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FIE expects students to fully comply with the instructions and guidelines listed here. As part of your online application, you will also be required to electronically sign an agreement form indicating your acceptance of these conditions.
It is important for students to understand that the consequences of misconduct within the workplace might result in dismissal with no recourse to a further placement or program refund. Additionally, dismissal may result in loss of academic credit. Please read the following guidelines carefully and refer to them during your placement if you have any questions.
Required Documents and Materials
Students are responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely submission of all required internship materials, including CV, Personal Statement, choices, and industry-specific requirements such as writing samples, portfolios and police check. Failure to submit these materials within the required timeframe could affect the student’s placement.
Students should also ensure that any requested revisions or amendments are completed promptly and within the timeframe indicated by the Internship Advisor. Failure to do so could delay the student’s placement process and affect the student’s placement.
Interview
Students must not turn down a placement offer at the interview. Any concerns raised about the placement during an interview should be made to your Internship Advisor immediately following the interview.
Pay
In compliance with UK immigration regulations, the placement is an educational experience for which you are earning credit; it is not employment. All FIE internship experiences are unpaid.
Concerns
Any concerns about your placement or conditions of work must be discussed with your Internship Advisor and, when necessary, your site supervisor.
No particular placement or placement industry is guaranteed to be available for an individual student during the short time the student is available to work in London. Students must select three different industry choices and may be placed in an internship related to any of their three choices. Students should ensure they are prepared to accept a placement related to any of their choices.
Only in exceptional circumstances will a placement be changed, and only after a thorough assessment of the situation by the FIE Experiential Education Team.
Class Conflicts
Every effort is made to schedule required class components outside of regular working hours. If students have evening commitments at their placement, required class sessions will take priority. However, if needed you should consult with your faculty member to see if special arrangements can be made.
Attendance and Absences
As internships/placement are part of the academic programme, full attendance to all internship days is required. Students must ensure they attend all internship days in order to receive their full academic credit. Failure to attend all days can also affect the student’s grade in the International Internship Course.
- Students verify their attendance by submitting e-timesheets via email on a weekly basis. If a student fails to submit timesheets before the end of the programme, each internship day recorded on the missing timesheets will be counted as ‘absent’.
- If a student is going to be absent from their placement, it is their responsibility to initiate contact with the Experiential Education Team and their internship site to notify them in advance. If a student cannot participate in the internship placement for more than two weeks due to Mitigating Circumstances such as prolonged illness, disability or personal reasons such as bereavement, the FIE Team will work with the student and the home campus to arrange a suitable academic alternative. All students must be involved in some form of academic study in order to satisfy their visa and academic requirements.
- Holidays (vacation) and leave for reasons other than those listed above are not permitted.
- When a student has been absent from the placement, they are expected to fulfil their commitment to the placement by arranging with their internship site to make up their missed internship hours before the end of the program. Make-up hours will not affect the attendance record: the original ‘absent’ mark will remain. Make-up hours must be arranged around class obligations.
Conduct
While in your placement, you must remember that at all times you are a representative of your country, your home institution, and FIE. Students are expected to maintain a professional and respectful demeanor in interactions and correspondence with anyone associated with their placement, including FIE staff.
Dismissal & Consequences
Both FIE and the placement site supervisor have the authority to remove any student from a placement due to unsatisfactory performance or unacceptable behavior. Students will in this case receive an “F” grade for the internship course.
In such instances where a student is dismissed or removes themselves from their placement, FIE reserves the right to remove the student from the program (including housing) and therefore require the student’s immediate return to their home country.
Unforeseen Circumstances at the Placement
Occasionally, due to circumstances beyond FIE’s control, a placement which has accepted an intern will no longer be able to host the student or will discontinue the placement. In these circumstances FIE will inform the student and organize a new placement for the student as soon as possible. The student must successfully interview at the new placement in order to secure the new internship.
