Year 10 work experience - is it still common?

[chayngeling]

One of our local secondaries does year 10 work experience, but not the others. I'm wondering how common it is generally? I know my school did it back in the eighties. These days companies are a lot more conscious of regulations and (I've heard) unwilling to have under-16's in the workplace, so it must be quite difficult to arrange, especially post-covid when everyone is hybrid working. (I know some companies do virtual work experience weeks, but it's not going to work for a wide range of job types).

This is such a weird attitude. I’ve taken my children out throughout their lives to multiple places and am a member of an active church community. I couldn’t think of anyone suitable to ask. We asked some local businesses and got nothing - I have lived in my town for 15 years but am not “known” anywhere except perhaps my hairdresser who is a one woman band. I work full time so didn’t have a lot of time to look around.

I took her to work in the end and am lucky we do have a work experience programme that was being reestablished after Covid so she was the Guinea pig for it which was a favour to me as should have been over 16. So in the end she got work experience as she comes from an affluent background with a professional working parent, so it was “who you know”.

@Nimbostratus100 you have posts on here from parents who said that their children were unable to find work experience opportunities.

I'm absolutely bemused by this. Like a lot of the rest of you (all of you!) I took my kids out to everything from softplay and swimming lessons to museums and theatres. It doesn't mean that I know anyone there, or that it's a way of getting them work experience when they turn 16/17. I work for a big University - we don't offer work experience to school kids, and often struggle to find internships or experiences for students. Most of the adults I know are either wfh or public sector and also have no access to work experience through their employers. It's a system with more holes in it than a swiss cheese.

My DC is in year 10 and did his work experience last term.

Although we have plenty of friends and family who would have been willing in theory to take him on, what we found is that so many people work from home now they really couldn't as there would have been nothing for him to do.

We contacted lots of places but nearly all said they wouldn't accept him because he was under 16.

In the end I found a local charitable organisation who had a work experience scheme for his age group...we were lucky to find it.

I did it in year 10 in 2015

Agree with some pps, it's often a case of who you know for this kind of thing. Dd has to do it this year along with 400 other kids in her year. It has to be done on the set week school specify. We've asked around but don't know anyone personally who will take her. Local schools have already been taken. Lots of local places like shops etc don't want 14 year olds on work placement. My personal opinion is that if schools expect kids to do it, they should find the places for them.

Our school now does work experience in both year 10 and year 12. My elder 2 only did year 10. My DS missed year 10 because of covid but we've struggled to find somewhere suitable for year 12.In year 10 it's just about literally experiencing any kind of work and we didn't find it too difficult and school were quite helpful. For year 12 however they are supposed to pick something relevant to their planned future study/career which has proved a lot more challenging as there is nothing suitable for DS locally but companies we have approached further afield prioritise pupils from their local schools so haven't been interested.

DD is currently trying to get a pharmacy to take her for a week as that's her dream job. I'm really hoping she gets to do it as DS missed out due to covid and he and his friends went out into the working world a bit lost.

Yes ours did it in Y10 and as someone else mentioned, totally impossible to find somewhere who would Take a 15 yo and lots of business did wfh. School was no help what so ever, not even a list of where to try. Ended up doing work experience for his dad's company, didn't even seem to be any follow up exercises either, no report to be written or anything. Waste of time

Yup same in our school DS has SEN so can’t just go anywhere or actually get public transport to get there. Am I supposed to take annual leave to drive him there and back everyday.

he doesn’t want to do it and we’ve decided he’s going to “work from home” I’m waiting for school to dare to argue!

he doesn’t want to do it and we’ve decided he’s going to “work from home” I’m waiting for school to dare to argue!

DH works from home and if all else fails dd will be working from home too! To be fair there are things she will be able to do. If school aren't happy they can find her somewhere themselves.

