Uncategorized – FBS Year in Industry

Insurance Summary

26th March 202619th December 2017 by David Forrest

Insurance whilst on placement

Guidance and advice about university insurance policies when travelling can be found here

MyCareer Website

26th March 202622nd August 2017 by David Forrest

MyCareer: The Careers Centre advertises 100s of placement opportunities, both scientific and non-scientific. Access MyCareer with your usual login details.

Application Process

9th July 20264th August 2017 by David Forrest

1^st February 2024 by David Forrest

CV’s and Cover Letters

PLACEMENT APPLICATION SUPPORT GUIDANCE (1).docx

University CV Guidelines

Probably the single most important thing about your CV and your cover letter is that you tailor them to the opportunity to which you are applying. An application for a research position should not include huge amounts of detail about your retail experience (although you might be able to evidence some skills through this experience) and, conversely, an application for a retail position should not include huge amounts of detail about your research experience and your module grades. So, while it is always good to have a sample CV ready to use, be ready to alter it. Please ensure that you take note of anything specific that the company states in their job specification and make sure you follow the specific guidance and evidence the criteria they have included.

You can use the example given below as a base for creating your own CV which you can then target to the specific role you are applying for.

Download example FBS CV for laboratory/research roles

Cover Letter Guidance:

Cogent Skills ‘How to write a captivating cover letter’: Download PDF

What are employers looking for in a CV?

These guidelines have been compiled based on discussions with employers on our Industrial Advisory Board and a sample of universities surveyed relating to PhD applications.

	Applying for science based roles	Applying for non-science roles
Degree information	Include degree classification. Most employers won’t be interested in individual module grades. They are more interested in relevant skills/knowledge that you gained from your studies, particularly from research projects.	Definitely just degree classification. Any information about relevant skills gained should be included – this might include, for example, verbal and written communication skills, IT, teamwork.
Chronological v skills based CV	Chronological CV is preferred. There could be a few science employers who prefer skills based CVs. Check with the employer, where possible. If using a skills-based CV, make sure the skills listed are relevant to the role.	Depends on the company. Try to find out which they prefer, chronological or skills-based, if possible.
Final year research project	You should include detailed information about your final year research project. Include topic studied, skills gained and relevant techniques used.	No need for scientific detail, but you should highlight relevant skills gained, e.g. time management, initiative, communication skills, independent work etc.
Extra-curricular activities	Can be very important, especially if it demonstrates relevant skills. Include positions of responsibility, relevant competencies and achievements	Can be very important, especially if it demonstrates relevant skills and if you have done activities that are more closely related to the role than your degree. Include positions of responsibility, relevant competencies and achievements.
Skills recruiters will be looking for	Whatever is relevant to the role. If the job has a list of skills in ‘essential/desirable criteria for the role’ then you should include evidence of these skills in your CV. You should not simply list the skills, but give evidence of how the skill has been developed. Give details of all work experience and evidence of skills developed from that experience.	Whatever is relevant to the role. If the job has a list of skills in ‘essential/desirable criteria for the role’ then you should include evidence of these skills in your CV. You should not simply list the skills, but give evidence of how the skill has been developed. Give details of all work experience and evidence of skills developed from that experience.
References	If you have space, include academic and employer references on the CV. Write ‘available on request’ only if you have filled two pages with relevant info and can’t fit in the full references.	If you have space, include references on the CV. Write ‘available on request’ only if you have filled 2 pages with relevant information and can’t fit in the full references.
Personal profile	A strong personal profile can be useful, but isn’t essential. If you do include one, it should add something to your CV and must include evidence, not just general statements that anybody could write. This type of information is generally included in your cover letter.	A strong personal profile can be useful, but isn’t essential. If you do include one, it should add something to your CV and must include evidence, not just general statements that anybody could write. This type of information is generally included in your cover letter.

Things to consider when writing your CV/Cover letter are:

Underselling – avoid using negatives and qualifiers, for example “I’m not good at” or “I’m quite good at”

Format – Is your document easy to read and does it follow the conventions of that industry/country?

Relevance – if the job description has essential and desirable criteria, evidence them. If it has no criteria, think about what they might be and evidence them!

Spelling and grammar – many employers will discard applications with any spelling and grammar errors

Knowledge of industry – you must show that you understand the industry/company to which you are applying. Research before you apply!

Register (formal or informal?) – CVs, cover letters and applications via email should ALWAYS use formal language. No ‘Hi, Mary’. No contractions e.g. I’ve, I’m.

Repetition of words/phrases – find a different way to say it!

Length – normally 1 page for a cover letter, 2 pages for a CV. CVs for research posts/academia will be longer.

Enthusiasm – You should show your enthusiasm for the industry/company/position, particularly in the cover letter.

