Placement year

PLAYS-munt /ˈpleɪsmənt/

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What it really means

A year working in industry as part of a university degree, usually between the second and final year. Also called a "sandwich year" or "year in industry". Placement students are normally paid.

Chinese explanation

实习年：大学学位中在企业工作的一年，通常安排在大二和大四之间，也叫"sandwich year"或"year in industry"。实习年学生一般有工资。

Example conversation

A: You're graduating a year after me? B: Yes, I did a placement year at an engineering firm — best decision I made.

A：你比我晚一年毕业？ B：对，我在一家工程公司做了一年实习——这是我做过的最好的决定。

What you could say back

“Did the placement help you get a graduate job?”

Related phrases

Internship Graduate scheme Work experience

Official sources

Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.

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Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team · Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake