I can’t recommend a placement year enough, I now feel much more confident when thinking about applying for jobs after uni

Where was your placement and what did it involve?

I was on placement with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), based in the New Forest. The GWCT is a UK-wide charity that uses science to promote game and wildlife management as an essential part of nature conservation. 

GWCT works with various farmland stakeholders, including conservationists, policy makers, farmers, landowners and field sports (shooting and fishing) stakeholders, using their scientific research to provide advisory services on all aspects of game and wildlife management (conservation of landscape, habitat and wildlife).

My role mainly involved working on the international Interreg-funded PARTRIDGE project, a grey partridge conservation project, working with countries across the North Sea Region. Working on this project involved lots of international travel, in-person and online partner meetings, facilitating stakeholder engagement discussions, scientific communication (ArcGIS StoryMaps and blog writing), fieldwork and lots of GIS! 

About ⅔ of this role was spent in the office (mainly using GIS) or on international travel for the project whilst the other third was spent out in the New Forest completing fieldwork, from grey partridge count surveys to nocturnal hare surveys to barn owl ringing! Day-to-day work changed throughout the seasons and each day was never the same, I really enjoyed this variety.

Living with 8 other students in provided on-site accommodation was a big appeal for me, it made the logistics of moving somewhere new easier and also made the transition from student lifestyle to working lifestyle less drastic! The accommodation and offices are located in a small town and by the New Forest, so very different from the city life in Sheffield.

What was the thing that surprised you most about your placement?

I was slightly apprehensive entering the role as a human geographer, when the role may have typically been suited to environmental science/ zoology students. However, don’t let these sort of worries hold you back from applying to roles which interest you. Although you may not have direct experience in the subject, you will be surprised how much your geographical skills translate, and there is always the opportunity to learn while on placement. I am so glad I chose this role and I learnt so much over the past 12 months.

How did you find your placement?

I found my placement using the Geography Careers Newsletter. This is sent to your inbox regularly with a list of placement and other work opportunities - it’s a quick and easy way to find geography-tailored job opportunities, so keep up to date with this. I also applied to numerous roles using other platforms like RateMyPlacement and Indeed, from which I was either rejected or didn't hear back. Don’t let rejections put you off, it’s part of the process and will help you strengthen future applications, so be persistent and don’t give up.

What skills do you feel that you gained from your placement?

My placement taught me so much, from field and ID skills to public speaking and working as part of an international team - the experience was invaluable. I can’t recommend a placement year enough, I now feel much more confident when thinking about applying for jobs after uni. 

What advice would you give to students who are thinking about doing a placement?

My top tips are to persist with your applications, use a variety of sites when job searching, don’t be afraid to apply for jobs outside your comfort zone and don’t worry if you don't have a certain role or sector in mind - most of us don’t - and it’s what makes a placement year so valuable!