AFBI welcomes applications from students who are seeking work experience or placement opportunities.
We are now open for placement applications and will close on Monday 17th November. Another application window will open in February 2026. Please refer to the information below before submitting your application.
Application forms are available at the links below:
School or College Student Application Form
University Student Application Form
As well as providing you with important experience and developing an awareness of the workplace, a placement with AFBI can help you to make decisions about your future career. Our placements also support your academic studies, by providing workplace experience while you develop your research skills and industry knowledge.
We offer unpaid student placement opportunities for periods of one week, up to one year, depending on your stage of study, your particular area of interest, and branch placement availability.
Where do we offer placements?
We can host student placements at all of our 7 sites, however this depends on your level of study, duration of requested placement and the branch’s own ability to host placements e.g. time of year, number of placements available.
Please note, there are separate application forms for school students and university students (undergraduate/ postgraduate) so please ensure you complete and submit the correct form.
Please refer to our guide which identifies branch and site ability to host placements.
What type of placements do we offer?
We offer placements in all of our branches. These include areas such as Virology, Bacteriology, Agronomy & Plant Science, Sustainable Livestock Systems and Fisheries & Aquatic Ecosystems.
We have placement opportunities for school students seeking one week of work experience, and for university students (under graduate and post graduate) seeking work placements from one week up to one year, including summer placements.
If you are seeking a placement as a university student, please note, within some of our branches, there is a minimum duration of 6 months. Please refer to our guide which identifies branch and site ability to host placements. This guide will also advise you of particular times of the year when placements are not likely to be available, and some desirable criteria when making your application.
Is there a minimum duration?
Our placement opportunities are for a minimum of 5 consecutive days. Unfortunately, we do not offer placements for less than this. Maximum duration is one year, for university students who are required to undertake a placement year. Availability is on a branch-by-branch basis.
Are our work placements paid?
Unfortunately, we do not offer paid placements or any payments towards travel or other expenses at this time.
How can I apply?
You can apply by completing an application form here on our website. The application process will open at least twice during the academic year (October and February). Once the application window opens, interested students should complete an online application, identifying your preferred site(s), area(s) of interest, and dates requested.
There are different application forms for school students and university students (undergraduate/ postgraduate), so please ensure you complete the correct form.
The application window will be open for an agreed period of time, however early applications are encouraged as we will review and approve applications on an ongoing basis. Some branches have identified preferred selection criteria, so please refer to this when making your application.
As well as completing and submitting the online application, you must also email a completed confidentiality agreement and indemnity agreement* to learning.development@afbini.gov.uk. Please note, applications will not be progressed until these are received. These can be downloaded from the student placement page of the AFBI website.
*If you are a Queen’s University Belfast student, a QUB indemnity form will be required to be completed on approval of your placement. Queen’s University Belfast students are not required to complete the AFBI indemnity at the time of application. Only the confidentiality agreement is required to be completed and submitted with your application.
Confidentiality & Indemnity forms for school or college students
Confidentiality & Indemnity forms for university students
When can I apply?
The online application window will open in October and February each year. If all available placements are not filled, we may open the window again, so you should continue to monitor the AFBI website if you are seeking a placement opportunity. University students seeking a summer placement or year long placement are encouraged to apply early in the October window for the following summer or academic year.
What does my school/college/university need to do?
We only accept placement applications where they are supported by a sponsoring school/college/university. Your school/college/university must complete the indemnity agreement and you must submit this as part of your application to learning.development@afbini.gov.uk at the time of submitting your online application.
Unfortunately, applications will not be progressed if these are not received at the time of applying, along with the completed confidentiality agreement, which the student completes.
Do I need an Access NI check?
For all placements over 4 weeks, we require an Access NI Basic Disclosure. You will be asked to provide this once you have returned a completed indemnity agreement and confidentiality agreement, and we have confirmed we can host your placement. The Access NI will be carried out at your own expense. Placements over 4 weeks cannot commence until we have received and are satisfied with the Access NI Basic Disclosure.
When will I hear about my application?
Early applications are encouraged as we will review and approve applications on an ongoing basis. If you have completed the application form in full, and have submitted the completed confidentiality and indemnity agreements, your application will be considered. We will let you know as soon as possible if we will be able to accommodate your request.
Do we accept applications from international students?
Yes we do. If you are a student studying at a UK Higher Education Institute (HEI), you can apply as outlined above, however we will require some additional supporting information from you, if your application is approved. This additional information will include a supporting letter from your UK sponsoring university. If you are studying in the UK with a student visa, depending on where and what you are studying, there may be restrictions on the number of hours placement you can undertake.
If you are an international student living and studying outside the UK we will need additional supporting information from you, in particular a copy of your visa which will vary dependent upon your level of study (e.g. degree level, masters level), how long you will be in the UK, the nature of the research or placement you wish to undertake, and for how long.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that visa requirements are met.