A common complaint we often hear from students is

“I wish I could get work experience, I just don’t know where to start!”.

Well luckily there are heaps of ways students can find opportunities, and they don’t even have to go very far!

Wait, what I can find them through school?!

One of the easiest places students can find work experience is in their literal schoolyard. Here are five ways you can find out about opportunities – whether it be work experience, VET (Vocation, Education and Training) courses, apprenticeships or job shadowing – all through your school!

Our five solid tips:

Tip #1 Careers counsellors – It’s in the title!

It might seem obvious, but a lot of students don’t even realise their school has a careers, pathways or VET officer! Their job is to help students find work experiences and other opportunities whilst they’re still studying, and can assist students in applying for roles and figuring out how to fit it all in with school.

Book an appointment or drop by at lunch to have a chat about the types of opportunities you’re looking for and how you can go about finding them.

Tip #2 Teachers to the rescue!

If you’re interested in a particular industry, try talking to your teacher or Head of Department for that subject area. Say you want to pursue a career in the technology field, your technology teacher is the perfect person to ask about possible career pathways and opportunities in that field of work. They might even have some connections with people working in that industry who can provide some work experience!

Tip #3 Let’s go old school

The school newsletter is a great place to find work experience ads and other opportunities that are specifically for students. Local businesses, alumni and parents usually advertise opportunities here, so be sure to keep an eye out to see what comes up each publication.

Tip #4 Speaking Of Old School

Another popular, but often forgotten, place to look is the school notice board. This can be a physical notice board on school grounds or a digital one, such as Blackboard, as they often advertise opportunities in the local community.

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Tip #5 Check out your career’s expo

Most schools hold an annual careers expo or job fair, which is the perfect opportunity for you to go talk face to face with professionals in different industries and find out whether they offer work experience for students. Come prepared with a list of questions or businesses you want to meet with – it’s a great way to learn more about the pathways available to you and develop your networking skills at the same time!

And there we have it!

Those are just some of the ways you can find out about different opportunities without even leaving school grounds. Make the most of the resources available to you in school so you can get started on finding valuable opportunities!

If you have any personal tips or work experience stories then we’d love to hear them!

Drop a comment or send an email to the Grandshake team at hello@grandshake.co for a chance to be featured on our blog and help other students find their future pathways! #letsgrandshake

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