I don't want ds to do work experience.

I haven't read the whole thread, but am bemused by the coment that haveing pupils out on residentials or WE "clears the decks"! No! it doubles the work load; we spend our lives running around the ocuntryside checking up on them!

WE is a compulsary part of the national curriculum. Your DS will be expected to be able to discuss it when applying for A levels, jobs, training or university. The only students that don't do it are the obes that get sacjked, or ones the school can't trust the behaviour of to send them out in the first place. Is that how you want furture employers to catagorise your son?

Pupils benefit hugely from work experiance. They develop more in those two weeks than at any other tiome in their secondary education. They become more reliable and confident. They return to school far better informed about career options they may be looking into, AND motivated be realising(often for the first time) that qualifications gained at school really will make a diffrence to the options availbale to them as adults.

Why on earth would you want your sone to miss all thet?

I loved my work experience. My 2 weeks was split, as my first choice placement could only take me for a week. First week was spent in an air traffic control tower, got to go flying several times and had a fabulous time.

Second week was as a housekeeper in a hotel. Not something I particularly wanted to do, but I went with a positive attitude and still enjoyed it (although obviously not as much as the first week!).

Like others, I think you have quite a strange attitude towards work experience to be honest.

Through school Amber.

Did he apply directly or was it done through his school?

I live in London so would not need residential [well my DS not me!]

His school has said it won't be as much as it says on the website, don't know why, I'm not going to ask!

Sauvignon that looks great but rather pricey!

Fantastic opportunity if you can afford it though.

Sauvignon, that looks amazing!! I want to do that!!

Why do you feel sorry for teachers maypole? I think you are going over the top.

God I hope your son isn't as negative as you!!!!! I congratulate you on your parenting skills.

Whilst DS has already arranged WE he has been told that this sort of summer school will count instead.
Would this sort of thing appeal? It's residential so travel not an issue.

I think the op sums up wants wrong with a lot of people today

Their parents

What a world were one can complain about their teenage child doing things for themselves, getting experience of working world and people feel like chickens tp tell their child what to do.

I weep for this generation we have on another thread some children even have one book in tier home now we have people questioning why children need WE

I feel sorry for teachers if this is the stance by some

No.2 son did WE in Yr 10. Not what he wanted to do, particularly, but hadn't pulled his finger out to sort one earlier. Actually enjoyed it and was then given 3 weeks paid work afterwards. He learnt a lot about the day-to-day workings of a Sports Shop.

He does not want to go into Retail (he is now at Uni doing a Sports degree), but it was a great way to learn about dealing with people, both easy ones and tricky ones.

Also got some (non-compulsory) WE the following year at an advertising company with three of his mates (he was there to make up numbers) where they were given a project to do (shadowing/replicating one that had already been started by the company). They came up with some good ideas, and quite a lot of bad ones, but some of the good ideas were later incorporated into the main pitch. They came away with a great deal of pride and satisfaction, but he still does not want to go into advertising.

The main argument against WE seems to be that several thousand kids will be seeking a placement at the same time so it will be difficult to get the placement you want.

But how is this different from leaving school/trying to support yourself at university: surely there will be thousands of young people competing for the same job then?

This is precisely what I want dd to learn from her work experience: that you don't just walk into your preferred job but that you have to be pro-active and prepared to try again and again. If the lesson was that you can sit back and relax because other people will help you to exactly what you want, then I'd be a lot more dubious about the whole thing...

I think thats more to do with the type of we your child's school set up for their students.

And what you describe it not unlike what it would be like if they were to work for the council lol

Lots of standing around and lots of things that can't be done due to health and safety

I could be useful but in a lot of cases pupils just stand around and do nothing there is so many things they cannot do due to health and safety.

None of my daughters friends got jobs out of it. She went to a hairdressers she did learn to sweep the floor but thats all.

Often if your really good they ask you to come back when you have got your gcse

My mate went to mc Donald's she was really pissed off at the idea Any who they gave her a weekend job when at uni she worked up on coventry one she has now been with mc Donald's for 10 years she is the area manger and had her first home at 20 and it all started with work experience

Shame on you op its a valuable learning experience a lot of children often think shook is really hard and working is a doss and they can clearly see how the lessons they are being taught at school helps them at work

To be honest any collage or uni will ask for for your work experience reference

Alouisee I sense your feelings about the WE scheme and sympathise.
How does your son feel about the whole thing?
There are very strong views on this thread so it is obviously a subject that strikes a chord with lots of MNers.

