The Student Room Group
Reply 1
What's the difference between work experience & work shadowing? :confused:
Experience - do stuff. Shadowing - follow someone about.
Surely the two terms are interchangable?
You can be on a Work Shadow placement, but also be expected to "do stuff"?

Anyways following your rules at least, i took a Work Experience placement at a local Graphic Design company during Year 10. And this year, i partook in some voluntary work shadowing of senior Tesco staff employees. Both where pretty valuable :smile:
Reply 4
You do stuff for work shadowing as well. They're pretty much the same.
OK... but where?!
Reply 6
Worked as a photographer's assistant in Manchester for a week in July, which was a great experience. Basically just went on Google Maps and found the closest photography studios to me and started phoning them one by one. :smile:
Reply 7
We didn't do "shadowing"
BRB
I'm hopefully going to shadow a GP and watch an operation for part of my work experience. Exciting but at the same time a wee bit scary :eek:

Question: I was told that we were supposed to get some kind of reference from the places where we're doing work experience, for our UCAS later on in the year. What sort of form should this be in - is it just a letter saying how nice and enthusiastic person A was, or is it a diary-type thingy? Any help would be much appreciated :smile:

Usually your UCAS Reference is compiled by people with a good understanding of your academic capabilites and credentials. Therefore any practical work experience really wouldnt qualify under this category, your probably best however to just ask for a reference at the completion of your work shadowing. Which should be ideally a couple of paragraphs or so, generally summarising you as an employee, and your defining characteristics and attributes.
Reply 9
BRB
I'm hopefully going to shadow a GP and watch an operation for part of my work experience. Exciting but at the same time a wee bit scary :eek:

Question: I was told that we were supposed to get some kind of reference from the places where we're doing work experience, for our UCAS later on in the year. What sort of form should this be in - is it just a letter saying how nice and enthusiastic person A was, or is it a diary-type thingy? Any help would be much appreciated :smile:


It can be however long your supervisor wants - if they didn't like you much then they might just write a short paragraph about how long you did it for etc, but if they did like you then they could go on for pages and pages about how good you were! My careers teacher said that any references you get while on work experience can be sent off separately from your UCAS application, along with a cover letter. I don't think they're as important as anything else in your application, but they might give you something extra :smile:
Reply 10
It doesn't matter what you do really, go to the teacher/ admin staff that are organising it and tell them what kinda thing interests you or what you are planning to study at uni etc and they may help and give you some suggestions. I work shadowed a solicitor and went to crown court etc, others in my form shadowed an MP. So there are quite a lot of options available it all depends on what you want to do.
BRB
Thanks mate :biggrin: Rep even though it doesn't mean anything :redface:
Thanks, :smile: its the thought that counts.
Reply 12
i took a Work Experience placement at a local Graphic Design company during Year 10.


Ditto.

I learnt a lot: I never want to do graphic design or work in an office!
Reply 13
i did work shadowing at a hotel and sandwich bar to see how they ran. Was interesting. :smile:
What are you interested in like do something for what you would like to do when you are older or something that is maybe related to a course you would like to do at uni.
Reply 14
i shadowed a teacher at a primary school - twas fun!! even though the kids were annoying at times :redface:
At a GP surgery for 2 weeks- did mainly admin stuff since im not 16 yet:mad: But they did let me shadow a GP for a bit which was good :smile: