Students and starting out · 7 min read
How can my teenager explore careers over the summer?
A summer can give a teen real contact with work: a job, a project, a day shadowing someone. Here are ten ideas and how to turn them into evidence.
The short answer
Teenagers can explore careers over the summer through a part-time job, volunteering, a self-directed project, shadowing someone for a day, a virtual work experience programme, or a short course with a practical output. The key is variety and reflection: try two or three different kinds of activity, and after each, write down what they liked and disliked about the work itself. That turns a summer into evidence for future choices.
On this page 8 sections
Ten ideas
- A part-time job in retail, food or a seasonal role: teaches what working for someone feels like.
- Volunteering at an animal shelter, library, garden or community event.
- Shadowing a family friend or local professional for a day.
- A self-directed project: a small website, a short film, a garden plan, a podcast episode.
- A virtual work experience programme in an industry they are curious about.
- Helping a small local business with something specific, such as photos for its website.
- Teaching or coaching younger children at a club or camp.
- A short practical course with something to show at the end.
- Interviewing three adults about their jobs.
- Organising an event, from budget to clean-up.
Choose for variety
Pick activities that contrast: one with people, one with things or ideas, one creative. Contrast makes preferences visible. A teen who enjoys the event more than the website has learned something real.
Turn each activity into evidence
After each activity, ask three questions and write the answers in a note on their phone:
- What part made time go quickly?
- What part would you happily never do again?
- What would you like to try next because of this?
For parents
Help with logistics and contacts, then step back. Ask questions about what they noticed rather than evaluating what they should do. The aim is for them to own the evidence.
A sample summer (illustrative)
| Weeks | Activity | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Part-time café job, three shifts a week | Working for someone, customers, pace |
| 2 | One day shadowing a family friend who is a vet nurse | Animal care, clinical settings |
| 5 to 6 | Build a simple website for a grandparent's allotment group | Design, technology, working with a client |
| 7 | Volunteer at a children's sports camp for a week | Teaching, energy with groups |
| 8 | Write a one-page summary and talk it through with a parent | Reflection |
This mix gives contrast: people-facing service work, a clinical setting, a solo technical project and group teaching. By September the teen can say which they enjoyed and why, which is far more useful for subject choices than any quiz.
Arranging a shadowing day
A short, polite message from the teenager, copied to a parent, tends to work best. For example:
Hello, my name is Sam and I'm 16. I'm interested in veterinary work and would love to see what a normal day looks like. Would it be possible to shadow someone at your practice for a morning this summer? I'm happy to fit around your schedule, and my parent is copied in. Thank you for considering it.
Some workplaces cannot host under-18s for safety or insurance reasons. If the answer is no, ask whether someone could spare fifteen minutes for a phone call instead.
Keeping it light
The aim is evidence, not a CV arms race. Two or three experiences are plenty. Leave room for rest, and avoid turning every activity into a test the teen must pass.
Questions people ask
- What is a good summer activity for a teen who doesn't know what they want?
- Something that gets them doing real work with real people, such as a part-time job or volunteering, combined with one project they choose themselves.
- Are virtual work experience programmes useful?
- They can give a taste of the tasks in an industry and are flexible. They are a complement to, not a replacement for, real-world experience.
- How can a teen arrange job shadowing?
- Through family friends, school contacts or by writing politely to local businesses. Keep it short, such as a morning or a day, and follow any safeguarding requirements.
- Should summer be for exploring or resting?
- Both. A few weeks of focused exploration alongside rest is plenty.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Workplace experiences · The Careers & Enterprise Company
- Virtual work experience programs · Forage
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.