Is 14 yr old mature enough to choose own work experience?

[mashedpotatoes]

Hello everyone,

When it came to finding work experience in year 10, which of you let your child choose which places to contact, and which of you sorted it out yourselves?

My daughter's school has told the students that they should write their own CV and covering letter and they should find the experience themselves.

What's bothering me is that I don't know if there's an unsaid rule that in fact the parents should take the initiative and use their common sense to find something suitable for their child, or if it really is down to the child to find something.

Also, do you think their choice of work experience will impact their future career?
I've managed to bring it up in conversations with people I know and I've heard things like:

• a friend found her daughter some work experience in the legal department of her company and now her daughter works in law
• another friend found her daughter experience in the speech department of the hospital where she worked and then her daughter worked as a medical secretary and then as a speech and language therapist
• as for me, I did my work experience at the local newspaper and at a radio station and I've since worked in music publishing and now as a private English tutor. My school organised my experience for me.

I can't help thinking that if I'd done my work experience somewhere else, I would have a different (better!) career now.

My daughter wants to contact music shops and sound recording studios. She plays the drums, she's into rock - she wishes she'd been alive in the 90's because of Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc, etc..) I can't help thinking that this could be the start of an unstable low-paid career, even if it's fun and enjoyable. I've always encouraged her drums and the groups she plays in. I just always thought the music would be just for fun, not an actual career. She is often top of her class, she's bright, and she deserves to have a stable career and a good life. I think we all hope this for our kids.

This whole subject has been stressing me out for weeks and I would really appreciate other mums' opinions on this.

I've been considering saying that she can contact the music shops/recording studios if I can also contact some places on her behalf (communications dept in a local bank, solicitors, graphic designer, courts, human resources) and she could have two shorter work experience placements. She doesn't even know that these kinds of jobs exist!
Basically, should I just keep quiet, or get involved? At the age of 14, is she mature enough to make this decision?

Sorry this is so long. I've had several weeks of worrying and arguments and really want to sort this out!

Y10 workexp is pain. Lots of employers don't want kids of 14and 15, especially anything professional

Parental contacts are most usual

I really think you're over thinking this. A year 10 placement is extremely unlikely to open a door to a career. My DD certainly hasn't mentioned it on her UCAS form. The Guardian article is specifically looking at the work placements degree students do in their holidays which tend to be extremely competitive. Thousands apply for the PWC and Deloittes structured summer work experience schemes, but these are not open to year 10s for 1 or 2 weeks in term time.

I know I've said this already but please check the qualifications of the careers advisers you've contacted. Literally anyone can call themselves a careers adviser and there are some unqualified people out there who will charge a fortune.

I'd also be wary of paying for something for a teen-ager. She will be getting a huge amount of support at school even if she doesn't identify it as careers education. Much of it is embedded into the curriculum.

I also think she's behaving like a typical teen-ager.

Dcs school says lower 6 exp should relate to career aspirations but Y10 not expected to.
One of my dc did it in a testing lab, another in a university, and another in a local design business. None remotely connected to the oaths they have taken

OP I hope you are not seriously thinking about paying someone for advice on a one week Year 10 work experience??

Paying! This thread is ridiculous & becoming funnier by the minute. Just let her get on with it. If she doesn't get a place, she will act as a runner for the school reception for a week or similar.

I did my work experience with the Police and I loved it! I got time with CID, a beat officer, community liaison officer, patrol officers, traffic officers, etc. I realised that I was too weedy to be a policewoman (I was tall but very skinny with limited stamina), but loved the experience.

@Hoghgyni I'm glad you find this thread funny I'm thinking about paying for a careers advisor because I want someone else to help her see her own strengths and to make her aware of the kinds of jobs that are out there - because she's at an age where she simply won't listen to me. It's nothing to do with her year 10 work experience. Thanks to all the advice on here, I have now accepted that this experience is more about learning how to apply for a job yourself, spending time in a work environment from 9-5, seeing what you like and don't like, etc.

@Tvstar Are the oaths your children have taken doctor's oaths? I don't know of any other professions which require oaths. You said that one of your DC did their work experience in a testing lab. This WAS connected to working as a doctor (assuming I'm right about that). It seems you have taken for granted the experience your DC had and the careers they have ended up pursuing. My daughter (and my son) are both bright and I REFUSE to give them anything but the best opportunities I can. At this time, this means giving my DD access to a qualified careers advisor (and I''ve checked that they're qualified - they're not life coaches)

How on Earth can weeks work somewhere influence your career?
I suppose it could show you that you really don’t wasn’t to work in a butchers shop ir whatever, but it’s not such a pivotal thing.

