The Cooperative Education & Careers Division is here to help you organise your Cooperative Education placement, School Placement and to help you plan your career. We have developed this Customer Charter by taking on board the views of students and employers. This Charter explains what you can expect from us.

Cooperative Education

What we will do for you

We will do our best to help you secure your Cooperative Education placement. We will serve all our customers in an equal, fair and courteous manner.

Pre Placement

We will:

  • Provide at least three Employability Programmes.
  • Provide up-to-date information and a guide to resources on the website e.g. CV completion - Interview preparation 
  • Provide access to Cooperative Education Reports, where available, as part of your preparation for interview. 
  • Enable you to drop in if you have a query during the following hours: Monday-Friday 11:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00. the Cooperative Education team are located in the main building, office EO-007.
  • Provide you with a one-to-one appointment with a Cooperative Education Manager if you need to discuss your specific circumstances. 
  • Circulate your CV to a number of employers, subject to meeting their selection criteria. 

During Placement

We will:

  • Guarantee that, while on placement, if you ring us with an urgent query we will respond within one working day.
  • Ensure that all other queries will get a response within five working days.
  • Forward your placement details to Faculties in order to facilitate a visit by an academic member.
  • Provide Guidelines for your Cooperative Education Report on the website.
  • Forward an evaluation form to your placement supervisor.

Post Placement

We will:

  • Provide a receipt when you submit your Cooperative Education Report.
  • Ensure that your Cooperative Education Report can be assessed on time for Examination Board, provided you have made the submission deadline.

Career Service

What we will do for you

We will do our best to help you plan your career by providing appropriate advice and information. We will serve all our customers in an equal, fair and courteous manner.

Careers Advice

We will:

  • Provide a facility (CareersConnect) whereby you can book an appointment to see a Careers Advisor.
  • The office is open from 9 am – 5pm daily. The Careers team are located in the main building, office EO-019.
  • Help you to improve your CV and prepare for interviews.
  • Invite final-year and postgraduate students to attend at least one career information seminar at the beginning of your final year.
  • Provide you with access to career planning resources through the careers website.

Access to information

We will:

  • Provide you with up-to-date information on careers, postgraduate study and job vacancies through the website, notice board, email and publications.
  • Ensure that the careers website is up to date

Careers Workshops

We will:

  • Invite you to attend a series of career planning workshops to help you prepare for your transition to employment or postgraduate study.
  • Respond to requests from you or your class to run specific career workshops.
  • Provide customised career workshops for postgraduate students and mature students

Access to Employers

We will provide you with opportunities to meet a wide range of graduate employers through a continuous schedule of employer presentations and Careers Fairs on campus.

School Placement

What we will do for you

We are here to help you secure your school placement and to help you prepare for a career in teaching. We will serve all our customers in an equal, fair and courteous manner.

Pre Placement

We will:

  • Forward your details to schools regarding your forthcoming placement.
  • Promote you to schools until you have been successfully placed.
  • Forward your placement details to Tutors in order to facilitate supervisory School Placement visits.
  • Inform you of the names and contact details of your Education and Specialist Tutors.
  • Provide you with a one-to-one appointment with the School Placement Coordinator if you need to discuss your specific circumstances.
  • Provide you with a Student School Placement Handbook.
  • Enable you to drop in if you have a query, office hours are 09:00 – 17:00 Monday – Friday. The school placement team are located in the main building offices BM-025 & BM-026.

During Placement

We will:

  • Guarantee that, while on placement if you ring us with an urgent query we will respond within one working day.
  • Ensure that all other queries received will get a response within five working days.

Post placement

We will:

  • Coordinate submission of Tutors’ grades and submit them to Grading Boards.
  • Seek feedback from Principals regarding your performance on School Placement.
  • Coordinate Tutors’submissions regarding School Placement Award nominations.

Help us to help you

  • You are required to attend Employability Programmes, organised to help you with your Cooperative Education placement.
  • Read the Cooperative Education Handbook provided.
  • Take ownership of the quality and accuracy of your Cooperative Education CV (e.g. run a spell and grammar check – refer to the Guidelines in the Cooperative Education Handbook).
  • Check your student e-mails daily for Cooperative Education updates.
  • Research employer information prior to interviews.
  • Keep all interview appointments with employers.
  • Check your student portal for interview results.
  • Please notify us in advance if you have any special requirements when planning for Cooperative Education and we will do our best to facilitate you.
  • Adhere to all the Cooperative Education deadlines.
  • Provide us with your mobile phone number.

Comments/Suggestions

Your feedback is very valuable to us and we welcome receiving it. The service solicits feedback throughout the year via student surveys. Should you wish to provide additional feedback, please contact coopinfo@ul.ie. Please indicate if you would like a response and we will reply within five working days.

Help us to help you

If you are a final year or postgraduate student, please:

  • Check the website at least once a week to familiarise yourself with updated information.
  • Check your UL email account at least twice a week for any messages from the Career Service.
  • Use CareersConnect to schedule an appointment for careers advice and check vacancies.
  • Research employer information prior to interviews.
  • Notify us in advance if you have any special requirements when participating in careers activities and we will do our best to facilitate you.
  • Familiarise yourself with deadlines (e.g. job applications) and ensure that you adhere to them.

Comments/Suggestions

Your feedback is very valuable to us and we welcome receiving it. The service solicits feedback throughout the year via student surveys. Should you wish to provide additional feedback, please contact careers@ul.ie. Please indicate if you would like a response and we will reply within five working days.

Help us to help you

  • Please attend meetings and appointments organised to help you with your School Placement.
  • Please read and familiarise yourself with the Student School Placement Handbook.
  • Complete your online registration for School Placement.
  • Please notify us if you have any special requirements when preparing for School Placement so that we can try our best to facilitate you.
  • Submit your School Placement timetables to CECD.
  • Familiarise yourself with appropriate deadlines (e.g. registration on TUS etc.) and ensure you adhere to them.
  • Maintain ongoing contact with your Tutors during School Placement regarding any issues affecting your availability for classes.
  • If you are ill during School Placement send us your medical certificates.

Comments/Suggestions

Your feedback is very valuable to us and we welcome receiving it. The service solicits feedback throughout the year via student surveys. Should you wish to provide additional feedback, please contact schoolplacement@ul.ie. Please indicate if you would like a response and we will reply within five working days.

You can download the PDF version of our Customer Charter here