Year 10 Work Experience

[crisscross101]

AIBU or is this a total waste of time/unnecessary 2 weeks out of school?

DD is Y10, attends a selective state school that is always in top 10 of exam results league tables so will likely end up with 7-9s across the board at GCSE then off to a RG university. She wants to read law at the moment but that might change.

She had to do two weeks work experience in June. Her friends are spending a couple of weeks at mum's private practice or Dad's GP surgery, a couple who are 'less connected' are going back to their primaries for a couple of weeks despite no interest in teaching. No local solicitors are accepting WE round here due to hybrid working and the fact they are not in the office 60% of the time. DH is a manual worker and I work in a confidential environment meaning that DD couldn't come to work with me. So we're now on the beg for a work experience placement that has no bearing in any event to DD's career aspirations...

She's been looking for a Saturday job- to get proper work experience!- for over a year and no one takes kids in now until they're 16 (she's a summer baby so won't be 16 until after her GCSEs in Y11). (Other than a paper round which I've said no to on safety grounds).

This feels a completely waste of time that she'd be better off at school or on a school trip! I just feel so cross that nepotism starts before they've even left school

The school where I work have stopped doing it in year 10 as it was so difficult for students to get placements. We still do it in year 12 and even then there are a lot of rejections (particularly the last couple of years). Some students have done virtual work experience through springpod: www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience which is obviously no where near as good but at least gave them something relevant to the field they wanted to work in.

Agree with most of the other posters -year 10 work experience is more just to show "the world of work"rather than career relevant which would come more in year 12. Although obviously it might be of slight interest if they have been somewhere relevant uni admissions KNOW there is inequality between people whose parents/friends already work in the professions and those who don't and really won't base much of the decision on that.

Like others have said, there are other ways of getting legal specific experience (if that's what your dd wants to do) that will look as good or better seeing as she did it from her own initiative.

I went to superdrug for my year 10 work experience - I got absolutely loads of freebies at the end of it and an offer of a part time job so it was a win! The main thing I "learned" was that working 9-5 plus "commute" was bloody knackering!

It may be a possibility that at some point in her life your DD has to take a job that she doesn't particularly love or is not her preferred occupation/skillset.

It's not ideal but there are benefits to work experience.

The system for UCAS personal statements is changing. It really isn’t a big deal. Link

My children's school don't do work experience which I think is a huge missed opportunity. From kids I have taught work experience can teach them they definitely don't want to do something; it can inspire a passion for a certain profession; get them.a Saturday job or it can simply show them a different side of life they haven't yet experienced. For almost all of them (except perhaps the ones who work with mummy or daddy tbf ) it forces them out of their comfort zone and often builds their confidence of dealing with adults in the real world.

My DS is in year 10 and there’s been no mention of work experience at all. I think it’s really disappointing and children need to learn to step out of comfort zone more than ever.

I actually had work experience in year 9 & 10. I went to a primary school first as I thought I wanted to be a teacher. By year 10 I had decided to do law and one of my friend’s dad owned a law firm so I went there.

I did do a law degree but actually work in finance now. I didn’t exactly ‘enjoy’ my placements but do think it was very valuable.

My DS wants to go into IT. However I’ve told him to get any job he can asap as it helps to build confidence and people skills.

I think you're weirdly rigid about this.

If she gets work experience in a solicitors it'll be on reception or carrying out clerical tasks, it won't be dealing with anything actually legal related.

I interview young people and I'm always interested in hearing what they feel they got out of work experience, especially because many of them don't have experience of actual work to draw upon.

It isn't about learning how to do something specific to a career. It's about a change of environment, learning different expectations, moving outside of their comfort zone, learning how to communicate differently, use initiative etc. A great many kids do go on to pick up part time work on the back of their work experience too.

Completely agree. My Year 10 child is going to work in a shop and Year 12 hopefully going to do something in engineering with a relative of a friend of his.
However, I have seen medicine related online schemes for Year 10 as I have a friend whose DD wants to do medicine. She’s going to work with someone who’s a carer though.

