The Student Room Group

Is working in year 12 worth it and can I get it to relate to engineering for future?

Hi! I am a year 12 student, currently studying A-levels in maths, chemistry, further maths and physics, hoping to study engineering in a couple of years at uni or in an apprenticeship.

Does anyone have any advice for getting a job at this point in my school life and do you think it would affect my school life - also any recommendations for any good companies a 16 year old can work with (preferably not in food) would be really appreciated! I am also (if at allll possible) trying to find an internship or something related like an admin job at an engineering company which would be fun if anyone has any ideas?

The main reason for this is that I am going on a voluntary trip to Nepal in July of 2025 which is costing me £3500 and I am hoping to fund most of it myself, so any help would be really appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
Original post by nisha101
Hi! I am a year 12 student, currently studying A-levels in maths, chemistry, further maths and physics, hoping to study engineering in a couple of years at uni or in an apprenticeship.
Does anyone have any advice for getting a job at this point in my school life and do you think it would affect my school life - also any recommendations for any good companies a 16 year old can work with (preferably not in food) would be really appreciated! I am also (if at allll possible) trying to find an internship or something related like an admin job at an engineering company which would be fun if anyone has any ideas?
The main reason for this is that I am going on a voluntary trip to Nepal in July of 2025 which is costing me £3500 and I am hoping to fund most of it myself, so any help would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

Hello! @nisha101 🙂
First of all a voluntary Nepal trip sounds really exciting!!! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

It is definitely possible to have a job during year 12, although I wouldn't recommend it for later on in year 13 (especially around mocks and exams). I'd also recommend not working too many hours as it may impact your studies.
There are various jobs you can apply for that aren't food related, but most likely you wouldn't be able to find one relating to engineering at this stage. Have a look here (studentjob UK) at this article which explains the kinds of jobs you can do and pay etc.. You can also make an account and start browsing some suitable jobs.

As for internships, you can definitely do one, but just to note, they are usually in the summer. If ypu already have a company in mind, you could email and ask to shadow some of their workers (this option might be better if you can't make the summer internships). Alternatively, have a look at this website which has a list of STEM based internship opportunities.
I did a Nuffield Research Placement over the summer of years 12-13 and they definitely do give you real life insight into what post-graduation life looks like. For me it helped me solidify my decision of doing a sciences based degree and going onto research in the future so I'd highly recommend you do one if you can!

I hope this helps! If you have any questions please ask I'm more than happy to help! 🙂
Fatma
Natural Sciences student.
Find local engineering companies and ask if they have part time work. Write or ring them. Tell them you are interested in engineering and that you are keen to learn and are saving up for a trip abroad.

If you are bright and keen I am sure you will get no end of offers. Why the heck would you want an admin job though? If you're an engineer, find an engineering environment you can learn in?
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by nisha101
Hi! I am a year 12 student, currently studying A-levels in maths, chemistry, further maths and physics, hoping to study engineering in a couple of years at uni or in an apprenticeship.
Does anyone have any advice for getting a job at this point in my school life and do you think it would affect my school life - also any recommendations for any good companies a 16 year old can work with (preferably not in food) would be really appreciated! I am also (if at allll possible) trying to find an internship or something related like an admin job at an engineering company which would be fun if anyone has any ideas?
The main reason for this is that I am going on a voluntary trip to Nepal in July of 2025 which is costing me £3500 and I am hoping to fund most of it myself, so any help would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

finding a job can be difficult and it's best to limit your work to just weekends or like one or two evenings, obviously it you're working late you're gonna be tired the next day so it could impact your studies but if you can manage your working hours then it'll be fine, some people tend to quit around exam time aswell so they've got more revision time.

you just need to keep applying to jobs constantly to get anything, small businesses may tend to higher less experienced staff but if you don't want to work in the food industry it may be difficult to find a small business. get an indeed account and go wild. create a strong cv, might be worth doing some online courses (health and safety etc) or some volunteering. another option could be tutoring if you're confident in that, you could tutor younger years at your school and ask your teachers to advertise your tutoring for you.

i don't know about an internship but you could do weeks of work experience during half terms and holidays which will always be great for the cv, there's also sometimes online work experience opportunities aswell which could be good. it may be difficult to find a part time job within engineering if you've got no qualifications or experience tho especially if you're under 18
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 4
Thank you very much for your help - I am checking out the student jobs website as I didn't know it existed and is really helpful thank you!
Just with regards to my trip abroad, it is for my school Dofe gold residential and is also planned out by my school but is also just an opportunity for some independence - sorry if any of you disagree with it.

You all have been very helpful!

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