[cl_steele]

Just curious and all but is it possible to get work experience without being at uni? dont get me wrong im going but i have a gap year and id like to put some useful things into it and usually when i hear of work experience being dished out its to 3rd year university students and the like so yar is it possible to get work experience without being a student yet? Thank you!

[t0ffee]

Yeah just ring up lots of places and send out lots of emails and covering letters. More senior you can ring the better. Avoid the standard application processes because people on paper will always be better than you.

Most senior people are oldish and have a traditional contempt of application processes and are far more from the who you type. If you present yourself to them directly and seem articulated, motivated and their sort of guy then they'll probably take you on even if you just go along and watch what they or people below them do.

While it seems a bit dodgy it works. If you ring up 10 places 1 might say 'ring up so and so' or 'try there not here'. Then you go along to them and say 'so and so told me to try here'. Then you work your way around until someone says yes.

People in your position are unlikely to get decent work experience on conventional routes.

[TomasK]

(Original post by cl_steele)
Just curious and all but is it possible to get work experience without being at uni? dont get me wrong im going but i have a gap year and id like to put some useful things into it and usually when i hear of work experience being dished out its to 3rd year university students and the like so yar is it possible to get work experience without being a student yet? Thank you!

Sure, actually, even ignoring cold-calling/emailing for the time being, there are actually gap year schemes for people like you. E.g. I know that Rothschild does a gap year scheme for sure. So:

1) Google around looking through 'Gap year schemes/placements' etc.
2) Look at your own network maybe someone you know works in finance, or maybe someone you know knows someone in finance etc. The closer the relationship the better, look in to your school alumni people, look in to the alumni people of the university you're going to be studying at (through LinkedIn or something).
3) Cold-call/cold-email companies.