Working away

You must upload an approved Risk Assessment to your application. This is to ensure risks have been considered and, where possible, mitigated before you travel. 

Even if you are working away for less than two weeks (and not required to apply to work away), you are advised to complete a Risk Assessment. Similarly, if undertaking research (other than on a Placement or Internship - where leave to work away and a Risk Assessment are always required) at sites outside Cambridge but continuing to reside in the city (such as, travelling to and from sites within a day), although you do not need to apply to work away, you are strongly advised to complete a Risk Assessment to ensure you consider all potential risks of your planned trip(s).

A Risk Assessment can also help to protect against loss of valuable Intellectual Property and research data. It can also help you budget realistically and make safer and more accurate travel plans.

Please use Peregrine Foresight (Cambridge log-in required) to complete a pre-travel risk assessment, and check with your Department’s Postgraduate Office what the local arrangements are for approving a risk assessment.

Please ensure you read the information on assessing risk and other safeguarding measures that can be found at https://www.safeguarding.admin.cam.ac.uk/

Working away activity

Risk assessment required?

Any kind of data collection or fieldwork away from Cambridge, including archival or library-based work, within the UK

Yes

Any kind of data collection or fieldwork away from Cambridge, including archival or library-based work overseas (in home country or elsewhere)

Yes

Internship/placement

Yes

IIf you need to update your Risk Assessment after submission but whilst the application is still pending, notify your Department and they will upload the revised Risk Assessment to your application. You will not be able to revise the Risk Assessment after your application to work away has been accepted/declined.

Broadly speaking, export control applies to goods, technology, or software that are designed for, or could be used for, a military purpose, contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or be used for human rights violations. In this context 'technology' means information necessary for the development, production or use of controlled goods or software (which can include research data, methodologies, designs and specifications).

Research that is designed or can be modified for military use is the most likely to be controlled, but dual-use items that are intended for civilian use but could also be used for military purposes may also be controlled, such as certain biological agents. It is not always obvious that research is controlled. As such, care should be taken, particularly in more applied disciplines. 

You should seek advice from your supervisor as to whether your research is subject to Export Control legislation. If you will be working away outside of the UK, and any goods, technology, or software that you plan to take with you or access remotely from overseas are subject to Export Control, you should take action to ensure you comply with the law.

It is important to understand that export does not only mean the physical transfer of items to a destination outside the UK. It also includes:

• electronic transfers such as email, uploading information to an overseas server, or accessing a UK server while you are overseas
• travelling overseas with controlled information on paper, in a laptop, USB stick or similar, even if you don’t intend to access that information while you are out of the UK
• oral transmission of controlled technology overseas such as a telephone call or video conference.

The University’s free Business Travel insurance provides a very high level of cover. In case of emergency, travellers are immediately provided with professional assistance. This includes medical emergencies, natural catastrophes or political upheaval, and war. 

Insurance | Finance Division

In case of emergency, travellers are immediately provided with professional assistance. This includes medical emergencies, natural catastrophes or political upheaval, and war. 

Please note that personal travel insurance policies are not acceptable for University business trips as the cover may not be adequate and in some cases business trips are excluded altogether.

You cannot use the University’s Business Travel Insurance for personal holidays. For these, you must obtain your own suitable insurance.

Working away activity - is travel insurance required?

Any kind of data collection or fieldwork away from Cambridge, but within the UK, including archival or library-based work, internships or placements

University insurance not available

Any kind of data collection or fieldwork abroad, including archival or library-based work overseas (in home country or elsewhere), internships or placements

Yes (University Business Travel Insurance)

Non-research postgraduate students (such as ‘taught MPhil’ students) are expected to live and study in Cambridge during term time, but have holiday breaks between terms (depending on course requirements).  Students on taught programmes who need to undertake research away from Cambridge for more than two weeks must apply to work away (whether during term time or a scheduled 'holiday break'). Please also see guidance in the section on 'residence requirements'.

Students on full-time taught Masters courses should remain in Cambridge for the duration of their course and are required to be in Cambridge for the final element of mandatory assessment which may be submission of the final piece of mandatory assessed coursework or attendance at a mandatory viva.

When deciding whether to travel, the University Guidelines for Sustainable Business Travel supports staff and students in assessing first if travel is necessary. If travel is essential, the Guidelines state that the least carbon-intensive mode should be selected and if flying is required, economy class tickets should be chosen and consideration can be given to using the (Cambridge login needed) ​University Carbon Contribution Scheme | Environmental Sustainability Hub​

For full support in considering how to apply the Guidelines to your situation, you can use the (Cambridge login needed) Decision Tool | Sustainable Business Travel  

To find the Guidelines document, and all related tools and guidance for planning travel, as well as interesting case studies by other members of the University re-thinking travel, visit (Cambridge login needed) ​Sustainable Business Travel | Environmental Sustainability Hub​.

