Three steps to finding great work experience

To mark National Work Experience (WEX) Month 2026, Bitesize Careers caught up with career coach, Mark Anderson to get his advice on finding a great work experience placement. Here are his top tips…

Work experience is one of the best ways to prepare for life after school or college. While lessons are important, some of the most valuable learning happens outside the classroom.

Work experience gives you the chance to:

• explore a career you might be interested in
• develop valuable employability skills
• experience what the workplace is really like
• build your confidence
• strengthen your university, apprenticeship and job applications.

Put simply, work experience can be a real game changer. The more experience you gain, the more evidence you have to show future employers or universities what you're capable of.

On a practical note, your school or college will give you details of when your work experience should take place. It might be a few days during a specific week or you may be given some flexibility in terms of the dates and duration. In some cases, the dates and times are set by the company.

Here are three steps to organising your work experience:

If you have a future job idea in mind, this bit is easy. Ideally, your work experience could be linked to that career.

However, this isn't always possible. Some jobs have restrictions due to confidentiality, safeguarding, or health and safety requirements. If that's the case, look for opportunities in a similar sector or roles that develop the same skills.

For example, if a career in cabin crew appeals to you, unfortunately you won't be able to spend a week working on international flights to the Caribbean. However, you could do something else that requires good people skills such as working in a cafe, restaurant or hotel.

Now, it’s all very well if you know the type of work you’d like to do in the future, but what if you don’t have a clue?

You could start by thinking about what you enjoy:

• working with people?
• using numbers and data?
• being creative?
• doing practical, hands-on tasks?

Choosing work experience that matches your strengths can help you discover careers that suit you.

You could also look for opportunities linked to causes you care about. If you’re particularly passionate about issues such as climate change, animal welfare or helping vulnerable people, you could consider places such as local charities and community organisations.

Top tip

Still stuck? Talk to family members, teachers or friends. People who know you well may suggest options you've never considered. You could also listen to The Bitesize Careers Podcast where we discuss what to do if you’re not sure what career path to follow.

Once you know the type of experience you're looking for, it's time to find organisations that might be able to help.

Start by speaking to:

• family, friends and other adults you know well
• teachers, careers leaders or work experience coordinators.

Your school or college may also have a database of organisations who have offered placements before.

Then of course you can do your own online or app searches of local businesses. You could even use AI to identify companies in specific industries or locations. However, if you do use AI, make sure you check that the information provided is accurate and up to date. For example, visit companies' websites directly to ensure you have their latest contact details.

Bear in mind that some organisations have their own work experience programmes at specific times during the year. It’s worth checking their websites for details of how and when to apply.

It’s also wise to create a list of possible businesses to approach because you may not be successful with your first choice.

Top tip

Remember to think about travel! You need to ensure that transport to these businesses won’t be an issue if they offer you a placement.

Finally, you need to make contact.

It's important that you try to find out a named person within the organisation to contact. Otherwise your email may just get lost or ignored.

A carefully constructed email to the right person, giving details of the time and duration of your work experience, will hopefully do the trick.

If you’re feeling brave, you could give the organisation a call or even visit in person. Sometimes small businesses appreciate the personal approach because they can see that you’ve taken a brave step. However, if you do decide to visit a business, make sure you prioritise your safety. Visit during office hours and in a public-facing environment, for example a shop or office. Let someone know where you're going, or go with a trusted adult.

You may be asked to send in a CV. If you've never done one, take a look at the Bitesize Careers CV toolkit for creating one.

Top tip

Most importantly, contact more than one organisation. Many businesses receive lots of requests and may not have space available.

Even if your work experience helps you realise that a particular career isn't for you, that's still a success.

Every placement teaches you something. You'll gain insight into working life, develop new skills, build confidence and learn more about yourself.

Top tip

The hardest part is often getting started. So take that first step and see where it leads. Good luck!