Host one of our PhD students on a 3 month placement, at no cost to you
Every SWDTP-funded student is expected to complete a 3-month Full Time Equivalent placement.
A wide range of organisations have hosted SWDTP students on full-time and part-time arrangements. These include private companies, charities, local and national government bodies, think tanks, and academic institutions.
There is no cost to your organisation for hosting a placement.
Please note: only UK-based organisations may host an SWDTP-funded student on placement.
Landed on this page but don’t know who we are?
The South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) awards scholarships to Social Science PhD students across eight universities in South West England. We are funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC). Click here to learn more.
Our students are keen to do a wide range of work for their development
Students look forward to the placement as an opportunity to work towards their professional development goals – whether to hone research skills, apply their expertise in new contexts, or develop professional connections.
The SWDTP looks for this alignment between work scope and goals to determine whether a placement is the right fit for the student. We do not specify additional learning outcomes that you must facilitate.
Scroll through to see some of the types of work our students have done on placement. This is by no means an exhaustive list and we encourage novel projects to be explored.
Attract the right researcher for you: advertise a specific opportunity or invite a conversation
Whether you have a project in mind that could benefit from specific expertise, or you are keen to see what doors could open for you, there is flexibility in how you advertise the opportunity you are offering.
Some organisations advertise specific projects or role descriptions and run an application process, while others invite students to express interest so they can collaboratively develop the scope of the placement. All of these opportunities are listed on our placements database and circulated across our Partnership.
What have organisations got out of hosting placements?
Conducting a client study project for a LGBTQ+ charity
“[The student] worked on a project for us that involved interviewing our clients and creating a resource which helped us to measure a client’s experience of our services. She approached this project with sensitivity and a respect for our client group and their stories… [and] was able to provide us with a resource which we know will be a great help when applying for future funding and will help us evidence the value of our services.”
Authoring a report for clients of a research consultancy
“One project was significantly behind schedule when [the student] first joined us. He really took responsibility for getting large parts of the project (I would say more than 50%) done to a high standard, and now we will send it to the client early! This was a complex project with a lot of uncertainty in the methods, and [the student] was fantastic at understanding the problem, reasoning a way to clear solutions, and sourcing the necessary data.”
Analysing dataset, co-authoring an academic article, and presenting a seminar
“I thoroughly appreciate the way she took the initiative in the project, bringing in her knowledge and skills to the original proposal and effectively significantly improving it! … [The student’s] presentation has been a great addition to our seminar series at the Institute and we now hope that this collaboration can be positively received in the peer review process.”
From the publicity to the paperwork, the SWDTP will support you in setting up the placement
Hosting-a-placement-diagramWant to discuss further with the SWDTP?
Please get in touch with Charlotte Cockburn, one of our Collaboration Facilitators, to schedule a meeting.
Looking for inspiration?
Read the post-placement reports available above, or browse existing listings on our placement database.
Ready to advertise an opportunity?
Head over to our short online form to submit an opportunity. We will review the listing and notify you when it is advertised.