Working, holidays and placements

Working hours and holidays

Research students’ working hours and holiday entitlements are not governed by regulation.  The differing requirements of disciplines and types of research will, to a large extent, determine the length of the working day/week appropriate to the individual concerned, and students should be guided by their supervisor and department.

Students should also be aware that there is an optimum efficiency to be achieved by pacing themselves between work and recreation. Some students become so exclusively work-oriented that they take little or no time off, potentially to the detriment of their wellbeing and their work.

Students commencing research degrees may be surprised that they are not entitled to the long vacation periods to which they have become accustomed as undergraduates. Research students sponsored by UKRI may, subject to the agreement of their supervisors, take reasonable holidays, not exceeding 30 days per year, excluding closure days and Bank Holidays. Up to a maximum of four weeks' holiday may be taken at the end of the period of award.

These UKRI rules may be used as a guide by all full-time research students unless they are subject to the rules of other sponsoring bodies. Students requesting annual leave should do so by completing the relevant faculty booking form, or alternative, to ensure that a record of the number of days taken is kept.

Students may apply for a period of leave of absence to cover unforeseen difficulties that may arise during their studies, such as illness or serious personal problems (see Leave of Absence). Students should note that they will not be granted a leave of absence or a time limit extension to cover a holiday.

The employment of research students by departments

The University encourages the employment of research students in a number of capacities (eg as part-time teaching assistants, demonstrators, etc.), provided that this can be undertaken without detriment to the completion of the student's research and submission of the thesis by their deadline. Such teaching helps to develop a broad range of personal and presentational skills which can be of considerable long-term benefit to the student concerned. Research students commonly have recent experience as recipients of teaching and are often well placed to assist in course delivery. Teaching also represents a valuable source of additional income for students.

It must be stressed, however, that the scope for such employment varies widely between different departments and students should not assume that teaching opportunities will always be available.

The University accepts the following broad principles relating to the employment of research students as teachers:

• Other things being equal, teaching work in departments should be shared out among research students as fairly as possible. No research students will be expected to teach unless they wish to, unless this is a condition of their bursary or scholarship.
• All research students employed by the University should be assessed for their suitability before appointment.
• Full-time research students employed by the University in any capacity will be restricted to a maximum of 180 working hours per year, including preparation time and marking. This figure is based on the rules relating to UKRI studentships.
• The University strongly discourages students from undertaking teaching work during their submission pending period, as it is likely to adversely affect their ability to submit by their deadline. Teaching commitments will not normally be regarded as a legitimate reason for granting a student permission to continue their active research during the submission pending period. Teaching commitments will also not be regarded as a legitimate reason for approving either a leave of absence or a time limit extension, or for the waiving of any additional fees that may be incurred due to thesis submission being delayed.
• Students involved in teaching should be given a written specification detailing their duties, including the total number of hours required in preparation, class contact hours and marking, the payment involved and the method of payment. University recommended rates of payment should be used.
• All students involved in teaching should receive guidance and help regarding course content and delivery methods from the member of academic staff concerned and it is good practice for them to attend training courses covering the necessary teaching skills required.
• Students involved in demonstrating will be given prior experience with equipment concerned and guidance regarding expected results and any potential problems.
• Each department should have a member of staff responsible for the coordination of teaching undertaken by research students.
• Responsibility for delivery and examination of modules taught by research students remains with the member of academic staff concerned.
• Research students formally employed by the University are covered by the University's professional indemnity insurance policy in the same way as other members of staff.

Details of pay rates and how to determine pay for the University Bank are available from the Department of Human Resources (staff login required). Payments will be authorised by departments on the completion of teaching duties or at the end of each semester in which teaching is undertaken, whichever comes first. 

The University offers workshops under the Sheffield Teaching Assistant programme that students can participate in. Further details are available from Elevate. These workshops are available to research students who are also part-time teachers in the University. Information and support for Graduate Teaching Assistants is available on this Google Site. 

The University has developed guidance to manage the dual relationship that students may have with the University as both students and employees or workers. The guidance clarifies procedures that may be invoked should action need to be taken against a student in either capacity.

