AIBU to think there should be organised work experience placement schemes for school students

[DuaNinja]

Starting to feel very frustrated trying to help DD to find a year 12 work experience placement. She completed a week in year 10 but this year the school want them to find something relevant to future studies and not just to go to work with your parents or similar. It sounds so easy in theory but in practice why would a random company want the hassle of dealing with a work experience kid? It would be great if there was a proper system in place for this. I believe in Ireland students undertake work experience in year 11 and have a vocational / transition year between lower exams and senior exams (apologies if this is not correct, I only have a very vague understanding of this). In my day the school had links with local businesses and we signed up tor a placement and the company we went to had a plan in place for us. DD's school offers no practical help, just links to websites about how to write a CV. So far she has sent her CV and a targeted email to 9 companies and has not had a single response. Also, if she does get a response, we know nothing about the potential companies offering the place. I would feel happier if I knew she was going somewhere that had been vetted in some way. Not that she is going to get a placement at this rate.

She is interested in the companies she is contacting. She is sending a CV and a tailored email. We proof read everything before she sends it out.

https://successatschool.org/advice/work-experience/how-to-find-media-work-experience-updated-for-2025/1107

https://www.speakersforschools.org/work-experience-opportunities/

these are organisations we use at work and worth checking out (that said both of mine got there’s via mine and DH contacts as do most people I know).

So how's that different from getting their own PAID part time jobs?

If you mean the effort/experience involved there's no difference at all, Gogogo12345, and many do get paid part time jobs - sometimes in things which reflect what they want to do later, but often just to make a bit of money of their own

Admittedly it's only my personal experience, but I honestly don't know any who've found it impossible to get something, at least among those who genuinely want to work
I know plenty who'd rather sit around all day on their devices and thhen claim it'ss "impossible" though ...

I don't know anyone who has managed to get a successful work placement without help. The idea of calling people or even sending an unsolicited CV and email is, on the whole, a really antiquated and inefficient way of approaching companies, and that's what they're advised to do at my daughter's school.

My daughter went onto LinkedIn and tried contacting people in the field she wanted to work in and got zero response. She ended up getting her experience via a friend of mine who has her own company. DH has also done this for our friend's children where he works.

I am not saying it's a fair way for these things to happen but a lot of it is down to a very unlevel playing field and a real case of who you know (or rather who your parents know in most cases) and the schools / government are aware of that and if they want to continue with work experience they need to do something to address this.

Same here. I don’t mind taking them, but we kept being sent people with zero interest in the industry we work in, who then sat on their phones all day.

And for this privilege I had to spend time filling out forms and creating health and safety policies to meet their guidelines.

I can understand why employers would like to take apprentices and students on industrial placement years as there is something in it for them. Why would they want a 16 year old for a week? Not any week either, a random week set by the school. Also, generally even part time jobs for teenagers are advertised in some way and there is a position available. Trying to get work experience is not the same as applying for an actual job.

WRT to part time jobs for 16 year olds, where I am (London) they are rare as hen's teeth. All of DD's friends are after them and apart from babysitting and a bit of pet sitting there is nothing.

No that is not the point of work experience. It is to get an insight into a career they may be interested in pursuing.

Hard out there. My daughter is 19. Nobody gets back her. Her dad asked in his office so she do something there. My friends son same he drop loads cvs around. Its who you know. Some transition year pupils had nothing as places wouldnt take them. Hard.

Oh it must be very different from Essex then and my kids and the majority of their friends all had part time jobs

Are any of these young people looking for remote work experience at all?

In Cornwall, where my family live, there are loads of jobs for teens too. I'd always assumed London would have loads but I think until they turn 18 there it's super hard for them to find a job.

Same here. We also have a college where plenty of 18+ are looking for jobs.

most under 18s are either managed with personal connections or have a specific skill especially with sport clubs.

It’s to develop employability skills I’d say. And to boost confidence and independence.

Given many students have no idea what they’re interested in. (Honestly, the numbers that don’t even have hobbies is really sad. or At least, the numbers that say they don’t have hobbies).

Not with just one week. A p/t job or volunteering brings a lot more.

The issue is often that work experience students aren't allowed to access computer systems and any confidential data they can't even email internally.

I don’t mind taking them, but we kept being sent people with zero interest in the industry we work in, who then sat on their phones all day

Interesting that you said "kept being sent ...", @MidnightPatrol, and if this means someone else sourced the placement and simply suggested they go I'm not surprised you got the ones who were only interested in their phones

Hopefully someone told them to put them away, and maybe even suggested that if they got their heads out of the things they might have been more successful in finding something for themselves?

@Stoneyard I completely agree, I assume you've fed back re all the ridiculous forms

@MidnightPatrol for many students that will literally be their first ever experience in an office and be overwhelming daunting for them. Adults struggle in a new job first day this is 100 times worse.

Also edited to say: how can DC so young know what they are interested in, it's supposed to help them on that journey. They may love or hate the particular work environment and that's okay that's part of the experience.
What I would expect is polite behaviour even if they are bored but opening up that conversation will help

We have done through both and a charity - so I would expect them to be thoughtful about the placement and ensuring the student was doing something relevant. I’m in a popular but hard-to-access industry so I’d assume they’d have a pupil interested.

And to both you and @EasterParadeHats I get it may be their first office experience - but we really aren’t there to have to parent them and tell them off (which yes, we have done).

The moment it becomes a burden on employers, then they can’t be bothered. If the people arranging the placement can’t be bothered to place pupils with the right skills, why host them really. It was like they just pulled names out of a hat.

Most people are busy, if it’s not a positive experience they won’t do it again.

I think this illustrates the problem succinctly.

It's a good initiative but there needs to be a proper organisation liaising between the students and the people offering the experience,

There's no sort of quality control, people are just left to sort it out between themselves, and it frankly sounds like many experiences are a waste of time for everyone.

At that age though it’s not really about getting experience in the career they want. Few will have a solid idea at that age. But more of a taster of the world of work and the soft skills involved.
I remember really enjoying it but realising how much longer the work day is than the school day. Learning about dealing with customers, communication skills, the importance of time management.

Eg that it’s not the school being over the top about punctuality, it’s expected at work!

Going out and securing your own experience place is absolutely part of it.

There are a lot of positives but it does show youngsters nepotism at a relatively young age and you could get a bit cynical about the way the world works. I think you have the situation where kids from day grammar schools get a completely different array of work experience options and career advice to those from other state sxhools.

Our local grammars though small in number get a continuous stream of students into medicine and law placements as well as other high profile professions. I think a lot of professionals do not want to waste time for instance investing time in a student who doesn't have a chance of getting the prerequisite qualifications for their role so use a blanket policy of only offering work experience to undergraduates or those students with obvious academic merit. In the NHS there are teams who desperately try to counter this behaviour by encouraging the medical profession to embrace wider participation but ime it doesn't work.