Attention to detail – check through your documents and ask at least two other people (ideally Careers Centre, Personal Tutor etc) for their comments

Avoid ‘Red Flag’ words/phrases e.g. stressful/party animal.

Advice and guidance on Interviews and Assessment Days

Here are a number of links to advice and information for interviews and assessment centres.

Assessment Centres

Here is a link to the a short video produced by the University’s Career Service about what to expect when you attend an assessment centre View video

This is some guidance about assessment centres taken from the Prospects website Access website here

This is a link to some further advice on assessment centres from the university. It has some especially helpful advice about the types of activities that you may undertake when you go to an assessment centre Access website here

There are lots of information about interviews and assessment centre available, both online and in the university libraries.

Here is some general information about the application support available to students

MacDonalds Assessment Day

Here is an account of a 2^nd Year Ecology and Conservation Biology student who attended an Assessment Day with MacDonalds.

“Overall, the day was fine, i was confident and not as nervous as i thought I’d be. There was 17 other candidates and 2 representatives from each supplier and 5 representatives from McDonalds so 25 people assessing us. Everyone rotated between their interview, presentation and group activity and there was about 5 people assessing me at each stage so I got seen by at least one representative from every supplier and all the people from McDonalds.

Before everything started there was a networking icebreaker were each candidate rotated around talking to each supplier for 2 minutes and introduced each other and the supplier told us a bit about what they do which was really helpful. I did forget who everyone supplied for immediately, but this didn’t matter because everyone had nametags on.

I had my presentation first which went well, they really liked that I’d bought copies of my slides so thank you for that advice.

Then i had my interview and I struggled a bit because they asked multiple questions in one. An example is ‘what do you think are the 3 main pillars in sustainability, how have you shown sustainability, what was the result of this and how can you improve sustainability in your life’ all in one go. I found it a bit hard to say a clear answer because i couldn’t remember everything he asked, but in hindsight i could have asked him to repeat the question but didn’t. The other questions were mainly normal like ‘tell us a bit about yourself’ ‘tell us a time you’ve faced conflict”tell us a time you’ve shown resilience’ so they were easier to answer. They also went off script and asked me some questions specifically about my experiences I mentioned when answering other questions. I asked them at the end a few questions including ‘what do you find most satisfying about your job’ and they were all happy to answer that, they said it was a great question and i think they were ready to talk about themselves after hearing so much from the candidates, so thank you for that recommendation too.

The group activity was fine as well, it was a group of 4 and we had to design a farm open day, one person in my group was a bit loud and talking over people a little bit, another was really quiet and only spoke a few times and me and another girl were sort of inbetween those extremes.

In between, all the activities the candidates not in something had ‘free time’ so we were in the same conference room with some of the suppliers and other candidates so i tried to talk to everyone and actually had a couple of good conversations with the suppliers about their industries, so hopefully they remember me. A lot of the other candidates knew each other because they were on the same agricultural course at harper adams or Ireland, i didn’t know anyone but i think this was an advantage but i talked to everyone.

Aside from this, the most important part of the day was the free lunch which was amazing There was a McDonalds restaurant inside the HQ, the exact same as a normal McDonalds but with no kids, everyone dressed nice and was pristine clean. We ordered at the screens and everything was free, but i was being professional so just ordered some McNuggets and chips because this was least messy. The candidates ate together but the suppliers were sat around us also eating, which was nice but a little bit awkward.

One other thing, it wasn’t as corporate as I expected. I was in full business attire and so were a few others, but the suppliers and other candidates had sweaters on, trainers on and one person had jeans on. Still glad i wore what I did but one of the suppliers asked me if the day was what i expected and i mentioned it wasn’t as ‘corporate sterile’ as I expected and she said the past year there’s been a bit change, most people wear jeans to the office and everything is generally becoming more casual. Still glad i dressed nicely though because I’d rather be over than underdressed.

Overall, the day was actually quite enjoyable, they said they will let me know by the 19th December so if they tell me I’ve got it, I’ll email you. Sorry if I’ve packed a lot of stuff into this email, I thought if i give a lot of detail then you can tell other students if they have similar things coming up or if anyone applies to this placement next year. Thank you for our meeting again, it was really helpful and made me feel prepared.”

The student was successful in obtaining the placement.

Remember that this is the experience of one student at one employer. Not all assessment centres will be like this. Although, many of the processes and activities described are typical of how many assessment centres will work.

Advice on writing your Work Placement Report

26th March 20265th June 2017 by David Forrest

Your placement report should be around 6000 words (+10%) in length. It should accurately reflect the work / activities that you have been directly involved with or contributed to. In situations where there is high confidentiality, a more generic review of the area may be necessary, and is acceptable. Always aim to get the report completed in good time; it may need to be vetted by the company before it is “released”. In the majority of placements the company will bear the costs of producing and copying the report (one for you, one for us, and at least one for the company); where this is not possible the Faculty will bear the cost (please contact the placement manager beforehand). Your report will be assessed (by your designated academic supervisor) on a Pass/Fail basis, using a simple assessment form.

