Year 12 Work Experience

Year 12 is coming to an end. As you begin to get the horrors of A-Levels and revision out of the way, you can start to think more about your future career. This is your chance to learn more about the industry you want to work in.

And hey, it’s better than cramming revision for six weeks straight, right?

What is work experience?

Work experience is a period of time taken out of your studies to gain some practical experience. It can take place anywhere you like, as long as an employer will take you on, then you can go there.

Work experience isn’t the same as an internship. An internship is a placement that will generally pay you for the short period you spend there and is, usually, combined with college or uni-based learning. Work experience is likely unpaid and designed to show you what the world of work is like.

The length of time of your placement will vary depending on your age. Year 12 work experience tends to be a bit longer and more focused than year 10 work experience, and will likely take place at a different time of year.

Do I need a CV for work experience?

This will depend on your employer. It will be more common than not that you will need a student CV. Your CV may not be as extensive as you like, but it’s still a much easier way for employers to assess you properly.

Your school information and key skills are equally important to talk about. What is it that makes you so passionate for the role? What are you good at? What you can bring to the role? These are questions that employers want the answers to.

How do I find work experience for year 12?

Your school or college will be an invaluable resource for you to help your search. They will have ties to local industries or employers and have insights to help you apply and find employers. Google can be a help too! Start looking for people who do what you want to do in your local area and see if they offer work experience options.

But, how do you ask for a work experience placement? Call them up, email them or even go the old-fashioned route and go and speak to someone in-person!

But what do I actually do?!

The first step when looking for work experience is to ask yourself what you want to do. It’s a question that isn’t going to necessarily have an answer as soon as you ask it. Once you know what you want to do, you can go from there.

So for example, if you’re interested in looking for law work experience for year 12, then call up some law firms and see if they have anything available. If you're looking for engineering work experience, then you can look in all kinds of places from car dealerships or mechanics; while those looking for something more specialised like a computer science work experience placement behemoths like PC World may have some openings, or even local sole traders who specialise in IT support could be excellent for you.

Is year 12 work experience mandatory?

This will depend on where you are studying. For the most part, work experience is not mandatory in year 12.

Despite this, it is still recommended that you look into the possibility. Work experience is an excellent thing to include on your CV, but also could be the difference when it comes to going to university too, and can be a big help for your personal statement or UCAS application.