Career Blossom guide

Work Experience Guide

Real experience. Real confidence. A much clearer idea of what you might actually enjoy.

Work experience can sound like another thing you have to add to your CV.

It isn't.

The best work experience helps you answer much more useful questions:

Would I actually enjoy this career?
What does the job look like day to day?
What am I good at?
What do I definitely not want to do?

And the good news? Work experience doesn't have to mean spending a full week in a huge company.

It can be one afternoon of job shadowing, an online programme, volunteering, a part-time job, an insight day, a project, or simply getting the chance to speak to someone doing a job you're curious about.

Field notes

Find opportunities
Email companies with confidence
Prepare, reflect and write it up
Know your rights

Jump to chapter

More than a traditional placement

What actually counts as work experience?

Work experience includes much more than a week in an office. If it helps you learn about work, people, skills or yourself — it counts.

In-person placement

Spending a few days or weeks inside an organisation and seeing what the work is really like.

Shadow employees
Attend meetings
Complete small tasks
Work on a mini project
Visit different departments
Ask professionals questions

Job shadowing

Following someone during part of their working day and observing what they do. Especially useful where hands-on work may be limited because of confidentiality, safety, age restrictions or specialist training.

Insight days

Short employer experiences that give you a taste of a sector without a full placement.

Career talks
Workshops
Office tours
Challenges
Networking
Introductions to different roles

Virtual work experience

Online programmes with realistic workplace tasks, employer talks, projects and sector exploration. Really useful when local opportunities are limited.

Volunteering

Shows responsibility, communication, teamwork, organisation, helping others and problem solving. It does not need to perfectly match your future career.

Part-time jobs

Retail, hospitality, tutoring, childcare and similar roles still build valuable transferable skills employers recognise.

Projects and competitions

Building a website, entering an engineering competition, running a society event, creating a portfolio piece, starting a small business, leading a campaign or finishing a personal project all count.

You don't always have to wait for a company to give you experience.

Clarity over prestige

Why work experience matters

Test a career before committing

Try something for a day or a week before spending years chasing it.

Understand what jobs actually involve

Job titles can sound exciting. The day-to-day is often different.

Build confidence

Speaking to adults at work, asking questions and turning up somewhere new gets easier with practice.

Get stronger examples for applications

Real moments from placements, volunteering and jobs make CVs, personal statements and interviews feel more solid.

Develop transferable skills

Communication, teamwork, organisation, problem solving and reliability show up almost everywhere.

Build your network

One kind contact can lead to advice, another opportunity or a reference later on.

Start close to home

Where to find work experience

School / College / University

Ask your careers adviser, guidance or pastoral staff, teachers, lecturers or university careers service. In Scotland, Skills Development Scotland and My World of Work are also strong starting points.

Search company websites directly

Opportunities often sit under “Early Careers” rather than “Work Experience”. Try searches like:

[company] work experience
[company] early careers
[company] students
[company] insight programme
[company] internship
[company] virtual work experience

Students under 18

Visit site

Local routes matter

Scotland-specific opportunities

My World of Work

Your first stop for career ideas, skills and local guidance in Scotland.

Developing the Young Workforce

Local DYW groups may offer employer talks, workplace visits, work experience, insight events and industry challenges.

Skills Development Scotland Marketplace

Employer experiences and placements often arranged through schools and colleges.

NHS Scotland

Healthcare placements, volunteering and insight options across Scotland.

Volunteer Scotland

A practical search tool for volunteering near you.

Pick a door to open

Find experience by career area

Engineering & Aerospace

Places to look

• Engineering companies
• Manufacturers
• Energy companies
• Airports
• Aerospace companies
• Construction
• Transport
• University engineering departments
• STEM programmes
• Engineering competitions

Roles worth shadowing

• Design engineers
• Manufacturing engineers
• Project engineers
• Quality engineers
• Technicians
• Software engineers

Technology & Computing

Places to look

• Virtual technology programmes
• Coding projects
• Hackathons
• Open-source work
• Building a website
• Digital volunteering
• IT department shadowing
• Developer events

A strong personal project can sometimes teach you more than a generic placement.

