First jobs · 5 min read
How do I find Year 10 work experience?
How to find a Year 10 or Year 12 work experience placement: who to ask, when, a copy-and-adapt email, and how to get something useful out of the week.
The short answer
Start three to four months before the placement week. Make a list of ten places within travelling distance that do work you're curious about, find a named person at each, and send a short email saying who you are, the dates, what you'd like to see and that your school handles the insurance paperwork. Follow up by phone after a week. Most placements come from the fourth or fifth ask, and from adults who know you.
Key takeaways
- Ask early: good placements are agreed in January and February for a June or July week.
- Ten targets, one named person at each, one short email, one phone call a week later.
- Your school sends the employer a health and safety and insurance form; mention that so they know it's easy.
- Ask for a placement that shows you the work, not a week of filing, and ask one person what they do all day.
On this pageThe timeline that works
The timeline that works
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Four months before | List ten places. Mix the one you dream of with eight realistic ones nearby. |
| Three months before | Find a named person at each: the manager, the office, a parent's contact. Send the email. |
| Two to three weeks after emailing | Phone the ones who haven't replied. Ask for the named person. |
| Two months before | Accept the best yes. Tell school so the forms go out. Keep one backup. |
| The week before | Confirm the start time, where to go, what to wear, who to ask for. |
Who to ask
- Adults you know: parents' colleagues, neighbours, coaches, the owner of a shop you use. Most placements still come this way.
- Small and medium local firms: a solicitor's office, a vet, a garage, an architect, a bakery. They decide quickly.
- Public services: the council, the library, a primary school, a hospital volunteering team. Many have a formal scheme with its own deadline.
- Your school's list: careers leads keep names of employers who've taken students before.
The email, in outline
Subject: Work experience request, Year 10, 6 to 10 July. First line: your name, school and year. Second: the dates and that you're looking for a placement. Third: one real reason you've picked them, a thing you noticed or a question you have. Fourth: what you'd like to see, and that your school supplies the health and safety and insurance forms. Sign off with your number. Under 150 words.
What to ask for once you're in
A week of shredding tells you nothing. Ask, politely and early, whether you can sit with two or three different people for half a day each, and whether there's one small task you can own and finish by Friday. Ask one person what they did last Tuesday, hour by hour. That one answer is the most useful thing you'll take home.
Illustrative example: the vet who said no, and the farm that said yes
A Year 10 student wants to be a vet. All three practices say they're full. Her fifth email goes to a dairy farm her uncle delivers to. She spends a week helping with calves and watching the vet's Thursday visit. She comes back knowing she likes the animals, dislikes the 5am start, and wants to see a small-animal practice in Year 12. That's a good week.
Questions people ask
- What do I write in an email asking for work experience?
- Four short paragraphs: who you are and your school year; the exact dates; why this place, in one honest sentence; and what you're asking for, with a line saying your school provides the insurance and risk assessment forms. Add your phone number and attach a one-page CV. Keep it under 150 words and address it to a named person.
- Do work experience students get paid?
- No. School work experience is a legal exception to the minimum wage, because it's part of your education and lasts a short time. Some employers cover travel or lunch; it's fine to ask once you've been accepted. If an employer offers to pay you for a week in Year 10, check with school, as it changes the paperwork.
- What if no one replies?
- Expect it. Most emails to a general inbox go unanswered. Phone a week later and ask for the person by name. Try a second contact at the same organisation. Ask every adult you know whether their workplace takes students. Smaller firms say yes more often than big names, and the work is usually closer to you.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Employment rights and pay for interns · GOV.UK
- About the National Careers Service · National Careers Service
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.