Work experience continues to be an invaluable component of a BHS student’s educational journey and personal development. Indeed, with competition for university places, internships and the jobs market, work experience has become an essential way of demonstrating an individual’s resourcefulness, well-roundedness and commitment. For Year 11 students, work experience takes place during the last full two weeks of the Summer Term - Monday 24 June - Friday 5 July 2024. Year 12 students can undertake work experience during any holiday period throughout the year. Since moving to Unifrog, the process is much easier for students and parents to manage whilst also giving them greater control and autonomy. 

Our students have shown a remarkable ability to source work experience placements of considerable variety and level of challenge. Here are some examples of the wide-ranging and stimulating placements Year 11 and Year 12 students undertook in summer 2023: 

Tarika Anand – Great Ormond Street Hospital 

At the end of Year 11, I undertook my work experience with Great Ormond Street Hospital - but on the financial side rather than the medical. I looked at using a financial software system called EFinancials which allowed me to ensure the right amount had been paid for each invoice. Oddly enough, I learned how to write emails again! Although at school I was used to writing emails in a certain way, emailing people in a professional capacity was a different experience. I also learnt how to use a fax machine; it might seem an old-fashioned piece of technology but is an essential part of communications at GOSH so it was a good skill for me to learn. In summary, work experience was a very enjoyable experience for a fortnight and I learnt a great deal that I think I wouldn't have been able to learn unless I’d undertaken this placement.  

Lisa Henckens – Holloway Studios, architecture 

I completed a week of work experience at the end of Year 11 with the architectural firm Holloway Studios in their London office, located near St. Pancras. My task for that week was to design a Japanese-inspired tea house for a previous client of theirs, an artist called Mr. Doodle. I enjoyed this project immensely as I learned more about a different culture: specifically, the importance of tea ceremonies and the architectural style of the time. Furthermore, my work experience gave me an insight to the professional software used in the architectural world, highlighting the importance of technical skills. It was challenging, as I only had a week to become accustomed to the various applications, but this only encouraged me more to continue pursuing my dream to become an architect. 

Maddie Knobel – Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory, Imperial College 

At the end of Year 11, I undertook a work experience placement with Imperial College for two weeks. After meeting a PhD student at a Phasmid Study Group lecture that I attended, I made contact with the members of the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory who offered me a two-week placement, so when July came, I was very excited! For the first two days, the team taught me how to use the software Blender, which was a vital skill in their work. I also got to use their 3D printer and other instruments; for example, one man created a photogrammetry platform scAnt. This allows the user to scan an insect from all angles and of course, given my particular passion, I chose a stick insect! Another skill that I learned was how to pin an insect because despite the fact that I am a true Phasmid enthusiast, I had never done this before. After scanning the insect, I turned it into a mesh and then uploaded it to Blender, adding a texture palate and finally rigging it. Not only did I learn about engineering and improve my art skills, but I also discovered what life is like for PhD students. 

Tiana To – BDO, global professional services firm 

At the end of Year 11, from the 22 to the 24 of August 2023, I undertook work experience with BDO in Baker Street, London. BDO is a global professional services firm and the people at BDO have different specialisms, such as R&D tax and regulatory advisory. I attended a few meetings, especially with the senior team and I was able to demonstrate appropriate behaviour and language in an office setting. I found that I particularly used my initiative and asked questions to find out about specific details of each role. Additionally, this was a great opportunity for me to discover if office environments suited me and I now have an idea regarding what I want to do in the future. For example, I am interested in becoming an actuary or R&D tax consultant. 

Sophia Rentzos – Pell Frischman, Engineering 

During the summer at the end of Year 11 I had a WEX placement at engineering firm, Pell Frischman. I was given the opportunity to work in three of their departments: transport, structures, and environmental. In the transport department I needed to map out the locations of sites that the company had jobs for using the software QGIS. In the structures department I was tasked with designing a building of my choice focusing on the materials and structural elements, such as columns and walls within it. I then had to present my design in a meeting using a 3D model I had created on Sketchup. For the environmental team I completed a form for a trial job, assessing the environmental impact around the site using QGIS. During my time at the firm, I discovered I didn’t want to have an office-based job when I’m older and would prefer to do something more hands-on. 

Jasmin Chance – Museum of Military Medicine and Great Ormond Street Hospital 

I had two incredible and varied work experience placements: one was at the end of Year 11 with the Museum of Military Medicine where I assisted with marketing, archiving, preservation and the shop.

The second was at the end of Year 12 with Great Ormond Street Hospital in the Plastic Surgery Department with Neil Bulstrode as my mentor. Neil is the lead plastic surgeon at GOSH and was also my surgeon when I was a young patient at GOSH. I was privileged to watch surgeries such as ear reconstructions, join clinics such as the maxillo-facial, surgical, hand surgery clinics, pre and post operative assessments, shadow an on-call doctor for a day, patient meetings and medical training sessions e.g. a suturing lesson with junior doctors and a hand trauma teaching session. In the future, I hope to become a Physiotherapy Officer in the British Army and undertake a Physiotherapy degree at Essex University.