When do students do work experience in the UK?

Most English schools offer work experience in Year 10 (age 14 to 15) as a one or two week block, and again in Year 12 (age 16 to 17) as sixth form students explore university and career options. Exact timing varies by school.

Do Year 10 students get paid for work experience?

No. Year 10 students are under compulsory school age, so their placement is unpaid by law. Employers may cover reasonable expenses such as lunch or travel, but there is no wage.

Do Year 12 students get paid for work experience?

Usually no. A Year 12 placement of up to a year that is a required part of your course can legally be unpaid. If the role is longer, outside your course, and you are treated as a worker with real tasks, you should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for your age band.

How do I find work experience for Year 10 or Year 12?

Start with your school's careers lead, then try local businesses, family contacts, and community platforms like Community for First Steps that vet placements. Applying three to six months ahead gives you the best chance.

Year 10 and Year 12 work experience: the complete UK guide

The short version

Year 10 (age 14 to 15): Usually a one or two week unpaid block, arranged with school support. Focus on exposure and confidence.
Year 12 (age 16 to 17): Often self arranged, one to four weeks, sometimes longer. Focus on career direction and UCAS evidence.
Start early: Apply three to six months before you want to start. Popular sectors fill fast.
Make it count: Keep a diary, ask for a short written reference, and reflect on what surprised you.

What Year 10 and Year 12 work experience actually mean

The two years look similar on paper but the goals are very different in practice.

Year 10

Age 14 to 15

Length: 1 to 2 weeks, unpaid
Goal: Exposure and confidence

Most students are still deciding GCSE options and future subjects. The point is to see a real workplace up close, not to specialise. School usually vets and insures the placement.

Year 12

Age 16 to 17

Length: 1 to 4+ weeks, often unpaid
Goal: Career direction and UCAS

Sixth formers are shaping university and apprenticeship plans. Placements are more self driven, more industry specific, and evidence for personal statements and interviews.

English state schools are guided by the Gatsby Benchmarks for careers education, which include at least one meaningful employer encounter each year and workplace experience by age 16. That's why most schools build in a placement week around Year 10, and encourage another in Year 12.

Rules, hours, and safeguarding

Year 10 students are under compulsory school age, so a stricter set of rules applies. Placements must be unpaid, and child employment law restricts hours and excludes certain industries (for example anything involving heavy machinery, alcohol service, or late evening work). Schools and employers are expected to follow the GOV.UK employer guides to work experience covering risk assessment, supervision, and safeguarding.

Year 12 students have more freedom. A placement of up to a year that is a required part of a UK further or higher education course can legally be unpaid under intern rights guidance. Outside that, if you're doing set hours and real work, you should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for your age band.

What a well run placement looks like

1A named supervisor and a written schedule, not just “turn up on Monday”.
2A completed risk assessment before day one, especially for Year 10.
3Clear working hours, breaks, and someone to raise concerns with.
4Feedback at the end, ideally as a short written reference.

How to find a placement

Most Year 10 students go through their school's careers lead or a partner placement service. That matters because the school handles insurance, safeguarding checks, and the employer paperwork. If you want a specific placement outside the school's list, bring the idea to the careers lead early so it can be approved rather than blocked at the last minute.

Year 12 students usually have to source their own. A short, personal email to a local business often beats a generic form. Say who you are, why you're interested in that business, when you're free, and what you'd love to learn. Community for First Steps lists vetted UK placements with the length, pay status, and industry set upfront so you can filter to what fits.

Through school

Best for Year 10. Careers lead handles vetting, insurance, and the employer paperwork.

Direct outreach

A short, specific email to a local business. Works well for niche Year 12 goals like law or design.

Community listings

Filter vetted UK placements by industry, length, paid or unpaid, and distance from you.

Make it count for UCAS and CVs

A one line CV entry saying “work experience, one week” is worth almost nothing. What universities and employers want is evidence that you reflected: what you saw, what surprised you, what it changed about your plans. That's exactly what the UCAS personal statement guidance rewards.

Three things to do during, and just after, your placement:

1Keep a short daily diary. Two or three lines: what you did, one thing you learned, one question you asked.
2Ask for a written reference. A three line email from your supervisor is enough for a CV or UCAS reference pack.
3Write a reflection in the final week. One paragraph on how this changed your view of the industry. Reuse it in personal statements.

Red flags to avoid

No named supervisor, no schedule, no risk assessment shared before you start.
Being asked to work alone, off site, or outside normal hours (especially in Year 10).
A business charging you or your family a fee to take part.
“Open ended” placements with no agreed end date or learning goals.

Your pre placement checklist

1
Do I know my supervisor's name and how to reach them?
If no, ask before your first day.
2
Has the school or employer confirmed a risk assessment?
Non negotiable for Year 10, expected for Year 12.
3
Do I know my hours, breaks, and dress code?
Prevents an awkward day one.
4
Have I set one learning goal for the week?
Turns a placement into a story you can tell.

Sources

Every claim in this guide is grounded in official UK government or sector guidance. Full references below.

1
Employer guides to work experienceGOV.UK
How schools and employers should structure placements, including for students of compulsory school age.
gov.uk/government/collections/employer-guides-to-work-experience
2
When you can leave schoolGOV.UK
The rules on compulsory school age in England, which shape what Year 10 students can do.
gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school
3
Child employmentGOV.UK
Legal limits on hours and industries for under 16s, including during work experience.
gov.uk/child-employment
4
Employment rights for internsGOV.UK
When a Year 12 or sixth form placement can be unpaid, and when National Minimum Wage kicks in.
gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns
5
National Minimum Wage ratesGOV.UK
Hourly rates by age band, useful if a Year 12 placement extends into paid work.
gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
6
Writing your UCAS personal statementUCAS
Official guidance on how universities read personal statements, including work experience.
ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/writing-personal-statement
7
Good Career Guidance (Gatsby Benchmarks)The Gatsby Foundation
The eight benchmarks that shape careers education and employer encounters in English schools.
gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance

Find a Year 10 or Year 12 placement near you

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