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Work Experience

We recommend that any Work Experience should preferably be done after GCSE’s or in the Lower Sixth form. There are benefits to this as greater maturity can lead to a wider range of placements; for instance medical placements are not normally available to pupils who are in the 5th form. In addition, placements can also be related to AS level studies or potential degree subjects or to act as a taster of potential future careers.

The scheme is voluntary, though in recent years the overwhelming majority of the year group has taken part in some form of Work Experience.

Placements come in two forms;

a) Work Experience, when you will experience a particular type of career through actually working in a company, etc. This does give, however, only limited insight into many careers.

b) Work placement, certain types of profession are best experienced by observing or shadowing. Veterinary Science and Law are two examples of professions that are best experiences in this way.

It is generally accepted that all Work Experience is unpaid, though some companies may give help with certain expenses such as travel. It must be stressed that this is the exception rather than the rule.

Generally, placements at Merchant Taylors’ are arranged by the pupil through family or friends. The school occasionally finds placements via the Careers Department or an outside agency that specialises in such matters.

For self-arranged placements, it is a requirement of both UK and EU law that all placements are vetted. MTS exercises its duty of care in all activities, especially Work Experience. Part of the vetting procedure is the undertaking of a risk assessment; in placements for pupils in the Lower Sixth or above it is a legal obligation of the company supplying the placement to perform this. It is also a legal requirement for the company to supply the risk assessment to both parents and the School.

We recommend that placements should last for around one week The ideal time to do Work Experience is either in the summer holiday after the GCSE examinations or during the October Half Term of the Lower Sixth.We support self-arranged placements provided that the boy concerned be over 16 on the 1st May prior to the placement commencing .

Benefits of Work Experience

• the chance to taste a specific career that may interest them
• the experience of working alongside adults
• being able to prepare themselves for the world at work by preparing letters of application and CV’s, completing application forms and interviews
• gain a better understanding of the world of industry and commerce
• develop better interpersonal skills including working with others and communication skills
• honing key skills such as Information Technology, numeracy and problem solving
• gaining an insight into the routines and responsibilities of the work place
• offers experience of how an organisation functions
• gain invaluable experience that can be included in the personal section of the UCAS form
• give the school a valuable insight in to how boys react in an “out of school” situation
• allow employers to assess relative strengths and weaknesses
• a much better understanding of the lives of working parents
• greater focus on academic studies once Work Experience has been completed

Arranging Placements - School found placements

As outlined in the introduction, the school is able to find a limited number of placements for boys who wish to take them. We have contacts in the following areas :

• Accountancy
• Banking
• Civil Engineering
• Dentistry
• Industrial Chemistry
• Information Technology
• Law
• Journalism
• Marketing
• Medicine (Hospital and general practice)
• Surveying

If you wish to apply for a placement organised by the school, you should complete the application form (Appendix A) and return to Mr Stott by July for placements in the October Half Term and by January for all other times (Mr.Tanweer will replace Mr. Stott in this role from September 2008). You should also complete a Curriculum Vitae. .

Arranging Placements - Self-Arranged Placements

Self-arranged placements are the main area for which legislation was introduced . As a school, we have a duty of care to our pupils that also includes Work Experience. We have to ensure that there are satisfactory standards of supervision, instruction , health and safety, insurance and equal opportunities are in place before we can give the school’s blessing that the placement can proceed.

Most self-arranged placements are arranged through family and friends rather than obtained “cold” through contacting a company. If you arrange a placement through personal contacts, you must inform the Careers Department as we are required by law to keep records of all placements and inform the DfEE annually through our local Careers Services. Failure to inform the school in the correct manner could result in you having no personal insurance while working.

If you arrange your own placement, you should aim to give the Careers Department around 2 months to process the necessary paperwork . The company will be phoned in the first instance and then a questionnaire will be sent asking if they have the basic safety requirements, including employers’ liability and health and safety policy. They will also be asked to send both the school and the parents a risk assessment. 

In most years, some boys wish to arrange placements outside the UK to improve their use of foreign languages etc. Currently the legislation and schools insurance policy will cover them for placements within the European Union, it does not however cover them elsewhere in the world including the USA and Australia. It is highly likely that in many developing countries that your son would be covered by employers’ liability or similar and we have been advised by our Health and Safety adviser not to support any placement outside the EU. Any placement of this kind is therefore done entirely at your own risk.

Follow Up

On the last day of your Work Experience, you should complete the reporting forms. You are also required to keep a ‘work experience’ diary while on placement in which you records the nature of tasks done and new skills learnt.

You will be required to fill in a form about his own Work Experience, including a series of tick boxes and a summary sheet to record both positive and negative experiences . Your employer will have a similar sheet to fill in. All of this information will be collated and copies sent to his tutor, eventual UCAS adviser and Headmaster and go on your school file.

You are expected to write a thank you letter to the company within 7 days of completing your Work Experience. You should pass a copy of this and return any paper work in you possession on your first day back at school after the Work Experience.

If you have any questions or want any further advice, please do hesistate to phone Mr. Stott on 01923 845532 or e-mail at careers@mtsn.org.uk. Mr. Tanweer takes over from Mr. Stott in September 2008 and will be available on this number.