Are Oxford and Cambridge any good at setting you up for a career?

2. Are my parents right about the importance of said experience and the lack of sandwich years at Oxbridge?

After talking extensively with my parents about university (mum used to work at Huddersfield Uni so she's quite experienced) I have a few questions about Oxbridge. I'm not sure if this is the right area for it, but anyway:

I've always wanted to go to PhD level at Oxbridge, mainly because of prestiege as I'd never really considered what PhDs actually DO. My parents have said that going for a PhD means that I'll be in academia for ages and that lots of PhD folk become lecturers and the like because they have no practical work experience since Oxbridge apparently don't allow you to have sandwich years (or so I've heard). Is this dangerous?

In fact, even if I only went for a Masters (which seems like the option I'll choose in the end), will this lack of experience hurt me? My dad's a higher-up in his company and he's told me time and again that when it comes to the interview, though a PhD certainly looks good on your CV, without any work experience he'll put you at the bottom of the pile because "in the end, of course your education matters, but experience is just as important".

I've rambled a bit, so I'll sum all this up:
1. Do Oxbridge actually give you the work experience you need for a career?
2. Are my parents right about the importance of said experience and the lack of sandwich years at Oxbridge?
3. Am I better off going for a 'third place' Uni if they do sandwich year courses?

I should note that I've just finished my GCSEs and start my A Levels next Monday, and that the potential Uni courses I'm interested in our Science, Computing and Natural Science related. (Also, if I've put this in the wrong forum, can a mod move it? Thanks!)

There a few confusions going on here. First of all, one of the most common reasons for doing a PhD is to become an academic. It's more or less a pre-requisite for most university academic jobs. But if this is your goal, you don't need a sandwich year, you will have studied in universities for many years and that is the relevant experience in itself, so no 'sandwich year' is relevant or required.

If you want to get a PhD but work in business/R&D, then there can be issues about practical experience, but a sandwich year as an undergraduate is only one option. First of all, many employers of PhDs will understand that applicants may only have lab or desk based experience and can deal with that. Second, employers recruit PhDs especially for their highly academic skills and can deal with that. Third, through the course of your studies you can make sure you develop the necessary soft, workplace skills. Fourth, your Masters and PhD don't have to be directly consecutive, you can step out and get work experience in between courses if you feel that would improve your employability.

The above is the case whatever university you go to, Oxbridge or not. Oxford and Cambridge work you harder than most, and they don't have sandwich courses at undergrad level, but on the other hand, they do have longer holidays so you can get work experience then. They also have outstanding networks and having a degree from one of those institutions will make sure your job application is read with interest in pretty much everywhere.

tl:dr 1. Yes, 2. No, 3. No

I think I'll probably go down the Masters route based on your answer. Do you know if I'd be allowed to, for example, do a 3 year Bachelors and then a 2 year part-time Masters if a company wanted me to do it part-time?

Yes, at Cambridge their part time courses are called MSt's, though they don't do them in all subjects. At Oxford an MSt is something different I think.

Yes, at Cambridge their part time courses are called MSt's, though they don't do them in all subjects. At Oxford an MSt is something different I think.

After talking extensively with my parents about university (mum used to work at Huddersfield Uni so she's quite experienced) I have a few questions about Oxbridge. I'm not sure if this is the right area for it, but anyway:

I've always wanted to go to PhD level at Oxbridge, mainly because of prestiege as I'd never really considered what PhDs actually DO. My parents have said that going for a PhD means that I'll be in academia for ages and that lots of PhD folk become lecturers and the like because they have no practical work experience since Oxbridge apparently don't allow you to have sandwich years (or so I've heard). Is this dangerous?

In fact, even if I only went for a Masters (which seems like the option I'll choose in the end), will this lack of experience hurt me? My dad's a higher-up in his company and he's told me time and again that when it comes to the interview, though a PhD certainly looks good on your CV, without any work experience he'll put you at the bottom of the pile because "in the end, of course your education matters, but experience is just as important".

I've rambled a bit, so I'll sum all this up:
1. Do Oxbridge actually give you the work experience you need for a career?
2. Are my parents right about the importance of said experience and the lack of sandwich years at Oxbridge?
3. Am I better off going for a 'third place' Uni if they do sandwich year courses?

I should note that I've just finished my GCSEs and start my A Levels next Monday, and that the potential Uni courses I'm interested in our Science, Computing and Natural Science related. (Also, if I've put this in the wrong forum, can a mod move it? Thanks!)

You've just finished GCSE.
Just concentrate on a-level subjects you chose and work very hard to bet great grades in it.
You can worry about which uni to go, then think about if you want to continue to postgraduate or not after that. Until then you will not know what you really want to do in career or, more crucially, how capable you are.