What about citizens advice or shadowing an usher in court if it’s legal stuff she’s interested?

I had a work experience in a tiny local bedding and curtain shop, while all my friends had Topshop/New Look/River Island. It felt like the ultimate waste of time and so embarrassing when my mates were talking about theirs. My parents made me go...
It was genuinely so useful and gave me so many life skills such as pattern cutting/sewing/using machinery etc...led to an A* in Textiles and just a general understanding of the world of work and being able to have those life skills such as repairing clothes.

It's a bit weird to be saying she will get these grades and will go to a RG University when she's only 14. Your hope is she will so these things. She might run off and join the circus for all you know

It doesn’t have to relate to the potential career a student might have, although if it does, it can give them an insight into the career. It’s about learning new things, how to interact with others, how to think creatively, team work, telephone manner, working at something you might not want to do. All of which are useful tools for the future and can develop an understanding for the world of work.

I wonder if your daughter is as sure as you are of her future path. Is she the one aiming for these things? Be careful, things can change.

Bear in mind that w/e is not possible in certain situations because of insurance requirements.

Nepotism starts as soon as a kid is born OP. It is unavoidable. If mum or dad is skilled/experienced/working in a certain area, then this is often passed on. There isn't really much to be done about it. It's one of the most invisible forms of privilege. I know someone who did brilliantly in maths (both A levels, on to degree at Oxbridge) - that someone was on paper from an "average state school" and on paper the private school kids had a "better" start. Only - Mother had a fantastic maths degree and was an A level examiner. No head start or privilege there then . Completely invisible.

However, I don't think you can complain too heavily when you have been able to access a school that is better than >99% of the schools in this country, whether they are private or state - especially as you don't even need to pay for it.

I would perhaps suggest a MOOC in law related stuff if your dd is unable to get something with a solicitor. Or online work experience with something like Springpod.

I did my two weeks work experience at a legal office.

It was photocopying primarily. It's not like they taught us any law.

The only day that really taught me anything was the day they dumped us at the court alone to listen to small claims court cases, which although we could have done anyway I never knew was open to the public so that was quite fascinating.

Experience working anywhere with a parent sounds pretty lame for the others, half the fun was feeling grown up while we were there and who can do that going to work with mummy/daddy. Work experience doesn't mean anything for a CV or university, don't think I put mine anywhere.

Two weeks in a cafe or clothes shop or supermarket can be really fun. You get to see behind the scenes and give it a go being on the other side of the counter.

I think you're overthinking it tbh.

I'm a lawyer and did my Y10 work experience at my primary and with a local hospital's HR team. I also did various work experiences with law firms because I harassed them to be able to do it in school holidays.

I think it's a lot harder these days with remote working. Where I work, people used to just bring kids in with them for shadowing etc with little red tape but it would be a lot harder now with everyone being at home - they'd need their own teams access etc and even then it's just not the same.

Have you thought about other organisations like citizens advice, Acas, university legal clinics etc

If she's committed to showing her interest, she can attend the courts in her spare time, get involved in school activities ie debating etc. There's no excuse for having done absolutely nothing!

I did WE at a university at that age it was brilliant! definitely made me want to go to uni.

I don't think the work experience will be that necessary for them to get into a law degree. I did my school work experience at a primary school and a library. I didn't know anyone with legal connections. Got good grades, got offers, studied law and now a solicitor. Work experience in a law firm will likely not be that helpful for them, its difficult to include someone young in day to day legal work. But you can probably contact local solicitors and ask if they can do work experience for even a day there if you want them to have it on their application, or just go sit in court and listen and put that on the application. They'll probably be able to bump into a barrister or solicitor after court that will take a few questions from them. Lots of different ways to get into law these days even if you don't have connections.

It's ridiculous and unnecessary.

The 'haves', as you say, get a free ride with their connections. One of my son's friends were all paid to do nothing by their family and extended family companies.

The 'have nots' struggle to find anything and most don't get much out of it by all accounts around here.

When we have students doing 'work experience' in the primary schools I've been in, you can literally watch them clock-watching until they can leave ... after doing pretty much nothing useful all day.