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"Work Experience"

Hi FoGgers. Even though my set of work experience is a year away at the least, it just sprang to my mind 'who decides which person does which job'? I, being my technoligical self, do not wish to get stuck helping to stock shelves for the newsagent or help out at a local vet! So how does it work? Are the jobs pinned up on a pin board and after the teacher says go we all run towards it like raging animals running for prey?

I was just wondering...

:D

I am going on work experience in just over a week. On the 10th of september i will go to a local school (joy of joys, it's all they had left after they screwed up my first option). I don't really expect to gain much in the 2 weeks but it will be a welcome break from normal schoolwork and will not be to far for me to go (4 min cycle ride). Some lucky people, for example the dreaded vottanator, who some of you may know, get to go to a cinema every evening and sit around wathching films (Grrrr...). These are the people who get the first thing they request. I handed my form back only afew days after i recieved it, yet still i was only told that i didn't have a placement 4 days before my summer holiday started, over 6 months after i had handed the form in. I have since had two calls from the teacher organising this and even now, 11 days before my first day, i am not sure if my placement is definite. I find this unacceptable as i was told the placements would be on a first come first serve basis and therefore i should have been one of the first to recive a placement, not the last!!

In envy of the great vottanator for his honourary position at the carlton cinema, westgate,

may all you work experiance seekers get your preffered placements and not have this crap thrust upon you.

As I said... you either choose a useful one or a one where you can get a job later...

They don't tend to need saturday people at the IT consultants.. so I've ended up working at the local newsagents for minimum wage :/

I'm still looking for a new job and have my eyes on good old Special Reserve at one point.

Rakuga wrote:
> :) I just wish I could do my work experience again...

cool advice, sounds like a good job to have, what kind of work are you doing now?

Goatboy: as you say it's hard to believe, but it's a good story, maybe one to tell your grandchildren?

First I must tell you to DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO or work in a place you would like to work on saturdays when your 16. IF you do well at the work experience they will remember you and maybe give you a job later.

I think the work experiences you arrange yourself are the best. I liked computers so I worked as a IT consultant and was installing software and opening up PCs and learning new stuff. I loved this work experience and they gave me an old laptop and ten pounds when I'd finished (they didn't believe in slave labour)! However there was no chance of me getting a job out of it when I was 16 - it was in London - and there were not many available jobs. So basically it all depends on what you value more important - an almost definite possibility of a job with them when your 16 or a valuable work experience where you learn new things you might use in the future.

So basically all I am saying is don't choose any old work experience. The schools choices are limited. There is no real point in doing a job at say a carpenters if you don't want to be a carpenter when your older. You will regret not taking time thinking over what you want to do - I nearly worked as a historian for mine - and that I would never be when I'm older! I'm just glad my mum got me my work experience.

They can be very valuable experiences. The teachers are right you learn about the working environment but if you are lucky you can learn so much more. Before I went I had never heard of a SCSI and had never fitted memory into a computer before and now I did. The chances are even if they do make you do coffee (I got a work placement with coffee machines so I was lucky!) you will still learn something if you are at a place of interest to you. You can learn from what other people do!

In terms of jobs your question as I said you might have to make coffee - I was always dead certain I would have to. If you have these expectations you will be happy when you are doing other stuff! Normally they tend to give you any jobs that will help them and need doing. I found myself imaging 10 new laptops after they taught me how to do 1.

Basically work experience is a laugh and when you get back to school your want out! :) I just wish I could do my work experience again...

Ok, what follows is absolute gospel truth:

I did my work experience at The Temple.
Big law offices in London (wanted to be a solicitor).
Was alright, they let their pet schoolboy make the tea and fetch biscuits for the 1st two days.
I smoked myself sick, fantastic.

Then my lawyer boss went to court. The High Court, with the wigs and all that gear.
I got to sit with them on the bench.

The case they were prosecuting was (god forgive me but this is the truth), a man accused of raping a cat on the Circle and District Line tube.
The witness testified that he saw "the man sitting on the tube as it pulled into the station, and he could see the cat in distress in the man's lap" (you get the rest of the story, I won't repeat it).

They had this dude's pants as evidence, passed round to a jury to examine for cat hairs and "fluids".
It was impossible to not laugh, however sickening the idea of a bloke doing this on the tube at night.

And the punchline?
The guy was called Mr Wayne King.

Now I don't expect you to believe me, but all I can is that it is the honest, on my sister's life true.

That was the exact moment I realised there was no way this life could be taken seriously, it was a sign from above.

Fogmaster wrote:
> it's not your fault, did you blame the bird for leaving the cage?

No, i took the responsiblity and owned up.

But the funny thing with pet shop birds is that you can open the cage and they dont even try to fly escape, which is why i didnt really watch the birds when i was going to get the bucket and cloth.

it's not your fault, did you blame the bird for leaving the cage?

I had my work experience in a pet shop, it was really great, cos i got all of my meals for free, and i got to pet all of the animals. Although i did manage to let a budgie escape, so it started to fly around the shop and i looked like a right fool.

I asked for a place in the local lingerie shop (I was dared...) and they said no.

I was gutted...