The scope and style of reports can vary widely. It depends on three key factors: the report’s intended audience, the report’s purpose and the type of information to be communicated. It is likely however that your placement report will fall into one of two categories, namely (a) a Scientific Report, or (b) a Field Report.

Scientific Reports

Scientific reports (also called laboratory reports) are common in all the Sciences and Social Sciences. These reports use a standard scientific report format describing methods, results and conclusions to report upon an empirical investigation.

There are four major sections to a scientific report, sometimes known as IMRAD, Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion. Respectively, these sections structure your report to say “here’s the problem, here’s how I studied it, here’s what I found, and here’s what it means.” There are additional minor sections that precede or follow the major sections including the title, abstract, acknowledgements, references, and appendices. All sections are important, but at different stages to different readers. When flipping through a journal, a reader might read the title first, and if interested further then the abstract, then conclusions, and then if he or she is truly fascinated perhaps the entire paper. You have to convince the reader that what you have done is interesting and important by communicating appeal and content in all sections.

Title: Convey the essential point of the paper. Be precise, concise, and use key words. Avoid padding with phrases like “A study of …”.

Abstract Condense the whole paper into miniature form. A sentence or two summarizing each of the IMRAD sections should suffice. No new information, no supporting material, limited details, just the essential message that explains what you did and found out. Write this section last of all.

Introduction Introduce the problem, moving from the broader issues to your specific problem, finishing the section with the precise aims of the paper (key questions). Craft this section carefully, setting up your argument in logical order. Refer to relevant ideas/theories and related research by other authors. Answer the question “what is the problem and why is it important?”

Methods Explain how you studied the problem, which should follow logically from the aims. Depending on the kind of data, this section may contain subsections on experimental details, materials used, data collection/sources, analytical or statistical techniques employed, study area, etc. Provide enough detail for the reader to reproduce what you did. Include flowcharts, maps or tables if they aid clarity or brevity. Answer the question “what steps did I follow?” but do not include results yet.

Results Explain your actual findings, using subheadings to divide the section into logical parts, with the text addressing the study aims. Link your writing to figures and tables as you present the results. For each, describe and interpret what you see (you do the thinking, do not leave this to the reader). If you have many similar figures, select representative examples for brevity and put the rest in an appendix. Mention any uncertainty in measurement or calculation, and use an appropriate number of decimal places to reflect it. Make comments on the results as they are presented, but save broader generalizations and conclusions for later. Answer the question “what did I find out?”

Discussion Discuss the importance of what you found, in light of the overall study aims. Stand back from the details and synthesise what has (and has not) been learned about the problem, and what it all means. Say what you actually found, not what you hoped to find. Begin with specific comments and expand to more general issues. Recommend any improvements for further study. Answer the question “what is the significance of the research?”

Conclusions Restate the study aims or key questions and summarize your findings using clear, concise statements. Keep this section brief and to the point.

Acknowledgments This is an optional section. Thank people who directly contributed to the paper, by providing data, assisting with some part of the analysis, proofreading, typing, etc. It is not a dedication, so don’t thank Mom and Dad for bringing you into the world, or your roommate for making your coffee.

References Within the text, cite references by author and year, for example “Fry (1999) stated that …” or “several studies have found that x is greater than y (Fry 1999; Smith 1999).” For two authors, list both names, and for three or more use the abbreviation “et al.”, for example “Fry and Smith (1999)” or “Fry et al. (1999).” Attribute every idea that is not your own to avoid plagiarism. In this reference section list alphabetically only the people and publications that you cited in the report. Provide sufficient detail to enable somebody to actually track down the information. List all authors for the “et al.” publications. Follow a standard format such as the examples below, and note the distinctions regarding italics, capitalization, volume/page numbers, publisher address, etc. between the various kinds of references.

Personal (unpublished) communications
Cited in the text only, e.g., “… x is greater than y (Fry 1999, pers. comm.).”
Lecture Notes
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. April 1 lecture, BIOC2120.
Web Site
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Internet: <http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/bioc2120/fry.html>.
Single Author Journal Paper
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Blood 5, 123-132.
Multiple Author Journal Paper
Fry, M., A.K. Smith and C.E. Jacks, 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Blood 5, 123-132.
Book
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Star Publishers, London.
Government/Technical Report
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Report A5002, Institute for HaematologyStudies, University of Leeds.
Chapter in an Edited Volume
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. In Smith, A.K. and Jacks, C.E., eds., Progress in Haematology. Star Publishers, London.

Appendix If necessary, one or more appendices containing raw data, figures not used in the body of the paper, sample calculations, etc. may be included. They are considered as additional material to the report, and may not be examined by the reader at all.

