Careers Experience
As career experience is a requirement of all students in the Sixth Form, there are several opportunities throughout the year when students are expected to be experiencing the world of work. Those who are considering applying for a vocational degree in Teaching or in any of the Health Care Degrees, must be able to show significant career experience on submitting their application and are therefore encouraged to be doing this career experience at suitable times throughout the Sixth Form.
Career experience is seen as so vital by employers and Universities that it is now a core part of Sixth Form life. This is flexible and can be done either by a couple of hours a week or as a block placement at some point, usually at the end of Year 12.
Career experience is essential for any application for a practical degree and is also a requirement for many qualifications.
The Sixth Form Office will help you arrange this.
National Citizens Service
Many of our students complete this very worthwhile scheme which is recommended by universities and employers and we are now recognised as a NCS champion school.
Career Experience at large companies
As a Sixth Former, some of the large companies may have placements available. The BBC is a good example. It has four application windows every year and each one lasts two weeks. There are several categories of career experience available at four locations.
Law – Legal career experience can be very difficult to find, but the link to “All About Law” provides you with some ideas. You can visit a court during the school holidays and watch court proceedings for experience. You don’t usually need to ask for permission, but it might be polite to email them first: you can find a contact email on the Poole Court websites
Journalism – The Guardian newspaper runs a series of short courses for aspiring journalists – some of them are run by well-known Guardian columnists There is a fee for them, but it is not too unreasonable.
Success at School – This website has advertised on it some career experience and apprenticeship at other national organisations such as BT, ITV and even Rolls Royce. Have a browse!
Volunteering
Many of you already volunteer to help outside of Sixth Form in uniformed organisations (e.g. Youth Groups, Guides, Scouts). Volunteering says a lot about you, your interests and your desire to give something back to the community and/or look for new opportunities to develop transferable skills.
It can also add a lot to your CV or University application. There are plenty of websites regarding volunteering.