Work Experience
BAND W - Week Commencing 13th May to 17th May 2024
BAND X - Week Commencing 20th May to 24th May 2024
All Year 10 pupils are expected to take part in work experience this academic year. We strongly advise pupils to make contact with prospective employers as soon as possible. Once an organisation has agreed to offer a work experience placement, they must complete the Student Work Experience form.
Students must input the information of the placement into Unifrog placement tool using their Unifrog accounts
What is work experience?
Work experience gives you the chance to learn outside the classroom.
It will give you the opportunity to explore new industries where you can learn about a particular job or area of work.
It will help you figure out what sort of working environment suits you best.
You can develop workplace skills and practical experience.
Why should you do work experience?
Work experience can help you decide on your options after Year 11 and beyond.
You will develop vital skills
Confidence
Communication
Leadership
Teamwork
Work experience also equips you with knowledge that will enhance your job applications and particularly your interviews.
You can add this experience onto your CV and applications to make yourself more employable.
We will add whether you have done work experience to your college reference.
Some work experience can lead to employment. If employers are impressed they may offer more work experience, part-time work or even an apprenticeship.
How to get the most out of your work experience?
Plan ahead and think about what you want to do. Think about:
the careers you are currently considering
the kind of person you are, your likes and dislikes
what is important to you in a job. Do you like working with people, animals, computers.
the environment you would like to work in, whether that is outdoors, indoors, in a shop, hospital, office or a lab.
if you want to try a job that you have been interest in or one that is completely new
what distance can you travel for your work experience
If you still can’t decide, think about what your favourite subject is and make a list of careers related to that subject.
Searching for a placement
Here are some ways to find an employer:
Firstly go to your family/friends, ask your parents, uncles/aunties, brothers/sisters and friends. They may know organisations that may take students to do work experience.
Speak to your form tutors, subject teachers and Heads of Houses, Assistant Head of houses as well as me as we may have contacts with employers and can offer advice.
Use the internet to search for companies in the sector you are interested in.
Contacting an employer yourself can seem a little daunting at first. However, there are a number of things you can do beforehand to help you prepare:
practise what you are going to say - you could ask your parents for support and ask if they will do a practice phone call
if you are going to write or email the employer ask someone to proofread it
Research the organisation on their company website
Remember to speak clearly and to be polite. Have a pen and paper ready to take notes.
What do I do once I have secured my work experience employer?
Students must complete the paper Student work experience form
Then complete all details from the Student work experience form into: www.unifrog.org/sign-in
After logging into your Unifrog account , scroll down to ‘Exploring pathways.’
Click ‘Go to tool’ on the ‘Placements’ tile.
Select + Add new placement
The deadline for all forms to be submitted is Friday 19th April 2024