students talking in corridor

Funding and support

Our team can offer a range of support services and funding options to help you make the most of you time overseas. 

Support

We know it can be daunting to make the decision to spend time overseas, that’s why we ensure student support is easy to access at every point of your journey. Here are some of our top tips for getting started:

  1. There is not one search platform for international placements. Familiarise yourself with the websites and networks used to advertise opportunities in your countries of interest. 
  2. Be prepared for a speculative search. You can contact organisations directly as well as applying to advertised opportunities. 
  3. What type of work are you looking for? Knowing your skills and having some experience will help you establish what types of jobs you would be most suited to.
  4. Work experience may not always be paid. Unpaid internships / placements are common in most countries.  However, you may receive funding from the Turing Scheme to help towards your travel and living costs.
  5. Think about eligibility to work in another country – it’s not automatic! Do you need a visa? Visas are now required for UK students who want to undertake a placement in Europe, as well as most other countries worldwide.  You may have to apply and pay for a visa which will allow you to work and/or study for a while in another country.

How the team can help

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Finding an international placement

  • Check out gap year opportunities on the Prospects website.
  • If you're looking for work experience, use the job search feature on the Prospects website, and filter the form to show 'work experience' and 'worldwide'.
  • You can find internships and placements across Europe on the Erasmus Intern website, the EU jobs portal, or on Global Placement.
  • Staffordshire University Careers Hub provides students and graduates with useful career-related information, resources and job opportunities - including international.  The Careers team are based in the Science Centre on Leek Road on the Stoke Campus and in ‘Here-East’, our London Campus offering in-person, drop-in, workshops, employer events, and digital appointments.
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Before you travel

  • We offer help and support with applying for your opportunity and funding through the UK Government Turing scheme.
  • We will provide a pre-departure briefing to ensure any concerns you may have are answered and that you are fully prepared for your international experience.
  • We provide helpful checklists before you go to give you piece of mind that nothing has been forgotten.
  • Visas - you may need to apply for a visa and/or work permit to study or work abroad.  The Universities UK International Visa Working Group has created a guidance resource to support students through this process.  A link to this resource is available here.  This resource also has links to other useful information, such as Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) country travel advice.
  • Vaccinations - if you are planning to travel outside the UK, your travel health needs will depend on your individual situation including:
    • your destination
    • how long you are intending to stay
    • what you will be doing
    • your general health
  • NHS Fit for Travel provides general guidance on travel health risks.  A link to this resource is available here.
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Whilst you're abroad

  • You will be provided with a dedicated contact at Staffordshire University while you are overseas.
  • If the experience is part of your course, you will also be in regular contact with your tutor/academics.

Funding

We have a range of different funding opportunities for students to help make participating in an international experience more affordable.  The cost of taking a placement (study, work, volunteer) will depend on the location and the time you will spend overseas.

Turing Programme

Turing Scheme is a new programme developed by the UK Government which is intended to provide funding for UK students to participate in international placements from 2021/22 onwards. Staffordshire University has been successful in accessing funding through the Turing Scheme to support international placements for our students.

An important feature of the Turing scheme is that funding is available for all Staffordshire University students, so whether you are studying a Foundation programme (at the university or one of our many UK partner colleges), an undergraduate degree, master's degree or even a PhD – you will probably be eligible for funding.

Your experience must be a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of 12 months to be eligible for this funding.

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How to access funding

All students are eligible to take part in an International experience. Depending on where you go and how long for, you’ll receive different levels of funding via the Turing Scheme. For a list of destinations within each group, please visit the Turing Scheme’s website.

4 – 8 week experience
  • £136.25 per week (Group 1 destinations)
  • £120 per week (Group 2 and 3 destinations)
 9 – 52 week experience
  • £380 per month (for Group 1 destinations)
  • £335 per month (for Group 2 and 3 destinations)

Group 1 Destinations - High Cost of Living

  • American Samoa
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bermuda
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue
  • Cuba
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Kiribati
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • North America not otherwise specified
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Puerto Rico
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Switzerland
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • USA
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela

Group 2 Destinations - Medium Cost of Living

  • Africa not otherwise specified
  • Andorra
  • Antarctica and Oceania not otherwise specified
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Brazil
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Bulgaria
  • Canary Islands
  • Caribbean not otherwise specified
  • Central America not otherwise specified
  • Cote d’Ivoire
  • Croatia
  • Curaçao
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Egypt
  • Estonia
  • Europe not otherwise specified
  • European Union not otherwise specified
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Martinique
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • The Occupied Palestinian Territories
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and The Grenadines
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Sweden
  • Turkey
  • Uruguay

Group 3 Destination - Lower Cost of Living

  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Belarus
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Brunei
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • The Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Jamaica
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Macao
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar (Burma)
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Nigeria
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Taiwan
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vietnam
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Uplift funding

The Uplift funding may also be available for some groups of students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Funding criteria

  • Annual household income below £25,000
  • Care leavers
  • Receipt of income related benefits
  • Refugees and asylum seekers

The funding offers an additional £110 per month for students who meet the eligibility criteria. Additionally, this scheme offers further funding towards direct costs of travel from £20 to £1,360 depending on distance travelled. 

Student Success Fund 

We can also support you in applying for our Student Success Fund to help with costs of certain experiences. The Student Success Fund covers experiences that do not meet the Turing criteria, for example experiences less than 2 weeks, conferences, or academic planned visits.

Bursaries, Scholarships and Travel Grant

 We have a variety of bursaries and scholarships available for undergraduate students at Staffordshire University. These may provide financial support for some groups of Staffordshire University students.

You may be eligible for a travel grant to cover some of the cost of your travel expenses if you normally live in England and are taking a semester or full academic year study exchange.  Further details are available here.

The Leverhulme Trust offer financial support for students to undertake research at a centre of learning in any country except the UK or USA.  Eligibility criteria apply including a requirement to hold an undergraduate or further degree from a UK institution 

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