To think sending (academic Yr 10 pupils out on a weeks work experience is a waste of time).

[smokepole]

I can understand the point of work experience, for some pupils but surely the more academic pupils would be better off having the week in the classroom. My DDs 2 grammar form teacher agreed with me, along with all the difficulty in finding work placements and insurance implications. It surely can be of limited benefit for students who will mostly go in to higher education. I believe schools should be able to decide which students, would benefit from work experience . The schools should also be able to decide to opt out of the scheme, if they think there 15 year old pupils would benefit more in a classroom environment.

On the other hand for non academic pupils, it can be a pleasant change.
This was the case for pupils from DDs 1 secondary school, who in many cases actually enjoyed their week in industry. It is also more relevant to those students as most will not go in to higher education and therefore, helps them gain relevant experience early.

I loved my school work experience. I spent two weeks in an NHS pathology lab. It was great for me as I got to see what the working world was like.

Unless your child has a trust fund, even the most academic of chidlren have to earn their living eventually. A-level choices and how hard a child works for GCSE affects their options.

My "academic" DS1 spent a week in one of the big accountancy firms. They thought he was very good ... from his experience there he could strike accountancy off the list of jobs to consider!
Well worth doing in my view, though difficult for schools to fix up (especially where the schools don't have many bosses of companies etc as parents).

Slightly off topic but do kids these days have to find and organise their own work experience then? I did my work experience eight years ago and my school had a big list of places that were willing to take students on for work experience and we just chose where we wanted to go from that list. School did the rest.

My FIL used to own a small printing business. He always accepted work experience kids- but he used to pay them. His attitude was that it's not proper work experience if you don't experience getting paid as well. The local schools told him he wasn't allowed to, so he stopped accepting work experience people. He refused to have anyone working for him who wasn't properly paid for it.

I think sending all yr10 pupils on work experience is a waste of time.

But YABU for thinking non-academic children need work experience more than academic children.

My 'academic' DS1 spent 2 weeks at an RAF station. He worked alongside engineers on fast jets, went to the fire section and spent 2 days in air traffic control. He was a bit shy before he went, he came out of his shell, grew up, and had a whale of a time.

My 'academic' DS2 is supposed to be on work experience this fortnight. He wants to be a nurse and could only get a maternity placement due to his age, so didn't want to go. He is in YR12, has a passion for science so emailed and phoned the school he went to, which is attached to his sixth form, about going to do some work in the science department. They never got back to him. He is spending his time at home and doing extra time in his weekend job. He's have loved to do his WE!

PinkHamster - no, usually a list, as you describe. Although NYBEP in particular are a bit rubbish and don't update it - dd spent several frustrating hours ringing up companies listed to be told they don't take WE any more. So she did find her current one on her own - but this is year 12; she chose off a list in year 10.

For both DS1 and DS2 (very different children, one very social but scatty, the other meticulous and anxious) it was hugely beneficial just to have to wake up and get themselves out there each day.

They had startlingly different placements (one with an architect, one with a dance/martial arts display team) but both did a mix of boring filing and exciting on-location stuff.

It's ridiculous that independent schools send children off to do work experience (which is mostly arranged by the student and/or his or her parents) but still charge school fees for that week, when they aren't even there for a moment.

It is worth checking out whether relatives' employers have schemes. My DD was able to take advantage of this as my employer at the time ran WE schemes but these were for relatives of employees only.

The army (and I guess other armed forces) offer taster sessions for potential recruits. My DS is hoping to go on one of these. However they are limited to people who have applications in I believe (relevant for my DS as he hopes to go in as a junior soldier).

With any of these you do have to get in early and by that I mean months in advance.

Dont agree with your WE points on here Belloc.

But while you are on this thread. I would like to ask eg mathanxiety and others whether studing maths at a good uni abroad means that WE is not necessary?

Belloc
Independent schools often put a lot of time and effort into organising high quality work experience. Infact one advantage of an independent school is that they often have fabulous contacts.

It seems on the whole, that the good placements get taken up by the grammar /private school kids. It is totally unfair at both yr10/12 level that this happens, solely on the basis that the parents of these kids are the employers or in charge of recruitment. The pupils from the poorer schools need the better placements much more than the privileged kids. It is also evident that on here ,parents have been able to influence through connections or the schools their DC attend outstanding placements. This is so apparent when you compare DDs2 friends and classmates placements to where DDs1 classmates ended up.

It was certainly an eye opener to the 'Modern' kids about making 15 applications and receiving no replies from the companies applied for. This happened to a lot of pupils at both yr10/12 levels and is in total contrast to what I have heard and seen for DDs 2 friends and classmates.

I think that you may have a valid point there smokepole. I certainly had never considered that.

Indeedy-doody, ReallyTired. Years ago, when I used to moderate 100% coursework English GCE as it was, we had the print out of the names of students that went Jemima/Camilla/Julia at the top end to Kylie/Savannah, etc at the lower end. The point of this? They all submitted work place diaries and the ones at the top were all BBC/media placements.

Belloc, the school still has to do the check up and work place visit. This is done by the teacher in their free periods, which do not always coincide with the time freed up by the absence of the fee-paying student who is not being supported right fucking now by their teacher. They will have to do this for a number of students. And pay their own travel.

I regard private education as I do shit on my shoe, but your entitled post takes the proverbial.

settingsitting - I don't know why you're looking for validation from others. I keep telling you: my son has already been offered the place to study maths abroad (actually he was made several offers from abroad). And he was also offered 5/5 of his UCAS choices. All for maths. He has no work experience. (Of course these offers are subject to A level results and STEP results etc. They are not conditional upon getting any sort of work experience. At his many interviews he says work experience was never so much as mentioned.)

I had a mind-numbingly boring work experience as a teenager, that was also bloody hard work. Did absolutely nothing for my CV.

But I'm very glad I did it - I was already very academic, but it made me realise the priceless value of a good education that allows you not to end up in boring and physically exhausting jobs.

It's one thing to know it intellectually, another to actually live it. I worked really hard as a student, but I wasn't about to complain, because I knew it was nothing compared to what some people do day-in, day-out.

echt. I dont understand your post to ReallyTired, but I would like to.

Are you saying that people got better placements purely based on their names?

I assume that the coursework was based on their work placements, and it was observable that the more 'middle class' names had all done rather swankier placements?

I understand that Belloc. But I am trying to ask for the third time, what the position is like regarding WE at the end of his uni course. Getting a degree is never the end of the process.

Gnome DS1 has just joined the Army yesterday! He did go on some insight days before his application went in, he got the information from our local Army careers office.

Going back to the thread, round here it makes no difference to what school you go to wether you are offered 'good placements' because all the schools stagger the dates that they use for WE.

No, I think she's saying that posh kids get better placements, and this is based on the (not unreasonable) assumption that posh kids are more likely to be called Jemima than Savannah.

Belloc

What is your son going to do with his Maths degree? Join the space cadets? There is life after uni.

I did a physics degree and I did work experience at the National Physical laboratory. After my degree I worked as a computer programmer. The work experience gave me a massive edge over those who had never worked. Even Maths or Physics graduates need social skills and some understanding of what it means to be at work.

My husband has a third class degree and has a brilliant job. He has that wow factor that makes up for his poor class of degree. That wow factor was partially gained from work experience at humble Dixons many moons ago.

Just because someone has a string of As doesn't make them employable. Most people have to start off at the bottom and work their way up. Belloc* I hope your son does not see work experience as beneath him as I am sure he has lots of learn.

But, FairyCaravan, I think there's usually an option to sort your own WE out (in our year, you had to pay £50 to do so!), and some well-connected children might go for that option.