Work and Study

To participate in a Work and Study course, students should be:

• Aged 16 or over
• Independent, adaptible and self-motivated
• Able to use language to the standard of the first year of A-level/IB/Highers study or above*
• Able to travel to their destination and placement
• Reliable, punctual and professional in attitude

* Students who have completed a relevant language GCSE and not yet started a corresponding A-level course may be eligible to travel if they can demonstrate sufficient levels of language proficiency (typically B1 or above).

Yes! We are happy to arrange for pairs or small groups of friends to stay and study together abroad. Let us know when you book so we can connect you.

We are happy to arrange for friends to share host accommodation as long as they are the same sex. Blue Stamp Travel follows UK Government guidance on residential accommodation for gender questioning children.

Apart from in exceptional circumstances, we do not place students together in a work placement. If students are placed together, employers will endeavour to keep students apart during their shift. The reason is quite simple: students benefit most when they are immersed in the target language with no options to fall back on English.

Yes! About 80% of students travel independently with us. Most students at language school have travelled on their own and make new friends when they are there.

Travelling alone can be a great experience and is good practice for going away to university. It also fosters independence in a safe and supported environment.

The language school will give you plenty of opportunity to meet new people and socialise in and out of the school. The staff at the school are also very supportive and used to having independent travellers. The host will also be available to welcome you and introduce you to the area.

We suggest about €100 per week to cover lunch every day, snacks and coffees.

Pre-trip information will make it clear if students need to use public transport to travel between accommodation / language school / placements. Travel plans are available on request. Students should budget accordingly – check information on the website of your destination city.

Read our guide to travel money for more advice and suggestions.

These courses are sold for individuals (or pairs or small groups of friends).

However, once you arrive at the school there will be lots of other students there. Some will be from the UK, and there will always be lots of international students of all ages from all over the world to meet and mix with.

Students attending language schools take a variety of different courses, so not everyone will be taking work placements.

Pack clothes suitable for the environment in which you will be working. Your employer may ask you to bring specific types of clothing such as black trousers, or ask you not to wear certain items, such as ripped jeans or t-shirts with slogans. We ask that you respect their wishes. Wear sensible, comfortable clothes and shoes (you may be on your feet for several hours at a time!)

Please do not wear holiday clothing for your work placement, even if you are travelling to a hot destination in the summer months. Wherever your placement, you will be in a professional environment interacting with colleagues, customers, children or parents, so you should dress respectfully and professionally.

Read our handy packing guide.

The minimum booking is one week (Sunday to Saturday), but many travellers feel they get the most out of the opportunity by booking for two weeks or more. For long placements (eight weeks or more), please contact us.

The most common pattern for Work and Study is to have language lessons in the morning, typically around four hours of teaching with a break. Work placements take place in the afternoon or early evening.

Some destinations offer lessons in the afternoon to accommodate morning placements, particularly in hot climates. You will be given a detailed timetable in your pre-trip mailing and on your Babel account.

You will study in a group of international students aged 16 and over, all working at the same level of proficiency. You may find yourself learning alongside a gap year student from Glasgow, a retired reporter from Rome, or anyone of any age and background! This makes the course a truly international experience, where you will encounter people from very different backgrounds and life experiences.

You will be assigned to a class based on your language level based on an assessment prior to your trip.

Language courses at language school are not like lessons at school in the UK as they are not focused on a specific examination curriculum. Rather, they focus on using the target language as a practical tool for living and working in the respective country.

In the context of an A-level course (or equivalent), this approach will benefit students preparing for speaking examinations, listening papers and general skills in grammar and vocabulary.

If you are looking for a course with opportunities to focus on curriculum content, have a look at our A-Level Revision Courses.

The combination of work placements and language lessons means it is likely to be difficult to participate in the programme of social and cultural activities offered by your language school.

If social and cultural activities are a priority for you, we recommend considering an Intensive Language Course or A-level Revision Course, where you will have more free time for activities.

We have 10 business categories of placements. Students are required to complete an application form including the opportunity to choose five of our ten business categories. We are usually able to provide a placement in the top four preferences.

