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What do we offer?

ISPO arranges overseas placement opportunities to students with citizenship of an EU or EEA country in a variety of industries across the UK. We have good professional credibility, with years of experience in successfully matching overseas students to quality UK placement job opportunities.

An internship will give you commercial experience in UK business, enabling you to positively contribute to a UK company's performance. ISPO offers a supportive and friendly environment as we will deal with the administration, help you find accommodation, introduce you to other students on placement, and will be available to give assistance on other issues as required.

How does ISPO work?

ISPO has a database of business contacts and placement opportunities. These placement offers are advertised with placement offices of Universities and Higher Educational Schools across Europe. Students seeking an Internship in England can apply for specific opportunities or register their CV for future internships. ISPO will telephone interview suitable applicants, discuss the placements on offer and answer any questions. ISPO will manage your application to a business, communicating its progress and help provide relevant paperwork  where necessary.

How can ISPO help you?

As the business world becomes increasingly "international" the need to take part in overseas work placements becomes even greater. For many of you the work placement has become an integral part of your course of study. For dedicated individuals ISPO can: -

• Take the strain & worry out of searching for that all important placement
• Offer you the chance to use your skills to the full in a challenging work environment
• "Internationalise" your CV
• Enhance your future career development
• Give you the opportunity to live and work in another country/culture
• Enable you to make new international contacts

How are students selected?

Upon application, ISPO will arrange a convenient time for a telephone interview in order to assess your level of spoken English and to understand your key skills, qualities and your requirements.
We also assess the following criteria:-

• Level of education and nature of course
• Previous work experience
• Previous overseas travel
• Language Skills
• Career plans
• Personal qualities
• Interests, hobbies & other achievements

Following the interview, your skills will be compared to those required for specific placements and if there is a suitable match for your details, we will discuss the placement opportunity with you and forward your application to the company concerned for its consideration.

If the company is interested in taking your application further, they will contact us and we  will arrange a telephone interview between you and them directly to assess your suitability for the placement. Upon offer, you will be sent a letter confirming your placement details.

Will I recieve financial support?

The host company will pay accommodation costs for the duration of your placement (subjected to a maximum of £350 per month). Basic accommodation costs usually covers rent and utility bills. Services such as telephone and Internet are student's own responsibility. When a student chooses to be accompanied by a third party, the host company will make a contribution towards accommodation expenses to a maximum of £275.

The host companies who take part in hosting an ISPO placement will not pay a salary, hence it is essential that all students applying to ISPO should enquire about further funding through the Erasmus or Leonardo da Vinci programmes. Not receiving a salary for your placement is of benefit in this case, as it is one of the recuirements for receiving an Erasmus or Leonardo grant. The international office at universities should be able to provide advice on this. Please note that without funding you will not be able to take part in an unpaid internship regardless of personal financial circumstances, due to current UK legislation.

It is the ISPO student's own responsibility to make travel arrangements and to cover the cost of travelling to and from the UK.

Will I receive ongoing support during my placement?

• Yes. ISPO will remain in contact with the student and host Company to ensure the placement is going to plan
• We will arrange accommodation, or help you to find accommodation by providing you with links and contacts for housing
• Upon arrival in the UK, we will help you to arrange transport to get to your accommodation. Where possible, we will aim to collect ISPO students arriving at East Midlands and Birmingham airport
• We will put you in touch with other ISPO students to enable you to develop a network of friends
• We will provide you with information on the city of your placement

How much does it cost to register with ISPO?

It's FREE! ISPO does not charge applicants for the ISPO placement service!