Before you apply to any placements/experiences, it is really important that you discuss these with your teacher/parent/carer and let them know what you would like to do.
It is essential that you adopt a cyber safety approach at all times and that you discuss with your teacher/parent/carer when sharing your contact details (for example, some programmes ask you to sign up).
Things to consider:
- It will be virtual. You will not be physically going to this placement.
- Virtual work experience placements vary greatly in terms of what you can do. Some for example, may consist of PowerPoint or YouTube videos for you to watch, others may have a series of assignments for you to complete and submit (and receive feedback) within a given time frame. Some last a couple of hours, some last for several days or longer. Some may have live elements on specific days, others can be done whenever you like. Make sure you are clear about what the placement requires of you.
- Think about what you want from the placement. Some are focused on helping you learn about a particular career or employer, others more on developing specific employability skills e.g. customer service, organisation, problem solving, etc.
- You may only want to explore a specific sector e.g. health. We recommend you try and explore other sectors/placements too as these will help you compare and contrast what career is right for you. as well as provide you with experiences that help to develop your employability skills.
- Look at the placement(s) carefully and make sure you can commit to the expectations of the course.
- You can do more than one placement (with different providers). Although it is not recommended that you take on more than one at a time.
- Do your research! Carefully read what the placement offers and ask yourself if it is the right placement for you.
- Remember you can include these experiences on your CV, so a virtual work experience is perfect for those of you who don't yet have any work experience.
- You may have to sign up for placements. Sometimes you may have to wait until the placement runs again. If you provide your email, the company will let you know when the placement is open next.
- A few virtual work experience placements charge for the service. This should be clear on the website. Make sure you check that your parents/carers are ok to pay this and/or check if there are bursaries so you can do it for free.
When can you do it
One of the benefits of virtual work experience is you can decide to do it independently in your own time, and you can do more than one placement.
Your school/college may also have a targeted work experience week during the school term. Your school may ask you to identify a virtual work experience to do during that week. However you may find that the work experience you are interested in is not available during that specific week so you may need to complete it in your own (not in school) time as well as finding something to do during the specific 'work experience' week.
This might be in school/college holidays or you might have to complete the tasks in the evenings/weekends in term time. Remember, this shows a potential employer or university that you are prepared to commit to things and taking part will look good on your CV.
We hope you have a fantastic time in whatever experience you choose and let us know how it goes via chat or on Instagram!
