FAQs

• Educational: The work provides a basis for academic theory and/or vital skills to be applied for a practical purpose.
• Intentional and organised: The University and the host agree on the nature of the work to be undertaken. Increasingly, students are involved in sourcing their own internship with a host and the University approves the suitability of the project or position.
• University recognised: Students receive academic credit. University staff members coordinate the program and lecturers supervise the academic and assessment components of the subject.
• Meaningful and Practical: Hosts provide a project, tasks and responsibilities that are professionally suitable to the ability expected of you, and is useful to the operation of their organisation. Hosts also provide supervision of the activities occurring in the workplace.

The application process for each subject may differ, so it's best to check the individual subject details for specific instructions.

You can check your course Handbook to see which placement subjects are available to you.

Check the placements website for discipline-specific placement subjects, or find out more about elective placement subjects.

Most WIL based subjects require you to source a placement yourself. However, some will have limited La Trobe-sourced placements to apply for.

If you require further information, contact your Subject Coordinator listed in the Handbook or contact the Industry Placements team via the Work Based Learning (WBL) Placements Enquiry form.

This depends on the course you are enrolled in. The University will source placements for some subjects, while others will require you to source your own placement.

Important: participation in most placement subjects is by Subject Coordinator approval. This means that, once you have identified a suitable opportunity, you will also need to apply to the Subject Coordinator for approval to enrol in the subject. This helps the University to ensure that your placement meets the subject requirements and will be a meaningful learning experience for you.

Application instructions are specific to the placement subject that you select.

Student-sourced overseas placements cannot be approved unless they come under the following circumstances:

1. Professional accreditation requirements: Where the placement is essential for meeting professional accreditation and the University cannot facilitate a suitable alternative.
2. Equity and access considerations: For compassionate reasons, or if the student needs to be overseas due to travel restrictions or other regulatory constraints.
3. Strategic alignment: Where the placement opportunity aligns significantly with La Trobe's strategic objectives and offers potential future opportunities (as confirmed by the School and Education Partnerships/Industry Engagement Business Development).

Requests for exceptions are managed by the Placement Partnering & Operations team, who will assess the placement against the guidelines. Once assessed, it will be sent to your School for final approval.

To find out more about this process, contact the subject coordinator for the placement subject you wish to enrol in the University Handbook.

Overseas short programs

There are some La Trobe University sourced placement opportunities that allow students to undertake a placement overseas.

The overseas short programs are subject to an application and approval process.

Learn more about overseas short programs

Great question! Most work placements are unpaid because they’re designed to help you learn, gain experience, and earn credit towards your degree.

If you enter into an employment relationship with an organisation and undertake work as an employee, you should expect to be paid for your work.

Internships and work placements are different because you are undertaking work in a learning context and as such you are not considered to have entered into an employment relationship with the organisation. It is for this reason that you generally do not undertake work that is required for the daily running of the company, but rather, work on projects which assist and support the work being undertaken by employees.

If you have any concerns about the nature of the work that you are undertaking as part of your placement, please speak with your Subject Coordinator as soon as possible so that we can provide you with support. The Fair Work Ombudsman website also contains some helpful information.

A comprehensive range of financial assistance is available, including bursaries, grants, and financial guidance.

Find out more

If you do a special project or undertake work outside of your usual tasks, you may undertake placement in the same organisation where you already work. This is subject to approval by your Subject Coordinator via a Student Sourced application.

You should not undertake an unpaid placement with your current employer while undertaking your regular duties. If you are undertaking your regular duties and using this towards the hours required for placement, you should be getting paid as an employee as per usual practice.

This will depend on where you are doing your work placement, so you will need to check this with your employer prior to commencing your placement.

Some organisations require you to undergo a Working with Children Check, Police Check or other security clearance, before undertaking a work placement.

Requirements are often specific to certain disciplines or hosts, this will be discussed as part of your preparation and may include personal information, compliance documents or intellectual property.

Speak to your potential host about any specific requirements or your individual Placements Team who can advise you of specific requirements which may be part of your placement application process.

Make sure you allow sufficient time prior to commencing placement to meet any special requirements as you will be unable to commence placement without them.

You will be supported throughout your placement by your Subject Coordinator, and your placement officer. Prior to applying for a placement subject, you are encouraged to develop a suitable CV and cover letter and practice your interview skills. All La Trobe students have complimentary access to Career Ready Assist, an interactive online platform designed to help you become ‘industry ready’ by creating or refining your resume and practicing interview skills. Additionally, Career Hub offers helpful resources like a cover letter template and checklist.

During your placement, the Subject Coordinator will contact your host organisation to check in, and make sure that everything is going as planned. If you have any concerns at any stage before, during, or after your placement, please make sure that you check in with your Subject Coordinator. They will be able to provide you with advice and support.

The University strongly encourages you to disclose any disability, mental health issue or ongoing medical condition that might impact your ability to undertake your placement or Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experience.

Notifying us in a timely manner allows us to consider a reasonable adjustment to allow you to participate on an equitable basis on your placement.

Please ensure that any considerations for placement or WIL are clearly included in your LAP. Once a LAP has been provided to us or your Subject/Year Coordinator, we will work to ensure any reasonable adjustments are made to support you through your placement and help to set you up for success.

Please note that any reasonable adjustments must still be in line with the inherent requirements of your course and/or assessment and must meet the logistical and operational requirements of the facility that you are undertaking placement in. For this reason we are unable to guarantee that all requested consideration can be met by all placement providers.

The University respects your privacy (see our privacy statement) so you can feel confident in our assistance. You can seek advice on Disability Support Services, register online, make a face to face or phone appointment and find contacts on your campus by visiting the Accessibility Hub.