what is a good thing to do for work experience

i went to the local radio station and did loads of good stuff.

i rang up the courts and police for press releases, wrote news to be read out, and had the delight of hearing my news read out once i got home. my parents were soooo proud!!

i also sat in while adverts and jingles were made which was very interesting. and nice to hear when those ads were broadcast.

they even had me answering the phone on reception which i remember finding dreadfully scary, having to work out who to put the calls through when faced with this enormous switchboard.

the only boring bit was when i had to measure adverts in newspapers to calculate how much those companies had spent on the ad ready for the marketing team to call them up to sell them radio airtime ads instead. interesting to see how that side of it worked, but boring to do all the measuring.

I got my ds a work experience placement at the local archive centre.

I did mine at a care home and in a nursery. Both helped me earn money throughout university!

However there are certain careers where specific work experience would help not because of what you learn but the effort you need to put into getting and making the most of the experience: law, medicine (GP probably better than hospital), lab work, schools and engineering come to mind.

I actually did do mine at a primary school. And I wouldn't say it was wasted at all: you get a totally different experience when seeing the classroom from the other side so to speak and I learnt lots. I have gone on to teach (though not primary) and am still drawing on that first experience.

Don't see why the other placements on offer (shelf-stacking, porter at the mental hospital, the egg packing factory) would have been more profitable: I already knew I didn't want any of those jobs.

When dd's time comes I hope she will have a wider choice- we live in a much bigger place, so should be more to choose from. I hope she tries something outside the family experience, to widen her horizons. But in my case, what was outside the family experience wasn't greatly exciting. I didn't need to see those jobs to know how dull I would find them.

If your child doesn't know hwat he wants to do, it is no big deal. My DS is in U6, imminently turning in his UCAS form and has yet to make a decision. Meanwhile I have spent about £200 on various tests to find out what he should do!

This particular child did a work placement at an Accountants firm - not because he is passionate about Accountancy but because it was A on the list....

There are lots of general skills they learn on WE. Arriving on time, following orders accurately, working in a team, etc. These skills are just as important as career-specific experience.

Having a negative work experience can be just as valuable as a positive one. The student may be considering a wide range of careers and being able to eliminate an option is good too.

my ds worked for an internet company. think he realises now how boring office work can be .

vets if they like animals

local newspaper

local shop

pharmacy, opticians, sports centre, library

yes dd's was through a friend

one of her friends did a placement at local airport (bournemouth) and loved it.

went to all the different parts of the airport and had a great time

MY dd did a placement with a doctor in a hospital.

Was brilliant as it helped her decide that she didn't want to do medicine.

My dd did a week in a cafe/ice cream parlour and is now hoping to get a part time job there. She also did a week with Help the Aged, at the office, charity shop & a day centre. Which she found very interesting and now thinks she would like to work for a charity.

i'd have loved to work in a decent garden centre or other plant oriented business. one is a mile away now and hopes one day dd wants a PT job there.

my dd is only 4 btw. wot me? sad?