In the case of late applications, the choice of placements can sometimes be more limited.

Placement allocations are based on your profile combined with the availability of placements.

Students will also be asked to write a letter of introduction in the language of the destination country. All of the information given on the application form and in the letter is taken into consideration when we choose your placement.

Our Placement Coordinators match students to placements, rather than offering a choice of placements for students to select from. With their wealth of country, region and city-specific experience, they are able to provide placements that will offer students a rewarding experience in an  environment where they improve their language skills.

Students should provide as much information as possible when enrolling, especially if they have a strong preference for (or aversion to) a specific business category or type of work. That said, we ask that students be flexible, as it may not always be possible to find a placement in a specific category, especially at busy times of year.

A Placement Coordinator may arrange a placement in a setting that is lower in a student’s list of priorities if they feel it offers an environment more conducive to language learning and development.

Placements are allocated prior to travel. Students are informed of their placement within the two weeks prior to travel in a final email and via their Babel account.

The majority of placements are arranged for students to be on their own. This reduces the temptation to speak English during the placement. There are some work places that can accommodate multiple students in different areas (e.g. front of house and kitchen at restaurant or different rooms at a nursery).

We have an extensive range of placements. No two are the same and the tasks at each vary considerably. Students will be given some indication of the tasks when they receive their placement, however, they should be prepared to fully engage in all the aspects of the work at the placement.

It is important to note that the main aim of the work experience trip is to improve students’ linguistic abilities as well as providing the opportunities to learn and apply tranferable skills.

It is also worth noting that some roles will involve tasks similar to that of a part-time job in the UK. Others may involve shadowing your supervisor whilst they carry out tasks.

If you’re not sure and would like some advice, get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

Students taking the Work and Study package will usually spend five half-days at their work placement in a typical week. Occasionally, due to Bank Holidays, weekday closures or other constraints some students may work less than five days. In these instances additional opportunities for recreation, discovering the local area are usually available.

We aim to provide around 15 hours’ work over the week. This may vary depending on the nature of the work placement and workplace opening hours.

For longer stays, we are happy to arrange for placements to start after the first week in country to give students more free time in their first week. Let us know before booking and we will put together a bespoke package.

The majority of placements are within 30 minutes’ travel time on foot or by public transport.

Using local transport is very much part of learning to live abroad independently and provides opportunities to use your language skills too.

Occasionally, placements can take longer to get to but we will always inform you in advance and provide a route plan. In cases where the journey time may be longer, we make sure that the route is easy to follow. We aim not to provide routes that need connecting transport.

Work placements are not paid. Just like work experience you may have undertaken in the UK, placements are designed to provide you with opportunities to experience the world of work and develop skills that you may not be able to in a school, college or university environment; customer service, working as part of a team, time-keeping, independence, work-place specific skills and much more. In addition, you will have the opportunity to practise your language skills in a unique way.

We recommend booking at least 12 weeks prior to travel. This gives plenty of time for students to complete all of the pre-trip tasks needed for them to get the most out of their stay abroad.

Later applications may be accepted, but the range of placements may be limited, especially during school holidays and at busy periods. Please contact us if you would like to book at short notice to avoid disappointment.

Course booking may be closed for certain cities and periods when demand is high or availability of placements limited. Book in good time to ensure you get the destination and placement you want.

Full details are shown above under ‘Included in this Package’. Please be aware that there may be some variation between destinations – check each course page carefully. We will be happy to help if you have any questions.

Students make their own travel arrangements to get to the destination city. If host accommodation is selected, hosts in some cities can collect students on arrival – check ‘Included in this Package’ above for the specific arrangements in a given city.

Airport transfers can be arranged on request, but most students are happy to use public transport as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative.

When booking flights / trains, please be mindful of arrival / departure times, as it may not be possible to check in to host accommodation late at night, or for hosts to assist with very early departures. It is almost always possible to arrange an additional night at the beginning or end of a trip to facilitate more suitable travel times. Contact us if you have any questions.

