For your next piece of coursework, you will write straight onto lined A4 paper about your placement for work experience recently. This will be structured in paragraphs, as indicated below, describing the people, places and tasks which went to make your placement so memorable! When writing paragraphs don't use sub-headings; I've put them there to help you, but you should not copy them down!
(Paragraph One)
This paragraph will describe your initial feelings about work experience. How did you feel about the prospect of working in an unfamiliar place? What were you frightened or nervous about? The people you'd meet? The jobs you'd be asked to do? Whether you'd fit in? Overall did you feel hopeful or depressed by what you were about to do? Would it be better than school, or did you long to be back into the familiar routine of lessons, teachers and breaks?
Words you could use:
Nervous, petrified, anxious, excited, intrigued, expectant.
(Paragraph Two)
This paragraph will describe your first impressions.
Who was the first person you met? What did you think of him/her? What did you think of the place you'd be working in for the next fortnight? Did you have 'butterflies in you stomach' or did you settle in quickly? What was the first job you were asked to do? Did it make you think you were important or that you were wasting your time?
Words you could use:
Tense, friendly, amiable, amicable, messy, tidy, spacious, compact, off-hand, dismissive, busy, happy.
(Paragraph Three)
This paragraph will describe the jobs you were asked to do.
Which was your favourite job? Why did you enjoy it? Which was the job you enjoyed least? Why was that? Did you feel like a lackey (someone doing very basic tasks) or did you feel like a valued member of the workforce? Were you given a wide range of jobs to do? Which was the most important job you were allowed to do? In general, did you look forward to the jobs you were asked to do, or not?
Words you could use:
Menial, important, tedious, time-consuming, enjoyable, messy, useful.
(Paragraph Four)This will be about the people you worked with and the language they used.
Were they generally friendly or did they regard you as a nuisance? Did you always work with people you like or not? Describe the person you worked with most closely in detail. What did they look like and what were they like as a person? Describe the person who was supervising you. What did they look like and what were they like as a person? Did your view of him/her change as the fortnight went on? What about the language used in the workplace? Were there any words related to the job that you hadn't heard before (this is called 'jargon')? Did they use words which you might use in school, or not? Give examples, without writing down swear words.
Words you could use:
Friendly/unfriendly, amiable, horrid, amicable, approachable, pleasant /unpleasant, rude, jargon, expletives, sophisticated, crude, offensive.
(Paragraph Five)
This paragraph will be about where you worked.
Was it tidy or a mess? Was there a friendly atmosphere or not? Was there plenty of room to work or was it rather cramped? Were you given your own place to work or were you squashed in between other people? Did you look forward to coming into work, or did you feel a sense of dread, frustration and tedium when you saw the increasingly familiar workplace loom into view?
Words you could use:
Vast, spacious, compact, immaculate, ordered, haphazard, chaotic, workmanlike.
(Paragraph Six)
This paragraph will sum up your experience and your plans for the future.
Did you enjoy your work experience? Why? Is it something you would wish to do in the future? Has it changed your career plans? When you look back on your work experience in five years time, will you think ‘What a waste of time,’ or will you reflect that it has changed your life?
Words you could use:
Challenging, important, persuasive/dissuasive, experience, formative, crucial.
