Work experience is a great thing that young people across the country can get involved with to have an insight of what it’s like in the working world. This month, year 10 students from Waldegrave School went to work for two weeks to gain experience and knowledge. The students all went to very interesting and varied places: from nurseries to the vets; to television studios and coffee shops. But now it’s time to see whether these two weeks of work paid off. I interviewed two students, Isabel and Alice, to see what they had to say about it.
Where did you go, and what was your favourite thing to do?
Isabel: I went to Happy Potter in Teddington. My favourite things to do were making coffee and interacting with customers.
Alice: I went to CeX in Kingston and my favourite thing to do was to chat to my co-workers as we all had many common interests; they were also super friendly and easy to get on with well.
Would you say that work experience was beneficial for you and, if so, why?
Isabel: Yes definitely, it taught me how to behave professionally and how to make amazing drinks.
Alice: It was as I was able to gain a lot of confidence in social situations (I’m usually very awkward around new people!) and was able to actively listen to others and really get involved in the conversations.
What was the most challenging thing you had to do?
Isabel: I had to operate a till and I had to deal with some angry customers.
Alice: Aggressive customers were certainly a handful to deal with, they wouldn’t listen and just got increasingly annoyed as time went on. And as I was just there for work experience, I didn’t know how to answer to all of their questions so I had to make them wait whilst I asked my supervisor.
What skills did you learn/improve and what did you discover about your previous skills?
Isabel: I discovered that I am very good at talking to strangers. But I think that I definitely need to improve my mopping skills!
Alice: I definitely improved my communication skills as I was sometimes faced with being put under pressure and having to quickly think of a response. I also learnt that it’s important to be patient with everyone you meet as some people struggled to get across what they wanted to say, but you have to be patient and polite.
Both students said that they would recommend work experience to other people their age and they both thoroughly enjoyed their jobs. It gave them an insight to the working world; improved their skills; helped them to see what they needed to improve; and even guided them to a better idea of what they want to do as a career.
By Anya Sukara
