Page 3 | Work Experience disaster

Original poster

JackieO22 · 20/03/2024 18:55

maxelly · 20/03/2024 13:55

Bless him. Like others have said work experience so often is an excruciating experience for all concerned. Especially in office based environments which of course so many jobs are these days. We get work experience kids in my work fairly frequently and while I do my best for them it's such a lot of effort to find things they can actually do and despite my best efforts they do end up bored and awkward or going home early a lot of the time (and the more anxious ones then get worked up and worried they're somehow making a bad impression or will get in trouble with their teachers for not doing whatever it is they imagined they were meant to be doing/achieving on their placement, they really really don't of course, the only ones I've ever had to actually complain about were actively rude/disrepectful or simply never showed up at all! everyone else gets glowing feedback even if they sat in the corner too scared to say anything all week!).

As someone else said in the 'olden days' you at least were able to give them some filing or photocopying or typing to do, or get them to do tea rounds or answer the phones, but none of that really happens in a modern office (or would require them getting set up with log ins and training on specific systems etc which really isn't practical for a 2 or 3 day work experience placement). Just being an observer sucks, even if you send them round different teams and people, all 'shadowing' involves is either sitting watching someone as they click and type on their computer, or attending meetings where they have no clue what's going on

If it's an office type place he's in OP and he feels up to putting some suggestions forward for how he can use his time here are some things I get my work experience kids to do in my very, very boring corporate role (some of these are admittedly 'busy work' but it's good practice for the real world lol, and gives them something to take away and show for their week):

-Get some (non confidential) data (could be sales stats or workforce or financials/budgets, whatever's loosely relevant) and practice manipulating it in excel - making pivot tables, charts, graphs etc. He can teach himself to do this online if he doesn't know how.
-Summarize some (not too technical) articles from trade/professional journals or bulletins or even online webinars into headline bullet points for his supervisor to quickly read.
-Research a topic relevant to the workplace/department (could be a new technological development or a political change or a new business area or similar) - write this up into a briefing for a senior manager or stakeholder. Practice using PESTLE, SWOT and other analysis techniques to present the info. If relevant to the area then get them to write a staff newsletter/intranet item/communication or client briefing or social media post about the topic - get thinking about different audiences and how you present the same info in different formats (I can spin one single topic out into days on end of work for them lol)
-Using the same data or any other information, make a powerpoint slide deck explaining his findings and maybe even recommendations - if he's feeling really confident do a mini verbal presentation to his supervisor and/or some colleagues (although this is beyond many 15 year olds TBF)
-Practice taking minutes or action points for a meeting (non confidential/contentious obviously) which is a super useful workplace skill (I sometimes get them to do if from Teams recordings of a meeting rather than live as less pressure - if need be this can be 'helping' the actual minute taker rather than solo.

I wish you were at DS work placement! 🥰

OP posts:

Thistooshallpsss · 20/03/2024 18:55

honestly it matters not a jot. Mine are all well progressed in their careers now but we had an absolute shitstorm of work experience - child one - bright helpful very well behaved - took chocolates in on the last day to have the manager carry out a character assassination on her. Child two was subject to a customer exposing themselves in the toilets - police involved. They offered a Saturday job then fired him just before he got any employment protection. Child three - firm goes bust the week before - at this point I gave up and took him to work with me. I think many years later they have recovered from the scars!

saraclara · 20/03/2024 18:56

JackieO22 · 20/03/2024 18:39

No it's a 9-5 job

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So at what point of the day did he leave? And did he tell anyone?

Original poster

JackieO22 · 20/03/2024 18:58

RhubarbGingerJam · 20/03/2024 11:37

Think employers will not be giving good feedback to school, just feel so sad for him.

Doesn't matter if they do TBH - I had it with Y10 one. I'd organised it all myself - no school or parental help - it was two weeks did some fun things some boring time filling - wasn't prepared for team leader to do basally a character assignation on last day.

I was in tears when Mum picked me up - and in tears when form tutor came to talk about it - they both said not to worry and while I was upset and embarrassed at time it really didn't matter even a week later.

Y12 I sorted it all myself again though difference in area- it was a better experience they has a whole scheme with sister company worked out - so did lab work, field work and office work - mostly helped with Uni interviews.

Neither really had much long term impact on my working life TBH as worked in completely different area.

If it's the field he dislikes - well then he's got something out of it already.

Ah bless you being made to feel like that, how could they! At the least the yr12 one was a better experience xx

OP posts:

Oblomov24 · 20/03/2024 18:58

What sort of employer / job is it. Is it all week? 5 days? How bad is it? The aren't nasty are they? I'd expect him to stick it out unless it was truely awful.

