Work Experience

Work experience means different things to different people but in essence it is any form of work that you do before you start your career. Even experience you get as part of your career (after-graduation) can be counted as work experience.

The most important thing to remember is that all work gives you some experience, including bar work, volunteering and Saturday jobs. The experience could take the form of short term, long term (e.g. one year) or part time employment, and could be paid or unpaid.

Formal work experience as part of a university degree comes under a number of different names including:

• Sandwich and industrial placements: a fixed term period of assessed, paid work that forms part of your degree. It often lasts for a full year.
• Work-based project: A specific piece of assessed work for your course, undertaken at an employer's premises.
• Work Placement: A period of work experience, which can be paid or unpaid, and is part of a course of study. This can be arranged through your university with an employer or by yourself and is for an agreed period of time.
• Internship: A phrase that is increasingly used by large companies and refers to a placement within their organisation, usually over 6-12 weeks during the summer holiday.

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