Work experience

• Travel and tourims
• Higher Education (non-degree)

Unit 7 - Work experience

Intent

• Understand LO1
• Understand why Work experiance is a good thing
• Produce a email regarding possible work experience placements
• We are going to pick 5 possible company's for placement
• Send email out to placements
• Recap

How to Succeed at Work Experience
Preparation for Work Experience

Preparation for work placement will make your experience much smoother than if you arrive at your first day having done none. Not only will it help your nerves, but it will display impressive qualities like organisation and proactivity to your employer.

Why work experience is important

Choosing what to do in your career may seem easier if you know what you want to be in the future. You can look for opportunities that will help you to develop skills for that career. This could be through a work placement.

It's an opportunity for you to:

• test out your career ideas
  
• improve your skills
  
• show your commitment and enthusiasm

If you do not know what job you want, or you cannot get your perfect placement, any work experience is better than none. Whatever job you try, you’ll learn more about yourself and working life.

You'll also gain skills in the process. It may even lead to more suitable experience with the same company. It could be good preparation for another opportunity that’s closer to what you want to do.

Try not to worry about where you could go to get work experience. Concentrate on what you could learn or improve on.

Use work experience as research

• Work experience is a chance for you to:
  
• find out more about yourself
  
• find out what inspires you
  
• come up with career ideas and try them out
  
• discover your strengths, values, motivations and interests
  
• meet new people and build your network of contacts
  
• identify any reasonable adjustments you may need because of a disability or long term health condition
  
• It can also help you to rule out options, which can help to focus your career ideas

Research the company

Find out four key facts about the company where you are going to undertake work

experience. Use the company’s website (if available) to research:

• The company’s key customers/users

• The industry they operate in

• The company’s competitors

• The key people involved in the company

Write a letter or formal email to your employer

Compose a letter introducing yourself to your work experience placement supervisor. Ensure you express yourself in a professional manner, and show that you are prepared for your placement.  

You can follow this template:

Dear [supervisor’s name incl. appropriate title] or To whom it may concern

Paragraph 1:

[Introductory sentence including name, school, dates of work placement, thanks

for acceptance into work placement programme]

[1-2 sentences to express why you are looking forward to work placement

(personal interests, skills, opportunities)]

Paragraph 2:

[1-2 sentences to tell your supervisor what you are doing/will do to prepare for

work placement]

[2-3 questions about what else you can do to prepare]

Sign off:

I look forward to meeting you/starting work placement at [company name] on

[day of the week/date].

Regards or Yours sincerely or Thank you,

[Your full name]

Plan your route

 

Use Google Maps or another transport app to plan your way to and from the

placement and your home.