Work experience helps you understand what a career actually looks like in practice. It also gives you concrete examples to use in future applications and interviews. Work experience does not need to be formal or paid. Shadowing, volunteering, personal projects, and insight days all count.
What counts as work experience?
Work experience is any activity where you learn about the world of work. This includes formal placements, volunteering, insight days, virtual work experience, part-time or casual jobs, freelance projects, tutoring, helping at a family business, or caring responsibilities. On a CV or in an interview, what matters is what you did and what you learnt from it — not whether it was paid or unpaid.
How to find work experience
Start with your school or college careers service. Many employers partner with schools and offer placements directly. You can also search platforms like Nentra, Springpod, Speakers for Schools, or the Speakers for Schools virtual experience programmes. Reaching out directly to local employers by email is often effective, especially for small businesses, legal offices, hospitals, or local councils. A polite, clear, and short email explaining who you are and what you are hoping to learn often gets a positive response.
How to prepare before your placement
Before you start, find out what the organisation does and what to expect. Prepare a list of questions you genuinely want to ask. Plan your journey or technology setup. Arrive or log in early. During the placement, be curious, take notes, and ask good questions. At the end, ask for feedback and thank the people you met. Connect on LinkedIn if appropriate.
How to talk about work experience in applications
When writing applications or attending interviews, use your work experience to demonstrate specific skills. Do not just say "I did work experience at a law firm." Say what you observed, what you learnt, what surprised you, and how it influenced your thinking. Specific observations are more impressive than vague statements.
Virtual and remote work experience
Many employers now offer virtual insight programmes that are fully remote and free to join. These are especially useful if you live far from major cities or have limited time. They count just as much as in-person placements on a CV. Platforms such as Springpod, Forage, and Speakers for Schools offer free virtual programmes in law, finance, technology, medicine, and other sectors.
Checklist
- Identify two or three sectors you want to explore
- Search your school careers service and platforms like Nentra
- Draft a clear outreach email to potential employers
- Prepare questions to ask during your placement
- Take notes during the experience
- Follow up with a thank-you message
- Write up what you learnt for future applications
Common mistakes to avoid
- Only approaching large well-known employers and ignoring local ones
- Being passive during a placement instead of asking questions
- Not writing up what you learnt while it is fresh
- Treating virtual work experience as less valuable than in-person
- Not using the experience in future applications or interviews