Here you will find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, virtual insight days and careers fairs. We ask students and their parents to research fully any opportunities advertised on the noticeboard to ensure they are happy with the organisation they are linking with and its value for money if there is a cost.
Notices & Key Dates
National Careers Week, 3rd -7th March– Find out more about the different educational and skills development pathways available in this handy Guide to National Careers Week 2025
Work Experience Week – wc 9th June 2025 – Year 12 students undertake a compulsory week of work experience to give a greater understanding of the world of work in their chosen area and help build links for future employment opportunities. The school will help where possible, but ultimately it is down to students themselves to organise their placement. For more advice on work experience take a look at this UniFrog Guide.
Upcoming Opportunities
Law
Virtual Work Experience
Year 11 & 12
Clifford Chance – Friday 21st February, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Whether you’re considering a solicitor apprenticeship or exploring the traditional university route, this exclusive Clifford Chance Virtual Work Experience Day is your chance to gain first-hand exposure to the legal world during February half term. This one-day virtual programme is designed to help ambitious students like you develop key legal skills, learn from leading solicitors, and understand the different pathways into the legal profession.
Theatre
Work Experience
Ages 14-18
Northern Stage – Deadline 23rd February 2025
Our Work Experience is for anyone aged 14-18 looking to gain an insight into the backstage roles in a theatre. It is one intensive week, with a focus on technical and production.
Participants will be introduced to light, sound, special effects and stage management. They will get the chance to try out different backstage roles in our professional theatre space and will work together to design and produce their own technical installation, which is showcased at the end of the week. It’s a really practical week with the chance to get hands-on with lots of technical equipment. There’s no performing involved. Participants work in groups of 16 people from across the North East.
DATES: We run work experience twice
- 7 – 11 July
- 14 – 18 July
Business, Finance & Professional Services
Work Experience
Yr 11 & 12
PwC Females of the Future – Newcastle, Tuesday 25th February, 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
This is a great opportunity for students interested in a career in Business and Accounting to have the chance to come into the PwC Newcastle offices to take part in workshops, network with their team and gain a greater understanding to what a career in the industry could look like.
This event is taking place on Tuesday, 25th February which is a fantastic time for students to gain some experience and put something on their CVs.
Civil Aviation Authority
Work Experience
Yr 10 /Yr 12
Civil Aviation Authority – June/July 2025 – Closing Date: 28th February 2025
Springpod have opened applications for these amazing in person work experience opportunities for Year 10 and Year 12 with the Civil Aviation Authority. Closing Date 28th February 2025
Students need to be prepared to travel to Gatwick or Canary Wharf, London depending on their chosen sector.
- 5 day experience shadowing key experts at the CAA
- Students can choose their sector within aerospace and aviation regulation including Aviation Safety and Security, Corporate Services and Legal
- Tour CAA HQ, meet industry professionals
Final day to reflect on the experience and to celebrate!
Year 10 In Person Work Experience – 7th July 2025
Year 12 In Person Work Experience – 2nd June 2025
Various Sectors
Virtual Work Experience
Year 12 & 13
Speakers for Schools – Various Dates Feb – Nov
Find 3-5-day in-person and virtual work experience placements and 3-5-hour introductory Insight Days with leading UK employers.
Students wishing to attend should complete a Unifrog request and email sixthform@qehs.net for permission to miss lessons if it is in school time.
Structured Gap Year
Placements
Year 13
EDT/Scottish Power Work Placements
Scottish Power is a long-term partner with EDT, offering exciting placement work, which might also lead to potentially post-placement opportunities, such as apprenticeships, paid vacation work during a degree or graduate scheme opportunities.
HR/Marketing/ Social Care
Work Experience
Yr 12
Wellburn Care Homes
Wellburn Care Homes would like to offer our students the opportunity of some work experience in the following fields –
- HR and Marketing at Head office – 1 or 2 opportunities
- Care experience within the homes – 5 maximum placements across a few of our homes
In first instance please contact HR Director Mark Dewar MarkDewar@wellburncare.co.uk
NHS Careers
Webinars
Yr 11+
NHS Career Webinars
Working with Babies, Children and Families – Tuesday 29th April, 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm
Find out how midwives, neonatal nurses and learning disabilities nurses support families at birth and as babies grow.
Psychology: Thursday 12th June, 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm
Designed for psychology students in Y12, and Level 3 Health & Social Care students. Participants will learn how to progress their career in the psychological professions. Hear from professionals working in schools, forensic psychology, and mental health services to hear their career stories and find out how they help their clients.
