Work Experience

[spiral_star]

Hi, in June I have a break of two weeks from school to go on work experience, I'm sure most of you have done it so you know what I'm talking about. Well, I need suggestions on where to go!! I generally tell people I don't know what I want to do as a job but really I'd like to work in theatre -- backstage or something. As I have two weeks I've already decided to go to my local theatre and thats fine. But I now have one mroe week and I have NO IDEA where to go because I'm already going to the obvious place where I would most like to work.
I know theatre is hard to get into and get jobs so I'd like to do something other than a theatre for my second week to keep my optiosn open, but on the other hand maybe slightly connected as thats what I'm interested in.
I'm 16, am in the lower sixth and the subjects I'm doing are English Lit, French, History and Maths. I don't want to be a teacher or anything medical. Otherwise I'm open to any suggestions!!
Please help me!

[Twinkle]

Why not try a local dance or performing arts school?

[jellyoflight]

Lol, I'm in the same positionas you...except I have only one week, and I haven't got a clue what to do for that week!

What sort of things do you do outside of school? I have a friend who's very sporty + is going to one of those outdoorsy rock climbing canoeing centre type places, which sounds very fun Go with whatever interests you like that!

[.neko.]

Well she wants suggestions on where to work for her week not on where to go to school. Unless she could do her work experience at a school.. but she said she didn't want to be a teacher.

I know you said theater but how about TV? Can you do it at a local TV station.

[Twinkle]

Well she wants suggestions on where to work for her week not on where to go to school. Unless she could do her work experience at a school.. but she said she didn't want to be a teacher.

I know you said theater but how about TV? Can you do it at a local TV station.

I know, haha. But I went to a local dance school and helped them out with the rehearsals for their production. You could ask to help out with a vocational school.

[Xandra]

With theatre- there's a huge amount of jobs involved. The ones that don't require loads of experience (as opposed to designing sets/lighting plots/audio/costumes, etc. - lighting plots are EVIL EVIL THINGS) include making props, constructing sets, helping make/find costumes, etc. There's also, of course, the stuff you have to do during the actual production- running props, helping get the actors into costume, fixing costumes at the last minute...

I wish my school only made us production students do that stuff- it's easy. But noooo, we have to be taught to design sets and costumes and lighting plots and audio and just ugh ugh ugh. I'm fine with most of it, but I HATE lighting plots.

*majors in stage production/theatre tech at an arts high school*

[spiral_star]

*majors in stage production/theatre tech at an arts high school*

*stares* Wow! Thats sounds so interesting - I'd love to do that! I'm interested in stage management, but obviously I can't really be sure 'til I get some expereince! *growls*

Local TV station does sound like the kind of thing I'd like... except we don't have one anywhere near me!

Dance/Performing school sounds good except I go to a dance school but I wouldn't like going there - it wouldn't be the right time for a production or anything interesting- and there isn't another of a higher standard that might be doing anything interesting!! *headdesk*

[Mongrel]

What's work experience? I have a general idea, but I don't understand how it works.

[Christopher]

What's work experience? I have a general idea, but I don't understand how it works.

Child Labour. It works with whips and threats of failing.

[spiral_star]

What's work experience? I have a general idea, but I don't understand how it works.

Child Labour. It works with whips and threats of failing.

Work Experience is when you get time off school to go to a business or company or any place of work and see what its like to work there. If you're unlucky you get photocopying and paper work to do and your main responsibility is to make cups of tea! But its good if you can find somewhere decent to take you.
It's important so you can make up your mind what you want to be, for example I went on work experience when I was fourteen to a vet because I had always wanted to be a vet, but it was awful! So now I know I've been wasting my time and that I don't want to be one at all!
Some universities and employers look to see what work experience you did to see if you're really interested in what you've chosen or to see if you had basically a skive off school and went somewhere easy peasy.

[Mongrel]

Oh, okay. I did something similar to that, only it was two days of enforced skipping because seniors in high school have no incentive to work hard on state testing, but we were supposed to pretend we went somewhere and followed someone around.

What's work experience? I have a general idea, but I don't understand how it works.

Child Labour. It works with whips and threats of failing.

That explains why my friends used to mention "the whips" when they said they had to go. I thought it was some sort of digestive problem.

[Ginger Harp Seal Pup]

Why don't you ask if you could work two weeks there instead of just one?

[spiral_star]

I did ask for two weeks originally, but its not possible for them. I guess they don't want me hanging around there for double the time!

[Asthaloth]

What's work experience? I have a general idea, but I don't understand how it works.

Child Labour. It works with whips and threats of failing.

Shockingly accurate there Christopher.
mind, I never did it so threats of failing my GCSE's never quite worked.

[Anoohilator]

Heh I did mine at PC World and it was annoying... the manager gives you all the rubbish jobs..