The dreaded work experience

[tomskip]

Those of you with younger children in primary school are sure to recognise the concept of parent homework - you know, when your child is asked to do a project involving lots of making and glueing, or the last minute requests for Christmas play or World Book Day costumes. It's just another layer of work that busy parents are asked to do on top of everything else

Well, when they get to secondary school it gets worse! This is when parents are obliged to run around like a mad thing trying to secure Work Experience for their under 16 year olds from a workplace which is largely disinterested; sometimes not because they don't want to take on a work experience kid but because Health & Safety or child safeguarding legislation prevents it. It's a much moaned about headache for almost everyone concerned.

Anyway, you don't ask you don't get: does anyone in the Family Room have any ideas for WE for my son who will be 15 at the time? He is interested in design, computing, architecture, food, animals but will of course do pretty much anything just to get the box checked. It could be local or central London, big company, tiny company. Any suggestions, pointers or leads much appreciated!

[Capitals]

My teenage found WE one year at M&S (Oxford Street) and the next year at Premier Inn. Each of these establishments were very accommodating.

[Digbina]

Set him a tech project to design a company website for an architecture firm? Et voila, work experience - in being self-employed!

[Soylent Green]

The first work experience placement is primarily to do with experience what it is like to have a job: dress code, part of a team with adults/strangers, travelling to and from place of work, following instructions, general public etc..

It is the second work experience placement in sixth form where they benefit from being somewhere relevant to what they wish to do in life, so do not worry about where.

Lots of students go back to their old primary school for the first placement. My son went and helped out at Southwark Food Bank. If he likes animals, why not try Battersea Dogs Home with experience in the office as well as with the animals?

[IlonaM]

There was a young man doing work experience in the Neighbourhood Vets recently, so a vets practice might be an idea. Or Celia Hammond as an alternative to Battersea. Alternatively there are a lot of interesting charities around Southwark & Lambeth.

[Angelina]

I found this

https://successatschool.org/advicedetails/506/Work-Experience-Ideas

[womanofdulwich]

I met someone whose son did work experience in a cafe or shop, then got summer and weekend job there. I thought that was a brilliant use of first work experience.

[Jennys]

If they still offer work experience placements the police were good for our sons and offered going to court, police horse and police dog training etc. But this was many moons ago.

[nylonmeals]

Thought that this might be useful https://www.founders4schools.org.uk/about/

[uncleglen]

If you do not know someone personally who would take your 15 year old on then usually the school has a list of employers they will have used in the past. When the police had stations they would take people on; Pizza Hut have been known to take people on; Pets At Home?