Reasons for working away 

Required to apply to work away?

Working away from Cambridge for up to 2 weeks 

No

However, please note that the reasons for working away still need to be for a purpose relating to your studies, for example attending a conference or making a short trip to visit an archive.

Working away from Cambridge for more than 2 weeks

Yes

There must be good academic reasons why you need to be in that location, for example undertaking essential fieldwork.

Placement/internship integral to your course/research - this includes a placement/internship in a location that means you will continue to be resident in Cambridge*

Yes 

*This is because we need to record that you are doing a placement/internship. 

Fieldwork/data collection/archival research away from Cambridge but you will still reside in Cambridge (i.e. travelling to and from sites within a day)

No

Personal or medical circumstances 

If you need to take a break from study due to illness or personal reasons, please see guidance on medical intermission and non-medical intermission. Applications to work away for non-academic reasons will not be approved.

Part time students, who are not required to live in Cambridge, need to apply to work away if studying, carrying out research, writing up or completing corrections away from their normal place of residence during their course for more than two weeks.

All full-time postgraduate students are required to keep at least three of terms of residence in Cambridge in order to be eligible for their degree. Although the minimum requirement is three terms, full-time students are expected to be in Cambridge throughout their studies, prior to submission of their thesis for examination, unless they have valid academic reasons for working away (please see above) or are taking part of their 8-week holiday entitlement per academic year. Information about when a student must be in Cambridge in order to keep term can be found in the terms of study web page.

This residency requirement is particularly relevant for students on a one-year MPhil, as it restricts how much time they can spend away from Cambridge. It is expected that any fieldwork or research activity outside Cambridge will normally be scheduled at a time and of a duration to allow compliance with the residence requirement. Under limited circumstances, MPhil students may be granted an exemption from the residence requirement for up to one full-time term. Applications may be considered from:

• students on certain taught MPhil programmes which require a mandatory period working under supervision outside of Cambridge, such as a placement or internship, of a duration or timing that means residency cannot be kept;
• MPhil students who need to conduct essential, but non-mandatory, fieldwork or research activity that cannot take place in Cambridge and:
  • is of a duration that the residency requirement cannot be kept irrespective of the departure date; or
  • the nature of the activity constrains the timing of the work away (for example, field study of a natural event that only occurs for a short time window each year).

Students should apply to work away in the normal way. Applications are considered on an individual basis. Exemption from the residence requirement does not alter fee liability.

Students on full-time taught Masters courses should remain in Cambridge for the duration of their course and are required to be in Cambridge for the final element of mandatory assessment which may be submission of the final piece of mandatory assessed coursework or attendance at a mandatory viva.

The University can normally continue visa sponsorship during a period of approved working away. This is because you will continue to be engaged with your studies during your time away and it is considered integral to your research that you are undertaking this activity away from Cambridge. From a visa perspective, it is considered you will be studying at an authorised temporary location.

Remote study is not permitted on a Student visa, except where the activity requires you to be away from Cambridge and is approved via the Leave to Work Away procedures.

International Student Office can help with any queries you might have regarding your Student Visa.

Unless they have already met the fee liability for their course, students are still liable for fees during periods of working away.

If you are funded by the SLC, a Research Council or other funding body, you should always discuss your plans for working away with the relevant administrator before submitting an application, as there may be implications for your award.

If you are working away outside of the UK you should ensure that you are aware of and adhere to any local tax law.  

You apply for leave to work away via your CamSIS self-service. For general information on how to apply for a change in your student status see Applying for a change in your student status. Please check the "reasons for working away" section below before applying to ensure you are eligible. 

• Read detailed guidance to help you apply for leave to work away.
• Watch a training video on applying to work away.

If you are working away for more than one purpose:

• If you are doing the activities sequentially, you should submit separate applications.
• If you are doing the activities at the same time, you only need to submit one application for that period, but you should make the reasons for working away very clear in your application. You should only select ‘writing up’ as the purpose of your trip if that is the only activity you are doing. If you are doing any research activity at the same time as writing up, you should not select ‘writing up’ as the purpose of your trip and you must ensure you complete a risk assessment and obtain insurance for the period when you will be undertaking research activity.