To take DS on holiday during work experience week

[Flufty191]

DS is year 10. We live in a small town. He's due to do work experience next summer. He/we have contacted every company in the local area and have either had no response, been told they don't offer work experience or the work experience places are already taken.

His options now are a charity shop or the school canteen (the canteen is the schools only help if you're unable to secure your child a place somewhere).

He's already doing voluntary work for his DofE.

Would I be unreasonable to book a family holiday abroad for a week instead?

Yanbu-book it
Yabu-he should do the work experience.

It's been seen as essential by many universities/employers for decades.
Those who got by without it were often those who had other ways 'in the back door' (aka privileges) - note I say often, not always, and I am not assuming that was the case with you.
This is also about teaching him that you don't just 'go on holiday' whenever faced with something you are not overly keen on doing, because life doesn't work that way most of the time!

Do also bare in mind the social aspect of all his mates discussing their boring work experience and he'll miss out

My work experience was utterly rubbish. I did it in an office and spent two weeks being a skivvy, making cups of tea, and cleaning. Learned nothing, and got into trouble for not knowing how the company answered the phone even though no one had taken the time to show me!

You couldn't. It's completely different.

At school things are taught in a set order and teachers move through the curriculum day by day, week by week etc. If you miss a week you're behind and will need to go back and cover what happened last week, while also doing the next week's work.

Obviously and very clearly not the case at work. All the things he can learn in work experience week will be exactly the same when he does his work experience in the summer.

It's been seen as essential by many universities/employers for decades.

No it has not.

Don't be silly.

No university is looking at when you did your work experience placement when you were 15 when you apply to University. Or when you apply for a job.

It's been seen as essential by many universities/employers for decades.

That's big the case in any job I've ever worked in 🤷‍♀️

It wasn't a "thing" at my school and I know very few people who did work experience yet they've all managed to get jobs and cope in the workplace just fine.

That's great - if he can accept that and stick to it when the time comes, I think a holiday next week is fine.

I disagree with you.

The Op’s son is already doing ongoing voluntary work.

Many work experiences placements for just a week realistically don’t allow you to do much work. You’re more of an observer. I did my work placement at a uni language centre, it was so boring, just made some calls to some tourist companies. They ran out of things for me to do and took me to the pub in the afternoon.

I have also had work experience pupils with me in the office. Happy to have them there but realistically they cannot do any work. They cannot use the systems, are not trained, cannot access customer data etc. It must have been so boring for them.

The OP’s son is year 10 so is only 14/15, has plenty of time to do further voluntary work or get actual paid work.

They might not look at the specific job title, but they are often looking at the whole person, not just qualifications etc - work experience, in a job you might not enjoy, actually helps shape the person. Some of the replies on here make that pretty clear tbh!

We are talking about a week of ‘work experience’ that isn’t really work. Most pupils do it so universities don’t see it as anything special.

OP is only 14/15 years old. I did a useless week at work experience and didn’t even mention it in my application or put it on my cv as i also did other ongoing voluntary work (as Op’s son is doing) and once 16 i got paid jobs.

Work experience is the biggest waste of time ever unless it is in a workplace that is the environment that your child wants to build a career in.

It's literally a nonsense.
Go on holiday & enjoy family time.

They're also not looking at the specific date. The work experience he does in the summer will be fine.

It's absurd to suggest that a University are going to need the exact date of his work experience, check that with the school, find out it wasn't the right week and reject his Uni application. That's never, ever going to happen. And you know that.

You weaken your argument with stuff that clearly isn't true.

Isn't part of the experience him finding somewhere himself and working out how to get there? Also meeting people on the job, interacting etc.

I don’t understand why he isn’t taking up the charity shop work experience he has been offered.

They might not look at the specific job title, but they are often looking at the whole person, not just qualifications etc - work experience, in a job you might not enjoy, actually helps shape the person. Some of the replies on here make that pretty clear tbh!

Lots of things shape who you are as a person - a week of work experience somewhere is no more valid than the voluntary work OP's son is already doing 🤷‍♀️

I think you might be missing the point. Its about having some discipline and being in a work environment. He'll have to take instructions and build relationships and he might learn some new skills but even if he finds the job totally boring - that's great too as it might inspire him to study harder.

and this is part of the problem - lots of young kids only want jobs that they want to do - you have to start somewhere and build up.

He already does volunteer work and will do a week of work experience in the summer.

What's the benefit of doing this specific week?

@NuffSaidSam I haven't said anything that isn't true, meanwhile you weaken your argument by calling others 'silly' and suggesting (more than once) that they've said things they haven't actually said.

It is important for him to learn to at least try to do what someone in authority (in this case the school) is asking him to do, if it is part of his overall experience (which it is in this case). They are asking him to do it this week, they are offering options if he cannot find something himself. This is not unreasonable and is a lesson in doing what is asked of you, there and then, not 'I'll do it but on my terms because I don't like your terms'.

You've said:

It's been seen as essential by many universities/employers for decades.

This is not true. We all know that. And it is silly to try and prove your point by essentially making stuff up. No University care about what you did for work experience during work experience week.

(I've copied and pasted the bold part from one of your posts, so it's most definitely something you said. If you didn't mean it, maybe go back and edit?).

If you can point out where I've claimed you've said something you haven't, I will happily apologise/edit my post to correct.

It is important for him to learn to at least try to do what someone in authority (in this case the school) is asking him to do, if it is part of his overall experience (which it is in this case). They are asking him to do it this week, they are offering options if he cannot find something himself. This is not unreasonable and is a lesson in doing what is asked of you, there and then, not 'I'll do it but on my terms because I don't like your terms'.

And do you really think a future employer will know any of that? Of course they won't.

They don't care about when work experience is done and who arranged it - they really don't.

Mainly through family/friends. We're relatively new to the area though and don't have those local connections.

Please read my posts before calling me gross!

My son spent a huge chunk of time volunteering in a cafe last year for his bronze DofE and is volunteering for a local charity this year for his silver, a portion of which will be in the shops.

I understand its value.

It isn't about the future employer knowing it, it is about him as a person!
He's already being shown he can opt out if the terms aren't exactly as he likes, and that isn't realistic in terms of work.