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AIBU?

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Original poster

To refuse to let dc go on work experience with school?

26 replies

Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 15:33

Bear with me.
Last year DC1 was in a mixed age group. As a result when the year tens were sent on work experience year nine went too.
Dc1 found a placement their self (they didn't get help) in February and on the Friday before they were supposed to go in July school had not sorted any of the risk assessment forms. DC1 had been in contact with the placement on a regular basis and ended up looking rubbish as the placement were waiting for months for school to get in touch which they did demanding everything be sorted immediately for dc to start.

Some children couldn't find a placement and stayed in school. They carried on lessons and revision sessions as normal. Some children only did one week so got a week of revision. This affected DC1 end of term exams as they missed two full weeks.

This year DC1 is in year ten and has been told they have to go again. They are going in February so realistically we have around five weeks to find a suitable placement and as they want to work in schools most are now closed until the 9th January .

Dc has done two full weeks of a mixed role from reception to community work to teaching type roll. Dc also volunteers every week in a position working similar to what they want to do as an adult.

Wibu to insist DC1 stays in school?

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 20/12/2017 15:38

Stay in school. He does understand Work. I tend to think Work experience has marginal benefit anyway to many. It hardly replicated the real world! I am unsure what the law is about Work experience, but if he’s done it, then surely he’s complied. Say he cannot find anything! School sounds useless!

Original poster
Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 15:50

Thanks Bubbles. I'm pretty sure old placement would take them for another week as they were super impressed but dc volunteered in the holidays with them so not much else they could cover.

So I'd rather they be in school than go somewhere rubbish just for the sake of it

OP posts:
SandyDenny · 20/12/2017 16:14

I'm not sure insist is the right word, just explain to them what you've said here and tell them he won't be doing it.

I wouldn't see it as a big deal at all, the school aren't going to force him to go somewhere and I'd be amazed if he's the only one not doing it.

Moanyoldcow · 20/12/2017 16:40

Funnily enough I was talking about this with DH last night. I think work experience at school is a waste of time for most. It's usually being a dogsbody somewhere which hasn't prepared or thought about the student at all. You don't get paid (a fucking important part of going to work!) and could generally put the time in-school to better use.

Unless my child could find a genuinely useful placement I wouldn't bother.

Original poster
Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 16:55

I must admit the last placement were amazing and didn't use dc as a dogsbody. In fact they made dc cups of tea and cake and dc got a lovely present when they left. They made sure dc had a selection of varied things to do too.

BUT I think we were VERY lucky with the placement and my general experience from people I know has been filing and making cups of tea.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 20/12/2017 16:57

Don't insist anything. If the rest of the year have work experience then teachers won't be running classes whilst they are all out of school. What do you propose your son does instead of lessons?

KittyVonCatsington · 20/12/2017 17:05

Unfortunately, grades and qualifications just don’t get the jobs these days. Work experience in any guise is crucial to get past most algorithms on job applications.
For example, around 40% of undergraduates already have a job for after they graduate, lined up in their first year of study. This rises to around 70% in their second year. They have to. The competition is so fierce in such a saturated market.

By including as much work experience as they can on a job application (even if it is being a dogsbody) that will be arguably just as important as school work.
Personally? I’d be chomping at the bit for my DC to have as much work experience as they can get their hands on, when they get to the same age.
Things just aren’t the same as when we were at school...

Pengggwn · 20/12/2017 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 17:39

Wolfie last year my ds was one of the few who did a full two weeks and loads didn't so they ran full lessons. Hence ds missed work and revision help for exams.

Will employers really care.
His Cv will already include:

Two weeks school work experience in relevant to future plans career.
Weekly volunteering position in relevant area for future career plans.
Three years with Air Cadets

He will also need to have relevant schools experience for uni.

Will a college or employer really care if he has spent a week in some random completely unrelated office if he already has the other stuff?

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 20/12/2017 17:40

So will they run lessons this year?

Original poster
Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 17:45

Peng as I said he already volunteers weekly for three hours in an environment where he is the only non adult on the work team doing a variety of tasks so I would say he has more of an idea of repetitive, mundane tasks than most 15 year olds.

OP posts:
HermionesRightHook · 20/12/2017 17:46

Those seem like really high stats KittyVonCatsington, where did you find that out from?

(I'm not doubting you btw I'm genuinely interested - I'd not heard that before and I work with students in HE, but careers isn't my area)

Original poster
Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 17:49

I don't know Wolfie. I'm assuming so as they did last year and the year before. The mess was so bad from school that several children went and the work placement thought they were getting 16/17 year olds not 13 year olds as some of them were and sent them back to school.