STEM
Year In Industry
Yrs 13
EDT: July-August 2025
An EDT placement will give students an opportunity to continue their STEM journey after leaving school or college and take a paid gap year to help inform and shape their future career choices. They will gain invaluable experience working in industry, develop their skills and knowledge, and boost their future employability. We have vacancies with companies across many areas of STEM from leading FTSE 100 companies to small innovative start-ups. EDT placements are accredited at Industrial Cadets Platinum level meaning that the student’s experience during their year in industry is quality benchmarked and recognised industry-wide.
Application open from: Monday 21st October
Exploring
Summer Experience/Gap Year
Year 12 & 13
British Exploration Society
Our programmes will help you access some of the most remote and challenging parts of the world. Please note you must either be a British citizen or UK resident and aged 14-25 to join our programmes.
The programmes are means-tested with fundraising targets.
Medical & Dental
Virtual Work Experience
Age 14+
University Hospitals Birmingham: Medical & Dental Mentor
Gaining valuable work experience is a must-have for medical and dental applications, and we understand the challenges you may face while finding the right placement. Luckily, medical and dental schools have accepted Virtual Work Experience as a valuable alternative to in-person shadowing, and can play a significant role in preparing students for their in-person work placements through structured teaching and opportunities to speak directly with healthcare professionals.
Observe a GP
Virtual Work Experience
Yrs 12 & 13
Royal College of General Practitioners
Observe GP is an alternative to work experience for aspiring medics aged 16 and over, who are living in the UK. It is a free interactive video platform providing insights into the role of a GP and the wider care team.
Palliative Care
Virtual Work Experience
Yrs 12 & 13
Get into Medicine
Virtual Work Experience session in Palliative Care is now live, open exclusively to those who have attended previous Get Into Medicine Conferences or completed our new Get Into Medicine E-Learning.
Register Get Into Medicine E-Learning for £10 (originally £15) by using the code ‘Medicine24’. This discount is only available until the 30th June.
If you have any questions email education@medicmentorfamily.org or call our team on 01530 417299
Medical School
Virtual Work Experience
Yrs 12 & 13
Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Brighton and Sussex Medical School course provides virtual work experience for those looking to apply to medical school.
Marketing
Paid Internship
Yr 13
Africa & Asia Venture: 2024/2025
Africa & Asia Venture are looking to offer paid internships to young people who leave school/college/uni this year and who are taking a gap year in ’24-‘25. They need help with marketing their gap year programs. AV are based in Surrey but you can work from home.
If you are interested in the role, please email Linda Thompson at av@aventure.co.uk
Local Work and voluntary Opportunities
Gymnastics Coaching
Work Experience
Years 12 & 13
Full of Beans – Hexham Community Sports Hub
Full of Beans delivers basic gymnastics at Hexham Community Sports Hub ( Main Sports Hall at QEHS ) on Saturday mornings from 9am to 12 midday.
They are looking for for 6th-formers who do sports or specifically gymnastics, to assist our qualified gymnastic coaches. This will either be volunteering or in some cases, getting paid a wage.
For more information, contact John Paul Reay
Media Communications
Volunteer/Work Experience
Year 12 & 13
Tynedale Hospice at Home – Social Media Volunteer
Social Media volunteering hours and location are flexible. You will work closely with our Engagement and Communications Officer who will offer full training, help manage your volunteer time and is responsible for ensuring the running of our media accounts.
We ask for volunteers to commit to at least 4 hours per week. We can be flexible in terms of what day(s) these will be to fit around your lifestyle. This is an ideal role to enhance knowledge for future careers.
To find out more contact Sarah Brunskill, volunteering@tynedalehospice.com
Youth Work
Voluntary opportunity
Yr 12 & 13
Hexham Youth Initiative
Volunteers give their time, effort and skills to make a difference to young people. At Hexham Youth Initiative we are always keen to welcome new volunteers to our team. Whether you are able to give hours, days or weeks… it all helps.
Local Council
Work Experience
Yr 12
Northumberland County Council
Students who are interested in work experience with NCC, which is planned to run across different sectors of the council, should complete the following Application Form(8 weeks’ notice is required for placements).
Local Contacts
Healthcare (including Medicine)
For work experience within hospitals you must apply to the NHS organisation in your home area (postcode dependent). Use the relevant information here:
https://hee.nhs.uk/hee-your-area/north-east/education-training/trust-work-experience
This page is helpful but some of the information can be out of date! For specific opportunities also look at:
- If you live in Northumberland, please complete this form (Microsoft Word Document) and then email Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust at workexperience@northumbria.nhs.uk
- Northumberland Tyne & Wear Foundation Trust work experience is currently on hold but keep checking their website for updates.
