Work experience help needed please Yr 12

[gingerhobo48]

Hi, I'm doing this with my DD, not for her.
she has decided she would like to study Biology at degree level with a view to becoming a teacher. When she was applying for her 2 week work experience block she hadn't come to this conclusion but still ticked all the boxes referring to placements which were medicine/biology based. The placement she has been given is totally unrelated (think office based type thing) and she is devastated.I said to make the best of a bad job and I'm sure there is something she can get from it/learn from it but she's still really upset.
We have both been googling and can't seem to find out if work experience in a secondary school is an option.Can anyone help? It would be the 1st 2 weeks in July.
I know that schools are extremely busy places. We don't know any secondary teachers (I'm primary trained). She is serious about this. TIA.

I mean with advice, not offers of a placement (sorry) and I didn't mean to sound ars*y with my opening sentence it's just I know she needs to take the majority of the responsibility for this.Thanks.

My only suggestion would be for her to ring up her old school and ask.
Failing that, email all local secondary schools with CV and covering letter.

We are helping DD1 also y12 to try to get some work experience this summer. The lack of acknowledgement to emails/letters is disheartening but sort of expected.

However she has now had 2 placements more-or-less-offered then withdrawn/fallen through. One because 'head office' had someone lined up without telling the branch, and one because it seems they didn't read her CV & covering letter properly so offered her experience in main line of location (which she is unsuited for) rather than reception / front office area.

How about contacting some of the wildlife charities, harbour conservancies, zoo's etc and seeing if she could shadow one of their education officers?

Thank you TeenAndTween. That is what we were thinking of doing but were not sure who to approach at each school? Head of 6th form or career advisor? I don't know.

That's a good idea, grassroots. Also, same thing, but try museums, National Trust properties. Not as relevant as an animal based posting, but there will probably be a lot of schools visiting in early July!

If in doubt I would just phone reception or email the admin email.
Schools are used to forwarding things on after all.

Thank you grassroots,I did think of going down the conservation/ranger/education route. she is interested in plant biology. We have some nice sites near us , I could contact them.

I hadn't thought of museums Leeds2, thank you.I will talk to her about all of these.

Nuffield may also be able to help with something in a biology related field

www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nuffield-research-placements

Infant/Primary schools in my area tend not to turn down students coming in person asking for work experience. My DS's Pre-prep has two students per class on work experience every term. Good luck!