Common in our town - all the schools do it in year 10. My DD spent a week at a primary school helping in a year 3 class and helped organise sports day.

he doesn’t want to do it and we’ve decided he’s going to “work from home” I’m waiting for school to dare to argue!

Well that might be my default tbh. It's a ridiculous expectation. I still remember the Head saying 'why are YOU trying to find a place' like my kid with an EHCP and significant challenges would be applying 🙄

The local schools around here do it in year 10. My son went to the local hotel and golf club (huge place).

We had a couple of year 10s in our office last summer. School seemed happy with out employer and public liabily insurance. We were able to take them out to various properties as well. Hopefully it meant they were able to get a range of experience rather than just making tea, sorting filing.

I can see why it must be getting harder to find placements, with more people working from home, and also more organisations working on skeleton staff who therefore don't have slack to deal with a youngster.
It was often the case that the vast majority of placements were in primary schools (who probably feel obliged to say yes) and retail.

When I've visited kids on placements, one of the biggest things for some of them has been working with adults other than teachers/family. For some, it's the first time they've been in a more adult environment. One kid I taught, a small quiet lad, gained massively in confidence. Some of the biggest characters seem to simmer down away from their mates. (For those with placements in primary schools, I think they miss out on this - they may not be allowed in the staffroom and may end up spending breaks with other year 10s.)

The other really useful thing is to find out whether they enjoy working in a particular sector - and that is most useful for those not planning on going to university. In one case I know of, it was invaluable - the lad was planning on studying catering, but discovered he couldn't take the heat in an industrial kitchen - he started exploring other options after that! However you can't really get much of a feel for law, research, etc. I visited a budding lawyer, and the person responsible for her at the solicitors' office felt bad that she was mainly filing and making cups of tea, but there wasn't much they could actually let her do.

If placements are in short supply, I think it might be well worth prioritising the kids who are not planning on university. The problem then is that schools would have to plan what to do while the bottom half of the year are out on work experience.

My DC all did it in yr 10 and DD did it in yr 12 as well (ds1 at college and DS2 didn't do it bc Covid). DS2's was arranged with a local business that was happy to have him (had a connection with the school) and he was good enough to be offered some shifts there in the summer.

DD and DS1 both did sessions in schools which are more set up for it; also DD (they did two weeks) did a week in the city library. All were fine with them being under 16.

We also used to do it at the school I worked at which was sometimes a challenge. Kids not very keen to pick up the phone and talk to someone tio arrange it!

These tales are all a few years old - DS2's wk exp, the most recent, was in 2018 so I don;t know if it is still a thing. We offer it where I work now but only for post-16s.

My DS's school has the whole year out on work experience during the same week.

I managed to pull in a favour and get him a week on a different team in my workplace but it has been very difficult to get everything sorted out in terms of insurance NDAs, system access etc. I will be saying no if anyone else asks.

My husband's workplace has a very strict policy in school work experience with a video interview, it's very competitive. You can't just tag along with your parent like you used to.

I really feel for those that don't have good contacts. It's definitely a case of who you know.

I am in the process to look for a job experience for my Boy any ideas, please help

We had to do it for 2 weeks at the beginning of year 11.

Total nightmare as nobody wants under-16s.

DD went to my husband's company in the end - they're used to doing university level internships, but found a way to make it work and she had fun. But was definitely wasn't something that they would have done for a random 15 year old.

From what I know of classmates, most went to either parent's company or close contact of parent's. A lot went to be assistant TAs at their old primary schools, and a couple of charity shops seemed open to having them.

The two weeks rather than one made it more difficult.

DD applied to masses of places for her area of interest and all of them only took over 16, or over 18, or only if you fitted in certain demographics that she didn't.

He really should be researching himself and there will be a member of staff in school coordinating the work experience scheme who can help him with ideas and suggestions based on where you live, previous years and likely available opportunities.

Is there a sector he's specifically interested in? I would try looking at local charities as well, they are often willing to have a "volunteer" for a week!