Crochetablanket · 20/03/2024 19:01

mylittleitalianhome · 20/03/2024 11:16

That’s such a shame! I did two weeks at a vets and got to go out on calls; watch operations; operate the blood analysis machine and cuddle the animals. One of my jobs was even to help comfort people while their pets were being put down and take the animals to the freezer 😬Maybe health and safety regs have changed since then!

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I think that’s fantastic actually, they gave you ‘real’ experience of the job. So much better than just giving you mundane stuff.

SeeingRainbowsInTheGloom · 20/03/2024 19:06

I agree he needs to try to stick it out even though he's bored to tears. I've had a couple of experiences with work experience kids, and it's honestly so hard to find things they can do. I work in IT and at least the last one I got them to have a scheduled chat with about ten people in different roles to understand what they did on a day to day basis, because it's hard to understand what job titles mean. They then did manage to do some "real" work, but not very exciting. Given unexciting work is how most junior jobs start off I think that's ok though!

Octavia64 · 20/03/2024 19:12

Very few teens seem to enjoy their work experience.

Fewer and fewer companies offer them any more as to be honest it's a pain for both the company and the student.

My children did them about 10 years ago. Most kids organised it with mum or dad or uncle or a relative which does make it a better experience.

In my day (I'm old) we got sent out. Nobody I knew enjoyed it in the slightest. My best friend hated it so much she never went back after the first day. I went to the police and they showed me pictures of accidents a body parts that gave me nightmares for months.

HoHoHoliday · 20/03/2024 19:12

"I think he's been left with the stuff that no one wants to do"

Aargh, this really p's me off! In a few of my most recent workplaces I've invested a lot of time and effort into making work experience a valuable opportunity. It shouldn't just be a chance to dump boring stuff onto an inexperienced kid. I've done training and workshops with staff on how to give to the younger generation, how to share skills and experience, how to encourage and motivate kids interested in a career path. It saddens me that a work experience programme is wasted by some businesses.

PuppyMonkey · 20/03/2024 19:17

My office has made the decision not to take work experience students this year. It was always so awkward - either the staff were all so snowed under with work, none of us had time to supervise of sort something out for the student to do. Or one time, it was really really quiet for us and no work coming through to do - so we had nothing to give the student and he was clearly bored stiff. Poor thing!

I wouldn’t have dreamed of giving a poor review for any student - always enhance the good bits and don’t mention we sent them all home early to give everyone a bit of peace.

SilverDoe · 20/03/2024 19:21

Oh gawwwwwd this is bringing back memories of my work experience. It was terrible and I still have flashbacks from time to time if I go past the place.

I am an extremely shy person but I wanted to work in medicine, so I tossed a coin between an optician and a red cross centre for the elderly.

I went for the RC centre and it was just terrible. My first interaction a woman burst in to tears on my telling me she was so horrible lonely and it made me close in on myself.

No advice or guidance was given, literally the only time I felt happy was when it was lunch time and I could get up, sort the tables and do food.

The rest of the time, all I could do was sit amongst the residents and try and listen to them and make extremely awkward small talk.

I was so upset, I didn't know how to articulate what I needed (guidance and direct instruction) and I didn't have the confidence to take any initiative, so I quite literally just spent hours there for 2 weeks, sat there frozen. One of the male workers tried to be the one taking charge of me, but all he did was point out that actual work "wasn't like this" when I was sitting there. I was 15 and NOBODY had given me any instructions, I was left to my own devices in this quiet environment. THe only other thing he did was ask me loudly in front of everyone with a microphone in hand, if I would sing to the residents.

Sorry for rambling, but I just want your DS to know that LOADS of people have disastrous WE placements, and it is in no way indicative of either what you are like as an employee, nor what an actual workplace is like.

HanaJane · 20/03/2024 19:26

Maybe he's just not ready to be in this kind of environment, 15 is still young. At least he knows he doesn't enjoy this sort of work now and can think of other options! Perhaps he could do another work experience in the summer holidays, a lot of people would take a volunteer.
Or get a Saturday job when he's 16, somewhere with more people his age

Tozin · 20/03/2024 19:30

Poor boy.
I absolutely loathed my work experience in a veterinary practice.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like working with the animals. I think it was because I was 14 and never been in a work environment before with adults and not knowing how anything was done and feeling a bit of a spare part.

I doubt they will feedback anything negative to the school.

everythinglooksbetterpaintedblack · 20/03/2024 19:32

Work experience is just not important enough to worry about.
The children don't want to do it and the work place either don't give them something to do or use them .
It's not actually an experience.

