Work Experience - Why it is So Important for School Leavers

While students are studying for their qualifications, the holidays offer a great chance to get some hands-on work experience working for companies in where they may later peruse careers. Work experience can be achieved through voluntary work, internships or shadowing another employee.

Advantages of Student Work Experience of when Applying for a Job
Once final exams are taken, and the job search starts, a prospective employee with relevant experience needs lees training and will be familiar with office routine. This gives him a great advantage over applicants who have no work experience. Highly motivated students know how to use the time spent doing a work experience job to make connections in their chosen business, and use them when it is time to find employment.

Advantages to the Student
Student work experience tends to confirm their future career choices, introduces them to office routines, including work discipline, computer use and allows them to see where any gaps in their current courses may need extra tutoring, such as typing courses for easier report writing.

Working in different areas of a chosen career at each holiday will give students a good idea of any specialties they may want to peruse, this is particularly relevant when considering the postgraduate years. Some summer jobs placements result in credits towards final grades, a possibility that should be checked before accepting any job offers.

Often the difference between studying the theory of a subject in a classroom and putting that knowledge into practice in a work environment is quite a large gap. After returning to studies, students often find they have a different perspective on studies.

How to Find Student Work Experience Placements
Registering with professional agencies that place permanent and temporary workers offers students choices of work experience positions, some agencies specialize in student experience and intern placements.

Internet research can help identify companies with work relevant to a future career. Contact them in writing explaining why you wish to work for them, mentioning any projects they are currently involved in that you are interested in and enclose a full CV with a recent photograph.

Internships
Internship placement usually occurs during the 2nd or 3rd year of courses. More rarely they take up a whole year, which can be the "Gap Year" a student may take as a break from studies. Internships are more related to the older idea of apprenticeship, in that they tend to be a serious trial for a future job placement, in many cases.

Work Shadowing
This is at the other end of the spectrum from internships, a more casual look at the factors involved in any professional's work. Research and study leads to one or more days following the chosen worker in all they do. Schemes involving work shadowing are suitable for students looking at various careers.

Performing Voluntary Work to Gain work Experience
Students of subjects from law to medicine and social work can find good opportunities for work experience by contacting local and national charities and voluntary organizations to see what kind of jobs are open in their area.