The aim of our scheme is to provide you with the opportunity to experience the world of work. Work Experience will give you a chance to participate in a real working environment, develop your transferable skills, widen your career knowledge and networks, and may help you to decide what you want to do as a career.
Here are five GOOD reasons to do work experience:
To help you to decide on a career. You’ll get a taste of what a job or workplace is like, so you can decide if you’re interested in that kind of career and you will have the opportunity to ask people about their jobs
To increase self-confidence. Working with other people and successfully completing work tasks will help to build your confidence
To learn new skills. Working with other people in a new environment helps you to build the skills that employers value, including communication, problem solving and resilience
It will support your future university or job applications. On your CV or UCAS form, work experience shows that you are enthusiastic and ready to work hard, and if related to the course or job you are applying for, will demonstrate your commitment and interest
Networking. You will meet new people at the workplace Some of these contacts may be able to provide a reference for you or mentor in the future
You should try to organise your own placement, as employers appreciate the effort of students who are proactive in arranging something themselves, and the process is a useful learning experience.
Try to identify one or two career areas that interest you
Ask your parents/carers if they know anyone working in these areas
If they do, ask them for their details so that you can contact them to request a WEx placement. (Your parents can help you with this, but don’t rely on them to do everything for you.)
If they don’t know anyone relevant, research local organisations who employ people in the roles you are interested in, and contact them directly. You will need to prepare a cover letter (or email) and CV for this. Tailor your approach to each individual organisation to show you have done your research.
Check the Careers Google Site for any WEx opportunities advertised on the WEx page
If you are struggling to find a placement, contact Mrs Bircumshaw to ask for help, but make sure you can show that you have put in some effort already.
What you do on a WEx placement will depend upon what the employer is able to offer. It could be a formal programme, work shadowing or an immersive visit to an employer’s premises.
You will find the placement more interesting if it is related to career in which you are interested, but any placement will be a valuable learning experience.
Some employers offer virtual work experience. You can learn a lot about particular industries and jobs from these, but you are less likely to develop your own skills, so try to secure a placement where you are in the working environment, if possible.
The recommended dates for work experience are 29 June – 10 July 2026, and you should aim to arrange a placement during this period, if possible.
If it is more convenient for the employer, you may organise a placement during the school holidays (not during term-time). However, for placements taking place during school holidays the school will not be responsible for carrying out safety checks.
You don’t have to fill the 2 weeks, but try and use as much of that time as you can, on one or more placements. Placements of just a few days will still be worthwhile.
You must have the consent of a parent or carer in order to take part in WEx. You should therefore ask your parent/carer to complete the consent form that they have been sent by ParentMail (link here also). A placement cannot be confirmed until the agreement form has been submitted.
Once you have secured a placement you must let Mrs Li know, by completing the WEx Placement Information Form. The school needs to check with the employer that they have the necessary risk assessments and insurance in place, so please submit the placement information at least two weeks before the placement is due to start.
For any placements that you undertake, including virtual placements, please provide information using this form For in-person placements this must be done well in advance of the placement start date (i.e. at least 2-3 weeks beforehand), so that we can carry out the necessary employer checks.
When you have completed a work experience placement, either in-person or virtual, please use this Google Form to record your feedback
Key documents
Thursday 16 October 2025 - Work Experience assembly
Monday 22 June 2026 - Work Experience briefing (book return & Year 12 induction day)
Monday 29 June to Friday 10 July 2026 - Work experience takes place
If you have any questions or need any help, contact the Work Experience Administrator, Mrs Li, workexperience@tiffingirls.org
Video guide to writing your first CV with no experience
BBC Bitesize Guide to writing a CV
How to write a covering letter
This video also has great advice on CV and cover letter writing, as well as applying for jobs https://vimeo.com/818315115?share=copy
Go back to the Work Experience lesson on Xello, and remind yourself of the guidance there, and use the Xello CV Builder to help you remember what to include https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFmkHSPc6G4&t=25s
Medicine - for advice on relevant work experience see the Medical Schools Council website.
Hospitals offering work experience -
London North West University Healthcare
Pharmacy (e.g. Riverside Pharmacy, Feltham Pharmacy) offering work experience see the NHS website or Talent Academy.
STEM
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Centre of the Cell-Blizard Institute Work Experience Programme (BIWEP)
Capgemini (This may show you the 2025 programme. Please wait for the update.)
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Science and Technology Facilities Council
Law - for advice on law-related work experience see the Lawyer Portal website.
Matrix Chambers offers barrister work experience placements
Many firms of solicitors offer virtual experiences, several of which are on the Forage platform
Performing Arts
Get into Theatre - search 'work experience' for listings
Working with animals - for advice on work experience related to veterinary medicine see here
Other
Royal Horticultural Association
Royal Geographical Society work experience directory
School of Journalism/Londoners
Royal Free Charity (This may show you the 2025 programme. Please wait for the update. )
Make sure you check the opportunities on the general Work Experience page as well.
Whatever type of placement you’re on, follow these tips to make sure you have a good experience:
Be clear about what you want to get out of the experience. For example, if you want to learn about the sector or job, make sure you take as many opportunities as you can to ask questions. If you want to develop a particular skill, ask for the opportunity to do this
When you arrive, discuss the above with your supervisor, let them know what your interests are, why you wanted to get work experience with their organisation, and hand them the emergency contact sheet
Ask lots of questions. Talk to people about their jobs and how they got them, and about the skills they use. Ask about the company and the industry they are in and what advice they have for getting in
Complete a diary (you’ll be given a logbook for this) to keep a record of any work you do and note the skills and strengths you used for each task. This will help you when you update your CV or complete application forms in the future
Ask for feedback at the end of your placement (there is a section for this in the logbook). Find out how you did, and whether they have any advice for your future development
Ask if the employer would be willing to provide a reference for future applications
Thank the employer. Send your supervisor a quick email or thank-you note to say you appreciated the opportunity and, if you would like to go back, ask that they keep you in mind for the future