Research in Practice Frequently Asked Questions

The ESRC have allocated 3 months (or part time equivalent) for a Research in Practice placement.

Placements can last from 1 to 3 months; they can be done on a full or part-time basis, and with more than one placement provider

The are lots of different organisations who would benefit from having a SCDTP student working on an placement project, these include;

Non-academic (Government, Local Council, or Private companies), another academic institute, NGO (non-governmental organisation), charity organisations.

Your Research in Practice Internship needs to be different from your PhD project to allow you to experience your skills in a different context.

The organisation you do your Research in Practice Internship with can be one of your choosing, or the Research in Practice Team can help find a suitable organsiation.

You cannot be placed with your current supervisors or research team or in your home department.

The ESRC funding period now includes 3 months (or part time equivalent) for the Research in Practice part of the training.

The Research in Practice Placement is an assessed part of your PhD project and meets the Home Office Criteria.

The placement is mandatory and as an international student, you will need to advise your University’s Visa Team when you are on your placement and when you return from your placement.

No, the ESRC does not allow for your placement to be paid.

You will still receive your stipend for the period of your placement. Any business expenses, like travel or accommodation should be paid by the placement host organisation.

The SCDTP may also be able to contribute to some expenses depending on the circumstances of your placement.

You should not be out of pocket for your placement.

The Research in Practice placement is funded by the ESRC in that you will still receive your stipend for the period of the placement.

The placement host organisation should contribute to your business expenses, like travel and accommodation. If any additional funds are needed for the placement, then there may be options like contributions from your supervisor and the South Coast DTP.

As a South Coast DTP student, you will not be expected to pay for any part of the placement.

You can do your internship on a part time, full-time, or flexible basis whether you are a full time or part-time student.

It very much depends on when the host organisation needs the agreed internship project completed by, how you negotiate the terms of those timescales and the efficacy of doing the work within those timescales.

Doing a PhD is intense, and we encourage you to think about balancing the level of work needed from you if you wish to work on your internship project alongside your PhD commitments.

You can do your placement on a part time basis, this could be working the same hours as you would be on your PhD project.

Or, for example, you may work on your placement 1 day a week  and on your PhD project for the rest of your part time hours.

The funded placement period is 3 months or the part time equivalent of that period.

It very much depends on when the host organisation needs the agreed placement project completed by, how you negotiate the terms of those timescales and the efficacy of delivering the placement project within those timescales.

Doing a PhD is intense, and we encourage you to think about balancing the level of work needed from you if you wish to work on your placement project alongside your PhD commitments.

When you go on your internship will depend on a number of factors. It will be different for every South Coast DTP student.

• You will need to collaborate with your supervisors on the best time to go on your RiP placement, depending on your PhD project commitments.
• As part of your Development Needs Analysis you will reflect on what skills you are looking to develop and the best placement opportunity and timing to help support that development requirement.
• You should not do your Research in Practice placement within the masters year or first few months of the PhD and you would normally need to pass your first progression review first.

There is no competition for who goes on their placement first, every South Coast DTP student brings unique academic & work experiences and therefore the timing of the placement will be individual.

The South Coast DTP placement is a mandatory and assessed part of your South Coast DTP programme.

The ESRC have funded this part of your South Coast DTP programme, if you don’t go on the placement then that period of funding (3 months or part time equivalent) will be withdrawn by the ESRC.

The South Coast DTP Research in Practice Team and your supervisory team will collaborate with you to help you through the placement process.

The South Coast DTP placement is a mandatory and assessed part of your South Coast DTP programme.

The ESRC have funded this part of your South Coast DTP programme, if you don’t go on the placement then that period of funding (3 months or part time equivalent) will be withdrawn by the ESRC.

The South Coast DTP Research in Practice Team and your supervisory team will collaborate with you to help you through the placement process.

The ESRC are encouraging placement at a national level.

The South Coast DTP have a number of excellent organisations they have partnered with located at a national or local level.

If there is a strong business case for your placement to be based overseas because only an overseas host organisation can provide you with the development you require, you can apply for that opportunity. There may also be options for you to do your placement remotely with an international organisation.

A host organisation is the business, charity, government, local council, NGO or company you do your placement with.

Other ways of describing a host organsiation is, placement provider, placement company, internship provider or intern company.

Essentially, they are mean the same thing which is the organisation where you will do your placement.

On your application, it is not about getting it “right” or “wrong”

This is uniquely personal to you and your experiences to date.

The South Coast DTP are looking for an honest communication from you on what you think your development needs might be.

Think about where you are at right now and where you might like to end up in terms of your career destination. What skills do you think you might need to develop to help you reach those career goals?

The South Coast DTP want to provide you with the training that will be most suitable for your development needs, your refection on what you think are the skills you need to develop give us a good insight on how we can best support you. You development is a collaborative & supported process with you in the driving seat so you can proactively engage in your own personal development & career direction.

Development Needs Analysis (DNA) is a framework that helps people identify and develop their skills and training needs.

This framework & process that helps you consider your research training, professional development, and career goals. It involves reviewing current skills, identifying skills gaps, and planning for future training.

The ESRC requires that the starting point for training provision for ESRC-funded doctoral researchers is a rigorous DNA.

You should feel ownership over your bespoke learning process aligned to your needs and aspirations and record, analyse and reflect on this in the DNA.

The goal is that you reflect and plan, and together we ensure you receive the training you require.