As London tentatively embraces the summer heat and as exams for AS students approach their long awaited end; you would be forgiven for spending a few days catching up on the sleep you sacrificed during your intense period of revision.
However, you will soon come to realise that the end of exams do not mean the end of college just yet. Yes I know how it feels, last year I also experienced the shock that comes with realising that there are still AS To A2 weeks to get through but there is also something else that is extremely important about the opportunity these weeks provide.
Work experience. Yes you may have done two weeks when you were in year ten but that was two years ago. The thing I would like to stress about work experience is that you never know where you may get offered a placement if you simply ask. Last year, I was not really enthusiastic about it but a casual conversation with a trainee teacher led to a brilliant week at a national newspaper and a further week this year.
So whichever field you are interested in, contact relevant companies, talk to people who may have some links or contacts and you will most likely be rewarded for that small effort. The larger companies which look good on your CV are more likely to offer you a place if you contact them personally or through someone they already know. This shows you are serious about doing work experience and that you are not simply being forced to by your college.
You already know the benefits of doing work experience and in today’s economic climate, these benefits have become ever more important. A great thing about doing it now is that if you maintain a good relationship with the company, they will allow you to spend more time there throughout next year and they may even offer you a job whilst you are at university.
A WORRIED STUDENT 
work experience is really valuable. I spent my last year volunteering at a community TV station and got to direct a show and get real life experience working with all the equipment and working with live TV. Now I’m way ahead of my fellow journalism classmates who only went to class.
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Wow that is amazing! I’ve realised that the US has alot of local television which provides a great opportunity for people seeking to enter journalism and media. In the UK, we don’t have that.
I agree, work experience definitely helps people excel in ways that merely studying doesn’t.
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I’m actually Canadian. There’s s lot of great places here.
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Uh oh how bad of me to make that assumption! You even mentioned you’re from Canada before. Sorry!
Yes Canada is great for media opportunities.
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Nicely written, “Worried,” but I so remember that before I became a teacher, I worked as a summer camp leader. That was the only experience I had that was somewhat related to working with children. Years later, I realize that this camp experience had no relationship to being a fulltime teacher. LOL
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Haha definitely, teaching must be far more hectic and challenging than being a summer camp leader! Although being a camp leader surely must have been difficult as well.
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