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Student sourced placements

Student sourced placements

If you have very specific interests and preferences, you can use your network of contacts to find your own placement.

You can contact a host organisation and arrange to complete a placement
This can be with a host organisation either in Australia or overseas
The opportunity must have relevance towards your Business degree or master’s program, and contribute to the learning outcomes of the unit.

Please read the information below to find out more about sourcing your own placement for the IE program.

What is a student sourced placement?

You contact a host organisation and arrange to complete a placement jointly defined by the organisation and the University.
You are able to find a placement with a host organisation either in Australia or overseas – consider combining an international exchange with a placement.
Please note, host organisations must meet Monash University OHS guidelines and be approved for you to be able to complete the placement for credit.
Monash Business School will not accept student sourced placement applications from students who have paid a third party - internship company to source their placement. If you are paying an organisation to find a placement for you, you will not be eligible to enrol into this IE program.

Do you get paid?

You are not required to be paid during your placement as you receive academic credit for your placement. However some organisations may wish to compensate their placement students for project related expenses.

Where do you start when looking for a student sourced placement?

Firstly, you should try to determine which organisations and industries you are interested in that are consistent with your planned career path. Gaining relevant experience in your field of interest early on means you'll be well-prepared when the ideal job opportunity comes around.
When you’ve found an organisation you’re interested in, you should then contact someone senior and ask if you are able to undertake a placement with them – try a Director or someone at a similar level as they generally have the authority to hire an intern.
- All communication with a host organisation should be polite and professional (no emojis!) and should not only explain why you are interested in their organisation, but also what value/benefit you can deliver to them. Be sure to include your up-to-date resume – see Career Connect for help with your resume.
Remember to reach out to your network to help find suitable contacts. Family and friends will often know someone whom you can intern with.
- LinkedIn is a very valuable resource, as you can see how people you know are connected to employees of the organisation you’re interested in. Ensure your profile is up to date and includes a professional photo as most employers will check.
Alternatively, you can find placements through many job search websites, such as Seek, ProBono or Ethical Jobs – note that many of these will require an extensive interview process in order to be accepted, so directly approaching an organisation you’re interested in may be more effective.

What type of task or project is required for a placement?

Placements need to be meaningful and relevant to your studies – not running coffee!
For the placement to be suitable, you will need to be able to clearly state the aims and duties of your placement, and be able to demonstrate how what you have learned in your course will be applied during your time in the host organisation.

What does the host need to do?

Appoint an appropriately qualified or experienced mentor/supervisor
Provide meaningful tasks or a project with the opportunity to experience a real-world professional environment in their workplace
Provide a safe working environment (hosts will need to complete an OHS form when setting up the placement, see the section 'Suitable host organisations' for more information about size and location of organisations and required company insurances).
You can also advise a host that "Monash University has a Personal Accident Insurance Policy which provides capital, medical and loss of income benefits for all currently enrolled Monash University students".
Provide 20 Days (for 6 CP), 30 Days (for 12 CP) or 55 Days (for 24 CP) of placement – this must be determined before placement can be approved.

If your placement involves days in excess of the required days of your internship unit, eg. 20, 30 or 55 days you will need to ensure you are being paid for the additional time. You will only be covered by Monash University insurance for the required number of placement days, e.g. 20,30, 55 days. Anything over and above this must be a separate arrangement between you and the host organisation. For more information on this please refer to Fair Work.

There is NO obligation for hosts to set assignments for students. Assessment is arranged by the Faculty. Students may seek advice from the host around their assignments, but there is no obligation for hosts to be involved in academic assessments. Hosts will be asked to complete a mid-way and end of placement survey.

Suitable host organisations

Host organisations must meet Monash University minimum standards and OHS guidelines:

All host organisations should have 5 or more employees on the days you attend your placement.
Host organisations premises cannot be in ‘home offices’ or at a private residence.
Students generally cannot undertake a placement in a small family business.
All host organisations must complete a student placement agreement.
All host organisations must have public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
All host supervisors must be willing to complete a student evaluation form as part of the IE unit assessment.

