SEBE WIL frequently asked questions

Securing a placement can be challenging and take time, planning and inevitable rejections. Here are some ways to begin:

• Reflect on your career goals and identify your ideal job post-graduation. Research graduate roles in your field, noting any required experience, and consider the stepping-stone roles that will provide you with this experience.
• Brainstorm organisations aligned with these aspirations.
• Actively engage in networking with your lecturers, peers, and professionals in your field of interests on platforms like LinkedIn. Building these connections can open up valuable opportunities and insights.

Once you have some idea of the type of roles and organisations that fit your aspirations, you can:

• search the faculty-sourced placement opportunities on our Current Opportunities page.
• search for broader opportunities within Deakin through platforms like the DeakinTalent Jobs and Internships Board and FreelancingHUB.
• reach out to organisations independently (self-sourced placement) to express interest in a WIL placement.

To prepare, consider updating your cover letter and CV, making use of DeakinTALENT’s resources for guidance. If you need tips on engaging with employers, DeakinTALENT also provides valuable insights.

Remember that persistence is key: your efforts will undoubtedly contribute to finding a placement that aligns with your goals.

Self-sourced placements:

• Initiative: you take the initiative to find your own placement.
• Organisation: can be in any organisation that aligns with your interests and career goals.
• Process: you have the freedom to identify, approach, and secure a placement position independently to suit your interests and career goals.

Faculty-sourced placements:

• Initiative: placements are sourced by the faculty.
• Organisation: placements are with a faculty partner organisation, typically for a specific role, at a predetermined time and location.
• Process: involves a competitive application process similar to a job application and may include interviews.

In sum, self-sourced placements offer you more autonomy and flexibility in choosing where to gain experience, while faculty-sourced placements involve a more structured and competitive process with specific roles identified by the faculty in collaboration with partner organisations.

A suitable placement opportunity must meet the following criteria.

The organisation must:

• have an ABN number (if located within Australia)
• have a website and email address
• have a minimum of 5 employees
• provide a placement experience relevant to your discipline and the learning outcomes of the unit
• agree to comply with Deakin's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines and insurance requirements.

The SEBE WIL team will check if your placement meets these compliance guidelines.

A host organisation should:

• agree to host your placement either onsite or through hybrid working arrangements
• provide you with a host supervisor to support you throughout the duration of the placement
• collaborate with you to define the tasks and responsibilities you will undertake
• negotiate suitable dates and times for your placement
• complete required paperwork, including filling out the Industry Placement Form and signing the Student Placement Agreement Schedule before the placement begins.

Yes, all our WIL placements can be completed overseas. We recommend you undertake your placement overseas during the T3 period, or during inter-trimester breaks.

NOTE: We encourage you to check with Student Central prior to undertaking an overseas placement to ensure your CoE is not impacted.

Yes, it is possible to undertake a placement part-time, particularly if it aligns with your trimester schedule. However, it is important to note that this arrangement will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The goal is to ensure that you can effectively balance your studies and placement commitments.

Before considering a part-time placement, you will need to consult with your unit chair or the WIL adviser for your program.

For most of our WIL units, students are typically expected to complete one placement opportunity per unit.

However, there is an exception for the LES program. In the case of SLE301, students can undertake more than one placement.

Yes. You must pass STP010 if you are an undergraduate student, or STP710 if you are a postgraduate student, before your placement can be approved and before you can commence a placement.

Congratulations! You are ready to submit an InPlace application. Visit the How to apply for a WIL placement page for details on how to do this.

The processing time for your InPlace application is typically around 10 working days. It's important to keep this timeframe in mind when planning your placement commencement date. Ensure that your proposed placement start date accounts for this processing period to avoid any delays.

This will depend on unit chair approval. You will need to demonstrate that you will be undertaking additional or new tasks, projects and responsibilities to ensure you are getting the most out of your placement experience.

No, days cannot be counted retrospectively. It's important to note that you must not commence your placement until you receive official confirmation that your placement is approved.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is not available for WIL units. RPL will not be granted for capstone, work-integrated placements or other units as determined by the teaching faculty. Please read Deakin's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy for more information. You must apply and have your placement approved prior to commencing it. Previous work experience cannot be recognised towards a WIL placement.

No. You must be an enrolled active Deakin student to undertake a WIL placement.

Most of our WIL units have set dates that generally run within the trimester. The key dates for our WIL units are listed on the How to apply for a WIL placement webpage.

Deakin provides insurance for students on placements or work experience. You are covered under Deakin’s insurance policies while on placement as long as the placement is approved by Deakin and is a requirement of your studies. If you would like to continue in a volunteer capacity past the formal placement period, the organisation must agree and provide their own insurance cover.

If your placement is overseas, Deakin also provides insurance for approved international study-related travel.

As an international student, you are responsible to ensure you do not breach your visa requirements. Refer to the Compliance and visas website for more information.

You will need to contact Student Central to assist you with enrolling in a SEBE WIL unit. You can do so once you have received confirmation that your InPlace placement application has been approved.

Note: engineering, architecture and construction management, or information technology placement units are not open for self-enrolment. You will need to have an approved placement to be able to enrol in the unit. In some cases, the SEBE WIL team will manually enrol you in your WIL unit.

Before being permitted to enrol in an engineering, architecture and construction management, or information technology placement unit, your placement must be approved through InPlace by the SEBE WIL team and the unit chair to determine if it is suitable to complete as a WIL unit.

All questions relating to WIL assessments and submissions need to be directed to the appropriate unit chair.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, you may be eligible for the WIL Student Support Scheme, which can help to relieve financial stress and allow you to take a placement experience locally or overseas. Please note that the scheme has strict eligibility criteria and funding levels can vary depending on the unit taken and duration of placement. Other scholarships may be available – for more information, please visit the scholarships webpage.