• Question: What would be the best approach to getting work experience in a scientific environment?

    Asked by anon-193289 to Morwenna, Jamal, iainstaniland, Heidi, Emma, Carl on 7 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Iain Staniland

      Iain Staniland answered on 7 Nov 2018:

      Well the the range of scientific environments is huge so my first suggestion would be to narrow this down to a few choices. Hopefully your school will have a system to give you work experience and this is a great way to see scientists in action.
      Another way is to see if any of your family or friends families work in science and see if they can let you visit. If there is a specific place you want to see then you can always write to them and ask. Lots of labs and universities have open days during things like science week, another way to meet scientists and see what they do and where they work

      When I was at school I wanted to be a pathologist, sadly I was not able to visit as there is a age limit (I was too young). But the lab sent me lots of information and I did do a lot of reading about what they did and what it was like

    • Photo: Heidi Gardner

      Heidi Gardner answered on 7 Nov 2018:

      I would say to try a bit of everything and talk to as many people as you can – go to science festivals or talks and if you’re interested in what the people there are doing, ask them if you can talk to them in more detail about science. It can be quite difficult to get experience in areas of science that involve contact with patients because their are regulations in place to make sure you’re safe and don’t get sick. It’s probably easier to get experience in places like science centres and labs through people, get in touch with lots of people and show how passionate you are!

    • Photo: Emma Crawford

      Emma Crawford answered on 7 Nov 2018:

      When I was at school I had compulsory work experience that my school helped organise. If you have to do something similar, why not see if your school already has any connections with any employers in scientific industries. I know my company hosts year 12 work experience students for a week each year from local schools that they are in touch with.
      If your school is not able to help, try attending science career fairs like the Big Bang (https://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/) or any local fairs in your area that may help you meet companies, and asking them in person if they offer work experience.
      Google is also helpful, try researching companies and looking at their websites to see if they advertise work experience opportunities. If they don’t why not send them an email, some companies may not advertise opportunities but could be willing to help an eager student that reaches out to them! For a list of pharmaceutical companies you might want to contact, see here: https://www.psiweb.org/careers-homepage/how-to-find-a-job
      When you get to university, some companies offer schemes for students such as summer placements or 12-month industry placements as work experience opportunities. Here are some examples of placements in medical statistics: https://www.psiweb.org/careers-homepage/student-placements

    • Photo: Carl Heron

      Carl Heron answered on 8 Nov 2018:

      It’s not easy but there are opportunities. See what your school or college offers. At my university, we took year 12 students for two weeks of work experience. Look at a university degree that offers a student placement. I spent the whole of my third year working in a laboratory and then returned to complete my final year. It was invaluable.
      Good luck, Carl

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