What is work experience?

Whether you’re a student or a graduate, work experience is a great opportunity to learn new skills. It’ll also help when you apply for future jobs as it displays a genuine interest in a career path. Plus, you’ll improve your confidence in a working environment. So, what exactly is work experience and what does it involve? We’ll explain all.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• What is work experience?
• What are the different types of work experience?
• What are the benefits of work experience?
• How to get work experience

Work experience is a short period spent in an organisation to gain exposure to a certain role or sector, usually undertaken by students and graduates.

Various forms of work experience take place throughout different stages in education – and beyond. Some work experience opportunities are paid, but others will be voluntary (and therefore unpaid). The length of work experiences varies.

Work experience comes in many forms, including:

• Apprenticeships
• Graduate jobs and schemes
• Industrial placements
• Insight events
• Internships
• Traineeships
• Training contracts
• Vacation schemes
• Virtual work experience
• Volunteering
• Work shadowing

Each option is different. Learning about each one will help you know which will suit you best.

Apprenticeships involve studying to complete a qualification and learning job-specific skills while you work.

There are different types of apprenticeships:

• An intermediate apprenticeship is the equivalent of five GCSE passes (9 – 4 or A* – C)
• An advanced apprenticeship is like two A-level passes
• A higher apprenticeship is similar to the first stage of university education, such as a foundation year
• A degree apprenticeship is comparable to a bachelor’s or master’s degree

Many sectors offer apprenticeships, including:

• Accountancy
• Consulting
• IT
• Engineering
• Construction
• Media

Apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage or the National Living Wage. Which one depends on your age and how far you are in your apprenticeship. If it’s your first year, the current National Minimum Wage for apprenticeships aged 16 to 18 and anyone 19 or over is £6.40 per hour (as of April 2024). If you’ve completed your first year and you’re aged 19 or over, your employer must pay you the minimum wage for your age. If you’re 19 or 20, this is £8.60. If you’re 21 or over, it’s £11.44. These rates typically change every April.

Some apprentice employers will pay more than the legal minimum, but you should still expect your salary to be lower than a graduate job as you’re learning while you’re earning. During an apprenticeship, employers will teach you how to apply skills in the workplace and relevant theory for your qualification.

You need a degree to be eligible for graduate jobs and schemes. While graduate jobs are typically full-time and permanent, grad schemes are fixed-term contracts usually lasting between one and three years. These schemes are the typical way big firms train recruits.

Graduate jobs and schemes are a paid form of work experience. But salaries will vary depending on industry, company and location.

Through a grad scheme, you learn about a sector and gain practical work experience. Your new employer will assign you a mentor to help you understand the organisation, day-to-day work and how to progress in the role. With a grad scheme, it’s also likely you’ll learn about other areas of the company. As for graduate jobs, how much training is involved will depend on the employer and the industry.

Many graduate schemes and jobs require a 2:1 in your degree to apply, but some accept a 2:2.

Industrial placements are programmes where a student spends an extended period working instead of studying. Industrial placements usually take place in the penultimate year of a degree, with students then returning to uni to complete their studies. They’re usually paid opportunities, but employers don’t have to pay people working as a compulsory part of a course. So, don’t assume you’ll receive a salary if nobody’s told you about one. It’s not unusual for industrial placements in the healthcare or charity sectors to be unpaid.

Work placements help you develop aptitude and competence. As the work experience is part of your degree, you’ve already got experience by the time you graduate so you’re off to a great start.

Insight events are a shorter form of work experience, usually just one or two days. Career companies and employers organise them to give people an overview of a certain industry. Organisers usually aim insight events at first- and second-year uni students or pupils in their final years of school. But target audiences will vary.

Insight events mix the format of an open day with work experience. They’ll typically include networking, projects, skill workshops, presentations and mentoring. Insight events provide great talking points for interviews and will help you build a network of connections, so keep an eye out for events that interest you.

Internships are a form of work experience that usually involves a short-term period of working during uni holidays or after you’ve completed your degree. Internships generally last between a week and a year, and the contract is usually fixed term (meaning you’ll know when it’ll end when you start).

It’s common for employers to use internships to train and develop potential permanent employees. As a result, lots of internships result in permanent role offers.

Lots of people assume internships are unpaid. But if an intern is an employee, an employer must pay them. Legally, if you take an internship where you work for a company for a set period, your employer must pay you at least the National Minimum Wage (if you’re at school leaving age) or the National Living Wage (if you’re aged 21 or over). As of April 2024, the National Minimum Wage is £6.40 for under 18s and £8.60 for 18–20-year-olds. Meanwhile, The National Living Wage is £11.44 for anyone aged 21 or over.

If you’re not classed as a worker (ie. you’re only work shadowing and not doing any work yourself) or you’re volunteering for a charity, you’re not legally entitled to receive payment.