Grealish · 20/03/2024 19:43

Did work experience when I was in school- hated every minute. Felt like such an inconvenience, and always felt so awkward asking for things to do.

Got my first part time job at 17 - hated every minute. Used to cry after every single shift. Felt so underprepared to do the job, felt so young compared to everyone else. Ugh I hated it.

Had numerous part time jobs at uni, loved them all, felt so much more comfortable and capable to do the jobs, felt like I had a right to be there.

I honestly think it’s just a matter of growing up and growing into yourself. 16 year old me was not prepared for the working world, but 19 year old me was much more equipped. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, he’ll get through it x

StedeBonnet · 20/03/2024 20:03

Work experience can be painful, I would let him call in sick. I did it at a vet, fainted on the first day as they unwrapped a rotting paw, and never went back. However I have held down a senior finance role for many years now without fainting...

StedeBonnet · 20/03/2024 20:04

SilverDoe · 20/03/2024 19:21

Oh gawwwwwd this is bringing back memories of my work experience. It was terrible and I still have flashbacks from time to time if I go past the place.

I am an extremely shy person but I wanted to work in medicine, so I tossed a coin between an optician and a red cross centre for the elderly.

I went for the RC centre and it was just terrible. My first interaction a woman burst in to tears on my telling me she was so horrible lonely and it made me close in on myself.

No advice or guidance was given, literally the only time I felt happy was when it was lunch time and I could get up, sort the tables and do food.

The rest of the time, all I could do was sit amongst the residents and try and listen to them and make extremely awkward small talk.

I was so upset, I didn't know how to articulate what I needed (guidance and direct instruction) and I didn't have the confidence to take any initiative, so I quite literally just spent hours there for 2 weeks, sat there frozen. One of the male workers tried to be the one taking charge of me, but all he did was point out that actual work "wasn't like this" when I was sitting there. I was 15 and NOBODY had given me any instructions, I was left to my own devices in this quiet environment. THe only other thing he did was ask me loudly in front of everyone with a microphone in hand, if I would sing to the residents.

Sorry for rambling, but I just want your DS to know that LOADS of people have disastrous WE placements, and it is in no way indicative of either what you are like as an employee, nor what an actual workplace is like.

It's really not right for children to be working in places like these as if they are actually employed, experienced workers.

coxesorangepippin · 20/03/2024 20:06

Learning curve

Lougle · 20/03/2024 20:13

It's such a shame. I did my work experience with the police. I spent a day with a Beat Bobby, a day with a Community Policing Officer, a day with CID (they took me out to a fancy lunch), and a couple of days with general police. I went on proper police calls. I was treated really well.

Floopani · 20/03/2024 20:21

He will be fine! Admittedly it was many years ago, but in the 90s I landed my dream secondary school work experience of working at Just Seventeen magazine. Couldn't believe my luck! I hated it. I hated the people. I did one week out of two, then bunked off the second week and spent my time either getting underage pissed in Camden or wandering around London with my boyfriend. I have managed functional, well paid work since, just not in journalism, as the experience knocked the idea of that career on the head.

InSpainTheRain · 20/03/2024 20:53

Don't worry! And it's not a disaster! At least he has a better idea of what he doesn't like - use that to talk about what he might like to do instead. Work placements depend not only on him, but how the company is, how they are set up for students etc they are not all brilliant and that can really impact them as well.

Mum of 2 DS in their twenties here. you'll laugh at this in the future. Trust me!!

Sugargliderwombat · 20/03/2024 22:34

Cheese but true : you grow through what you go through.

I hated mine at a flipping accountants. Thought I'd never make it in the world of work. I'm fine.

PyongyangKipperbang · 20/03/2024 22:35

We have a WE girl at work at the moment and imo my manager isnt being very understanding. She doesnt have much to do and ended up standing around rather than "just getting on with something". I pointed out that she doesnt know a) what to do and b) how to do it, anymore than either of us did when we started.

But my manager is quite demanding. She and I get on well as I always deliver to a high standard but she is very down on people that struggle. I have always recommended people go elsewhere when friends have asked if I can arrange WE for their kids.

Treeinthesky · 20/03/2024 22:35

My 14 year old did work experience for 1 day. I paired her with our physio in our team she sat there and listened all day. She right enjoyed it. Where did you send him?

easilydistracted1 · 20/03/2024 22:38

A boy at my school sunk a boat. They told the story in assembly. I don't remember what the moral of the story was. So it could be worse 🤣 think maybe that was the moral or you can do a lot of damage in two weeks or both.