Work experience is a period of hours that you can undertake during a module that allows you to observe and experience professional life within industry. These experiences can vary from a one day experience to several hours over several weeks. When undertaking work experience it is important to be clear on what your role is within the experience and exactly what the organisation you are working with expect from you. The lines can become blurred at times between project based work where a business is benefitting from your expertise commercially and work which helps you to learn from your experience from others in the field. Be sure to discuss and ask questions before you agree to undertake the work experience.
Do I need to have my work experience approved before I do it?
Ideally yes just so as we can be sure you are not being exploited and we can check that the people you are working with have appropriate liability insurances. You will need to seek that permission from the module leader who have to record off site activity for students. This is due to a set of data we have to provide centrally to the University. Your module leader will explain more about what they need in order to sign off your work experience if it contributes to your module hours.
Should I be paid for work experience?
The organisation you are working for is not legally required to pay you for work experience. However, we would always endorse for the work you undertake to be paid work, especially if they have brought you in because your skills and expertise are not already available at their organisation. For example, if you are a Graphic Design student and you are asked to design someone’s website or rebrand their logo because they don’t have anyone with the skills to do that, or they don’t have the time, then we would expect you to be paid at least the minimum wage. If you weren’t offered that then we would not endorse that opportunity. But if you were brought in to work alongside a team of graphic designers and be part of the process providing ideas and inputting into an already existing team, then we would advocate this opportunity because it would be a great chance to learn from experts already in the field. In work experience they need to be prepared to mentor and support you through the process and not to expect all the work you are involved in to be at the level of a professional with experience.
What are the expectations of someone on work experience?
You will be expected to act professionally and turn up on time at the right place fully prepared. This isn’t a turn up if you feel like it kind of job. You are aiming to gain a strong reputation for being a consicentious and hard working individual who will demonstrate a professional work ethic, good team working skills, good communication skills and the adaptability and flexibility to respond to the needs of the employer. At first it may be small things they ask you to do but slowly this will build up to more responsibility once they know they can rely on you and trust you to work hard. Have patience. You are growing your network by being there and word of mouth goes a long way.
What if I am doing a project for a charity or social enterprise, is this still work experience and should I be paid?
If you have found an opportunity to work on a project basis for a charity or small social enterprise with little to no funding, then this may be an opportunity where you may be the only person there with the skills to do the job they are needing, such as making videos for websites or running an art workshop with a community group. Then yes this is work experience. As long as they know you are a student studying and they appreciate things make take a little longer or you may not get it right first time then these can be really rewarding projects. See our showcase page for ideas on where this has been a really positive experience. You can always negotiate to use the work in your portfolio (no IP issues), they will provide you with a good reference and perhaps cover any travel costs. It may be in the future, if paid work is available, then you will be considered for the role. Always seek advice if you think something is a worthwhile opportunity but there is no pay. And you can always see our article, Experience vs Exploitation: When is it a good idea to work for free?