While some people confuse internships and industrial placement years, they’re not the same. Your uni will organise (or at least approve) placements, while internships are usually organised entirely by individuals away from their studies.

Traineeships are development programmes to improve your skills in preparation for an apprenticeship or job. They last between six weeks and a year but most last fewer than six months.

This type of work experience is mainly for those aged 16 to 24 with little to no previous experience. The employers providing the traineeship usually give CV help, a work placement of at least 70 hours, interview practice and help with English, maths and digital skills.

Traineeships will usually be unpaid, but some employers will provide expenses.

A training contract is a type of paid work experience for aspiring lawyers. If you want to become a solicitor, a training contract is helpful (but not essential) for qualifying. The details of the training contract, salary and requirements for completion will vary based on the company and the country you’re completing the training contract in. Wherever you choose to go, every training contract provides a trainee solicitor with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge learnt throughout their law degree.

As an aspiring lawyer, you undertake a Professional Skills Course (PSC) during the training contract which qualifies you as a solicitor.

Vacation schemes are one to four-week work experience programmes that take place during the holidays. Although any company is able to run a vac scheme, they’re usually at law firms.

Summer vacation schemes usually have application deadlines in late January and are mostly for students in their first or second year of university. They give you the chance to network and develop your skills before you graduate, so don’t miss the application window.

Lots of work experience opportunities are available online. You’ll hear it called virtual work experience, remote work experience, e-work experience or online work experience. Whatever you call it, the key is it’s still ‘work experience’. People work from home all the time, so it’s perfectly possible to learn the ropes this way. Virtual work experience opportunities last between a week and a year, depending on the company and the role.

Virtual work experience provides the same opportunities as an in-person role but without travel. A wide range of sectors now offer virtual work experience, giving you the opportunity to learn more about the roles available. Like any work experience, it will help you understand the skills you need to secure a graduate job.

Some virtual work experience opportunities are paid but some aren’t. If you’re carrying out any work as an employee, you’ve got the same legal right to be paid whether you’re working remotely or in person. But if you’re a volunteer or shadowing (ie. not doing any work yourself), you won’t receive payment.

The application process will be like other work experiences (ie. usually submitting a CV and cover letter). There’ll probably also be an online interview.

Volunteering is work experience involving unpaid work. There are lots of opportunities for this in the UK but some students and grads do this in other countries while travelling. Wherever you volunteer, it shows your interest in a sector and helps you develop hard and soft skills. Volunteering is a fantastic way to explore your passions and discover more opportunities. Plus, voluntary work also looks great on your CV!

Many organisations need volunteers but not all of them will advertise for roles. Check out our networking guide to help you secure a place volunteering. The amount of time you spend volunteering will vary, often determined by your free time and financial situation.

Want to get more involved with your community and form new friendships? Look out for local volunteering schemes.

Work shadowing, also known as job shadowing, is when you observe someone else doing a role. It helps you gain a greater understanding of a job and see if it’s a career you want to pursue. It’s common for students and graduates to do short periods of work shadowing to get an insight into different career paths. It’s generally informal, unpaid and only lasts between a day and a week.

The goal of work shadowing is to get an idea of what a job involves, as opposed to getting hands-on experience. You learn the day-to-day tasks and challenges involved in the job and what the company’s working culture is like. Work shadowing opportunities are very rarely advertised so if you’re looking to shadow someone, you need to network.

The benefits of work experience include:

• Understanding the work environment and what employers are looking for
• Standing out when applying for new jobs
• Learning relevant skills and gaining new competencies
• Exploring career options
• Helping you decide if a career path is for you
• Building a network within the industry
• Increasing your opportunities for future work experience and part-time work
• Showing you’ve got a genuine interest in the sector

The first step to getting work experience is knowing what type you want. The right type will depend on your career stage and previous experience. If you’re unsure about the sector or job role you’d like, take our Career Path Test. There’s no harm in trying work experience in different sectors if you haven’t decided on a career path yet. However, if you know what you want to do, focus on that sector to show your passion for the industry.

Once you’ve got an idea of what you’d like, speak to people you know (including your friends and family) to see if anyone is able to help. Make sure you check with your school or uni, too. They’ll advise if they know about any relevant opportunities. Sometimes, they’ll even offer you work experience themselves.

After exploring your options, make a list of work experiences to apply for. Once you know what you’re after, write your CV and cover letter. Take the time to tailor them for each application. Plus, ask a friend or family member to check it over for any typos. If you impress at this stage, a potential employer will invite you to an interview. Check out all our interview advice guides to ace this stage.

Work experience is a great way of taking the first steps on the career ladder. With so many opportunities available, there’s one out there for you. Taking up work experience will help you get ahead of the competition. You’ll build a network in your desired field and develop your skills. Sometimes, you’ll get paid while you’re doing it too. Sound good? It’s time to find the right role for you.