We are delighted to announce that applications are open for a funded placement opportunity with the Department for Education (DfE).  Both the DfE’s Disadvantage Team, which leads the DfE’s cross cutting approach to reducing inequality and disparities in England, and the DfE's Climate Change and Sustainability Team would like to invite PhD students with an interest in policy to join them on a three-month placement, funded via Royal Holloway's PGR Career Enhancement Placement Scheme.  

This is an exciting opportunity to gain experience of policy-making at the heart of government and is open to generalists who do not have expertise in education policy.  You will work with experienced civil servants on topics of the utmost importance, learn about how policy-making works in practice and demonstrate that you have the skills needed to perform effectively in a policy setting.

Students participating in similar programmes elsewhere in government have given excellent feedback about their experiences, and many have gone on to work in policy after finishing their studies.

 Funding and impact on submission deadline 

• If you are a College-funded student, you will interrupt your studies and your stipend will be paused for the duration of the placement  - but you will receive a  a bursary commensurate with the standard full-time studentship stipend i.e. equivalent to £378 per week full time during the placement.  Your funding end date will be extended to reflect the time taken away from your research to do the placement.
• If your PhD is self-funded, you will receive a bursary commensurate with a studentship stipend i.e. equivalent to £378 per week during the placement.
• In both cases:
  • You will also be eligible to apply for up to £1,500 in addition to support travel, accommodation, and other expenses.
  • Your submission deadline will  be extended to reflect the time taken away from your research to do the placement.
• If you are UKRI-funded, you can still apply for this placement opportunity.  However, if you are successful, it will be expected that you source the funding for the placement from your own Research Council's placement scheme. 

Before you submit your application

Before you submit your application for one of these PGR placement opportunities please ensure that you:

• Read the advert carefully.
• Read the PGR Career Enhancement Placement Scheme guide carefully to understand the implications for your registration deadlines, for funding information, etc.
• Discuss your plans with your supervisor, as they will need to approve your placement.  You will be asked to upload a supporting statement from them as part of your application.
• Prepare a CV, outlining your qualifications, key skills and experience (including work, teaching or voluntary experience).  You will be asked to upload this as part of your application.
• If you are on a Student Route visa, contact the International Student Support Office for advice on how many hours you can spend on your placement a week.
• Contact the Doctoral School if you have any queries that are not addressed in the PGR Career Enhancement Placement Scheme guide or webpage.

The application form is for placements in both teams advertised,  If you have a preference, please make this clear in your application.  You will need to submit the application in one sitting.  You can view the information you need to provide here.

Once you have submitted your application, the Doctoral School will be in contact with you within a week to advise on the probable timeline for the decision and to explain the next steps.

Department for Education placement application form