We recommend checking flights before choosing dates and a destination – www.skyscanner.com is a useful source of information on schedules, destinations and prices.

However, please wait until we confirm your booking by email before booking your flights.

After we receive your deposit, it generally takes two to three business days for us to make the preliminary arrangements necessary to confirm your trip – especially when using host accommodation.

As with most city breaks, to make the most of exploring the area there will be lots of walking and exploring using public transport. This will help you get to know the city and give you plenty of opportunities to use your language skills.

You may be required to take public transport to get to your work placement.

All Work and Study trips include the option of homestay accommodation. Student residences are available in some destinations.

Homestay: Students are welcomed into hosts’ homes for the duration of the stay. The hosts provide meals and the opportunity to speak the target language as well as being an excellent source of local knowledge. Read our guide to host accommodation.

Residence: student residences offer independence and freedom to enjoy the city, generally on a self-catering basis. As such, they are ideal for longer stays. Some residences only accept travellers aged 18 and above: check course information at the top of the page.

You are also welcome to arrange your own accommodation for your stay. Please be aware that hotels in certain countries are not allowed to accept unaccompanied travellers aged under 18.

Homestay: Breakfast and evening meals are provided.

Residence: Self-catering – no meals provided but there are always plenty of places to eat out to make the most of the local area and culture.

Students who opt to stay with a host can choose to share with somebody or be housed individually dependent on their preference.

At the time of application, if you wish to, you can tell us the name of any particular friend with whom you would like to share. We will endeavour to organise this for the students, subject to availability.*

In shared accommodation, some rooms are twin rooms, some are single. Hosts come in all shapes and sizes as do their homes.

* We are happy to arrange for friends to share host accommodation as long as they are the same sex. Blue Stamp Travel follows UK Government guidance on residential accommodation for gender questioning children.

We have been working with partner language schools and homestay organisations for many years. All hosts who provide accommodation are visited and vetted prior to first use. Local police checks are carried out and a minimum standard of accommodation and facilities is required. (Please note that police checks are not routinely used for homestay hosts in Germany.)

Most hosts have been hosting time and time again for many years with well known satisfaction ratings from past students.

Hosts are visited regularly and vetted by the schools’ homestay coordinators.

In line with best practice all students have 24-hour contact numbers with local homestay coordinators as well as the UK based office.

Read our guide to safeguarding in host accommodation.

This is not an expectation, but many students like to bring a small gift for their hosts, or purchase one during their stay. Something typical of your home country or region will be appreciated (shortbread is almost always a hit)

If you have a more severe allergy please let us know through your application.  It is important we know this as soon as possible so that we can allocate hosts appropriately.

Where slight adjustments to the food served are needed these can usually be made in most hosts. If more significant changes are needed we may seek a specific host who can cater for your needs.

If you carry an epi-pen (or similar) for allergies, we will inform the hosts in advance if you are staying with a host.

Vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten free and other specific diets can usually be accommodated. In some locations there may be a charge for a special diet to be provided. Please let us know of any requirements early in your application. 

Where small adjustments are needed such as avoiding strawberries for a mild allergy reasons or avoiding certain foods out of preference (like brussel sprouts, for example), you can simply inform us on your application and we will make sure your host knows to avoid these foods during your stay.

Some do. If you would prefer not to stay in a home with pets, let us know when you enrol.

Work and Study trips are provided for students who are confident or aiming to grow in confidence. As such, they include a level of supervision provided by the language school and the hosts who are in liaison with us in the UK office as necessary. However, there is also a degree of independence and freedom for young students to use their time at their discretion in a sensible manner as a young adult.

Older students are afforded the same level of support, as required.

We ask that students read, sign and adhere to the Code of Conduct and that this is supported by parents/guardians as necessary.

The Code of Conduct is part of the application process for travellers aged under 18. It is an agreement that we ask students and parents/carers to sign in order to make clear the expectations of students behaviour on these trips. In general students are keen to get the most our of the trip and this is best achieved when following the simple rules.

Read the current Code of Conduct