Achieving Professional Experience: A Guide
In today's digital age, work experience opportunities are more accessible than ever before. Whether you're a school student or a job seeker, there are various types of work experience available in the UK that can help you expand your skillset and gain valuable industry insights.
School Placements and Work Shadowing
Speak to your school's careers team, as they often have local and national employer connections that offer placements or shadowing opportunities. If a formal placement isn't available, ask if you can visit for a day or shadow an employee to gain insight. Some companies may allow observation even if they don't provide full placements.
Internships
Look for paid and unpaid internships. For example, the Forvis Mazars Future Choices: Access Accountancy programme offers in-person work shadowing, virtual workshops, and paid opportunities for Year 12/13 students, typically running during school holidays. Universities like King’s College London also advertise internships and year-long industry placements via their career services.
Virtual Work Experience
Virtual internships and work experiences provide flexible access to skill-building and industry insights without geographic limits. Bright Network’s Internship Experience UK is a 4-day virtual internship running annually that helps undergraduates prepare for early career steps through industry-led sessions and networking.
Traineeships and Volunteering
Traineeships are a great route for young people to gain skills before starting apprenticeships or employment. Volunteering or supporting projects remotely can also count as valuable experience.
Finding Opportunities
Use school or university career portals and attend careers fairs. Network with family, friends, or community contacts who may offer insights or connections. Apply directly to companies and follow their careers pages, some firms post dedicated school and early career placement programs. Consider a mix of virtual and in-person experience to maximize exposure.
Exploring Career Ideas
The Skills to Succeed Academy is a site that helps build the skills needed to enter a career without needing a physical placement. icould.com can be used as a resource to explore career ideas.
The Benefits of Work Experience
Work experience offers numerous benefits, such as building confidence, gaining new skills, understanding an industry, adding hands-on experience to a CV, learning workplace etiquette, potentially securing future employment, and deciding whether one enjoys a job before pursuing a career.
Persistence is Key
Persistence is key in finding the right work experience opportunity. If a company says no to providing work experience, it is not personal and they may not be in a position to do so.
During work experience, you might shadow various members of staff and be given minor tasks to complete. Work experience is a temporary work placement at a business, designed to learn about a specific industry, company, or job sector.
- To broaden your education and career prospects, consider enrolling in online courses related to accounting, education-and-self-development, career-development, and learning from platforms like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning.
- Complement your online learning efforts by seeking work experience opportunities, such as internships, traineeships, or work shadowing in the accounting field. Explore offerings from programs like Forvis Mazars' Future Choices: Access Accountancy or reach out to universities like King’s College London for internship opportunities.
