DTP1 students are eligible for up to three months of GUDTP placement support.

DTP2 students are required to spend three months of their studentship in placement with one or more external organisations. Their placements are subject to formal assessment. If six months before the award end date, a DTP2 student cannot produce a clear and feasible plan to meet this requirement in full by the end of the studentship, the GUDTP will initiate shortening the duration of the studentship accordingly.

All students can choose to undertake more than one placement of shorter duration, provided that each is at least four weeks long. The placements can take place consecutively or apart.

Placements need to be completed within the student’s funded period.

We expect students to submit their applications to the GUDTP at least three months before the proposed placement start date to allow time for consideration. However, if an opportunity arises with less notice, please do still contact the GUDTP Placements Co-ordinator, as, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to approve it on time or help you renegotiate the start date.  Please note that we will not review applications submitted within one month from the proposed start date, unless the reasons for the delay are explained and justifiable.

Placements can be in-person, remote, or hybrid.

Placements are normally expected to take place in the UK.

The GUDTP will consider supporting overseas placements if there is clear evidence that the applicants cannot acquire the same skills and equivalent experience domestically.

Whether in the UK or overseas, all placements are subject to a formal risk assessment and departmental approval.

Whether in the UK of overseas, all students should check any VISA restrictions that might apply to them.

The GUDTP will not approve applications for which the student’s department/university has not granted risk assessment approval and travel insurance (if applicable). However, we appreciate that both these processes might take time. If you are constrained for time, please submit your application for placement support to the GUDTP explaining which documents are still pending and when you anticipate them to be finalised (question D5). We will review the application and if everything else is in order, we can grant conditional approval, subject to receipt of the missing documents.

For overseas placements only:

• The DTP cannot provide support for overseas placements if the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) advises against visiting the country or area concerned. Foreign nationals and students with dual nationality need to consult the advice of their own government(s), in addition to the FCDO.
• The visit should be covered by the travel insurance policy of the student’s home institution. Please speak to your respective department/university body about this process.

Students on placement will continue receiving their stipend for the duration of their placement. Therefore, we would not normally expect the hosts to offer remuneration.

However, hosts are encouraged to contribute to the cost of the placement. 

If you have are ineterested in or have been offered a paid placement, please contact us and we will be able to advise you on a case by case basis. 

Being a student does not exempt you from paying income tax. Your ESRC stipend in particular is tax-exempt, whereas income earned from employment duties is taxable in the normal way.

When students suspend their full-time student status to undertake a placement, they might not be eligible for Council Tax exemption. Oxford based students are ineligible for Council Tax exemption during the period of suspension and other Councils may adopt similar practice.

The GUDTP can offer limited additional financial support towards costs incurred by the placement and which are not normally expected to be covered by the student’s stipend.

Your cost estimates need to be reasonable and demonstrate value for money, as evidenced by price comparison screenshots or downloads attached to your application. We recommend including an additional 10% in your budget to account for potential cost variations during the approval process.

Students from the Open University are encouraged to contact their school or faculty administration team to obtain an estimate of their travel and accommodation expenses before submitting the placement request. Booking cost via ClickTravel (the University’s approved system) might be different from what is available by other providers.

The GUDTP will not support placements that appear to be non-feasible at the time of application. Feasibility is assessed based on the list of funding contributions stated in the project plan. Please ensure to include all in-kind contributions by third parties (e.g. if you have arranged to stay with members of your support network during the placement).

If a placement is expected to incur costs beyond the maximum financial support offered by the GUDTP, we expect the host to co-fund and/or the student to apply to their home university/department/college or other funding bodies for support. If you are concerned about the feasibility of the placement you are considering, please do let us know as soon as possible and we will advise you on your next steps.

The GUDTP will not cover project costs, i.e. costs incurred for the delivery of the placement project. We expect these to be covered by the host and their contribution to be stated in the project plan.

Costs incurred for VISA applications made solely for the purpose of undertaking the placement are eligible.      

For DTP1 students, the maximum that can be provided for additional costs/expenses is up to £1,000 per month for the duration of the placement (i.e. a maximum of £3000).

For DTP2 students the maximum that can be provided for additional costs/expenses is up to £1,000 for the whole duration of the placement (i.e. a maximum of £1000).

You will normally receive the funds that the GUDT has approved for your placement before the start of the placement. To claim these funds, please follow local practice at your home institution, as detailed in the placement approval email.

Following the end of your placement you are required to submit copies of the original receipts with itemised costs corresponding to your placement offer letter (e.g. international flights, accommodation, visas). You need to submit these to the GUDTP no later than one month from your last day on placement. Please check with your department whether they need you to submit copies of your receipts to them as well. 

The GUDTP is unlikely to offer funding beyond the amount confirmed in the placement award letter so please ensure that your budget is comprehensive and realistic at the time of application. Retrospective applications will not be considered.

If the total expenditure incurred is less than the grant provided, or if your placement is prematurely terminated, you may be required to repay any overpaid funds (the amount will be determined by the GUDTP).

The GUDTP runs an internal evaluation of its placement offer and will upload a selection of impact statements/lay summaries on the website for promotional purposes.

To ensure that this has no bearing on the assessment process DTP2 students will be asked to complete a Placement Feedback Form and to consent to the publication of Part B of their Placement Report after they have successfully passed the placement assessment.  

DTP1 students will be asked to complete both the Placement Report Form and the Placement Feedback Form simultaneously.