2 weeks work experience needed for my son

[shallotlover]

Hi all,

My son is in year 10 at forest hill boys school and we have been advised by them to find a work experience placement for him for 8th- 19th December 2014.

We have until October 10th to find our own placement.

I have emailed and called so many places but they all say that they are not insured and cannot help.

My son would be happy to gain any work experience from most places as he just wants to sample this environment.

His interests are

plumbing

Music

Art and design

Shop work etc.

Thank you in advance

[LadyDeliah]

My daughter went to Surrey Docks Farm for hers. They take quite a lot of kids. If he likes animals, it might be worth checking out.

[shallotlover]

Thank you for your idea but he can't stand animals lol.

I received a very useful message regarding a local radio station and have sent them an email.

Fingers crossed they say yes.

Thanks all for helping.

[Cedges]

Is half the point of work experience not the experience of getting the job arranged? Why does your son not post his own request on here or are you going to go for work for him too?

Apologies for appearing bitchy but this really winds me up!

[MGolden]

Cedges Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Is half the point of work experience not the

> experience of getting the job arranged? Why does

> your son not post his own request on here or are

> you going to go for work for him too?

>

> Apologies for appearing bitchy but this really

> winds me up!

My son wrote 25 letters to prospective employers trying to arrange his own work experience. He received 10 responses, all rejections although commenting favourably on his well crafted letters. For a 15 year old that was quite demoralising. In the end I arranged a week for him in my work place (and no, I didn't do the work for him) and he managed to arrange another week for himself. Nearly all of his friends at school had their work experience at the workplaces of their parents or their parent's friends or families etc. Well done to shallotlover for trying this avenue - Cedges you do not know what other avenues s/he and his/her son have tried.

[Cedges]

No I don't know but other avenues were pursued but it is irrelevent - the whole idea is that work experience is akin to real life work where you apply for 50 jobs, 45 of which you're massivly overqualified for, receive 4 responses, get 1 interview and get passed over because the other interviewee wore red which is the boss' favourite colour. You don't ask your parents to start applying for jobs for you then do you? No - you pick yourself up, apply for another 50 jobs and wear a red shirt for the next interview. If 15 year olds aren't by that time equipped to deal with the real world and its unfariness and rejections, there is a massive problem with the education system. and how they have been raised.

And yes, I arranged my own work experience (in year 10). I had to go out of town as there was nowhere left locally because I didn't start applying in time. My bad so I dealt with it and put up with the consequences. You could in fact say I learnt a valuable life lesson - the point I think.

[LadyDeliah]

Is it?

I think the point is learning what it's like to get up every morning and spend the day in a work environment. Not much of that will be happening if they don't get a place though.

Gold star for you for being such a top year 10 work placement go-getter, has life been a bit disappointing since?

[edcam]

Sounds like the working world hasn't been too kind to cedges.

[shallotlover]

Cedges DO NOT question how my son has been raised.

We actually wrote the post together but I wanted it to go through me so I could check all the responses first.

I would not allow my 14 year old son to put a thread online requesting 2 weeks work experience with strangers where anyone can contact him.

Lots of Weirdos out there and I shall not be taking that chance and how dare you even question why I haven't.

Thank god my son didn't deal with it by himself as I'm sure he would of had you to deal with who obviously needs to vent a bit of anger as the working world as treated you so badly boo hoo.

My son will have many an opportunity to learn life's lessons but for now I'd like to make this experience as positive for him as possible so keep your obvious bitter comments to yourself.

[Cedges]

Oooooh angry.

I have a very successful 8 year (to date) career going strong thanks. I just worked at hopping on the bottom rung for a while and dealt with lifes knockbacks in the meantime. Its called the real world and a large number of young adults appear unable to deal with the consequences of it nowadays, an unfortunate result of parental mollycoddling IMHO.

Think before you write mummy - If your son had written his own post, I wouldn't have commented would I, therefore he would have had nothing to 'deal with'? I'm not sure calling people who dare to have an opposite opinion to you names is a great example to him to be honest anyway.

I'll question you because this is a public forum and I'm fairly convinced that I am still entitled to an opinion, despite your tiger mom stance.

I genuinely wish your son every luck in the world, both with his work experience and future working and personal life. He, like everyone else, is going to need it.

[LadyDeliah]

Cedges, there's tough love and not giving a shit. I am a fan of tough love, but maybe your mum just didn't give a shit.

[shallotlover]

Yep I agree with ladydeliah.

Obvious "mummy" issues there.

Something my mother taught me which was obviously lacking for you was

"If you have nothing nice to say do not say anything at all"

May get you even further in life than your "8 successful year's".

There is a word for people like you

A troll-

In?Internet slang, a?troll?(/ˈtroʊl/,?/ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1]?by posting inflammatory,[2]?extraneous, or?off-topic?messages in an online community (such as a?newsgroup, forum,?chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an?emotional?response[3]?or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4]

This sense of the word?troll?and its associated verb?trolling?are associated with Internet discourse, but have been used more widely. Media attention in recent years has equated trolling with?online harassment. For example, mass media has used?troll?to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."

This was not a debate thread merely a loving mother assisting her son with an exciting part of his life and I will continue to do so for as long as I think is a healthy Input and not an over bearing mother.

Now please take your unhelpful comments else where or better still GET A LIFE.

[Pugwash]

Where schools used to arrange work experiences themselves ( my youngest daughter went to a nursery in Brockley arranged by the school), today's youngsters have to find it themselves. My 15 year old grand daughter was given 6 months notice to find one in Bromley - had to be in the borough that the school was in. She is going to do 2 weeks in an after school playgroup. It is the playgroup her younger brother attends and staff were very happy to have her.

I work at Kings and our admin office has work experience students every year. What about something like the picture gallery or Hornimans?

[Gassafe]

Hi, is your son still looking for work exp.? I run a heating company called Gas Safe Heating & Plumbing Ltd, we are based in Bromley but we also work in and around East Dulwich frequently. Reply if your son is still interested.