Medicine & Healthcare

Places to look

• NHS placements
• Care-home volunteering
• Hospital volunteering
• Community volunteering
• GP / healthcare insight programmes
• Virtual healthcare programmes
• Customer-facing experience

You do not need to shadow a doctor for your experience to be valuable.

Law

Places to look

• Local law firms
• Courts
• Legal charities
• Councils
• University law events
• Virtual law programmes
• Solicitor / advocate shadowing

Business & Finance

Places to look

• Banks
• Accountancy firms
• Consulting
• Local businesses
• Startups
• Finance teams
• Marketing agencies
• Entrepreneurship programmes

Useful search terms

insight week
spring week
school leaver programme
internship
insight day

Creative Careers

Places to look

• Design studios
• Architecture firms
• Theatres
• Museums
• Galleries
• Production companies
• Newspapers
• Marketing agencies
• Photography studios

Your portfolio is experience too.

Not everything is advertised

The method most students forget: ask directly

Make a list of 10–20 organisations. Don't send one email, get one rejection and assume work experience doesn't exist.

Companies may only take a few students, need specific dates, require supervision, not advertise placements, or say no now but yes later.

01Research
02Email
03Track
04Follow up
05Keep applying

Copy, personalise, send

Work experience email template

Subject: Work experience enquiry

Hi [Name],

My name is [Name] and I'm currently a [year/stage] student at [school/college/university].

I'm really interested in learning more about [industry/career], particularly [specific area], and I wanted to ask whether your team offers any work experience, job-shadowing or insight opportunities for students.

I'd be really grateful for the chance to learn more about what your team does, even if it was only for a day or a short visit.

I'm happy to send over my CV or any other information you need.

Thank you for your time!

Best,
[Name]

Make your email stronger

Personalise one sentence so it could only be for that organisation
Research them first — mention something specific
Find a real person if you can
Look for Early Careers, HR, Recruitment, Outreach or People Team contacts
Attach a CV where it feels appropriate

Weaker

“Hi, do you do work experience? Thanks.”

Stronger

“I'm especially interested in how your design and manufacturing teams work together, and I'd love to learn more — even for a short visit.”

One gentle follow-up

What if they don't reply?

Wait around one week. Then follow up once.

Hi [Name],

I just wanted to follow up on my email below about possible work experience with [Company].

I completely understand if you're unable to offer anything at the moment, but I'd really appreciate any information about future opportunities.

Thank you again!

Best,
[Name]

Shrink the ask

What if everyone says no?

Instead of “Can I do a full week?” try:

• “Could I shadow someone for one day?”
• “Could I visit the workplace?”
• “Would someone have 20 minutes for a career conversation?”

Also look at virtual programmes, volunteering, insight days, industry events, personal projects and part-time work.

Confirm the basics

Before your placement

What time should I arrive?
Where should I go?
Who should I ask for?
What should I wear?
Should I bring anything?
Is lunch provided?
Are travel expenses covered?
What time will I finish?
Should I read anything beforehand?

Research the organisation before you arrive — even 10 minutes helps.

Be curious

During your work experience

Questions worth asking

What does a normal day look like?
How did you get into this career?
What do you enjoy most?
What surprised you?
What skills matter most?
What would you tell someone my age?
Are there other roles here I should research?
What do you wish you'd known before starting?

Daily reflection

What did I do?
What did I learn?
What surprised me?
What skills did I use?
What did I enjoy?
What didn't I enjoy?
What do I want to explore next?

Quick reflection notes (stays on this device)

This is where the value doubles

Reflection: the part most people skip

Two students can complete the exact same placement.

Surface level

“I did work experience at an engineering company.”

Useful

“During my placement I saw how design and manufacturing teams worked together to solve production problems. It made me particularly interested in manufacturing engineering because…”

What did this teach me?
Did it confirm my interest?
Did it change my mind?
What skill did I develop?
What would I do differently next time?