Field Reports

Field reports are common in disciplines such as Psychology, Nursing and Education, and might be applicable to placements in a “field setting”. For example, an SES student in a school sports setting, or a biology student in a conservation project. These types of reports require the student to analyse his or her observations of phenomena or events in the real world in light of theories studied in the course.

Since field reports are used to combine theory and practice, they involve both description and analysis. It is important to be aware of and avoid the most common student error when writing field reports of presenting description without any analysis of what has been described or observed.

Field reports usually consist of the following elements:

Description – what you have seen or observed
Analysis – strengths and weaknesses, reflection or evaluation of observations in light of theory and key concepts of your course or the broader context of your discipline.
Appendix – information that supports your analysis but is not essential to its explanation i.e. full transcripts of observations, maps, logs, etc.

Field reports usually do not have a specific format; you may choose to have separate sections for the description and analysis parts of your report or to have paragraphs that combine these two types of writing , i.e. an event is described and then its theoretical significance is analysed.

While standard academic writing tends to be objective and impersonal, the language used in field reports can be simpler, more direct and personal. Personal pronouns such as I and we can be used. It may also be appropriate, depending on your task, to record your subjective impressions and feelings.

The function of field reports is to describe an observed person, place or event and to analyse that observation.

We all observe people, interactions and events in everyday life; however, your job when writing a field report is more structured. When writing a field report you need to:

systematically observe and accurately record in detail the varying aspects of a situation;
constantly analyse your observation for meaning (i.e. what’s going on here?, what does this mean?, what else does this relate to?);
keep the report’s aims in mind while you are observing;
consciously observe, record and analyse what you hear and see in the context of a theoretical framework.

Description Your audience has not witnessed the situation, people or event you are discussing; thus, their only knowledge of it will come from your description. Give them enough information to place the analysis that will follow into a context.

Analysis You have provided the reader with a description of the situation, people or events you observed. You also need to provide an evaluation what you have observed and let the reader know how these events and observations relate to theory, key concepts of your course or the broader context of your discipline.You should have kept in mind the theories and issues you encountered in your course when making your observations. Part of your task in analysis is to determine which observations are worthy of comment and evaluation, and which observations are more general in nature. It is your theoretical framework that allows you to make these decisions. You need to show that you are looking at the situation through the eyes of an informed viewer, not a lay person.

Be careful to base any evaluations or conclusions you make in your analysis on what you have observed. Do not manipulate what you have observed to fit into a predetermined theoretical framework. Consider questions such as:

What is the meaning of what you have observed?
Why do you think what you observed happened? What evidence do you have for your reasoning?
What events or behaviours were typical or widespread? How were they distributed among categories of people?
Do you see any connections or patterns in what you observed?
Why did the people you observed do it that way? What are the implications of this? Do you agree with this method?
Did the stated or implicit objectives of what you were observing match what was achieved?
What were the relative merits of the behaviours you observed?
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches you observed?
Do you see connections between what you observed and the key concepts in your course and what you have read?
How do your observations fit into the big picture of this topic area such as the whole education or justice system?
Have you learnt anything from this?
What education, research or professional value did you get from this field work?
Did the allocation of resources impact on what you observed? e.g. were there too many children in the class, was the court list overcrowded?
How have your observations changed your perceptions of the field and professional practice?

General Comments on Style

After a full stop, a new sentence should be separated from the stop by two spaces. Word processors tacitly acknowledge this – if you put two spaces at the end of a line where one character would normally wrap, they “know” not to put a space at the beginning of the next line, and in any case your text looks much better.
Punctuation marks such as commas, full stops, semi-colons etc should follow the preceding word without a space.
There should be no spaces between brackets and the words they surround.
Do not join grammatically unrelated ideas together with commas. It is preferable to use short sentences but if you write longer ones, join them together with conjunctions or make some clauses relative; semicolons are also useful.
Start a new paragraph at the beginning of the line (do not tab or indent).Leave a blank line between paragraphs. Do not start a new line for a new sentence unless the break is natural (that is, the previous sentence finishes at the end of the previous line).Only press the return key when you want to start a new paragraph.
Be aware of ‘non-breaking’ spaces or hyphens. They should be used when you want to prevent breaks round a line, for example in references, as above, or for initials and names. Press Ctrl-shift and the space bar or hyphen to achieve this in Word.
Use the metric system of measurements. Abbreviations of units are used without a following period.
Numbers should be written as numerals when they are greater than ten or when they are associated with measurements; for example, 6 mm or 2 g but two explanations of six factors. When one list includes numbers over and under ten, all numbers in the list may be expressed as numerals; for example, 17 sunfish, 13 bass, and 2 trout. Never start a sentence with numerals. Spell all numbers beginning sentences.
Avoid using the first person, I or we, in writing. Keep your writing impersonal, in the third person. Instead of saying, “We weighed the frogs and put them in a glass jar,” write, “The frogs were weighed and put in a glass jar.” An exception to this can be made in some field reports.
Avoid the use of slang and the overuse of contractions.
Be consistent in the use of tense throughout a paragraph, do not switch between past and present. It is best to use past tense.