OP posts:
KittyVonCatsington · 20/12/2017 17:50

Two weeks school work experience in relevant to future plans career.
Weekly volunteering position in relevant area for future career plans.
Three years with Air Cadets

So will thousands of other young people.
I’m not kidding when I mean that kids today need to get as much experience as they can-they have to stand out. And ‘school experience’ for uni?! Not really. They need grades and plenty of extra experience as Unis struggle to differentiate between students with similar grades.

Look. You have obviously already made up your mind but my point was the fact that before your son’s actual application actually gets to a human being to even have the potential of caring, it will need to go through a program that checks for key words, meet a checklist of required features, a telephone consultation and probably a day or two of group challenges before it even gets to interview stage. His application will need more than just grades and the three things you have listed.

Wolfiefan · 20/12/2017 17:51

Sounds badly organised. Is your issue with that rather than there being no benefit for your child?
I have never known any school to have mixed school years at secondary school. Generally they all do work experience in Y10.

KittyVonCatsington · 20/12/2017 17:58

HermionesRightHook

It was during INSET training about a month ago from Prospects. It was on a PowerPoint we were given (with citation) but admittedly, don’t have it to hand right now.

carefreeeee · 20/12/2017 18:00

If he does it again he'd probably be better off doing something different. Is there anything he'd enjoy that's related but not the same as what he's done? He sounds well prepared for his chosen career but on the other hand year 9 is young to decide and he may well change his mind. Work ex is supposed to give you an idea about different things. I'd encourage him to take the chance to try something else. What does he want to do himself?

KittyVonCatsington I think you are completely wrong. Most undergrads don't have jobs lined up. And a week's work experience in year 10 should definitely not be on a graduate's CV! From a CV point of view a part time job would be more useful. Also very few jobs involve 'a day or two of team challenges' surely? Usually it's just a short interview if you meet the criteria (one of which won't be a your year 10 work experience...)

Roomster101 · 20/12/2017 18:08

Maybe a couple of weeks work experience is useful for some people but certainly not everyone. If your DC goes on to do a degree, I seriously doubt that any employer will be interested in a couple of weeks work experience in year 10, particularly as most of the time the work experience won't be relevant to the job they are applying for. Schools don't have to organise work experience anymore and as a consequence, DDs' school doesn't bother.

KittyVonCatsington · 20/12/2017 18:09

carefreeeee

Don’t mind if you think i’m wrong or not-graduate jobs/training schemes now follow that model by and large. I know they didn’t used to. Of course I am not talking about every job out there but in order to be prepared, it is useful to know that a lot of jobs that our young people may well go for, will be dealt with in this way.

Roomster101 · 20/12/2017 18:11

So will thousands of other young people.
I’m not kidding when I mean that kids today need to get as much experience as they can-they have to stand out. And ‘school experience’ for uni?! Not really. They need grades and plenty of extra experience as Unis struggle to differentiate between students with similar grades.

It depends on the course but most of the time universities are just interested in grades and evidence that the person is interested in the degree, particularly for non-vocational courses.

Original poster
Workexperiencetree · 20/12/2017 18:16

Kitty
'And ‘school experience’ for uni?! Not really'

I meant to apply for his teaching degree after college he needs several weeks experience volunteering or working in a school.

I've not made my mind up by the way. I'm helping him look for options.
It's just most kids these days don't do any work experience at school as many don't run it anymore.
Some schools do a week.

Mine will have done a months worth.
But I would imagine uni would be more interested in their personal statement,grades,volunteering,cadets showing leadership and classroom experience rather than whether he did two or four weeks in year nine and ten.

OP posts:
KittyVonCatsington · 20/12/2017 18:23

AH, sorry OP. Didn’t pick up that you meant school based work experience for a teaching degree.
Although I do still stand by what I wrote despite what other posters have written, then I do agree that for a teaching degree, as much school/youth work based experience as possible would be more beneficial to your DS. In your case, I would ask if your DS could spend the week in a specific department at his school.

Roomster101 · 20/12/2017 18:33

For example, around 40% of undergraduates already have a job for after they graduate, lined up in their first year of study. This rises to around 70% in their second year. They have to. The competition is so fierce in such a saturated market.

Are you saying that 40% of 1st year undergrads have a job lined up for when they finish their course in two or three years time? I don't think so!

cricketballs3 · 20/12/2017 18:51

Maybe a couple of weeks work experience is useful for some people but certainly not everyone. If your DC goes on to do a degree, I seriously doubt that any employer will be interested in a couple of weeks work experience in year 10, particularly as most of the time the work experience won't be relevant to the job they are applying for.

It might not be specifically applicable to an employe 10 years down the line - but isn't real life in terms of working important? The fact that most jobs are mundane, you may have to turn up 8-5 and be bored all day? Education is not just about qualifications, but also about informing/experiencing real life....

Pengggwn · 20/12/2017 18:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.