[Help] Work Experience (school)

[Seagull58]

Help!

My 17 year old son needs summer work experience. My first question as a recruiter is naturally "what do you want to do?", but, like myself at that age, he has absolutely idea. He is studying Business, Sociology and Photography at BHASVIC.

So, two questions that would help for inspiration.

1. What did you do for your work experience at school/college?

2. Do you know of anywhere in the Brighton area that offers work experience?

I worked at HSBC and experienced filling a cash machine, still one of the greatest moments in my life

How the world has changed. when I was at BHASVIC in 1976 none of those 3 subjects were in the curriculum.
FWIW, my "work experience" was working on the West Pier amusements weekends and summer holiday, and doing early morning cleaning at Tesco Churchill Square from 5:30 to 8 Monday to saturday while studying for A levels.

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

Went on two whilst at Tideway:
Brighton Libraries - included the main Brighton one plus a couple of days at Saltdean - don't remember anything from that one.
East Sussex County Council in Lewes - spent a week franking letters, rearranging paperclips and counting pencils before the lone male in the office took pity and introduced me to the pub lunch (The Swan in Southover if I remember correctly). The only worthwhile experience from either.

I also went to Tideway and did the week at ESCC in Lewes - probably one of the most mind numbing weeks of my life. My second work experience was a different story. My Dad wrote to the Albion asking for a weeks work experience for me, and they agreed. Worked in both the ticket office, club shop, spent a day with the groundsman Frankie Howard and also a day with ground maintenance (had to lag the south west terrace loos)- this was in 1986 just before Mullery got the sack the second time. Led to a Saturday job in the club shop which I did for six months.

 

[Weststander]

I did two. The first time I was supposed to work in a garage but I refused as it was too dirty; I ended up working at a bakery. Whilst the bakery was dusty I enjoyed it. Second time was in a factory at Bevan Funnell which made my hands really sore...it felt like my finger tips/prints had been sandpapered off. I was always destined to work in an office.

For economics our teacher (Tideway veteran Mr Higgs) got us to do a project about Bevan Funnell, this included a presentation by the MD himself Mr Funnell in their board room. Shamefully, but very typically Tideway, we spent the entire time mucking around and taking the p …. yet got away with it.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Help!

My 17 year old son needs summer work experience. My first question as a recruiter is naturally "what do you want to do?", but, like myself at that age, he has absolutely idea. He is studying Business, Sociology and Photography at BHASVIC.

So, two questions that would help for inspiration.

1. What did you do for your work experience at school/college?

2. Do you know of anywhere in the Brighton area that offers work experience?

I worked at HSBC and experienced filling a cash machine, still one of the greatest moments in my life

My kids both did work experience but what they did had absolutely no relationship to what they do now (11 and 13 years older than your son). I've always thought the idea is to introduce them to a world outside of school where you have to turn up when you say you will and that there's some fairly shit jobs if they don't work hard enough at school (or college) when they have the opportunity.

With work experience, summer jobs and part time jobs at college and uni, my kids had a lot of experience of shit jobs. It's why they were right on top of the good opportunities when they did come. Good luck

 

[cloud]

My son did a week on an archaeological dig aged 16, it was good for teamwork and learning different skills

 

[Zeberdi]

Working in care or in environmental sector always looks good on future CVs

Not quite work experience although tantamount to the same thing, I did voluntary work whilst still at VI form, working in a home for downs syndrome organisation and then volunteering with an RSPB youth project.

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Working outside for the RSPB might give him some photographic opportunities whilst an admin role would help his business study interests.

There’s a regional RSPB office in Queen’s Road Brighton which could offer voluntary work/work experience but there are also large reserves with visitor centres at Pulborough and Pagham which use volunteers for many different roles.

 

[Skaville]

Some great ideas here. Thank you everyone

 

[Pogue Mahone]

My son also did Photography at A Level. For his work experience prior to this, at Longhill, he contacted Paul Hazlewood, club photographer at the Albion who welcomed him into the fold for a week.

He was pitch side at the Amex for a home match against Leeds, and they even took him up to Leicester for the same experience at an away game.

Paul was incredible really, gave so much of his time and advice, and my son’s photos from that week are a precious memory of those times.

 

[Justice]

I did a bit of plumbing..

Are you still doing work experience?

 

[B-right-on]

Help!

My 17 year old son needs summer work experience. My first question as a recruiter is naturally "what do you want to do?", but, like myself at that age, he has absolutely idea. He is studying Business, Sociology and Photography at BHASVIC.

So, two questions that would help for inspiration.

1. What did you do for your work experience at school/college?

2. Do you know of anywhere in the Brighton area that offers work experience?

I worked at HSBC and experienced filling a cash machine, still one of the greatest moments in my life

My youngest daughter (18 a couple of days ago) did a weeks work experience in a large insurance company that my eldest daughter works for in Horsham. They had a whole setup for WE, passes, specific laptops, specific desks, tasks to do, lined up half a dozen different people doing different jobs for her to interview 1 on 1 etc .. I was really impressed with them tbh.

