Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

16yr old Grandaughter awful work experience

92 replies

Leosnewmummy · 14/01/2020 09:35

Hi
Need advice what to do for the best. My 16 yr old DGD started a week long work experience yesterday in a salon due to it being part of her college work. She had to find the work experience herself and due to most salons not taking anyone or already booked this shop was the only one. She spoke to the manager who said come in at 10 till five, Monday to Friday. On arrival no manager was there only 6 staff who were all polish and didn't know why she was there. They called the manager who said GDG was there to sweep up and make coffee. This was disheartening for her to hear as she was looking forward to learning beauty procedures.
No one spoke to her and they all chatted together in Polish, she felt very unwelcome. Afrer lunch one of 2 men who work there said to my GDG he would curl her hair, which was a nice thing to do. When curling her hair he and the other guy were talking in Polish and she thought they were talking about her. Then one said to the other "get her to suck yr cock" pointing at my DGD.
Obviously she was mortified, she's 16 and a very young 16 I might add, very girly and a bit geeky. Then the guy curling her hair see her screen saver on her phone which is a photo of GDG and her boyfriend. He said "how old are you" she replied 16.
He said is that yr boyfriend she said yes. "Have you fucked him" no, " why not yr old enough you should fuck him".
She was so upset and scared but didn't know what to do. Sat on her own until 5pm then went to one women to get her booked signed. She told the woman what had been said to her and the woman said "oh he was only joking don't worry he's not in Wednesday you will have a better day. Needless to say my DGD went straight to my Dd place if work, crying and shaking begging her mum not to make her go back today. Well my Dd is fuming she's going to the salon today to confront them, then to the college to report it. My DGD is worried the college will now fail her because she's not completing her work experience. What would you do? I think the police should also be told. Her first taste of adult working life and this happens, how awful for her. And the 2 men are gay so may think its OK to speak like this to any females, I don't know.

OP posts:

SameOldHorrorStory · 14/01/2020 13:00

None of the customers noticed this interaction and the discomfort? Or were all six idle and waiting for customers?

I’m still wondering why apparently one gay man suggested to another gay man that a young woman give him a blowjob.

Rosebel · 14/01/2020 13:05

Nice victim blaming from some. Perhaps the man said it because he's a complete prat. Or as a joke? Doesn't matter, but why are you assuming it's not true?
Also since when is sexual harassment not a police mater?
I really hope the police and college are sympathetic to your GD and hope she finds a better placement next time.

74NewStreet · 14/01/2020 13:07

The police are there to protect and educate. Ideally, yes. But some forces are so stretched they won’t even attend a burglary; there’s simply no available manpower to tell young men to mind their manners.

Helpfullilly · 14/01/2020 13:44

I’ve had young people in on work experience in a past role and it sounds like (in addition to the disgusting sexual harassment) it was not organised properly at all.

There should have been someone acting as her main point of contact and to manage her, and she should definitely have had an induction covering H&S, at the very least. She shouldn’t have turned up with no one aware she was coming, to give instruction or take responsibility for her and her welfare. It’s also very unfair to the workers, who should be guided on what they are supposed to do with a work experience student and prepared for her being with them.

Sweeping up and tea making are normal work experience tasks, yes, but I would have expected her to be doing job shadowing in-between, on rotation between different people so she didn’t slow any one person down for too long. I used to have a proper time table for the students, issued at induction and copies of job descriptions to read before I handed them to each person or department so they had things to ask about. I’d expect them to try little bits of different simple tasks with constant supervision, in situations where it didn’t matter if they made a mistake, or where the person supervising could step in right away, too. Some things like treatments they might not be able to do any of, but they could be talked through them and observe, or do a bit of reading online to learn more about them before watching quietly and taking notes and thinking of thing to ask afterwards. I’d have regular catch ups with them each day as their supervisor, get feedback on how they were doing to assess if the tasks I’d set were suitable, give praise, listen to them talk about what they’d done and make sure they had someone to eat lunch with (always someone female or a mixed group if it was a young woman).

