Careers News

After working at Magdalene for over two decades Ms Carol Dobbie, who was both a Mathematics teacher and Careers Advisor has decided to leave Magdalene to take on other adventures. From 2023 I will take on this role. I will be located in the same Careers office in the library and I’m looking forward to supporting students in the area of Careers.

Mrs Dallene Jones

Thinking of doing Work Experience?

If you’ve been looking for work experience, you might be having some trouble knowing whether or not a placement is right for you. We’ve got some tips that can help you narrow down your options and make the right choice.

Think outside the box

You might already know exactly where you want to do your work experience. But sometimes it’s not always possible to get exactly what you want.

Say you’d like to work at a zoo one day, so you look for work experience at a zoo nearby, but their placements are all taken – or there are no zoos where you live. What next?

Well, you could always do a placement somewhere similar, where you’ll be doing similar tasks and gaining valuable skills. Think about other places you might be able to work with animals – at a local shelter, at a vet’s office, or even with animal management at the local council. Just because your dream option won’t work doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of other valuable opportunities out there.

In-person vs virtual

One thing you should consider when looking for work experience is whether you want to do your placement in-person or virtually. Both sides have their pros and cons, so here are some things to think about when making this choice:

• What’s available near me, and does this interest me?
• What do I want to get out of this work experience placement?
• Do I have a reliable way to get to and from an in-person placement?
• Do I have the appropriate hardware and software to do a virtual placement?

If you want to know more about virtual work experience, check out this blog we wrote! 

Do some research

Before you commit to a work experience placement, it’s always good if you can have a chat with your potential employer to get a feel for the place and what to expect.

Make sure you know exactly what is expected of you, such as what time you need to show up and what you need to wear or bring with you.

If a placement runs over a set date, make sure you can fully commit to it.

As a work experience student, you should never be expected to do work that a paid employee would be doing. Most of your day will involve shadowing, asking questions, or working on mock projects or exercises. If you have concerns, speak with a senior employee or manager, or get in touch with your school, and if you need to you can also contact the Fair Work Ombudsman by following the link below.