CLiP for employers

Facilitating placements

CLiP placements will be managed through the College’s CLiP Portal, This will be used to advertise placement opportunities for students and to manage the selection process. Employers will be able to use the CLiP Portal to view applications, manage their longlisting and shortlisting process and to select the CLiP student they want to employ. 

The CLiP Portal will allow the College to manage the overall process, introducing general timelines and deadlines for all applications. We will also restrict students from holding offers. The system will only allow one offer at a time, with a strict time limit to accept or reject it. 

Once the student is in post, employers will also use the CLiP Portal to track the student’s progress. 

CLiP employer handbook (PDF)

Expectations for the CLiP placement

Employers offering a CLiP work-based learning placement to a student will agree to the following: 

  • Arranging face-to-face patient encounters on a regular daily basis, at least four weekdays each week (and this can be shared between more than one employer)
  • Having at least one employee who is suitably qualified and experienced to supervise a student
  • Ensuring the supervising employees meet College requirements and can be given the required time and resources to fulfil the duties of this role
  • Providing the required consulting room facilities and equipment to allow for student training and supervision for at least 20 hours per week
  • Offering a fixed term employment contract to a student for around a year, starting in January/February or July/August with a minimum term of 11 months, ideally with scope to extend if needed if re-sits are required, for example.

Support for employers

The CLiP placement is an integrated part of the master’s degree, and the College and University will offer support for both the student and for the employer providing the work-based learning experience. 

The university will ensure that the student has passed all the requirements, at a sufficient standard, mapped against specified GOC learning outcomes, to start the placement. The university will also organise the weekly learning day activities. 

The College will organise the placement application process and the assessment of the student. We will be the main point of contact for employers with any queries about the student or the placement and we will provide a package of support and training for staff who supervise. 

Contract and conditions

The employer will enter into a paid employment contract with the student appointed to the CLiP placement. In addition to the expectations for CLiP employers, above, the employer will need to ensure that: 

  • the student works no more than 30 hours over four working days per week, with roughly equal hours each day
  • one full learning day, Monday to Friday, is reserved for study and the student is not required at the practice on that day
  • there is cover for the student under the practice liability insurance
  • the student can experience a range of different tasks and is able to carry out eye examinations in a consulting room, with at least 20 hours per week access to the room
  • arrangements for the student’s supervision are in place and the student and supervisors are allocated the time required to work on the student’s progress (which will not differ significantly from that required for the Scheme)

More details can be found in the CLiP Employer Handbook (above), but in response to some frequently asked questions about these arrangements: 

  • The College does not stipulate levels of pay but considers it good practice to invest in the student’s development and to offer a full-time salary equal to at least National Living Wage
  • If the student needs to re-sit elements of the assessment, this should be possible within the set timeframe of the placement. However, employers should consider whether they would be able to extend the placement in the event that the student needs extensive re-take opportunities
  • Students will need to take leave within the placement period, and it will be easier to arrange this if the placement starts at the earliest opportunity (in most cases, that would be early July, rather than the latest possible start date of August)
  • At the end of the CLiP placement, students will need to complete some final assessments with the university and will be able to register with the GOC on award of the degree
  • Employers are able to make arrangements with students to work additional days (eg weekends) while on the placement if the student wants this. They can also arrange for them to continue in employment following the CLiP placement. 

Fees

Students will pay tuition fees for the master’s degree and will not be charged directly for the CLiP element. 

The College will charge fees for the CLiP placement to both the university and the employer. As the overall fee will be shared in this way, we expect the fee that employers are asked to pay to be significantly lower than current Scheme for Registration fees. 

We will ask for payment when the student starts work on the placement. 

Registering as a CLiP employer

We will soon let employers know how they can register as a CLiP employer. This will involve providing some basic information about the work-based setting and the resources the employer can provide. The College will need to maintain a register of all CLiP employers and thereby grant access to the CLiP Portal and other services. 

For now, employers are invited to register interest in CLiP information and updates.

If you are interested in learning more about providing CLiP placements, please see the CLiP Employer Handbook, above.