Any ideas for work experience for a 15 year old girl with zero contacts.

[VegIn1Bed]

We’re stumped.

Her old primary school?

McDonalds? Boots? Local factory? Zoo? Council?

What does she want to do as a career?

If there's a nice hotel nearby you can contact them and ask for her to go a weeks work experience there. They are used to doing that and usually get you to have a day in housekeeping, kitchen, food and beverage etc. I did this and they offered me s part time waitressing job for the summer working at their weddings, it helped me get other jobs in shops and bars as I got older and went to uni.

Where do you live, roughly?

Depends whats around.
Local National Trust site?
DogsTrust RSPCA?

School might be able to give you/her a list of employers who have taken pupils for work experience in the past.

What areas interest her? Might she want to work with animals? Children? In science? The Arts?

You'd be amazed what contacts she has once you think about it. Her own dentist and GP are contacts if she's interested in medicine. Same with her old primary school. Anything your neighbours and relatives do for work also counts a contacts.

For science, there are some wonderful work placements in pharmaceuticals companies such as GSK and Pfizer.

For the arts, ask at your local theatre or dance school.

For our DC, one had a placement with a science lab that he got through a friend of a science teacher at his school. The other got a placement with an accountancy firm via the husband of someone I used to work with. Think very widely about who you know and what they do. People are kind and try to help. Though we did have to do a lot of asking to get one that said yes.

Does she do any hobbies?

What sort of thing would she like to explore? Children, animals, etc.

Does she have any clue what she would like to do or what are her interests?
That's your starting point.

For DD1, we emailed our local MP as she was interested in going into politics. We were very surprised when she got a week experience at the Houses of Parliament. She loved it but decided not to go into politics.
DD2 emailed all our local libraries, museums and galleries. She got a week with a museum. Really enjoyed herself.

Just email anyone you can think of.

We used our vets. We tried pet shops that we use too

Friendly local cafe/garden centre might need a weekend pot washer/table bus. Just keep spending your money there and start asking regularly.

Our Ds did two weeks at the local council offices in a few different departments as he was interested in politics at the time. They were great with him.

Our local council is taking applications at the moment. Does she have any idea what she would be interested in? Try hospital, library, hairdresser, local mp, primary school...

We emailed a local music shop that ds had sometimes bought stuff from and they took him for the week. He had a great time tuning the ukeleles!

Dd didn't do work experience. I know quite a few girls who went to their old primary school or dance school.

What are her hobbies and what are her favourite subjects at school?

She's 15 - most of the above pp's won't accept her.

We had this problem with DD1 who was youngest in class, so forever having challenges being unable to access certain projects.

Is this for DofE or proper work experience? For DofE contact her primary school, or local Brownies, or Church Groups. DD did Brownies. Charity shops won't have them until 16, and then they aren't keen. DD2 helped out at her local cattery, but again, they can't accept until 16. I think you will be very limited OP.

Almost all students are 14/15 when they complete work experience as official work experience is completed in Year 10.

It is hassle for employers though so many are stopping taking children. But primary schools, nurseries, shops, libraries, cafes etc often do. Construction is difficult as many building sites specify over 18's and anything where a child would be with someone on a 1:1 basis.

We had this with DS who is an August birthday. In the end he did front of house for the local arts centre as someone we know works there and agreed to do same shifts and act as 'in loco parentis'.

Surely that all depends on what sort of work she is planning to do??

Many employers don't realise that official work experience is exempt from the usual employment laws and age restrictions surrounding young people and that their usual employee liability insurance does cover under 16's on work experience. A risk assessment has to be carried out, just the same as it would be with any employee. It's a myth that someone has to have a DBS check for example.

I had an August birthday DD too. It’s tricky when they are 15. No joined up thinking as it should be based on year group at school, not age. Can you or relatives help out? Even if it’s just 3 days?

Work placements are meant to be looked at for health and safety and insurance. This appears to be abandoned by schools now who just say DIY. That’s not fair and certainly allows MC children to get ahead.

For what it’s worth, this week doesn’t mean much. To anyone! Often a career choice comes later and what you did at 15 pales into insignificance. Ask the school for help if it’s their initiative and ask what their role is. It should be more than DIY.

Work Experience is much more difficult than it used to be many places won’t take them until year 12/6th form, some have stopped taking Work Experience students altogether due to changes to data protection/health and safety etc etc. We also got told the NHS won’t take them now and I can’t remember where else wouldn’t.
Her school should have a list of employers just go through the list (although if for June/ July time this year) she has left it extremely late to be sorting this out so she will just have to pick anything from whatever is left/still available at this stage. I insisted DD sorted hers out way before Christmas time as DS left his quite late last year.

I had an August birthday DD too. It’s tricky when they are 15. No joined up thinking as it should be based on year group at school, not age. Can you or relatives help out? Even if it’s just 3 days?

I'm confused. Work experience IS based on Year group at school. It is carried out during the last 2 years of compulsory educations (in practice most schools do Year 10 as there is too much going on with GCSE's in Year 11.

Ds's school does work experience in November of Year 10, therefore most pupils are aged 14. Another local school does it in January. Dd's school did it in June when most but not all had turned 15.