Some common errors of English usage

Take care with “it’s” and “its”. Do not use an apostrophe when the meaning is “of it”, as in “Morphine is an opiate. Its main effects are….”. “It’s” is an abbreviation of “it is” as in “It’s incorrect to use abbreviations in formal text”.
A related error is to introduce an apostrophe into plurals, or “plural’s” as some would say.
Drug names do not begin with a capital letter unless they are trade names, e.g. aspirin and Panadol.
The word “data” is a plural; hence “data are….” rather than “data is….”.Other plural words are: bacteria, media, criteria, phenomena.
“Dependent” is an adjective, “dependant” is a noun.So responses are “concentration-dependent”, not “dependant”. A dependant is someone who depends on someone else, as young children are their parents’ dependants.
“Lead” as a noun is the element (Pb), or possibly the strip of leather used to stop your dog escaping. The former is the only use in which this spelling is pronounced so as to rhyme with “red”. Errors are often seen in the use of this word as a verb. “Lead” is the present tense. The past tense is “led”; ie this word does not follow the same rule as “read”.
Latin words or phrases such as “in vivo, in vitro, in situ, et al, etc” should be in italics. Names of species should be in italics. The first word should have a capital letter but the second should not, and you may abbreviate the first letter after the first inclusion. For example: Homo sapiens, which can thereafter be written as H.sapiens; Mycobacterium leprae, later written as M. leprae.
Some words are frequently misspelled: occurred, protein, receive, noradrenaline, albumin, penicillin, parallel are examples.
All sentences must have a verb.

Now that I am on placement, what am I supposed to be doing?

26th March 20265th June 2017 by David Forrest

Sending us your contact details! – complete the contact sheet at the front of the Work Profile, along with the Health & Safety check-sheet, and post to David Forrest as soon as possible after starting your placement. You can if you wish complete the contact sheet electronically and email it to David (email to [email protected]).
On the contact sheet, try to provide an accurate description of the work and area you are involved in; this we will use to assign an appropriate academic supervisor.
Show your Work Profile to your industry supervisor, he/she will be making an input to this. You should at least have filled in some initial objectives! After a couple of weeks in placement, enter some information into the skills matrix and get your supervisor to do likewise.
We will let you know who your academic supervisor is; they will then be in contact with you to arrange a visit.
Complete your 2000 word literature review and submit it in the January of your placement year.
Continue to input information into your Work Profile log throughout your placement.
Preferably, before you finish your placement, you should complete your 6000-word report. Inevitably this will need to be checked by the company before it can be “released”.
Before you leave do make sure that your industry supervisor has completed the skills matrix and final section of your Work Profile, also any input to your C&G log, if you are completing this.
On return to Leeds you will need to supply us with one copy of your report and Work Profile.

Scientific Reports

26th March 202611th April 2017 by David Forrest

Scientific Reports: Advice on writing your Work Placement Report

Scientific Reports*Field Reports* Comments on Style and English

Scientific Reports

Title: Convey the essential point of the paper. Be precise, concise, and use key words. Avoid padding with phrases like “A study of …”.

AbstractCondense the whole paper into miniature form. A sentence or two summarizing each of the IMRAD sections should suffice. No new information, no supporting material, limited details, just the essential message that explains what you did and found out. Write this section last of all.

Conclusions Restate the study aims or key questions and summarize your findings using clear, concise statements. Keep this section brief and to the point.

Personal (unpublished) communications
Cited in the text only, e.g., “… x is greater than y (Fry 1999, pers. comm.).”
Lecture Notes
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. April 1 lecture, BIOC2120.
Web Site
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Internet: <http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/bioc2120/fry.html>.
Single Author Journal Paper
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Blood 5, 123-132.
Multiple Author Journal Paper
Fry, M., A.K. Smith and C.E. Jacks, 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Blood 5, 123-132.
Book
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Star Publishers, London.
Government/Technical Report
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. Report A5002, Institute for HaematologyStudies, University of Leeds.
Chapter in an Edited Volume
Fry, M., 1999: Iron transport in the blood. In Smith, A.K. and Jacks, C.E., eds., Progress in Haematology. Star Publishers, London.

Field Reports

Field reports usually consist of the following elements:

Description – what you have seen or observed
Analysis – strengths and weaknesses, reflection or evaluation of observations in light of theory and key concepts of your course or the broader context of your discipline.
Appendix – information that supports your analysis but is not essential to its explanation i.e. full transcripts of observations, maps, logs, etc.

