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Secondary education

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Original poster

Work Experience - Still treating them like skivvys then

20 replies

TheOriginalNutcracker · 11/12/2012 14:47

I was hoping it might have changed since I did mine in 1993.

Dd1 is at a hairdressers and just rung me, not on her lunch break, but out walking the owners Pug. She's also been out to fetch the nail girls lunch.

I know it is all part and parcel of it, but it does annoy me a bit that they just used them to do all of the shit. It's hardley going to encourage her to take it up as a career is it.

I have absolutly no objection to her doing cleaning, sweeping up, making tea etc, but I think walking the dog is taking it a bit far.

Luckily dd seems to be taking it all in her stride at the moment.

OP posts:
SecretSantaSquirrels · 11/12/2012 16:29

She might be lucky and get a Saturday job out of it?
DS did WE at a hospital, had a wonderful insight to the work of a consultant. But, he was envious of his friends who did retail / restaurant work and all got part time jobs to show for it.

Original poster
TheOriginalNutcracker · 11/12/2012 17:06

Yeh that is one of the reasons she is doing it. Fingers crossed for that, as she has a very busy and costly social life lol.

She has just rung me to say she is waiting for the bus. She said 'I am cold and tired, my feet ache and I want a cup of coffee and my dinner'

And it's only day one lol

OP posts:
vj32 · 11/12/2012 18:27

What do you expect? There are so few places that can/will take young people for work experience now.

The purpose is to shown then how hard full time work is, and if they do reasonably well to get them someone who will write a nice reference for work/college. Thats about it.

BrianButterfield · 11/12/2012 18:32

They're not insured to do a lot of things. There's only so much sweeping you can do. I did WE and spent a lot of time wandering round town on errands. I loved it, actually! It made me feel quite grown-up.

uptheamp · 11/12/2012 18:43

my first job consisted of doing all that shit for a year or so Grin

bruffin · 11/12/2012 20:17

My DS's work experience was a doddle. He worked in the photographers round the corner. Didn't need to be in until 10 and could come home for lunch. They also let him do a few sittings and came home with a few hundreds of pounds worth of photographs (one of the top high street photographer in the country) he was spoilt the whole week.

Original poster
TheOriginalNutcracker · 11/12/2012 21:24

VJ32 - I don't expect dd to be walking a dog and cleaning up dog piss at a hair salon.

Sweeping up, making tea, cleaning, washing up, running errands, emptying bins, etc is all fine, and totally expected.

OP posts:
cricketballs · 11/12/2012 21:47

but a new assistant at a hair salon will be doing those jobs that your DD has done today. It should give her a clear insight into the realities of a 'bottom rung' type of role

LynetteScavo · 11/12/2012 21:53

I never did work experience.

I have been asked to fill out a form saying whether or not I am prepared to pay to enable DS1 to go on work experience. Apparently funding is being stopped to carry out safety checks at workplaces.

All good hair salons have a dog sitting in the doorway. Someone has to walk them.

RedTinsel · 11/12/2012 22:02

She has just rung me to say she is waiting for the bus. She said 'I am cold and tired, my feet ache and I want a cup of coffee and my dinner'

That's the world of work for you!

We've just taken on our work experience person full time. He turned up on time every day, did all the shit jobs he was asked to, t

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 11/12/2012 22:07

I'd have thought that walking the dog would be more fun than sweeping up hair tbh. Know which I'd rather do.

RedTinsel · 11/12/2012 22:07

She has just rung me to say she is waiting for the bus. She said 'I am cold and tired, my feet ache and I want a cup of coffee and my dinner'

That's the world of work for you!

We've just taken on our work experience person full time. He turned up on time every day, did all the shit jobs he was asked to, asked loads of questions about how the business worked and was generally interested and enthusiastic. He even came in on days he didn't need to to go through online training we have access to. A job came up and he was offered it. Sometimes it works.

Original poster
TheOriginalNutcracker · 11/12/2012 22:23

Oh don't worry, dd did everything that was asked of her and will do so each day she is there, even if it is nothing to do with working in a salon.

Tbh, I wouldn't mind if the WE put her off hairdressing anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheOriginalNutcracker · 11/12/2012 22:23

Dd has also volunteered to work on the two Saturdays, as she gets Mondays off.

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RiversideMum · 12/12/2012 07:34

I think it's a good reality check for teenage DCs to have to do what they are told, even if it is boring/crap. Some of them seem to think that school is there to entertain them and that parents exist as a taxi/cafe service!

orangeberries · 12/12/2012 14:12

I know nothing about hairdressing, but we had work placements at my former employers and was involved in it and never asked anyone to go and fetch my lunch or walk my dog. It would never have crossed my mind.

We used to sit the work placements people right next to us and shadow everything we did. It was tiring but I felt they got a real understanding of what we were doing. I did give them some filing on the last day as a treat! But nothing more mundane than that. After all the whole point of it is to understand the work rather than being given something to do. The feedback we got back was always very positive. I didn't realise we were so unique!!

guineapiglet · 12/12/2012 14:18

My daughter spent her whole 2 week work placement walking dogs, cleaning up etc - at the local animal rescue! - It was really hard, menial work, cleaning cages, looking after sick pets, cleaning cat litter trays etc, and long walks in the dark of the peak district - she had chosen Science GCSES on the premise that she wanted to work with animals in a future career and this was a perfect placement to help her decide that this type of career really wasnt for her - it is good for them to do physically demanding work, and to see different types of jobs are not as glamourous as they think.

Original poster
TheOriginalNutcracker · 12/12/2012 20:06

Gunieapiglet - That is acceptable though because she was at an animal rescue lol.

Today dd got sent to chip shop 4 seperate times, waked the dog again and was then told to sit on reception with another girl.

When she got in she rang the school and they said that the dog walking and cleaning up dog piss is not acceptable, and they shouldnt be sending dd out for lunch, as she isn't supposed to leave the premises.

Anyway, they have told her not to go in tomorrow and the school are going to help her find another placement for next week. Dd is going to ring the salon in the morning to tell them she isn't going back.

Dd is in no way afraid of hard work, and has cleaned the whole salon on both days, which she was perfectly happy with as she knows that this is what you do there, but the dog stuff was just too far.
They wouldn't even let her answer the phone to customers, so what was the point.

Orangeberries - Your place sounds like they do it exactly as it should be done.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheOriginalNutcracker · 13/12/2012 10:04

Dds been given another placement at a large childminders, 5 min from our house.

The school know the childminder personally and apparently she is brilliant with work experience students.

They have said the salon will be taken off their list of placements.

OP posts:
mumslife · 17/12/2012 17:29

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