- County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust – details at https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/work-experience-(15-to-18-year-olds-in-full-time-education-or-training).aspx
For work experience within a GP practice look at: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/hee-your-area/north-east/education-training/doctors/recruitment/primary-care/medical-school-work-experience-general-practice
This includes a list of GP practices prepared to offer work experience to students not in their area.
It is recommended that you get additional work experience to demonstrate your interest and ability to work with and care for vulnerable adults and children. You may find some useful local contacts by searching: http://www.carehome.co.uk/care_search_results.cfm/searchregion/North-East-England
Working with Children (including Teaching)
Again to gain access to a teaching degree course and many childcare related courses you will be asked to demonstrate experience of the classroom and / or work with children. Most schools are very helpful about this so you need to contact the Head Teacher initially with a request. The following information should help you:
http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Education/Schools/Contact.aspx
https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/education-and-learning/find-a-school-or-academy
http://www.durham.gov.uk/schools
https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/2783/School-directory
https://northumberland.fsd.org.uk/kb5/northumberland/fsd/family.page?familychannel=1
Heritage, Culture and Literature
Tyne & Wear Museums: https://twmuseums.org.uk/volunteers/school-work-experience
National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/work-experience
English Heritage: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/about-volunteering/
Theatre Royal: contact Kim.hoffman@theatreroyal.co.uk
The Glasshouse International: https://theglasshouseicm.org/
Seven Stories – The National Centre for Children’s Books: Offer work experience during holidays and weekends only.
Contact: Jayne Nicholson, Operations Manager (0300 3301095 ext 303/201) Jayne.nicholson@sevenstories.org.uk
The Lit and Phil – the largest independent library outside London housing over 160,000 books (23 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE).
Contact: Kay Easson (Head Librarian) email: keasson@litandphil.org.uk (0191 2320192)
Cogito Books (5 St Mary’s Chare, Hexham, NE46 1NQ)
Contact: Claire Grint (01434) 602555 – happy to take students but looking for engaging interested students only. Please contact by telephone initially.
Waterstones bookstores: contact each Store Manager directly
Hexham Courant: the Courant do not offer work experience
Beamish Museum: follow the instructions at http://www.beamish.org.uk/get-involved/work-placement/
Environmental, Tourism, Ecology, Archaeology
Northumberland National Park: Apply in writing by emailing dave.richardson@nnpa.org.uk (put “work experience” in the subject line)
Northumberland County Council: may have some relevant opportunities (libraries, tourist information, ask them about conservation work too). Fill in the application form and once NCC receive the form they will make a decision as to whether a placement is available in your chosen department.
Visit here to find out more about Northumberland County Council Work Experience
Newcastle University: School of History, Classics & Archaeology. Contact Dr Jane Webster (0191) 2087575 or email: jane.webster@ncl.ac.uk
Engineering and Manufacturing
Egger UK Ltd.: Egger will offer placements in all their departments (not only engineering) so get in quick if you would like to look at Finance, HR, Marketing, IT, etc… Send your request initially to Philip Maloney (Recruitment Co-ordinator) email: philip.maloney@egger.com
Vattenfall Wind Power:
Vattenfall, a Swedish company head-quartered in Stockholm, is one of Europe’s largest producers of electricity and low-carbon heating with operations across northern Europe. Vattenfall has had an office in Hexham employing nearly 100 staff for the past 14 years. They are offering a number of students the opportunity to work with them for a week to look at a broad range of roles in the vibrant and growing renewable energy sector – from civil and electrical engineers and wind farm technicians, through to ecological and environmental analysis, project management, communications, and law. Students will have the opportunity to learn from a number of Vattenfall employees about jobs and routes into the renewable energy sector, have a guided tour of our Ray onshore wind farm near Otterburn, and work together to design their own wind farm. They are passionate about diversity and creating a progressive and inclusive workforce. Please email Louise Housecroft with a CV and short statement expressing interest – Louise.Housecroft@vattenfall.com
Veterinary Studies
Scott Mitchell Associates Veterinary Surgeons (Tyne Green, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3SG, www.vets1.com) require a CV from the student wishing to undertake the placement and details of when they would be looking to carry out the work experience.Contact: 01434 608999, farm@vets1.com