There are many types of work experience to suit your needs and interests in school, college, and university. Here’s a guide to what’s out there.
If you’re currently at school, college, or university, you might have thought about doing some work experience. In this context, work experience refers to time you spend in a business or workplace to learn about a job, company, or industry.
Work experience can be a hugely valuable way to expand your understanding of your chosen field, decide whether a particular line of work is for you, or just explore different options if you’re not sure what you want to do yet. It also looks great on your CV when you come to apply for further education or jobs in the future.
Work experience is usually unpaid, though in certain circumstances you may be paid. Many work experience placements are quite short, lasting just a week or two, but some can last much longer.
Here are six of the most common types of work experience you might encounter.
School work experience
In the UK, most students will do a work experience placement in Year 10, 11, or 12. Your school can help you to organise a suitable placement, though you’ll be expected to do much of the work of arranging it yourself. A good work experience position can help you make more informed decisions about what you want to do next (for example, when it comes to choosing A Level options, an apprenticeship programme, or a university course).
Your school work experience placement will usually last one or two weeks. You may be expected to do a project, write-up, or presentation about your experience and what you learned when you get back to school.
Vocational course placements
If you’re studying for a vocational course, such as T Levels or a BTEC, you might be expected to do work experience as a condition of passing your course. This might involve a regular and ongoing placement, such as one day a week in the workplace, or a single shorter placement more in line with school work experience.
Work experience on a vocational course helps you to put what you’re learning into practice. This will be incredibly valuable as you choose what to do next and go forward into your future career. Your tutor or course leader should be able to advise you and help you apply for a suitable placement depending on your needs and the requirements of your course.
Sandwich courses
A sandwich course is a higher education course (usually a degree) which includes a period of work experience somewhere in the middle. The most common form of sandwich course involves studying for two years, undertaking an industrial placement or internship for a year, and then returning to university for your final year.
Unlike many other forms of work experience, you will be paid a salary for the work you do during your sandwich year. You will also be entitled to the same benefits as any other employee, such as paid sick leave and a holiday allowance.
A sandwich course looks great to prospective employers once you’ve graduated, because it shows that you have experience in the real working world in your industry.
Internships
An internship is a fixed period of time during which you work for an employer and learn more about their business and industry. Many employers who offer internships then hire entry-level employees from their pool of interns, so this can be a great way to get a foot in the door in competitive fields.
It’s common for students to take internships during the summer or Christmas holidays. Less commonly, some will do an internship as part of their course while at college or university.
Some internships are paid, but many are not. There is currently a movement pushing for all internships to be paid, as unpaid internships allow more financially privileged students to access opportunities that others can’t. At the moment, some internships are still unpaid. An internship can last anywhere from a week to a few months and, occasionally, up to a year.
Job shadowing
In job shadowing, you work closely with an individual who does the job you’re interested in. You will observe them doing their work and have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about what the job is really like.
Job shadowing may be less “hands on” than some other forms of work experience. Depending on the field, you may or may not get the opportunity to “have a go” during your job shadowing placement. But it’s a great way to get a truly immersive view of your chosen profession and learn from the best resource – the people who are already doing it.
A job shadowing placement is usually short. Some are as short as one day, but they can last up to a few weeks in some instances. This means job shadowing is a great option if you’re not sure what you want to do yet and would like to try out a few different things.
Experience days (also known as insight day or open days)
Work experience days, which may also be called “insight days”, “open days”, or similar, are one- or two-day events held by organisations to allow you to learn more about a particular company, industry sector, or job role.
The advantage of experience days is that they are a very short time commitment, so if you find something isn’t for you then you haven’t wasted any time. The disadvantage is that, because they are designed for many people to participate at once, you’ll get a less personalised experience and may not get much or any one-to-one attention.
Learn more about work experience with our FREE online course!
Explore Work Experience is a free online course that will help you find out lots more about work experience and why it helps you get ahead. Why not give it a try?
Where can you go to learn more about work experience?
- Read our Work Experience Guides
- Visit the National Careers Service’s work experience page
- Head to Prospects.ac.uk
- Talk to your school, college, or university’s careers guidance service.
