subject: Transition Year Work Experience [print this page] There are some great websites out there where you can find loads of information about transition year work experience no matter what career you would like to get involved in. The Internet has really opened things up for students all over the world including students in Ireland who want to gain some experience at ground level.
Whether you want to find a position with a company that specialises in archaeology or something more high tech, you can search online to find an organisation that is looking for someone to fill a temporary position within their company. You can also find out about the best way to apply for a position with the organisations that interest you.
Applying At the Right Time Can Make a Difference
Of course, it goes without saying that some firms are busier than others and as such will have more work experience positions to fill than a quieter company. Plus you have to take into account the time of year and whether or not work at a particular company is seasonal or not. Having a busier time of the year and then a quiet period could affect whether or not they accept your request to spend time with them gaining work experience.
There are several things a company has to think about when taking any body on for work experience. One of the issues they must pay attention to is health and safety which often means that many positions within an organisation are usually office-based. This is perfectly normal unless any safety issues have been ironed out before taking someone on for work experience.
Have You Considered Work Experience With an NGO Organisation
Many students like to join up with a non governmental organisations otherwise known as NGO's to gain work experience. This can be extremely rewarding but you have to remember, NGO work can also be quite challenging at times because the work can involve anything from raising money to get urgent medicines for a country in Africa or elsewhere, it could involve supporting human-rights issues in countries where these standards are very low. You have to be a strong, dedicated and enthusiastic person to do work experience as an NGO.
One thing to bear in mind is that NGO companies are extremely professionally run organisations these days, as such skilled staff are needed to fill many more positions than ever before. Some NGO organisations have in place some sort of qualification in development studies whereas others may bring in skills from other areas that are needed so they can run their organisations as efficiently as possible.
Work experience with an NGO organisation normally entails propping up the professional teams of people working in a specific area. One good place to start looking is with Oxfam Ireland where there are over 1,000 volunteers helping out with the shops they run throughout the country. The best way to go about getting a position with any NGO organisation is to do a little research on the organisation first because not all of them take on TY students.
What About the Legal Profession?
Another area where work experience is extremely popular is within the legal profession. However, with this said don't fall into the trap of basing a decision more on episodes of Law & Order than on Ireland's legal system.
There is a bit of luck involved when it comes to getting work experience with either a barrister or solicitor because it depends on getting in touch with the right person at the right time. The first place to start is with contacts, these can be either family or friends who might be or have someone in their family, who is a barrister or solicitor. This is going to be your best option for finding work experience in this particular area of law.
Some solicitors do agree to take students on for a day if they are reluctant to take anyone on for longer periods of time, so it is always worth asking a local solicitor if this would be possible. You would need to write a letter to explain who you are and the sort of work experience you would hope to get by spending time with them.
You should also let the solicitor know the dates you would like to spend time with their firm and explain why the work experience you would gain with them with would be of value to you. Always enclose a CV together with a reference from one of your teachers with your letter. Give it a few days after posting your letter, and then out of courtesy follow this up with a phone call.