The function of field reports is to describe an observed person, place or event and to analyse that observation.

We all observe people, interactions and events in everyday life; however, your job when writing a field report is more structured. When writing a field report you need to:

systematically observe and accurately record in detail the varying aspects of a situation;
constantly analyse your observation for meaning (i.e. what’s going on here?, what does this mean?, what else does this relate to?);
keep the report�s aims in mind while you are observing;
consciously observe, record and analyse what you hear and see in the context of a theoretical framework.

What is the meaning of what you have observed?
Why do you think what you observed happened? What evidence do you have for your reasoning?
What events or behaviours were typical or widespread? How were they distributed among categories of people?
Do you see any connections or patterns in what you observed?
Why did the people you observed do it that way? What are the implications of this? Do you agree with this method?
Did the stated or implicit objectives of what you were observing match what was achieved?
What were the relative merits of the behaviours you observed?
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches you observed?
Do you see connections between what you observed and the key concepts in your course and what you have read?
How do your observations fit into the big picture of this topic area such as the whole education or justice system?
Have you learnt anything from this?
What education, research or professional value did you get from this field work?
Did the allocation of resources impact on what you observed? e.g. were there too many children in the class, was the court list overcrowded?
How have your observations changed your perceptions of the field and professional practice?

General Comments on Style

After a full stop, a new sentence should be separated from the stop by two spaces. Word processors tacitly acknowledge this � if you put two spaces at the end of a line where one character would normally wrap, they “know” not to put a space at the beginning of the next line, and in any case your text looks much better.
Punctuation marks such as commas, full stops, semi-colons etc should follow the preceding word without a space.
There should be no spaces between brackets and the words they surround.
Do not join grammatically unrelated ideas together with commas.It is preferable to use short sentences but if you write longer ones, join them together with conjunctions or make some clauses relative; semicolons are also useful.
Start a new paragraph at the beginning of the line (do not tab or indent).Leave a blank line between paragraphs.Do not start a new line for a new sentence unless the break is natural (that is, the previous sentence finishes at the end of the previous line).Only press the return key when you want to start a new paragraph.
Be aware of ‘non-breaking’ spaces or hyphens.They should be used when you want to prevent breaks round a line, for example in references, as above, or for initials and names.Press Ctrl-shift and the space bar or hyphen to achieve this in Word.
Use the metric system of measurements. Abbreviations of units are used without a following period.
Numbers should be written as numerals when they are greater than ten or when they are associated with measurements; for example, 6 mm or 2 g but two explanations of six factors. When one list includes numbers over and under ten, all numbers in the list may be expressed as numerals; for example, 17 sunfish, 13 bass, and 2 trout. Never start a sentence with numerals. Spell all numbers beginning sentences.
Avoid using the first person, I or we, in writing. Keep your writing impersonal, in the third person. Instead of saying, “We weighed the frogs and put them in a glass jar,” write, “The frogs were weighed and put in a glass jar.” An exception to this can be made in some field reports.
Avoid the use of slang and the overuse of contractions.
Be consistent in the use of tense throughout a paragraph, do not switch between past and present. It is best to use past tense.

Some common errors of English usage

Take care with “it’s” and “its”.Do not use an apostrophe when the meaning is “ofit”, as in “Morphine is an opiate. Its main effects are….”.”It’s” is an abbreviation of “it is” as in “It’s incorrect to use abbreviations in formal text”.
A related error is to introduce an apostrophe into plurals, or “plural’s” as some would say.
Drug names do not begin with a capital letter unless they are trade names, e.g. aspirin and Panadol.
The word “data” is a plural; hence “data are….” rather than “data is….”.Other plural words are: bacteria, media, criteria, phenomena.
“Dependent” is an adjective, “dependant” is a noun.So responses are “concentration-dependent”, not “dependant”.A dependant is someone who depends on someone else, as young children are their parents’ dependants.
“Lead” as a noun is the element (Pb), or possibly the strip of leather used to stop your dog escaping.The former is the only use in which this spelling is pronounced so as to rhyme with “red”.Errors are often seen in the use of this word as a verb.”Lead” is the present tense.The past tense is “led”; ie this word does not follow the same rule as “read”.
Latin words or phrases such as “in vivo, in vitro, in situ, et al, etc” should be in italics. Names of species should be in italics. The first word should have a capital letter but the second should not, and you may abbreviate the first letter after the first inclusion. For example: Homo sapiens, which can thereafter be written as H.sapiens; Mycobacterium leprae, later written as M. leprae.
Some words are frequently misspelled: occurred, protein, receive, noradrenaline, albumin, penicillin, parallel are examples.
All sentences must have a verb.

FAQs

27th March 202611th April 2017 by David Forrest

Frequently Asked Questions about the Programme – 2026 Data

Why should I do a placement?

