Is work experience needed after first/second year?

[Parsley65]

DS is in his first year of an engineering degree. He's already chosen a 5 year masters course with a year of work placement in the fourth year. He works really hard academically and is aiming high.
We're just wondering if he should be thinking about doing some relevant work experience in the summer holidays - or just relax and enjoy some free time...

He needs to be involved in uni life societies etc.

He needs to do something over the summer eg. A summer job.

It’s best to ask a uni tutor if he should be doing experience instead of a job.

It might be quite difficult to get engineering work experience at the end of his first year. As he is doing a year out anyway it’s hardly vital! However there’s nothing wrong with work or volunteering. Even better if it’s relevant but it really won’t matter at the moment. I would start thinking about where he might go in y4. I know it sounds a long way off but does the university have enough placements to go round or does he have to find his own? What discipline of engineering?

Hi I've recruited grad engineers to prestigious schemes. Tbh as he has a placement year he's already well ahead of many grads so it is not essential. However it all helps if he does have a bit of extra experience even if it's just a month each summer or unpaid internship. Surely as a student he needs the money too? Uni isn't so hard you need to spend 3 months 'relaxing' every summer!

Hi all. Thanks for your replies. He's doing chemical engineering and really enjoying it - working hard (and playing hard too!)
I'll get him to find out about the year 4 placements. This summer he might just get a bar job, but maybe after that maybe some sort of internship...

If he's doing a year's placement then summer internships may not be so essential as they would be on other engineering degrees but maybe if he can find a certain amount of work experience it might help him get a feel for what he wants to do in that 4th year?

But internships are harder to come by for first years, most of them want second or third years. (My DDs 2nd year MEng., she was lucky to get one last year, hasn't found one yet this year yet)

I think he might struggle to get a relevant work placement in the summer after the first year (based on DS's experience on a similar course - he said internships etc were really looking for second years as a minimum).

^not really! Lots of students get summer work that aren't official internships in factories, foundries, garages, paintworks etc etc. Even if they are doing menial tasts a canny engineering student can maximise that on their cv and at interviews. You'd be surprised how many engineering grads have never done a day's work in their lives. But wonder why they can't get a place on a grad scheme!

A summer job, related or not, shows they have initiative and earns money - my barrister friend says he prefers his new recruits to have worked in McDonald's than daddy's law firm making tea.

They would still take a first class Oxford law grad with impeccable experience even if some of it was making the tea for Dad. There’s more to getting a pupillage than tea making.

Two of our DCs did summer retail jobs in companies where they also interned in head office. TBH I’m not at all sure the retail jobs did much for them. I would try to get something more interesting.

@BubblesBuddy wrong thread

Response to annie!