Meadowhead School Work experience: template for contacting employers Monday 1st Friday 5 th July 2019 How and when to make contact Work experience needs to be arranged before Christmas 2018, so you ll need to start working on this right away. Think about how you would prefer to contact a company, but also think about what might be best for the organisation you are making contact with. Smaller businesses might prefer you to drop in or phone up; larger companies might prefer an email or letter. If you re not sure, you could contact them to find out who organises work experience and check the best way to arrange it. If you re popping in or phoning, try to avoid a company s busy time of day if you want the best results. For example, primary school offices tend to be very busy at the start and end of the school day; garages tend to be busy when customers drop off and pick up their cars before and after work; some shops can be very busy on Saturdays. Top tips However you choose to contact an employer, it is important that you make a good impression. Try contacting several employers, not just one. If one says no, try another employer. Once an employer says yes, make sure you get the work experience agreement signed. Remember: no paperwork, no work experience. Contacting employers by phone BEFORE Have a pen and paper to note down important details. Make sure you know your own phone number. Think about why you want work experience with this organisation. DURING Speak really clearly and be polite. Try the script below. Hello. My name is Joe Bloggs from Meadowhead School. May I speak with the person who organises work experience? IF THEY RE NOT AVAILABLE, ask to leave a message with your name, contact number and work experience dates (1st - 5 th July 2019), or ask when would be a good time to call back. IF THEY RE AVAILABLE, say: My name is Joe Bloggs and I am a student at Meadowhead School. I was enquiring as to whether I might be able to do my work experience with you from Monday 1st July to Friday 5 th July 2019. 1 CE/Y10 Work Experience/Work exp templates/sept 2017
IF THEY SAY NO, say: Thank you for your time. IF THEY SAY YES, ask them what needs to happen next and the best way to get the work experience agreement signed. Make sure you find out their name and contact details. If they say no, don t give up, try another employer. If they say yes, make sure you complete any extra activities required to finalise the Once it is all agreed, you will need to get your work experience agreement signed. Leave one copy with the employer and bring the other back to the Careers Office in school. Remember: no paperwork, no work experience. Visiting the company in person BEFORE Go in by yourself, rather than with a group of friends. Have a pen and paper to note down important details. Make sure you look clean, tidy and presentable. Think about what you will say before entering the building. Think about why you want work experience with this organisation. DURING Speak clearly and be polite. Try the script below. Hello. My name is Joe Bloggs from Meadowhead School. May I speak with the person who organises work experience? IF THEY RE NOT AVAILABLE, you could ask to leave your name, contact details and work experience dates (1st - 5 th July 2019), or ask when you could call back. IF THEY RE AVAILABLE, say: My name is Joe Bloggs and I am a student at Meadowhead School. I was enquiring as to whether I might be able to do my work experience with you from Monday 1st July to Friday 5 th July 2019. IF THEY SAY NO, say: Thank you for your time. IF THEY SAY YES, ask them what needs to happen next and the best way to get the work experience agreement signed. Make sure you find out their name and contact details. If they say no, don t give up, try another employer. If they say yes, make sure you complete any extra activities required to finalise the 2
After this, you will need to get your work experience agreement signed. Leave one copy with the employer and bring the other back to the Careers Office in school. Remember: no paperwork, no work experience. Contacting an employer by letter or email You might prefer to contact employers by letter or email. This is a formal template for a letter but, if you remove the address and the date at the top, you could send it as an email instead. Your Name Address line 1 City Postcode Telephone/Email The Employers Name Address Line 1 City Postcode Date Dear Sir/Madam [or person s name eg Mr John Smith] [It is worthwhile trying to find out the right person to send the letter to, otherwise letters can end up in the bin.] I would like to enquire about the possibility of a work experience placement with your company from 1st to 5 th July 2019. I am xx years old and a Year 10 student at Meadowhead School. I am studying GCSEs in English, Maths, Science [list other GCSEs you are studying]. I would like to work at your organisation because [list some of the reasons you think this organisation would be right for you]. I have experience [list any experience that you may have, for example, paper round, babysitting, pupil mentor, student council representative, helping out a family member, walking the dog]. I am [list some of your skills and qualities e.g. friendly, reliable, hardworking, a good teamworker, practical, punctual etc]. I am interested in [write down any interests or career ideas that are relevant or may help with your application]. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully [or yours sincerely, if you ve included the person s name] Print your name [in a letter, leave space above your name for your signature] 3
If they say no, don t give up, try another employer. If they say yes, make sure you complete any extra activities required to finalise the After this, you will need to get your work experience agreement signed. Leave one copy with the employer and bring the other back to the Careers Office in school. Remember, no paperwork, no work experience. Contact If the employer needs to speak to someone at school, the contact person is Mrs Simpson, Meadowhead School, Dyche Lane, Sheffield, S8 8BR. Her phone number and email address can be found below. If you can t find a placement, or you need more help to find one, please tell your form tutor or ask in the Careers Office at school outside lesson times. Mrs Cerys Evans Careers Adviser evansc@meadowhead.sheffield.sch.uk Telephone: 0114 2372723 ext 763 Mrs Simpson Work-Related Learning Support simpsonb@meadowhead.sheffield.sch.uk Telephone: 0114 2372723 ext 762 4
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