A placement gives you a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the industrial/work environment, to extend your knowledge and understanding of the subject and related areas, and to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for a successful career. It allows you time for reflection and consideration of a likely career route, but above all, it gives you the competitive “edge”! It sets you apart from your peers; whether you intend to further your education (PhD, MSc, etc) or move directly into employment, you will have a head start. Recent figures show that 18 months after graduation, 91% of FBS graduates who went on an industrial placement are in graduate-level employment, in comparison to 66% of non-placement FBS alumni.

Do I qualify for a work placement?

Competition nationally for work placements is strong. There is no minimum academic requirement imposed by Leeds University or FBS (other than progression) so any student can search for a placement. However, some companies do require a 2.1 and you will of course be in a better position to get a placement if your academic performance is strong.

Who can apply?

The scheme is open to all level 2 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Biological Sciences. Both BSc and MBiol students in the second year of their studies can apply.

Will I definitely get a placement?

No, you are not guaranteed a placement, although we will do our very best to find you one. While we can advise, help and prepare you, ultimately the decisions rest with the companies concerned. You will be competing nationally with many others.

What is the procedure?

In late April/early May and before the examination period, we will provide further information regarding the placement scheme. We hold an event for 1st year students can learn about the Year in Industry and meet 3rd students who have recently returned from placement. We will then begin to compile a list of “interested students”. This will put you on our mailing list for receiving e-mails about placement opportunities. During the induction week of your 2nd year, an all-day placement awareness event is held. Here you can learn even more about placements, meet more students who have ben on placement and hear directly from employers who are looking for new placement students.

Making applications

Applications for placements can begin as soon as they become available. A number of placements are now advertised in late August/early September. However, they begin in earnest by early October of your second year. In particular, the larger companies tend to be very fast “off the mark”. Applications will most frequently be made online. We will keep in contact with you by email to alert you to applications pending as we receive information from the companies. It is imperative that you check your email regularly and make applications promptly.

Is there a final date by which I must find a placement?

Unlike the Study Abroad programme, students have a much longer period in which to find a placement. A student must have found a placement by induction week of the following academic year. So currently, you have until late September 2026 to find a placement.

Having said this, all placement opportunities will have a specific cut-off date by which you must submit your application.

How can I help to get a placement?

We will forward information from companies that contact us, which in reality includes the larger companies and organisations. Having said this, you will also need to be proactive! Any companies or organisations that you may have come across in your searches, or know of through contacts, will be worth applying to. You do not need to wait for us to do this, unless you are concerned about the possible relevance of such a placement. We will however need information about the placement in order to approve it.

If I get a placement what happens next?

You will enter into negotiations with the company concerned (start dates, contract, accommodation, etc). We will review your performance through the year. Poor performance and/or failed modules may preclude you from starting your placement. You must successfully progress from your 2^nd year to your 3^rd year in order to go on placement. Final year project choices will not need to be made at the end of year 2; this information will be forwarded to you for the following year while you are on placement.

When do I start the placement?

That is decided through negotiation with the company, but usually it will be from July to September, and normally of 12 months duration. However, some placements may start later. You must have completed your 2nd Year before you start your placement. You must always ensure that you have returned to the university by induction week of the following academic year.

What if I don’t get a placement?

If you have not gained a placement, then you simply carry on with completing your degree as you originally planned. You can opt-out of the work placement procedure at any time. However, very often opportunities do arise well after Easter, and we will continue to forward information that becomes available.

Can I get a placement abroad?

Most placements are in the U.K. However, there are placements available for example in South Africa, USA, Switzerland, Malaysia, Costa Rica and Canada. We actively promote overseas placements as they give you the opportunity not only to gain invaluable work experience, but also the chance to live overseas.

Can I get a placement near where I live?

Of course, if you can find one. Most of our placements are found throughout the UK. London is the most popular area for work placements, although Leeds is now running a close second in terms of the numbers of placements. If you can find a placement close to where you live, that’s great.

I know someone in Industry, can I get a placement there?

If you have a contact in a relevant company, then investigate this further. So long as you can be offered a placement that satisfies the requirements of the Year in Industry programme, then we will support you. Likewise, a summer vacation job may have opened up the possibility of a work placement year. Developing such contacts is one of the key benefits of the year in industry.

Do I get paid?

Almost all of our work placements are salaried. The amount will vary from company to company but probably within the range of £20K – £25K. Of course, that does not preclude you from taking a non-salaried placement. Whilst we would prefer all placements to be paid, we accept that in certain areas, unpaid placements are the norm.

Do I have to pay tuition fees?

At the moment the answer is yes although the amount due is much reduced. You will have to pay 15% of the set fee that you would pay for a normal year. For UK students, the amount due is £1435. For overseas students, the reduced fee is £4350. You are still entitled to apply for a student loan for that year, if you so wish. Any questions about your fees should be made to Student Services.

