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Secondary education

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Original poster

I don't want ds to do work experience.

318 replies

Alouisee · 03/12/2011 09:13

He's in year ten and has been told that for two weeks in July he must find a placement. He has contacted two bike shops but they havn't even replied.

I'm not keen on pushing him to contact lots of potential placements just so he can become an unpaid slave for a fortnight.

I feel that the school like to clear the decks in the summer with the residentials taking place and work experience happening. I'm quite happy to arrange some tutoring for him for those two weeks but I'm feeling a bit of a chicken about telling the school that work experience is for their benefit and not for the benefit of my son.

Anyone a teacher and got an opinion or a parent and been in this situation.

OP posts:
Original poster
Alouisee · 03/12/2011 13:40

I don't expect the school to do a thing for him
In those 2 weeks - I'm happy to sort out some tutoring. The work experience at 16 is a given, he's already sorted that out by impressing a friend.

Dh looks over cv's all the time and has done for nearly 20 years, he said that work experience at 14/15 is totally irrelevant and usually ignored unless you are looking at medicine in which case it's expected.

I do really appreciate all your points of view but I'm still not completely swayed.

OP posts:
MotherPanda · 03/12/2011 13:46

well yes - in future life its ignored, but for getting your first job - it's important.

daveywarbeck · 03/12/2011 13:46

Don't be swayed then. Just be prepared for the school to say he doesn't have a choice. You could withdraw him from school for those two weeks, but they might not be prepared to have him back.

amerryscot · 03/12/2011 13:49

Don't underestimate the benefit of a Y10 or Y11 work experience placement on his UCAS personal statement. This can be worth a whole paragraph of talking about transferable skills.

drowninginlaundry · 03/12/2011 13:50

jesus wept...
I run a small business, I recently took on an 19-year old on a trial basis, who was nice and charming, but had next to none work experience on his CV. He didn't last long. What was evidently missing was basic idea of how to behave in a professional environment as in showing up on time, responding to feedback without a litany of feeble excuses, an idea how to conduct yourself, how to demonstrate that you don't actually think that the world owes you a living. You don't learn that in secondary school these days, IMHO.

I now employ a 23-year old who has had part time jobs since she was 14. She is bloody brilliant.

cory · 03/12/2011 13:52

Dd is going through this process atm and, painful as it is, I can see that she is learning way more from the whole contacting workplaces and being refused than from an extra two weeks of revision. She is learning to focus on explaining what she wants and why she wants it, to put on a good show, pitch a telephone call, write a decent letter, cope with rejection- all skills that will stand her in good stead when she has to do it for real in a few years time.

I had very little early experience in anything of the kind- having had my WE arranged by school in a familiar setting and never having had a Saturday job- and I have to say that I do feel I missed out. Ime early training in this kind of things does make life a lot easier later. It's not the note in the CV as such; it's the skills it teaches you. Of course you can acquire those skills later- but the same goes for GCSEs.

What is it that keeps your ds so busy he can't revise for his GCSEs during the rest of the year? If one of my dcs said that, I'd suggest they cut down on their social life instead.

cricketballs · 03/12/2011 13:57

if your ds is not attending work experience then he has to be in school otherwise he will be marked as unauthorised absence. If you are so worried about missing 2 weeks of school, then what are you planning to do over the summer holidays?

Surely you must understand that there must be a balance to life at least and it is not just about academic learning?

It is worth noting though it is still a statutory requirement for schools to provide KS4 students to undertake work related learning

loopydoo · 03/12/2011 14:06

It's not about what they're going to do as a career necessarily - it's about experiencing the world of work.

There can be some really interesting places to do it or if not, as many have suggested, he could go to a charity shop or charity office or country park or something. It's not about the specific job; it's about him getting some feeling of what skills he'll need in the workplace and that's invaluable to any year 10 student.

SoupDragon · 03/12/2011 14:07

If your son's education can not cope with two weeks practical work experience then you should perhaps lower your exam expectations somewhat.

Thistledew · 03/12/2011 14:26

When I was your son's age I knew exactly what I wanted to do as a career, but it was something that I could not do as work experience until I was 18.

I had a fair idea that I would hate working 9-5 in an office, and doing exactly that for work experience confirmed to me that it was not for me.

It took a lot of hard work and perseverance for me to get into my dream job, and one of the things that kept me going was knowing that I had tried an alternative and hated it, so I was all the more determined to stick to my dreams.

Deux · 03/12/2011 14:28

Why don't you do the WE for him, poor little lamb.

Yellowstone · 03/12/2011 14:45

My eldest five have all had a regular job since Y9 and they've all sustained the same job through GCSE's (and the oldest three through A Levels too).

