Work Experience Ideas for Years 10 – 13 if you have no idea where to start.

If you are looking for work experience ideas, then look no further!  It has been more than a bit challenging to find work experience over the past few years, and how to find work experience is one of the questions I get asked most regularly in careers sessions or at career fairs.

I’ve collated a list below with some ideas of where to start looking:

Perfect for School Holidays

Help out at a holiday club

If you enjoy working in a team of active, like-minded people and like being around kids, then explore the opportunity to work with a holiday club in your local area. You could try a national franchise such as Sport 4 Kids, or contact local providers in your area.

Do some babysitting

This is a great way of showing maturity and responsibility. It is also an excellent opportunity to earn some money over the summer.  Start by asking friends and neighbours, or parent’s friends.

Volunteer at your local Park Run or Junior Park Run

Can you handle getting up early on a Saturday morning (or Sunday for Junior Park Run), and enjoy being outdoors? Would you like to be part of a team whilst supporting an event in your local area? Then this could be for you. Park Run are always looking for volunteers to either give directions and support around the course or to have the responsibility of handing out or scanning and collecting barcode chips at the end. Contact them about volunteering opportunities here

Volunteer at a charity shop

Working in a charity shop can be a practical way to gain experience of interacting with the public and gaining exposure to customer service. It can help build confidence and social skills and will look great on your CV. Check out Oxfam and Cancer Research for volunteer opportunities, or contact a local shop directly.

Volunteer at a Food Bank

If you would like to support your community whilst gaining valuable experience, then helping out a food bank is a good place to start. It shows compassion and a desire to help others and demonstrates responsibility, maturity and teamwork. Contact the Trussel Trust to find your nearest food bank and sign up to volunteer.

Part-time job ideas for paid work

Work for a childcare provider

Some childcare services take on young people keen to experience working in the childcare sector.  They take you on as temporary nursery staff so you can work during the school holidays.  If you are based in Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Hampshire then check out Cherry Childcare.

Work in a café or restaurant

This is a brilliant way of developing teamworking skills as well as dealing with the public in a busy environment. Consider approaching local businesses with your CV and a Cover Letter explaining why you would like to work there.  But do bear in mind some establishments may have an age restriction in place.

Work in a shop

If you are interested in a career in fashion or retail, then working part-time in a shop is an excellent way to get into a job in the future.  Whilst developing all important social skills, it also demonstrates your interest and passion for the sector which employers will be keen to see on your CV.

Get a paper round

This is a sure-fire way to show commitment to working.  You will need to get up early, but you will be finished early too, and you will be earning your own money. If you can’t face the early mornings, then you could delivery leaflets or local magazines instead.

Some other ideas ..

Passionate about theatre?

There are loads of opportunities to get involved in the theatre if it’s something you would love to find out more about.  Either contact your local theatre for opportunities to volunteer your services, or check out The Royal Shakespeare company or ATG’s work experience programmes.

Want a career in writing?

There are several ways to pursue a love of writing that will help develop your skills and also create a body of work you are able to showcase at you start your career.  You could speak to your school about contributing to the school student newsletter.  If it doesn’t have one, then set one up.  Would your school website benefit from regular blogposts from a student’s point of view? If you’d prefer you could set up your own blog to talk about things that interest you, or alternatively seek out writing competitions online. Check out the BBC Writer’s Room for resources and opportunities.     

Love sport?

How about getting experience working with, motivating and coaching younger players.  Contact your local sports clubs for opportunities to help out.

Want to work in the tech or games industry?

Ok, this is not strictly work experience as these are paid short courses, but Firetech have a range of courses available over the summer aimed to engage and develop core tech skills such as coding, games design, graphic design and music production. 

What if none of these are for me?

If none of these are the right fit for you, or you are struggling to find experience in the sector you are interested in, then I have some good news for you.  One of the better things that has emerged from the pandemic is that virtual work experience has evolved immeasurably. 

There are some brilliant virtual work experience programmes, across a wide range of industry sectors, offered by companies such as Springpod, and many companies now offer their own programmes, which you can find on the careers pages on their websites. Many will have closed for the summer but will come back online from September.

These programmes are excellent, but nothing replaces the skills you gain from in-person experience, so my recommendation would be, if possible, to try and find a mixture of both and which will look brilliant on your CV.

Good luck!