Work Experience
“Experience is the teacher of all things” - Julius Ceasar
Virtual Work Experience
Post Covid 19 there are numerous opportunities offering Virtual Work Experience. The links below are comprehensive and useful for finding virtual work experience in industries ranging from law, medicine, cyber security, finance, and journalism to name a few. They may include making an application and going through the selection phase.
| 2. Barclays Life Skills |
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3. Springpod |
| 4. Skills Toolkit - Free virtual courses including general skills that apply to all sectors and more specialised skills e.g., learning to code. |
Work experience can give students the confidence and practical skills to succeed in the workplace.
Below are examples of how students can gain experience which can then be used for personal statements, application forms, or CVs.
| Type of Experience |
Description |
| Formal Work Experience | Often up to a week in a location arranged by your school or independently. Typically unpaid, this is an opportunity to learn about the world of work and see it in action. |
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Careers fairs and employer events |
A chance to meet either lots of employers in one go or a single employer, for example via an open evening at its offices. |
Extracurricular activities |
Being part of a sports team or another club or group such as a theatre group or choir. Involvement in the Scouts or Guides, or Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Volunteering and fundraising. There are stacks of volunteering opportunities out there. You could walk dogs for an animal charity, volunteer as a retail assistant in a charity shop, help with outdoor conservation projects, collect funds or support young disabled people on activity days. |
Competitions |
Look out for competitions in areas that interest you, for example design, writing, maths or business. |
Personal Projects |
If you’ve designed and made something under your own steam, such as a DIY or craft project, a website or a blog, you may well have developed the problem-solving and creative skills that employers look for. |
Entrepreneurship |
Perhaps you aspire to run your own business one day, or maybe you’ve got a commercial idea that you’re keen to get off the ground. Employers are keen to take on candidates with entrepreneurial flair. |
Part time jobs |
A part-time job such as working in a shop gives you customer service and time management skills and helps to develop your commercial awareness. Doing a paper round or babysitting calls for responsibility and resilience. Employers like evidence that you can be relied on to turn up when expected and stick at what you’re meant to be doing till you’ve seen it through. |
| Positions of responsibility | Positions of responsibility. Are you head boy or head girl, a sports captain or house captain? Have you been a student representative, taking prospective pupils and parents on tours and speaking to them, or been involved in the school council? Have you had a leadership or committee role in a group or club? This kind of experience hones the communication and leadership skills employers want. |
| Volunteering and fundraising | There are stacks of volunteering opportunities out there. You could walk dogs for an animal charity, volunteer as a retail assistant in a charity shop, help with outdoor conservation projects, collect funds or support young disabled people on activity days. |