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
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.
NEW* Local work opportunities with Hexham Community Partnership supporting Father Christmas at the Old Gaol.
Upcoming Opportunities
Journalism
Competition
Yrs 12 & 13
University of Sunderland, deadline 14th February 2025
Our Future Journalism Stars competition officially launched in November to Year 12 and Year 13 students. Prizes include the opportunity for students to publish their work as well as cash prizes – it really is an opportunity not to be missed!
Students can submit content in the following areas:
- Audio and Podcasting
- News Story, Feature and Review
Students must sign up to enter our competition, where they will receive hints and tips from our academics up until the deadline of 14 February 2025.
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
Law
Programme
Widening Participation
Year 12
Eversheds Sunderland – 15th – 17th April 2025
Eversheds Sutherland’s Unlocked Programme is designed for promising students who might see a career in law as an unattainable goal. The scheme was developed out of our involvement with “Pathways to Law” with the Sutton Trust. It is aimed at state school students in their first year of A-Levels, with mainly GCSE 9 – 6/A* – B grades, little or no family history of higher education and a genuine interest in law – and lots of enthusiasm.
Applications Close 5th January 2025
If you have any further questions, please email EvershedsUnlocked@eversheds-sutherland.com.
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+
Birmingham Universities Hospitals & 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 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
Christmas Elves
Volunteer/Work Experience
Year 12 & 13
Hexham Community Partnership – 20 November – 21 December
Hexham Community Partnership are hosting Hesham’s very first Father Christmas experience in the Old Goal, to help make the event a huge success we are looking to recruit a team of volunteers (Elves) to help run this magical event and assist Father Christmas from 20th November – 21st December.
Contact Lindsey for more information hello@mrwolf.uk.com
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
Business, ICT, Finance
Virgin Money: offer one week of experience visiting all the departments within the company. This is an excellent way to see how a large business operates and get to sample all the business functions to see which you may find interesting. All applications are done through Speakers4Schools and you need to register and follow the instructions – http://www.s4snextgen.org/ Lots of other companies on here too!
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