How to find valuable work experience during education

Many students venture out and gain some work experience during their final years of secondary school, either through arranged placements or volunteering opportunities. This can be highly valuable, setting the tone for life after graduation and helping young people understand how different workplaces and careers look and feel. But how should you choose which role to practise? And what if you don’t know what you want to do for a job yet?

Here, we unpick how to find valuable work experience during education – whether you’re a student looking for inspiration, or a parent seeking the best possible introduction to work for your child.

Consider your interests and skills

The first step in choosing where to do your work experience is assessing your interests and skills. Do you have a knack for computers? Is art your passion? Take some time to draw a mindmap of what you enjoy doing the most, then use a careers site to explore roles that fit your interests. Sift through each industry and role type until you have a shortlist of those which excite you.

Once you’ve found the type of company you’d like to try working for, you need to find one that is accepting students on work experience placements. Your school will likely have a list of companies who have already agreed to the idea, so consider them carefully to find the one that resonates with your interests the most. Careers fairs, online sites dedicated to posting work experience opportunities and job centres are other great places to search.

Reach out to plenty of employers

For maximum points in professionalism, you could leverage sites such as LinkedIn to network with potential employers and business leaders. Speaking with them will not only offer insights into the roles and responsibilities, but may also open doors to new opportunities that you may otherwise have missed.

Work experience is usually unpaid and only lasts one or two weeks, but you could decide to participate in volunteering opportunities or internships at the weekends or during school holidays to gain more experience in various fields.

Commit to making the most of your time there

Stepping into the working world is an exciting educational experience, but it’s critical that you prepare yourself properly to get the most out of your time in your chosen workplace. Whether you are suiting up for a week in an office or adopting a lab coat and goggles to learn how to test biomedical samples, making the most of your time is imperative to decide whether or not your chosen career is the right one for you.

Make an effort to be punctual, reliable, trustworthy and an active listener whilst on work experience, and record your thoughts and feelings in a reflection document to help you understand your views on each role. Though it’s unlikely you’ll fall in love with the very first workplace, team and job role you ever try, each experience gains you invaluable skills and knowledge of the working world.