Work Experience
Work experience at Harris Academy Rainham is completed in the Spring Term of Year 10 and lasts for two weeks. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to experience the world of work and build their employability skills ready for the world of work that awaits them.
This year the Work Experience dates are 17th - 28th March 2025. We encourage students to find work experience that is going to be meaningful and eye opening for them. For example, exploring a career that they are interested in, or developing a skill that they would like to work on such as communication or team work. Students can select one employer for the whole two weeks, or could complete two separate ones lasting one week each and could do a mixture of in person or virtual work experience.
We use the Unifrog online platform to complete the work experience placement form which you can visit via this link: www.unifrog.org
Work Experience Employer Placement Form
Additional Q&A
We will be working with all students to ensure that they receive a placement for their work experience, if, by the 28th February 2023 a student has been unable to find a placement they will be picked up by the careers team and will be assisted in their placement.
Does the employer need to be local?
While the employer themselves does not need to be local, the placement should be within the local area, this is to ensure that if a member of staff needs to attend a placement we can be present in a timely manner. It is important to note that if the placement requires public transport or independent travel that this has been communicated with the school prior to the placement.
What happens with routine daily class work?
Teachers have anticipated the student absence from lessons for the week of work experience and as a result the curriculum has been accommodated to account for this. We have also made the decision to remove all expectation of homework for the duration of their placement, to ensure that they are able to fully reflect on their placement.
Are travel expenses covered?
We are unable to cover any expenses for the students' placements, this includes but isn’t limited to travel, equipment or clothing.
Is working from Home an option?
Yes, this is an option. We understand that this has become a more popular method of working for many and is likely to be an element of our students, however we would also encourage our students to seek a work placement that will engage them in a new environment beyond their day to day.
What happens if a child is ill or injured and cannot attend the work experience?
School attendance policy still applies, the school should be contacted at the first instance if there is illness or absence. If the absence is for the duration of the placement, we would seek to support the student in an alternative work experience opportunity later in the year.
What happens if they won’t take the students for the whole 10 days?
In cases like this, please inform the careers team as soon as possible, we would then work with the employer to ensure that the placement for the student is as comprehensive as possible, and where possible find alternative measures for the remainder of the programme.