Kids that age also choose their gcse options, which are likely to have a whole lot more impact on their career.

Op, I’m pretty sure that when TVstar said oaths, it was a typo for paths. The PATHS her children have taken

They take what they can get around here. Ds1 did his in an office , nothing like what he's done since and Ds2 ended up at pets at home

Thank you everybody. I'm feeling much better now about this whole thing. My DD will hopefully send her covering letter and CV to the music instrument shops next week and we'll see what reponses she gets. She will be taking the train by herself on some of the days to get there.
I really appreciate all of you taking the time to reply.

Yes, I do find it funny. In year 10 DD wanted to be a barrister. A close family member is a lawyer, but law firms won't take 15 year olds regardless of connections. In my profession I would only pop a teenager on reception for a week, I wouldn't let them anywhere near client related work. DD did a week at Waterstones which confirmed that you need to work hard to give you career choices, so you can decide for yourself what you wish to do. She went back to school having had a perfectly pleasant week away from school. I honestly think you are wasting your money and your DD'S time, because a year 10 student at the start of their GCSEs doesn't need a careers advisor and they have seen you and your wallet coming.

Op please bear in mind that there may be others interested in a music shop...there is one music shop in my city and when DD asked about work exp there in September of year 10 she was told all the slots had gone in March of that year (for the summer of the following year!). Your dd may be lucky but please don't bank on it and have some other ideas. For example if she is keen on music, a secondary school (not hers maybe) could let her support in yr 7 and 8 lessons.

Please don't spend money on careers advisers at this stage; if she wants to do a degree then a lot can change between now and then so IMHO you'd be wasting your money.

ps if taking a local train by herself is a big thing for your 14yo, you might want to consider giving her a bit more independence.

@clary She has taken the train many times with friends but never alone. If she gets this placement it would involve a 30 minute train ride from a quite village into the city and then a tram to the placement.
Work experience is also about increasing independence.
I am actually feeling better about this whole thing now.

• quiet village

@mashedpotatoes
I understand that you want give your DD the best opportunities but please take PP seriously when they tell you it is a complete waste of money to pay for a careers advisor for something like this. I genuinely thought you were joking just as @Hoghgyni

Instead of spending money on a careers advisor, it would be much better for you to use that money to hire a tutor for any subject she may be struggling with as her academic performance at school is way more likely to have an effective on her future job prospects than a one week work experience at 14.

Even if your careers advisor got her the best placement possible, no reputable company will let a 14 year old do anything other than admin or shelf stacking.

I think you are overthinking to be honest. Let her send a couple of CV’s out and email some local companies (by herself) and relax about this. Thousands of children across the country do it every year, it doesn’t need to be such a fanfare. Most teenagers take it as a week to miss school and sit bored in an office occasionally making coffee.

And I know in a previous comment you said the careers advisor is not just for the weeks work experience. Well it is a complete waste to money to get a careers advisor for a 14 year old no matter the circumstances.

It is a complete scam to defraud people who are over-anxious about careers out of money. Millions of people in the UK get jobs without using them so I can assure you she’ll be just fine with herself, you supporting occasionally and the internet.

Seriously, don't pay for a careers adviser. Use what is available in school!

I worked in a kitchen, wanted to be a chef, never did though I work in an office.

I blagged my way into a radio station. I sent my CV then kept ringing them until I wore them down and they said yes. Had a cracking too weeks there and got to meet all the DJs.

So tell her to ring as well as sending her CV, they may be wait to see what initiative she has.

You sound over invested. Or rather looking at it the wrong way. No, it's not supposed to be done by you, it's supposed to be done by her.

Talking about all these things, the difference between hobby and career, wanting her to choose a job that she's happy in, but that pays well, are all conversations that you could/can/should have.

Has she had a careers tutor, come into school? Done on line tests to suggest things and guide her? In year 9, 10, and 11 Ds1's school has done a huge amount.

I would imagine most people didn’t end up working in the same field as their work experience. None of my friends did. It’s just an opportunity to learn how to write a CV, learn how to find a placement and experience a workplace.