How to apply

Step 1 – Eligibility

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have available credit points in your course to fit your IE unit. IE units can usually be taken in place of elective or capstone units, or a combination of both.

We encourage you to use the Monash University handbook from the year you started your course for guidance. To access accurate course advice and a new course plan, please contact the Monash University Course Advice team.

Offshore host organisations

Many organisations have industry internship programs where you need to apply directly to them in a competitive process. You are able to use this internship for the IE program if:

The placement you are applying for meets our IE guidelines
The position start and end dates align with the teaching period
Your application is received prior to the application closing date for the teaching period aligning with your internship
You are eligible to enrol in the IE program (see eligibility for Undergraduate / Graduate)

Step 2 – Prepare your IE application and supporting document

Placements in Australia (onshore)

The onshore student placement pack must be completed outlining specific placement tasks and signed by you and your host organisation:

Student Sourced Placement pack for:

The student placement pack containing the placement agreement and OHS form must be completed by the host and you before you submit your application. Please ensure all documentation is completed correctly and signed before submitting.

When you have completed the documentation below please upload via InPlace either:
- Student placement pack – unpaid placements
  or
- Student placement pack – paid placements and your employment agreement if you have this.

International placements (offshore)

Learn more

Step 2a – Host organisation information

Host organisation details

If you are applying for Student sourced placement, you will need to provide responses to the questions below about your host organisation and your proposed placement via InPlace.

Host organisation name and contact details
ABN (Australian Business Number)
Supervisor name
Host organisation address – location of your placement
Host supervisor email address
Host supervisor phone number
Host organisation website
Start date and end date

Step 2b – Your placement proposal

Your answers to the questions below will help us to assess the placement suitability.

Please describe the placement/project opportunity that you have sourced.
In this section you should list the name of the opportunity (position title), information about: the project or program you will be working on, which department or team you will be in, and what tasks and duties you will be undertaking.
Please identify any specific skills you would you like to develop during your placement and why?
You will need to provide information on your areas for development and improvement that this placement will provide. (e.g. technical skills, communication skills, teamwork)
What personal and professional goals do you hope to achieve as part of your placement?
In this section you should be able to provide us with information on how your placement will support your career goals.
Please explain how the placement you hope to gain is relevant to your degree/major and how it will enhance your learning.
In this section you will need to describe how the placement will relate to your course or major.

Step 3 – Submit your application

Once you have completed all the required documents, you can begin your online application:

Log into your Monash student placements portal (InPlace) and submit an online IE placement application.
1. For assistance with your InPlace application, see the step-by-step guide.
Placement proposal: Upload your responses to the placement proposal questions. This will be used to assess your application suitability and provide details about your host organisation:
Please complete all information requested in the online application form, including the unit you are planning to enrol in.
Please ensure you upload the placement pack documents listed in Step 2.

Step 4 – Application assessment

What to expect:

After your application has been submitted, we will send you an application acknowledgement email. Please note that onshore applications take on average up to 4 weeks to process.
Your eligibility will be assessed and your application will be checked to ensure we have all the information we need. We’ll contact you if we need further information.
We will conduct checks on the placement suitability and your host organisation. If we need any more information we’ll contact you by email.

Step 5 – Outcome advice and enrolment

We’ll get in touch to let you know the outcome of your application. This may be as late as O-week depending on when you submitted your application and the type of placement you are applying for. If your application is successful, your enrolment will be processed and you’ll need to confirm it in WES.

Step 6 – Moodle unit assessment and information

Moodle

You’ll get access to the relevant Moodle site where you’ll find all the information about your assessment.

Induction

In order for you to understand what to expect during your industry placement, you are required to attend an Induction Session, which will cover important information regarding assessment and very useful workplace information. Please note your student card will be scanned to confirm your attendance and those who don't attend will be contacted.

You will receive details of the session in your placement confirmation email.

Get in touch

Have questions about internships eligibility, specific opportunities or the application process? Contact us via Monash Connect.