Work Experience

At my work we weekly, and at times daily have work experience people come in.

I got my job as the result of a work placement. I cannot praise the value of work experience enough in many circumstances. When I came in I was keen and eager, and offered to do anything, from hourly tea runs to sorting out cupboards or photocopying. I was interested in everything, and asked questions but not too many. And it paid off.

2 years on and it is my turn to look after work experience people. And gosh, haven't they gone downhill.

Just to give an indication of the current calibre....

I go down to reception to meet the newest workie

Me: Hello!
WE: uh... hi.
Me: So are you interested in radio?
WE: Yeah, yeah, I'm really into my music
Me: Oh. Well we are a speech radio station. It's only talking. We don't actually play any music.
WE: What? Are you serious? That's so weird. I've never even heard of a station doing that. You must be the only one?
Me: Well.... there's a few others, like Radio 4, 5 Live, Talksport, most regional BBC stations are predominantly speech.

Work experience the next week....
Me: Hello!
WE: uh... hi.
Me: So do you listen to our station much?
WE: Yeah, all the time.
Me: Oh great! What do you like about it?
WE: I love how new it is - so original and fresh. Have you been here since it started?
Me: Errr... no. The station started in 1973.
WE: Oh. Are you sure?

In the studio, the presenter wants a cup of tea in the middle of live breaking news and it is MANIC....

Me: Do you mind popping to the kitchen and getting a cup of tea?
WE: Actually, do you mind if I don't? I am here to learn

In the studio the presenter wants a cup of tea....

Me: Do you know where the tea and coffee making facilities are?
WE: Oh, I only drink water, so no thanks - I don't need a tea.
Me: Oh. I meant could you get one for the presenter?
WE: You want me to go?

During a show taking live feeds from Westminster. We have various TV screens showing live news so we can time when to cross to, for example the Prime Minister's speech.

WE: Wow! Look at the size of that TV! Can we put the cricket on?
Me: Well, um, not really - we need that TV for the breaking news.
WE: OOohhh. Spoilsport.
And then promptly got out his i-phone and put in the headphones.

This is just a snapshot of the wide ranging and varied levels of ineptitude. I'm hoping that this is just a dip in the quality, and in all fairness, some of the kids that come through the door are great - informed, intelligent and eager to learn/help out. But those ones are getting less and less. And instead seem to be replaced more and more often with total drongos.

If you are going on work experience it is not hard to get on well. You just need to do some simple things....
1. Listen/watch the output, even if it's only for half an hour a day the week before you go
2. Google the company - it literally takes seconds
3. Be eager and friendly and polite.
4. Always offer to do things, regardless of how menial.
5. If it really is that bad, it is only for a finite amount of time, and a bad impression is remembered much more than a good one - so it's just not worth leaving that behind.