I remember 3 of my mates who really wanted to be accountants at school - the all had WE at local accountancy firms.

After a week there they all changed their minds

I haven't read the whole thread, but as a provider of work experience and as a employer support for WE preparation I can tell you that for the vast majority of students WE is one of the most influential parts of their school career.
An enjoyable WE can put you on the path to a successful career, but even an unenjoyable WE can have benefits by identifying what aspects you didn't like and narrowing down the list of career choices. One of the most valuable skills gained is learning to work with people you have never met before. I also believe that being able to say I didn't enjoy my WE, but I stuck it out and still got a good report.
Our last student saved a life on his first day, I am vet we delivered 3 kittens by c-section and he rubbed one of them back to life.

I think the OP has been given a rather rough ride, I personally don't think she comes across as arrogant, but has very valid concerns tbh.

My dd did her WE this year. It wasn't really ideal, as two other schools within 10 miles had their WE week at the same time. So upwards of 800 kids were seeking placements at the same time. She couldn't get a placement of her choice (aviation) as there were no places etc and she ended up getting a placement as backstage staff at the local theatre. All fun and everything, and she enjoyed herself to an extent, but I wouldn't say that it was particularly useful.

One thing which I didn't consider at the time alouise and which might be something you can consider - my dd's friend desperately wanted to do her WE with the local MP's office. It was impossible to do this in the allocated WE week, however she was very determined, and managed to secure WE in the school holidays. During the actual WE week itself, she went to school but sat at the back of her tutor's classroom all week and revised for her exams. Would this be something that you could do (my dd's school was initially very resistant to the idea, but came round in the end).

And it does make one growl with resentment when you hear about some people's contacts. There was a poster on here a while ago who said her niece/nephew had had placements shadowing Tamara Mellon and the Archbishop of Canterbury !!!!!

Coming late to this, but I can see both sides of this.

I didn't do WE, and with hindsight I wish I had. I was terribly shy at 16 and was convinced I was too ugly for anyone to want to hire me. (Of course, when I look at pictures of myself at that age - wtf?!) My mother (probably not keen on the transport hassle - we were quite rural) eagerly agreed that I didn't have to do it and wrote to the school excusing me. If only I had participated - it would have done me the world of good. As it was, I didn't do a day's graft until I left university, and boy was I green.

OTOH, I can see that it is difficult when several thousand local schoolchildren all try to find a work placement for the same two weeks. Especially when you don't live in an area bursting with employment opportunities, let alone interesting ones. In dd's primary school this past September there were three ( three !) year 10s per class.

the tick box mentality of making all children at the school go out at once.

But what else could they do? Three kids this week, four the next, and so on throughout the year?

I assure you WE is not for the school's benefit: the organisation involved, the visits, the contact and the follow-up is a massive job.

Yes some placements are less inspiring than others, but at the very least kids learn to get up and get there, and interact with people they might otherwise not have done. I've seen the forms they fill out when they get back, and 9-5 is often the biggest deal for many of them. Many of them end up with jobs out of it, they learn all sorts of skills along the way, and although I am quite prepared to find my dd spends a fortnight photocopying in March, it will still be worth doing.

And never underestimate how crap it is to be the 'only one' - when all his friends are comparing notes and discussing it afterwards and he's been doing extra lessons because Mummy didn't want him to do work experience, that will not be pleasant for him.

And yes, '10 A*s-C' sounds very vague to me. Haven't they said in which subjects he's an A and which a C?

I think you're being rather precious and certainly U.

Well, he won't find anything if doesn't get off his backside and look/write. This time last year, my daughter didn't have a placement either. By the end of January she had two (one week each) and we live in the back of beyond.

Hers couldn't be in the line of work she would like to do but were great experience all the same and the second week was really outside of her comfort zone - dealing with the public (she is quite a shy person).

Being positive when the chips appear to be down is a life skill in itself. However clever he is or isn't, one day he will be in a competitive environment looking for work. May as well start now.

Stop mollycoddling him.

Bloody hell.

Are you really going to stop him from doing the same as all his friends.

You sound like a nightmare to be honest.