Personally I thought it was a great idea. My youngest has only ever known schooling so had absolutely no idea what a work place is like in terms of space, relationships with work colleagues and simple things like drink breaks, lunch, going to the toilet etc.... lots of things that we take for granted but if you've only ever been in one environment, you have no idea what another is like.

We contacted a few companies and a lot of the larger ones all do WE for kids, Amex etc ..

From my parental experience, I thought it was a very good thing, especially for my youngest who suffers anxiety issues and gets debilitating panic attacks in social situations.

 

[Justice]

My son also did Photography at A Level. For his work experience prior to this, at Longhill, he contacted Paul Hazlewood, club photographer at the Albion who welcomed him into the fold for a week.

He was pitch side at the Amex for a home match against Leeds, and they even took him up to Leicester for the same experience at an away game.

Paul was incredible really, gave so much of his time and advice, and my son’s photos from that week are a precious memory of those times.

I like his attitude already because you say ‘ he contacted ‘.
I get parents ringing me saying oh my son/daughter wants to be an electrician can they do the work experience. I might be slightly interested if a young person rang me themselves, mummy calling isn’t cutting it.

 

[Insel affe]

I spent a week with a floor layer in based in Irlam, great fun going into different types of houses meeting different types of folks. Mainly I helped carry stuff in, move furniture, clean as he went, put gripper down or door bars. He did not have to pay me, but he gave me an envelope at the end of the week with £40 in it, which in 1985 was pretty epic.
Went back to school and did not even revise for any exams, put zero effort in. I did find a City and Guilds course and a hard flooring firm willing to part training me and YTS thing i think linked to the course. Two years later passed with distinction. Oh and still in the trade.

Oh the timing, I typed the above, went for a shower before work and the reason I stopped floor laying struck...
My back went, after bending down to pick up toothpaste lid, damn you, deep heat, co codamol, and a taxi to the station today....
Even though I gave up floor laying it's self 20 years ago, it still goes probably twice a year, lasts for a week or so.

Back breaking work literally, no wonder there is hardly any new blood in the trade.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I don't think 'work experience' had been invented when I was at school

You mean to say they didn't give the opportuniy to clean a chimney - poor show.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

At school I did work experience at Eagle Star on Queens Road - Really dull.

At college I did my work experiance at Hove Lagoon fishing tackle shop - that was great fun.

Was that a part time plaicement?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

My youngest daughter (18 a couple of days ago) did a weeks work experience in a large insurance company that my eldest daughter works for in Horsham. They had a whole setup for WE, passes, specific laptops, specific desks, tasks to do, lined up half a dozen different people doing different jobs for her to interview 1 on 1 etc .. I was really impressed with them tbh.

Personally I thought it was a great idea. My youngest has only ever known schooling so had absolutely no idea what a work place is like in terms of space, relationships with work colleagues and simple things like drink breaks, lunch, going to the toilet etc.... lots of things that we take for granted but if you've only ever been in one environment, you have no idea what another is like.

We contacted a few companies and a lot of the larger ones all do WE for kids, Amex etc ..

From my parental experience, I thought it was a very good thing, especially for my youngest who suffers anxiety issues and gets debilitating panic attacks in social situations.

Sun Alliance?

I worked for them whilst at university on a sandwich course placement. There were 4 of us, they provided accommodation, paid us the going rate and gave us each real tasks, I compiled and analyzed data and wrote a report about the benefits of giving various gifts to open new policies. They were superb and put a lot of effort in. I know what you mean about “simple things”..I remember “freezing” when the phone rang on my desk for the first time.

 

[Justice]

Was that a part time plaicement?

And what was the staff discount bait?

 

[BNthree]

When my kids' did work experience the school instructed that the kids themselves needed to find the work experience and arrange it etc. If they weren't able to there was a school organised litter picking for a week. Obviously all the nice middle class kids parents organised things through their work or their friends workplaces and all the chavvy kids ended up doing the litter picking as most places won't have some unsolicited kid in there for a week nowadays due to liability laws and safeguarding etc.

One of my daughter's friends did "work experience" at the company her parents owned and in reality they went on a family holiday for the week and the parents just filled the forms in to make it look like they did work experience.

 

[Insel affe]

One of my daughter's friends did "work experience" at the company her parents owned and in reality they went on a family holiday for the week and the parents just filled the forms in to make it look like they did work experience.

This seems to be quite popular @ Varndean from those from the Five Ways Village.

Smacks of a two tier system from the start.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

According to some people on here, the Albion recruitment department needs all the help it can get – and the club is a shambles – so might be worth tapping up Barbs...

Meanwhile, I spent a week at Scottish Widows just down from Brighton Station. A highlight was being given a shed load of luncheon vouchers, which I spent in Cheeky Chicken across the road from the office. Good times.

 

[amexer]

According to some people on here, the Albion recruitment department needs all the help it can get – and the club is a shambles – so might be worth tapping up Barbs...

Meanwhile, I spent a week at Scottish Widows just down from Brighton Station. A highlight was being given a shed load of luncheon vouchers, which I spent in Cheeky Chicken across the road from the office. Good times.

Luncheon Vouchers Now that takes me back