Got questions about Work Experience? Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions below and click to see the answers…

There’s no such thing as a typical day when you are doing work experience, since you are a temporary member of the business you are likely to get to work in different areas of the business which means one day you could be working alongside the marketing team and the next you could be out helping to produce a TV programme!

You can expect to be given some responsibilities in any role that you work in whilst on a work placement so there will be something to get your teeth stuck in to each day.

As most work experiences will not be bound by a contract you are allowed to leave whenever, if you feel like it isn’t for you. Although, before making a decision about leaving your work placement it is a good idea to speak to someone within the business about how you are feeling and try to find a way to make it work, possibly by moving to work in another part of the business.

If you do decide to leave a work placement it is always good to give enough notice to the business so that they can make arrangements for after you leave.

Disabilities will not be barrier to doing work experience, and most organisations will try their best to supply all the support you need to be able to work there. If you will require additional support during your work placement it is important that you are clear about this from the start so that they can make arrangements.

Work experience and internships are unpaid agreements to work, as organisations are not legally obliged to pay you for work placements and are taking you on to benefit you just as much as you are benefiting their organisation.

Since work placements are unpaid it is likely that you will have to pay for travel to and from a place of work yourself, however some organisations will offer to pay for your travel during the work experience as this is not classed as being paid to work.

The answer to this is different for every school and college so this is something you will need to speak to a teacher/tutor about, as all time out of curriculum will need to be approved by your educator.

You don’t have to do a work placement at a company within the exact industry you would like to pursue a career in in the future, and it can sometimes be hard to find work placements at the exact type of company you would like. If you can’t find a placement within your preferred industry then looking for a placement in a different industry with a similar job role will allow you to develop skills that will be just as useful, and will be able to transferable for when you do enter your preferred industry.

There are a million reasons why work experience is important and helpful for your future career, so why not take a look at the case studies from local students who have gone on a work placement and shared their stories about how work experience has benefitted them Click Here

The minimum age to go to a work experience placement is 13 years old, however local authorities have powers to make bye-laws on the types of work, and hours of work, children aged between 13-16 can do, so it is worth checking with your local council if you are aged between 13-16 and want to do work experience.