Work permission for international students

International PGR students studying in the UK on a Student or Tier 4 student visa are allowed to work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time.  The University recommends they should work no more than 16 hours per week to ensure an appropriate study-work balance.  Unlike other students, PGRs are considered to be in term time for the duration of the academic year, except during agreed periods of holiday (up to a maximum of 30 days, plus closure days and Bank Holidays) which must be agreed with the student's supervisor. During agreed periods of holiday, visa-sponsored students can work full-time hours, albeit only if their holiday period covers a full week block, running from Monday to Sunday. If they have a mix of study and vacation days in any given week, they are still subject to the term-time restrictions on working hours for that week.

Immigration regulations require all employers to obtain written proof from Student or Tier 4 sponsored students of their term time and vacation periods.  Further advice on what to do is available from SSiD.

Placements

Optional placements

The University believes that doctoral researchers should have the opportunity to undertake a placement if that will benefit their development or career opportunities. Placements in Higher Education traditionally relate to periods of learning activity away from the usual education environment available from the institution during a programme of study.

Partners providing placement opportunities are likely to include business and industry, NHS, charities, public sector bodies such as local authorities or central government. Where placements are with an educational institution, this should provide opportunities for skills development that are different from those obtained in the PhD.

A period of research that is part of the student's programme at an off-campus location would not constitute a placement.  This could include fieldwork, data collection in archives, research attachments at other institutions to learn specific research techniques or to access specific facilities or equipment.

Placements must be agreed upon with the supervisory team and should not adversely affect a student's submission deadline.  Students who wish to undertake a placement during their studies which is unrelated to their research topic can apply to reclaim the time taken from their studies for this using the placements application form on this page. Students who are granted permission to undertake a placement are given a registration status which reflects the fact that they are on placement and have their time limit extended accordingly. 

Please note that the students undertaking placements of this nature will not be supervised or monitored by the University during the placement period. 

The placements form must be completed before the start of the placement and should be checked and approved by the student's supervisor and returned to the PGR Support Team in Research, Partnerships and Innovation, who will check the student's eligibility and put the application forward for faculty approval.  Once approved, the student's record will be updated to reflect the student's status on placement and to update the student's  fee-paying period and time limit.

International Students and optional placements

Unfortunately, due to immigration regulations, this scheme cannot generally be accessed by students on a Student or Tier 4 visa. This is because of restrictions on the amount of leave of absence permitted, and on the right to work full time in the UK (see guidance from the International Student Support, Advice and Compliance team here). An alternative option could be to undertake work experience informally within visa permitted working hours, alongside the PGR programme. This would not require an application form or any changes to the student record, but would need to be balanced carefully alongside other commitments because the student's time limit would not be extended in these circumstances.

Alternatively it may be possible to undertake a placement outside of the UK (subject to working restrictions in that country), in which case it would be permitted to apply for time away from the programme via this process. It is important for students to understand that the placement would contribute to the total amount of Leave of Absence permitted by a Student or Tier 4 visa, or may result in the cancellation of their current visa and a new visa application to return to the UK in future. International students must familiarise themselves with the guidance here in advance of submitting an application. 

Compulsory placements

Some PGR programmes include mandatory placements which students must take as an integral and assessed part of their course. Where this is the case the placement will be a mandatory and assessed component, usually linked to a module, which must be completed in order to progress to the next stage of study, or to be eligible for award. The placement requirement must be approved when the programme is set up, and specified in the programme regulations. 

In these cases, students do not need to submit an application form and no changes will be made to the student record or time limit to reflect the placement. This is because it forms part of the programme the student was admitted to, and time for this is factored into the normal registration period. 

International students are permitted to work full time as part of a compulsory placement of this nature, because it is part of the programme specified on the visa. The only additional requirement for international students is that details of the placement (dates and location) are reported to Research Partnerships and Innovation in advance of the placement starting, so the temporary change of location can be reported to UKVI. Normally the administrative team managing the programme’s placements will be responsible for this.

Please note this applies to compulsory placements as reflected in the University’s programme regulations only. If a funder, industry partner or other party requires a placement to be completed, but students are not enrolled on a specific programme with an approved and integral placement, this will need to be managed via the “optional placement” route above. Any programmes interested in introducing an assessed and integral placement should consult the PGR Programmes team. 

Placement application form