Work experience is doing my head in!

[Unexpected]

Am just venting really but helping DS look for Yr12 work experience is doing my head in! Finding last year's work experience was difficult enough but this year seems to be just impossible. Most of his emails to companies have been ignored, all his phone calls have met with negative responses and we are getting increasingly desperate letters from the school appealing for parents who may be able to help out in their own companies to offer placements.

I have now weighed in and spent the best part of two days looking online at various sectors - it probably doesn't help that he doesn't know what he wants to do so would find it difficult to put together a compelling case for any of the larger, competitive companies and his range of A levels precludes even pretending an interest in anything like engineering or anything scienc-y. He also already has a great Saturday and holiday job which has given him plenty of experience of hard work and I really feel like his time would be better spent in doing some actual study for his exams, rather than writing 300 words about what he can bring to company XYZ.

Anyway rant over and back to Google! Is it just me struggling with this?

what are his a levels

It is easier through people you know.Do your friends/relatives/neighbours work in senior management positions in any businesses?

Thanks. He is doing Geography, Biology, Music and DT. He may do a Geography degree. Last year's work experience was with an exhibition design and build company, which he really enjoyed and they offered him a Saturday job at the end of it (couldn't take it up as already had a job). He has been unsuccessfully looking for anything broadly (and I do mean broadly) related to product design, music, AV, film or video. Even the local large drum centre has failed to respond. Both DH and I work in the City which would be his idea of hell! Most friends and neighbours seem to work in similar roles or as e.g. lawyers, areas in which he has no interest and hence I don't think he would impress anyone!

Couldn't he volunteer at local pond restoration, that kind of thing?

Rivers authority? Music (instrument) shop, university biology department?

Any local national trust property or local wildlife charity?

Who says he has to do work experience? Year 12? So presumably not compuls ory? If it is compulsory, then school will have to sort it. As he already has a job, this is clearly just a box ticking exercise, and not worth you ( or him) getting stressed over.
But I don't understand why his actual work doesn't seem to count.

Thanks for some additional ideas. He has already applied to the National Trust (another application form requiring several fairly lengthy and detailed answers) but we can't expect to hear from them for 21 days which is not yet up. He has also approached several local music stores, as he likes music and plays several instruments, two to a fairly high standard - not even had a reply from any of them. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good for him to have to apply his mind to completing these forms, make the effort to make calls, send emails etc - it's just that it has turned out to be so time-consuming and is eating up hours that could be better spent doing something like actual study for his exams in barely three months time!

DD has been given permission to not do work experience in Y12, but instead go into school and work on a couple of project type things she needs to have in place for her uni applications.

Can he put a case to the school for doing something similar?

My ds, year 10 has just submitted his application for work experience to our local council. There were so many different areas to choose from, general and financial management, grounds people, health, IT, media and creative design.

I run a business a get plenty of applications. We stopped taking WE students after one bad experience. The student arrived, basically refused to do what we'd asked her to and what she did do, she did badly. It was exhausting. I sent her packing with a call to the school explaining why.

WE students take a lot out of a business and contribute little. Perhaps he would do well to present a great case for what he could contribute or ask employers what they need? If someone did the latter my list would be long!

Queenofthepirates ironically I was responsible for WE in a previous role so I know how time-consuming it can be and how little practical use students of this age can sometimes be. We also had a couple of bad experiences, including one dreadful one - friend of the boss of course - but as a large organisation were able to cope with a few hiccups.

This is also why I want DS to undertake his WE somewhere where he will not only get some insight into something he might possibly be interested in but might actually contribute something useful, however small. I don't want him to be the kid whose mouth drops open when asked by an employee why he is interested in Company or Industry XYZ. Those are the kids who sour it for the ones coming behind them.

My similar aged DS did City work experience last year sourced by DH even though he has no interest in the field he actually really enjoyed it and gives at the very least a flavour of what being in an office environment is like (let's face it most of us end up in an office slaving over a photocopier at some point!) he also got taken out to lunch a lot

So I woyldnt discount using your own contacts, and you can be a bit inventive eg he might not want to be on a trading floor but what about the HR or marketing dept?

Try getting the necessary work experience for veterinary medicine! Has to be varied and they expect a lot. Complete nightmare, cue constant nagging of ds1 to chase up contacts etc. Will be glad when the ucas form goes in !

OP, my ds is in yr 11 and I completely agree with you. Am about to tell his school if they want him to do it they will have to sort it. I have been sitting with him while he writes letters and fill in ridiculous forms (which pretty clearly ask for lying or cheating), and we've stopped because it just felt like another tedious thing to do. I've told him to focus on GCSEs, his rather time consuming activity, his sport, and fun. If something plops into his lap fine, but I'm done with helping my perfectly nice, competent, bright, 15 year old ds try to say why he is passionate about something he hadn't heard of five minutes ago. Agree with you about being useful and interested too.

Have you tried the public sector? For example, I work for the police and we always need help with AV and film-type stuff. Quiet interesting for a young person, lots of excuses to visit different areas of work and good for community engagement. I've struggled to get WE students enough to do in the past but with the cuts I have to deal with at the moment, I'd take anybody for a week or 2!

I'm afraid in my industry we have plenty of eager able uni work ex students... Gcse and a level are too you and need baby sitting, which there isn't time to do sorry

I completely understand that Chchchchanging (great name), I think it is a silly idea for that reason. My ds is a kind boy, smart, sensible, but he doesn't know toffee about the (non-footballing) world! I wouldn't want to have to find things for him to do either.....