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Work experience- impossible to find

I've sent out about a 100 emails to different engineering firms and not a single one has replied?

Can anyone guide me in the right direction to finding some engineering work experience?
Original post by NoTimeForGrime
I've sent out about a 100 emails to different engineering firms and not a single one has replied?

Can anyone guide me in the right direction to finding some engineering work experience?


It's difficult to find because you have no skills that are marketable to an engineering firm. They only really get interested in taking on those in the later half of their degrees, generally via a year in industry or a summer placement.

YINI is an option, though:

http://www.etrust.org.uk/the-year-in-industry

But if you can't get anything it's really nothing to be concerned about. Hardly anyone does.
Reply 2
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btea
9
Original post by NoTimeForGrime
I've sent out about a 100 emails to different engineering firms and not a single one has replied?

Can anyone guide me in the right direction to finding some engineering work experience?


My brother, 15, has just completed work experience at Jaguar Landrover. There was engineering experience involved but obviously nothing complicated :-)
Reply 3
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Doones
21
Original post by NoTimeForGrime
I've sent out about a 100 emails to different engineering firms and not a single one has replied?

Can anyone guide me in the right direction to finding some engineering work experience?


Are you looking for work experience to "strengthen" your personal statement? If so, it's not required.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by jneill
Are you looking for work experience to "strengthen" your personal statement? If so, it's not required.

Posted from TSR Mobile


what if all the people applying to this course have AAA/A*A*A* wouldnt that experience separate people?
Reply 5
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Merfie
15
All the university open days I went to used Engineering as an example of a course that would not require work experience because they know it's so difficult to find.
Reply 6
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Doones
21
Original post by NoTimeForGrime
what if all the people applying to this course have AAA/A*A*A* wouldnt that experience separate people?


The A*A*A* separates people from the AAA, not work experience.

Anyway, most Engineering courses have very high offer rates. In other words, assuming you meet the entry requirements, you are extremely likely to get offers.
(edited 7 years ago)
If you're just after experiences to write about in your ps then instead of asking for work experience (which will tie up staff time for a week or more, has insurance implications etc) ask instead to visit.

Most firms are more than happy to show you around, give some details on how things work and chat about qualifications/recruitment.

Don't restrict yourself to big names either. Look up the businesses on your local industrial estates. There's amazing stuff happens all over the place that you probably don't know about.
Original post by jneill
The A*A*A* separates people from the AAA, not work experience.

Anyway, most Engineering courses have very high offer rates. In other words, assuming you meet the entry requirements, you are extremely likely to get offers.


I had a chat with a student who has just finished his course at imperial in a related subject and he confirmed that work experience is a great factor however having said that he too said that he did not do much other than some voluntary work.

so then he mentioned how most students are foreign mostly from asia for the extra cash(27k instead of 9k) so im guessing they took him because he is a uk resident , because otherwise he in no way was able to compete with those students as they are out of this world in both grades and statements.

what i understood is that when applying to a uni which has most students at A*A*A* then that factor does play in
Reply 9
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Doones
21
Original post by NoTimeForGrime
I had a chat with a student who has just finished his course at imperial in a related subject and he confirmed that work experience is a great factor however having said that he too said that he did not do much other than some voluntary work.

so then he mentioned how most students are foreign mostly from asia for the extra cash(27k instead of 9k) so im guessing they took him because he is a uk resident , because otherwise he in no way was able to compete with those students as they are out of this world in both grades and statements.

what i understood is that when applying to a uni which has most students at A*A*A* then that factor does play in


Very very few students have A*A*A* - even the average at Cambridge is 2.5 A*s.

Focus on your A-levels and don't get side-tracked by trying to find work experience.

But you can also read around your subject, do MOOCs, immerse yourself in relevant YouTube vids, read New Scientist, learn some programming, use Lego NXT, go on http://i-want-to-study-engineering.org etc, etc. - all these are more useful activities than WE.

And none are as important as your A-levels...
Original post by jneill
Very very few students have A*A*A* - even the average at Cambridge is 2.5 A*s.

Focus on your A-levels and don't get side-tracked by trying to find work experience.

But you can also read around your subject, do MOOCs, immerse yourself in relevant YouTube vids, read New Scientist, learn some programming, use Lego NXT, go on http://i-want-to-study-engineering.org etc, etc. - all these are more useful activities than WE.

And none are as important as your A-levels...

thanks for the extensive help.
I 100% agree. no point in focusing on experience if you dont get the grades.
Reply 11
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Doones
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Original post by NoTimeForGrime
thanks for the extensive help.
I 100% agree. no point in focusing on experience if you dont get the grades.


No problem.

What stage are you at? Y12 or Y13? What (roughly if you are Y12...) do you think your final grades might be, and possible target universities and courses?
@jneill


I've self taught myself python (programming language) last year; to what extent would this help having mentioning how I used this skill in some home projects etc when applying to electrical and electronic engineering?
Reply 13
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Doones
21
Original post by NoTimeForGrime
@jneill


I've self taught myself python (programming language) last year; to what extent would this help having mentioning how I used this skill in some home projects etc when applying to electrical and electronic engineering?


Yes it's relevant. All EEE courses include an element of programming.

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