Your DS does not need to be doing GCSE work every week of the school year!

Original poster
Alouisee · 03/12/2011 15:01

He's just one of those kids who needs to work to get good results. I'm not really appreciating the narky tone of deux & SoupDragon some posters.

This is a genuine thread asking for people's experience and advice . It's not Aibu although I'm more than prepared to be told I'm wrong in my perception and expectations.

OP posts:
SeoraeMaeul · 03/12/2011 15:13

I also spend time looking over cv's and no 14 yr old work experience is probably not my biggest concern BUT a kid who knows how to put in a days work, respond professionally and accept the reality of work (ie some good bits some crap bits) usually goes on to better things - and those are the things I look for. Honestly at 14 he can learn so much that will open his eyes even in a place where he doesn't see his future career. Don't wait til he's 16 (with the 'promise' of a role) it's never to early to learn the reality of the employment market.

bruffin · 03/12/2011 15:14

He will be up against kids who have got the top results and held a job. I know the area my Ds wants to go into work experience is very important.

Thistledew · 03/12/2011 15:20

The question is not why you think his education will suffer during those two weeks out of school, but why you want to deny him the educational opportunity of two weeks work. Or do you think that education starts and finishes at the door of the classroom?

stickwithit · 03/12/2011 15:26

I can assure you that the work experience students that I take on are absolutely not unpaid labour. If anyone is unpaid it is my team and I- unpaid 'teachers'. We actually end up out of pocket due to time it takes to organise placements and the additional insurance required. However, I am happy to take WE students on because I am very grateful to those who did it got me and do I see it as 'paying it forward'.

We put time and effort into ensuring that they get something positive out of the experience. IMO even those not directly interested in our industry learn valuable lessons as outlined by previous posters.

It is lovely to see students come out of their shell during the placement. We have had a number of them who are very high achievers at school but who are not at all confident at interacting with new faces, shy I guess. They usually leave feeling a little more socially confident because they have been pushed gently out of their comfort zone.

MigratingChestnutsOnAnOpenFire · 03/12/2011 15:46

You can't just take him out of school whilst work experience is on.

That would be classified as truancy.

Bunbaker · 03/12/2011 15:57

"How about an alternative approach - organise the work experience in a role far removed from their likely career path? I organised my son to go out with the Landscape team at our local council - 7am starts and hard physical labour. Mind you - at their school they only do a week. He is now certain that he wants to work hard at school and not settle for a job requiring no qualifications"

MIL did that with SIL when she wouldn't work hard at school. She got her a placement waitressing at a local pub, and she hated it. MIL told her that this would be the only kind of job open to her if she didn't knuckle down. It worked.

This was years ago, way before work experience existed.

SoupDragon · 03/12/2011 16:02

"He's just one of those kids who needs to work to get good results. I'm not really appreciating the narky tone of deux & SoupDragon some posters. "

If you don't want to hear things you'd rather not then don't post. I stand by what I said on both counts. If someone is choosing between two identical candidates, one who has absolutely no experience and one who has at least put in some work experience, which do you hunk they will go for? The unproven, molly coddled child or the one who has actually done something?

School don't do work experience for the fun of it nor do they do it for their benefit just to "clear the decks".

MarriedToTheGrinch · 03/12/2011 16:09

If he doesn't do his work experience and doesn't attend school because you are having him tutored then this will be classed as unauthorised absense. Two weeks worth will probably end up with Education Welfare becoming involved. Also, if he applies to anywhere then his reference from the school will be affected as it will show poor attendance rate. Two weeks does make a big difference even if he has 100% attendance at the time he does his work experience.

MarriedToTheGrinch · 03/12/2011 16:13

Oh and it is not the easy way for schools to clear the decks - most work experience placements are during the summer term, because it's takes alot of time and preparation for schools to organise. H&S checks have to be done, insurance sorted etc. It's alot easier and cheaper for schools to keep the students in school than to let them go out.

Auntiestablishment · 03/12/2011 16:14

Crikey, some people are very intolerant of the OP daring to have a different view, aren't they?

MigratingChestnutsOnAnOpenFire · 03/12/2011 16:14

its very clear to me that, with the ecomony imploding big time, kids need every edge they can get in order to do well in the ever diminishing world of work.

My understanding is that you pretty much need lots of work experience in the relevent fields for medicine, vetenary science and dentistry. Those who start in year 10 and build through to year 12 are in a very strong position.

but..you clearly think you know best. Not entirely sure why you bothered asking for opinions if you had already made up your mind.

MigratingChestnutsOnAnOpenFire · 03/12/2011 16:16

auntie
You are probably right. I think it was the implication that schools only did this to give teachers an easy ride at the end of term that set the tone in the op wrong and wound me up good and proper