I don't want ds to do work experience.

You can't just take him out of school whilst work experience is on.

That would be classified as truancy.

I can assure you that the work experience students that I take on are absolutely not unpaid labour. If anyone is unpaid it is my team and I- unpaid 'teachers'. We actually end up out of pocket due to time it takes to organise placements and the additional insurance required. However, I am happy to take WE students on because I am very grateful to those who did it got me and do I see it as 'paying it forward'.

We put time and effort into ensuring that they get something positive out of the experience. IMO even those not directly interested in our industry learn valuable lessons as outlined by previous posters.

It is lovely to see students come out of their shell during the placement. We have had a number of them who are very high achievers at school but who are not at all confident at interacting with new faces, shy I guess. They usually leave feeling a little more socially confident because they have been pushed gently out of their comfort zone.

The question is not why you think his education will suffer during those two weeks out of school, but why you want to deny him the educational opportunity of two weeks work. Or do you think that education starts and finishes at the door of the classroom?

He will be up against kids who have got the top results and held a job. I know the area my Ds wants to go into work experience is very important.

I also spend time looking over cv's and no 14 yr old work experience is probably not my biggest concern BUT a kid who knows how to put in a days work, respond professionally and accept the reality of work (ie some good bits some crap bits) usually goes on to better things - and those are the things I look for. Honestly at 14 he can learn so much that will open his eyes even in a place where he doesn't see his future career. Don't wait til he's 16 (with the 'promise' of a role) it's never to early to learn the reality of the employment market.

My eldest five have all had a regular job since Y9 and they've all sustained the same job through GCSE's (and the oldest three through A Levels too).

Your DS does not need to be doing GCSE work every week of the school year!

Why don't you do the WE for him, poor little lamb.

When I was your son's age I knew exactly what I wanted to do as a career, but it was something that I could not do as work experience until I was 18.

I had a fair idea that I would hate working 9-5 in an office, and doing exactly that for work experience confirmed to me that it was not for me.

It took a lot of hard work and perseverance for me to get into my dream job, and one of the things that kept me going was knowing that I had tried an alternative and hated it, so I was all the more determined to stick to my dreams.

If your son's education can not cope with two weeks practical work experience then you should perhaps lower your exam expectations somewhat.

It's not about what they're going to do as a career necessarily - it's about experiencing the world of work.

There can be some really interesting places to do it or if not, as many have suggested, he could go to a charity shop or charity office or country park or something. It's not about the specific job; it's about him getting some feeling of what skills he'll need in the workplace and that's invaluable to any year 10 student.

if your ds is not attending work experience then he has to be in school otherwise he will be marked as unauthorised absence. If you are so worried about missing 2 weeks of school, then what are you planning to do over the summer holidays?

Surely you must understand that there must be a balance to life at least and it is not just about academic learning?

It is worth noting though it is still a statutory requirement for schools to provide KS4 students to undertake work related learning

Dd is going through this process atm and, painful as it is, I can see that she is learning way more from the whole contacting workplaces and being refused than from an extra two weeks of revision. She is learning to focus on explaining what she wants and why she wants it, to put on a good show, pitch a telephone call, write a decent letter, cope with rejection- all skills that will stand her in good stead when she has to do it for real in a few years time.

I had very little early experience in anything of the kind- having had my WE arranged by school in a familiar setting and never having had a Saturday job- and I have to say that I do feel I missed out. Ime early training in this kind of things does make life a lot easier later. It's not the note in the CV as such; it's the skills it teaches you. Of course you can acquire those skills later- but the same goes for GCSEs.

What is it that keeps your ds so busy he can't revise for his GCSEs during the rest of the year? If one of my dcs said that, I'd suggest they cut down on their social life instead.

jesus wept...
I run a small business, I recently took on an 19-year old on a trial basis, who was nice and charming, but had next to none work experience on his CV. He didn't last long. What was evidently missing was basic idea of how to behave in a professional environment as in showing up on time, responding to feedback without a litany of feeble excuses, an idea how to conduct yourself, how to demonstrate that you don't actually think that the world owes you a living. You don't learn that in secondary school these days, IMHO.

I now employ a 23-year old who has had part time jobs since she was 14. She is bloody brilliant.

Don't underestimate the benefit of a Y10 or Y11 work experience placement on his UCAS personal statement. This can be worth a whole paragraph of talking about transferable skills.

Don't be swayed then. Just be prepared for the school to say he doesn't have a choice. You could withdraw him from school for those two weeks, but they might not be prepared to have him back.

well yes - in future life its ignored, but for getting your first job - it's important.

School is not all about getting qualifications....WE as someone said earlier, helps them realise it is not all about "them" ....that going to work entails getting there on time, having set lunch breaks and not wandering off when you feel like it, working alonside other adults (which most have never done), encourages self esteem, and knackers them out.
Dd is planning some voluntary work over XMas as she has lots of free time, and she would enjoy it....and she will be making her own way there.

You seem to have his life all planned out for him.

It's not just employers that will be interested in w/e or part time work. His university application will have a lot more colour to it.

Given DS wants to do a paper round and it's you (albeit due to location) that's objecting he clearly wants to do some work, why the heck aren't you helping him? He could work in the petrol station or supermarket whatever to make extra to supplement his allowance.

I am laughing gently at your attitude, and can only imagine your outrage OP when he starts at Uni tries to get a PT job and gets lipped to the post by all the other kids who will have jobs of any nature to put on their CV's.

Plus the school are going to think you're bloody bonkers.

they are constantly force fed how important this year is yet suddenly 2 weeks out of school is necessary "for their cv" - seriously?

Yes. They need far more than straightforward studying these days. Any work contacts are useful. He might get a Saturday job out of it. More and more it is work experience, and who you know, that counts. Don't knock it.

I agree with Bonsoir - seeing graduate applications these days (i have viewed many), those who are good have spent years working up to 'working'. They can demonstrate proactivity, tenacity, work ethic and the like. As someone else said, for inteviews they will need to demonstrate 'competencies' (leadership, problem solving, communication/listening skills). 'Real world' examples from this type of WE are invaluable.

There is also the point that whilst you and your son don't see any particular benefit to him in doing a plcaement, sometimes the rules of the time and place we find ourselves in i.e. school mean we have to do things we don't want to, or don't particularly see any point in.

Do you generally see your son as an exception to rules at school you don't agree with?

Exactly, Bonsoir :o

"I don't expect him to work until his A levels are finished and or do I expect him to work in his final year."

Wow, you and I live on different planets OP.

But good luck to you, your son sounds like he is getting some fantastic chances in life