comment on your skills in the following areas after completion of your placement:

1. Self-direction
2. Critical thinking
3. Communication
4. Teamwork
5. Leadership
6. Global knowledge
7. Inter-cultural skills

Learn at all times. Be open to work hard and smile no matter what you’re given. Yes, there may be menial tasks like making photocopies or crunching numbers from time to time, everyone has to pay their dues, but it will pay off if you stay positive. By proving that you can handle the small stuff, the doors will open to greater projects and greater responsibilities.

Attendance. Attendance at your job is MANDATORY and you are, in effect, a full member of the work force. You are not entitled to time off during the placement period. If you are ill and cannot report for work, you must notify your supervisor and the EUSA office as soon as the workday begins.

Punctuality. Be on time for work. It is rude and unprofessional to turn up late. Your supervisor will comment on your attendance and punctuality and poor performance in these areas can affect your grade.

Honesty. Do not use office supplies and equipment for your personal use. Do not make personal phone calls or send personal emails without your supervisor’s permission. If you run up a phone bill at your workplace, your grades may be withheld until the bill is settled.

EUSA Support. If any aspect of your internship concerns you or you have a question about how to approach workplace issues, we are here to help. Do not keep problems or worries to yourself. If you don’t feel confident or able to deal with a situation that arises at work, please call in or telephone. We are available during normal business ours, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and until 7 pm on Wednesday evenings. Please call the office by 3 pm if you plan to come in.

Internship Agreement

The following is the text of the Agreement that all students accept during the registration process:

The following guidelines explain what is required of program participants in terms of their commitment to their internship sponsor (the company or organization at which the student will be interning during the program) and their University. An internship provides a wonderful opportunity to experience an industry’s culture from a unique, professional perspective. The internship requires a strong commitment from all parties – the sponsor, the participant’s university, and the student. Please read the following carefully.

Placement Process

Placement Managers will make every effort to place students in their preferred field, but the student accepts that internship placements are contingent upon a variety of factors including prevailing economic conditions, local industry trends, opportunities available at the time of placement, language skills and the student’s own experience and abilities.

The student also understands that if they change their choice of internship field after the placement process has begun, the process may take longer and there may be fewer options available. In this case, the student will need to accept a placement in another field altogether or remain in the original one.

The student accepts that they may be asked to make reasonable modifications to their appearance or style of dress in order to conform to cultural or professional standards and expectations (e.g. removing piercings, wearing long sleeves to cover tattoos), and that failure to do so may negatively influence their internship options or be unacceptable to their internship supervisor. Where certain aspects of appearance are dictated by the student’s religion, race, national origin, or ethnicity, the Placement Managers will make every effort to accommodate those requirements.

The student accepts responsibility for participating fully in the placement process, including completing and submitting registration and visa application forms (your university will advise you if you need to apply for a visa in advance) in a timely manner, attending scheduled placement interviews, meetings, and reviews, and responding promptly to communications from the Placement Managers.

The student accepts responsibility for keeping the Placement Team informed of the outcome of any placement interviews they attend. If students do not report back, their placement may not be confirmed.

The student accepts responsibility for advising the Placement Office of any problems or issues with their placement. Quitting or walking out of a placement is not acceptable and may affect the student's internship credit received with their home university.

Work Schedule

The internship sponsor accepts the student for an internship with the understanding that the student will work on a fixed schedule, from the first day of the internship to the last. That is, the sponsor expects the student to be at work, ready to work, each day that the student is scheduled. Internship supervisors have been informed of the student’s work schedule. The student will observe only those holidays that are free days for the entire office or organization.

Absence from work, except for illness or accident, is strictly prohibited. In the case of illness or accident, the student must inform the internship supervisor and EUSA. The student is not permitted any absence from the program that interferes with the placement process or their work schedule.

Students must inform their sponsor if they will arrive late for any reason.

Travel outside the program and/or country is discouraged during the internship period. If a student cannot keep to his/her work schedule, for any reason, the student is subject to dismissal from his/her internship. This guideline applies even if the student has planned a trip and bought his/her ticket; the student’s friends/family are coming to visit; the student travels outside his/her city and the return travel is delayed, or for any other reason.

Under no circumstances are students permitted to ask their supervisors for day(s) off, ask their supervisors to change their work schedule, or end the internship prior to the scheduled date. Any communication of this nature should be directed to EUSA first.

Students are required to complete all of the scheduled workweeks of their university’s program, even if there are discrepancies between hours worked and credit hours needed.

Students must always abide by the terms of their visa. In particular, students in the UK must ensure that they consult EUSA before agreeing to any modifications in their work schedule.

Other Guidelines

No personal telephone calls from the office phone or from students’ cell phones are permitted during working hours. Text messaging from cell phones during work hours is also unacceptable.

Students should not pick up personal e-mail from the office, or check social networking sites or update personal blogs during work hours.

Students must exercise discretion and common sense regarding what they post on personal blogs and social networking sites (e.g. Facebook). They must not post anything which reflects badly on them, their university, internship sponsor, or EUSA. Potential employers, internship supervisors, and graduate schools regularly check social networking sites in order to screen applicants.

Students will abide by the rules and codes of conduct expected from employees of their internship sponsor (including confidentiality agreements, etc.).

Social networking and other online activity. Students are expected to adhere to standards of good conduct outlined above with respect to anything they post on social networking sites (e.g. Facebook), blogs, or other online activities. Please keep the following guidelines in mind as you participate on social networking sites:

• Before participating in any online community, understand that anything posted online is available to anyone in the world. Any text or photo placed online is completely out of your control the moment it is placed online – even if you limit access to your site.
• You should not post information, photos, or other items online that could reflect badly on you, your internship sponsor, your home university, or EUSA.
• Potential employers, internship supervisors, and graduate program personnel now search these sites to screen candidates and applications.

The malicious use of online social networks, including derogatory language about any fellow students, internship sponsors, EUSA program staff; demeaning statements about or threats to any third party; incriminating photos or statements depicting harassment, illegal drug use, violation of local laws, or any other breach of general student conduct, will be subject to disciplinary action.

Observations

The internship will be a professional experience, but it will probably include some routine or administrative work. By undertaking this type of work the student will help the company or organization move forward and will learn about how their sponsors work. Remember, with an open mind, one can learn from almost any situation. What a student learns about himself or herself from the internship experience is as important as what the student will learn professionally.

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