How to use work experience afterwards

CV

Engineering Work Experience — Company Name

Shadowed engineers across design and manufacturing teams.
Learned how technical decisions balance cost, time and quality.
Took part in a team design challenge.
Developed communication and problem-solving skills.

Personal statement

Don't list every experience. Choose what actually changed your understanding. Focus on what you learned rather than how prestigious the organisation was.

Interviews

Use placements for teamwork examples, challenges, initiative, motivation and explaining why a career interests you.

Keep it simple

Work experience tracker

Application tracker

Example application tracker
Company	Opportunity	Applied	Follow-up	Result
Local engineering firm	1-day shadowing	12 Mar	19 Mar	Yes — 2 days
Springpod	Virtual healthcare	14 Mar	—	Completed
High street retailer	Part-time job	10 Mar	17 Mar	Interview booked

Completed experience tracker

Example completed experience tracker
Experience	What I learned	Skills	Future use
Volunteer Scotland — charity shop	Customer service is harder (and more interesting) than it looks	Communication, reliability	CV + interview example

Copy the blank headers into Notes, Google Sheets or Excel and fill them in as you go. Nothing is saved on Career Blossom's servers.

Stay informed, not scared

Know your rights

Not every unpaid opportunity is automatically illegal, but calling something “work experience” or “internship” does not automatically mean the organisation can avoid paying someone.

Legal entitlement depends on employment status and what you are actually doing. Minimum wage may not apply for genuine work shadowing, compulsory school work experience, some required university/college placements, or genuine volunteering.

If you're unsure, speak to your school, college, university careers service, ACAS, or a trusted adult. This page summarises official guidance — it is not legal advice.

Extra protections exist

If you're under 18

Young workers may have additional protections around hours, breaks, night work and health and safety.

GOV.UK — Young worker rest breaks

Trust your instincts

Red flags

Be cautious if an organisation:

Asks for a large fee just to work for them

Won't explain what you'll be doing

Expects employee-level work for free for a long period

Requests unnecessary sensitive information

Pressures you into unsafe hours

Provides no clear supervisor

Asks you to hide the placement from school or parents

Makes unrealistic promises

If you're under 18, make sure an appropriate adult knows where you are and who you're working with.

That's a good reason to explore

What if you don't know what career you want?

That's actually one of the best reasons to do work experience. Try different areas.

HealthcareEngineeringBusiness

You're not committing. You're collecting information about yourself.

A closing note

You do not need the most impressive work experience.

You need experience that teaches you something.

A day with a local business can be more valuable than a famous company if you actually get to ask questions, meet people, understand the work and discover something new about yourself.

Don't wait until the “perfect” opportunity appears.

Start somewhere. Then keep exploring. 🌱

Explore careers Take the Career Blossom test

Last reviewed: August 2026. Links and guidance can change — always double-check official sources.

Work Experience Guide

In-person placement

Job shadowing

Insight days

Virtual work experience

Volunteering

Part-time jobs

Projects and competitions

Test a career before committing

Understand what jobs actually involve

Build confidence

Get stronger examples for applications

Develop transferable skills

Build your network

School / College / University

Search company websites directly

My World of Work

Skills Development Scotland Marketplace

Springpod

UCAS Careers Advice

Prospects

NHS Scotland — Work Placements & Volunteering

NHS Scotland — Medicine Work Experience

Volunteer Scotland

GOV.UK — Minimum Wage & Work Experience

GOV.UK — Employment Rights for Interns

GOV.UK — Young Worker Rest Breaks

My World of Work

Developing the Young Workforce

Skills Development Scotland Marketplace

NHS Scotland

Volunteer Scotland

Make your email stronger

Questions worth asking

Daily reflection

CV

Personal statement

Interviews

Application tracker

Completed experience tracker

Before searching

When applying

Before starting

During

Afterwards

You do not need the most impressive work experience.