Step Two: Choosing the Right Work Experience

Now you’ve narrowed down your options, its time to choose what sort of work experience you would like to do. There are two types of work experience: on-site and virtual placements.  So, what is the difference?

On-site Work Experience

These are placements where you will work alongside others in a work environment like an office, laboratory, factory, shop, hotel or perhaps outdoors. The length of a work experience placement could be from one day to a few weeks, and it is usually unpaid. It offers a chance to gain practical insights about an organisation and what the day-to-day jobs involve there.

Being placed with an organisation is a great way to:

• Find out more about different jobs in the area you are interested in.
• Network for future jobs.
• Earn valuable experience and develop new skills.
• Have a real employee experience.
• Learn about a company’s recruitment process.

RSC Education has a helpful guide on their website, for secondary school students thinking about work experience, check it out here.

Virtual Work Experience

These can provide you with an insight into what it’s like to work in an industry or job whilst working from home or remotely. These opportunities can range from half a day to one week. They may last longer depending on their nature and your age. Virtual work experience placements are available in a range of industries, from fashion to technology, law to marketing, and more.

Not all virtual work experience is the same. Some virtual opportunities are open to everyone. They tend to provide a platform to find out more about the job, view pre-recorded videos on what it’s like to work there and virtual tours and possibly take part in some live Q&A sessions.

More structured virtual opportunities tend to have a competitive application process. These roles may provide you with a supervisor, give you project work and enable you to access networking and training opportunities. Virtual work experience could include:

• Consuming digital training materials (e.g.  reading articles and watching videos).
• Taking virtual tours of work premises.
• Live sessions (via video calls and online meetings using conferencing tools like Zoom).
• Completing activities at home and sending the results to your supervisor for feedback.

The Parents’ Guide has a good blog on why a virtual work experience might be the right path for you, read it here.Best Apprenticeships also has a handy guide to virtual work experience, for more information.

Pros and Cons

Both types of work experience have their own pros and cons. This list below summarises the main ones generally and in specific relation to blind and partially sighted students.

Virtual work experience

• No need to travel or familiarise with new routes/environments.
• Doesn’t require as much support to set up.
• Can be done from home with less need to transport technology into the work environment.
• Provides experience of remote working.
• Helps you to practice and gain experience of formal recruitment processes, particularly if schemes are competitive.
• Some aspects like virtual tours may be inaccessible, if not audio described for example.
• Not the same social benefits as being in a physical workplace with other employees.

On site work experience

• A first-hand experience of being in a physical working environment.
• Can help to improve independence skills and increase confidence with independent travel.
• Can be set up locally and may be less competitive.
• Can sometimes be done through family and friends and their contacts.
• Can be difficult to set up if specialist equipment and technology is required on site and needs to be taken out of home/school.
• Requires more support in advance if new routes and workplace familiarisation and specialist teaching input are needed.