14 September 2023
Why It’s Never Too Early to Get Work Experience
It’s a Catch-22: you need work experience to get a job, but you need a job to get work experience. This is why the sooner your child gets some experience under their belt, the better.
Good grades are excellent, and we love them. But they’re simply not enough to ensure your child lands their dream role when they leave education.
Whilst schools offer one-to-one careers sessions or work experience weeks in Year 11, starting the process earlier will give them more time to consider the options available.
Whether it’s a traineeship, part-time waitressing job at the local greasy spoon or two weeks shadowing a professional in their job, here’s how work experience will help your child stay ahead of the curve.
1. Test-drive a career
Whilst your child might have pegged themselves as an accountant the day they were given an abacus, it’s impossible to know what a job is really like until they try it for themselves.
After all, they don’t want to spend up to four years training in accountancy only to discover they hate all the number crunching and long hours.
A stint in the workplace helps career-conscious young people explore their options and figure out what they like (and don’t like) in the world of work.
It’s a chance to get to grips with day-to-day life in a particular role, which should give them a much better idea of whether or not it’s right for them.
Not convinced an apprenticeship is right for your child? Click below to hear just how much they’ve evolved in recent years…
2. Learn from the best
Their colleagues will be five, ten, or twenty years ahead in their careers – that’s a lot of knowledge and experience to tap into!
It’s a priceless opportunity to build on their understanding of the industry alongside experts in their field. Encourage them to ask lots of questions whilst they’re there, seek CV and application tips, and to stay in touch with their colleagues when they leave.
You never know when they might need a reference or even a job in the future!
Are you a parent? Head over to our ParentsHub, a dedicated space full of comprehensive resources to support your child.
3. Gain essential soft skills
Employers expect candidates to be ‘work-ready’, whether they’re straight out of school, college or university. They want candidates who have spent time developing their skill set in a work environment. And they won’t settle for anything less.
In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Department for Education (DfE), 65% of businesses said relevant work experience was a critical factor when taking on recruits, regardless of their age.
The more experience your child gets on their CV, the more they will be able to impress recruiters with real-life examples of teamwork, communication and resilience. These could be anything from leading a meeting to stepping up to manage a team on the shop floor.
Read our reviews to get the inside scoop on what young people get out of work experience.
Whether your child is applying for an entry-level role, apprenticeship or university, getting professional experience while they are still at school will put them miles ahead of their peers.
A number of companies across the UK take on students for short work experience placements between the ages of 14 and 18. This is before a lot of school leaver programmes kick into action, giving plenty of time to squeeze a few in before applying!
Stuck on where to look?
That’s what we’re here for! We host plenty of paid apprenticeship and work experience programmes for you and your child to look through.
Outside of that, there’s no problem with talking to your local shops to see if they’re taking on any work experience staff members. You’ll be surprised how much your child will learn with just two weeks of work experience.
Top Tip: Encourage your child to visit the school careers advisor
Careers advisors are a brilliant source of information – and they can be found in most schools.
They have the knowledge and experience to help your child make an informed choice, ensuring a smooth transition to the next phase of education or training.
As well as helping students explore a variety of career paths, they can support with CV advice, practice face-to-face interviews and make business contacts.
Written by Louise
Since joining RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk in 2018, Louise has penned countless blogs and how-to guides, alongside award-winning campaigns that connect millions of students with top employers like Lidl, J.P. Morgan and Police Now. With 9 years writing experience, Louise has previously covered everything from Wowcher vouchers to Ghanaian music festivals - making her more versatile than Vaseline.