The whole thing was awful and not what work experience should be.

Lolwhat · 14/01/2020 14:19

The college will probably just make her do a role play instead, that’s what they did with the people who couldn’t find work experience when I was there 2 years ago, she won’t fail don’t worry x

lovemenorca · 14/01/2020 14:25

* Nice victim blaming from some. Perhaps the man said it because he's a complete prat. Or as a joke? Doesn't matter, but why are you assuming it's not true?*

No one is assuming anything
Posters are querying rather odd details though

Skysblue · 14/01/2020 14:56

Log the sexual harassment with police. Make written complaint to salon manager. Report to the college so no-one else ends up there.

Perhaps call around charities to see if anyone else can give her some last minute work experience. I did mine at an animal shelter and did a lot of kitten cuddling. I know it’s not relevant to what she wants to do but better than nothing.

HarrietThePi · 14/01/2020 15:00

Nothing being in place for her arrival - introductions and so on - is not good, but the work she was given sounds normal for work experience.

It all pales in comparison to the sexual harrassment which is just wrong. The college should be informed and she shouldn't go back to the salon I think. I think she could lodge a complaint against them too, though I understand she may not want to do that.

thistimeofyear · 14/01/2020 16:50

That's really horrible poor girl. Why are people so vile. I would report them to the police personally no one should be subjected to that sort of thing let alone a young girl and I would name and shame the salon too. As others have said, college can't fail her for leaving because of experiencing that!
It must have really affected her trying to find any other kind of work experience.

PumpkinPie2016 · 14/01/2020 17:14

Your poor grandaughter - that's awful and the men sound vile

I'm pleased that your daughter has reported this to the police and is going to see the college. This place shouldn't be allowed to take work experience students.

SexlessBoulderBelly · 14/01/2020 17:19

I did my work experience in a salon and was also only there to observe, sweep up and make refreshments. They most likely don’t have the insurance to let her actually do any treatment.

The rest of it I would be confronting them, possibly even getting the police involved with the sexual side of things. She doesn’t need to be made to feel that uncomfortable.

PennyGold · 14/01/2020 17:29

As previous posters have said you need to report it to the school (so they don't allow placements there in the future), the salon manager (so she's aware) and I'd absolutely slate them on Google Reviews, Yelp and Facebook etc.
Sexually harassing a CHILD is illegal, and absolutely disgusting.
There's no way that a school would fail a student who had gone to a placement, and was sexually harassed. I imagine they'll have a "stock pile" of places in case anyone couldn't find a placement.

joyfullittlehippo · 14/01/2020 17:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ferretyone · 14/01/2020 18:07

@Leosnewmummy

So sorry to hear of this. School report is essential. Get a written transcript down straight away. Get a written report sent as soon as possible. Although no specific criminal offence may have been committed it sound as though this could in some perverse way go towards "grooming". As you probably know there is a higher age limit for "relationships" between - for example - school children and school staff and that could apply to WE when the "employer" stands in for the school.

toomanyleggings · 14/01/2020 18:55

I would be fuming. First off I'd be going in to year five strips off those men ( probably unwise but I would), then I would be speaking to the police and the college and insisting they investigate it. The poor girl

MrMeSeeks · 14/01/2020 19:03

I did work experience and i made coffee, swept up and basically did beauty on myself i learnt nothing.

monstermissy · 14/01/2020 19:12

I work in the career department of a sixth form and all the placements students go on have to complete paperwork and send in a risk assessment and copy of insurance etc. Any student experiencing any uncomfortable treatment is told to contact us asap and we will remove student while we investigate etc. We would absolutely black list this place and potentially log it with police.

We would also arrange WE another time for student, they certainly wouldn't be at a disadvantage by leaving.

The rules for checks for college students aren't as through as school children.

Flip

1 2 3 4