How is the placement assessed?

Your work placement year is assessed but does not contribute to your final degree mark. Acknowledgement of your placement year is made in the title of your degree. Assessment is made on a Pass/Fail basis. You will need to have satisfactorily completed your employers work contract, fully completed your Work Profile document, complete a 2000-word literature review and a 6000-word report on your placement. Once you do all those things, you will have passed the Year in Industry programme. During your placement, you will be registered on BIOL8001: Training in the Workplace, this is a 120-credit module.

What sort of work will I do on placement?

This is difficult to specify, but we do expect all placements to be challenging. The placement can be relevant to your degree programme, but it doesn’t have to be. It is possible to do a placement that is not related to your degree at all. Some of the placements will be lab-based since the “hands-on” help is what companies often require. These may involve individual or group work, individual research projects and/or more routine exercises (assays, screening, etc). However, the Bioscience sphere is large and diverse, and we would encourage you to consider a variety of placement types, such as clinical trials, regulatory affairs, I.T., healthcare, education, management/business, etc. Ultimately, the Placement team will need to approve such placements; if you have any doubts as to their relevance, please contact us.

Having accepted an offer of work placement with a company, can I then change my mind?

No, unless there are genuine reasons. The company would be very unhappy about this, as would we. Once you have confirmed your acceptance of an offer you should be prepared to carry it through, even if you subsequently get an offer from elsewhere. You must not accept an offer of a placement and continue to look for other posts. You cannot say yes to one employer, and then go on to say yes to another employer.

Can I keep in contact while I am on placement?

We will be keeping in regular contact with you throughout the placement. You will still be a full-time student at this University and will continue to have access to resources, including email, internet, Student Portal, etc. We will maintain contact with you and your supervisor by regular email. You will also be assigned an academic supervisor who may visit you on site. The academic supervisor will also provide you with academic support during the placement. It is they who will be assessing your work. We will keep you aware of any developments at the University that may affect you. For example, we will contact you with the project choices for your final year of study.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Website

How do I change my password?

At the top, select your name, then Profile. Select “Settings” and enter your new password.

For Employers – 2026 Information

27th March 202611th April 2017 by David Forrest

Work Placements

The Faculty of Biological Sciences
Institute of Life Science Education
The University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.

Dear Employer,

The University of Leeds, Faculty of Biological Sciences, is one of the largest in the country. We have some 600 undergraduate students in each year of study covering a wide spectrum of biological subjects. We actively help and encourage students to consider a placement year between their second and final years of study. Both our industry placement and study year abroad schemes are optional for students. Students are selected partly on the basis of their academic records. Consequently our students who opt for these schemes are academically able, self-motivated and enthusiastic.

We expect our students to be challenged while in placement and to be engaged in activities relevant to their areas of study.

Students will actively begin seeking placements at the start of their second year (from October) and continue through to Easter. It is the nature of the “university year” that students must generally commit to friends and landlords on accommodation agreements for their final years, around or before Easter of their second year. The “availability” of students for placements will therefore diminish significantly after Easter

Our Expectations

The Faculty of Biological Sciences promotes and supports students in work placements. Placements should generally run for a period of 9-12 months, between the students second and final year at University. Start and finish dates are negotiable but would generally run from July/August to August/September. We expect a work placement to be relevant to the student’s programme of study, and challenging. The main aim of any placement is that the student gains direct experience of practice in the workplace, and gains the opportunity to contribute to the process in that environment. The student must be protected by appropriate Health & Safety Guidelines. While in placement the student must be assigned a company supervisor(s), who would be responsible for monitoring and advising on their day to day work. Work placements are assessed; students are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis through the completion of a Work Profile and the submission of a written report and literature review. The company supervisor is expected to contribute to the assessment procedure, in working with the student to complete the Work Profile, and in providing a final general reference on the student. The student will also be assigned an academic supervisor who may be required to make a site visit. The Faculty will maintain regular contact with the student and their company supervisor. Wherever possible we would expect the placement to be salaried; a range of £20K to £25K is not uncommon across the Bioscience sector. It is the student’s final decision as to whether they accept a placement that is not salaried or carries only minimal financial support.

If you feel you might have a placement opportunity suitable for one of students, please direct your enquiries in the first instance to:

David Forrest, Undergraduate Office, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT.

Tel: 0113 3433113. Email: [email protected]

Our Undergraduate Programmes

Each degree course has its own web section with detailed information including course content and structure, special features, careers, entry requirements and student profiles. Follow the links below to the relevant web section:

Single Honours : all offer industrial placement and year abroad opportunities

BSc Biology

MBiol Biology

BSc Ecology and Conservation Biology

MBiol Ecology and Conservation Biology

BSc Biomedical Sciences

MBiol Biomedical Sciences

BSc Neuroscience