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Main image: Downe House

Dreaming about what you want to be when you grow up is fun when you’re five – cooking up a storm in your mud kitchen, teaching your teddies to read, landing your rocket on the moon (mum and dad’s bed). And while it can be just as exciting when you’re old enough for your career dreams to start forming into real possibilities, it can also feel a little daunting. You’ve done all that good stuff of choosing options, getting and gunning for grades and pursuing your passions outside the classroom, but what’s it really like to be a chef, teacher, astronaut or [fill your own dream in here]? Will you like it? And will it like you? 

Internships – the big siblings to work experience where you get much more stuck in for a lot longer than a week or two – can be a great way to find out. ‘Internships are incredibly valuable for helping students explore career paths and develop skills,’ says Jenna Jones, who heads Futures Department, the school’s career command centre that, as well as supporting students with one-to-one guidance, group sessions, careers fairs and e-bulletins, also helps them pursue internships in particular fields. ‘They aren’t always essential for university admissions,’ she tells us (and she should know, having previously worked for Bath University’s admissions team), ‘but they can certainly strengthen an application.’ 

Alison Cantrill, higher education and careers leader at Alice Smith School Malaysia, believes it is worth exploring the value of an internship. ‘Consider why you think you need to complete an internship and what you would hope to gain from the experience,’ she advises. Famously, Steven Spielberg began an unofficial internship with Universal Studios when he was 17 – and look what happened to him. ‘An internship offers a meaningful experience in a work environment, helping young people understand workplace dynamics, develop professional connections and assess whether a particular industry aligns with their aspirations,’ says Caroline de Mowbray, head of entrepreneurship, innovation and employability. The school’s unique advisory boards help connect pupils with distinguished alumni and industry professionals, particularly in sport and the creative and performing arts. But nothing is handed to them on a plate. ‘Success ultimately depends on the pupils themselves,’ says Ms de Mowbray. ‘Developing intrinsic motivation, self-confidence and resilience to handle setbacks is vital. Failure often paves the way to success. By encouraging pupils to take risks, learn from mistakes and experiment in a safe environment here at school, we prepare them for the realities of the working world, where challenges are inevitable but adaptability is key.’ 



With the job market so fiercely competitive, first-hand experience can make a real difference to success. offers a global internships programme to lower-sixth students that opens up amazing opportunities to explore a variety of professions and work cultures around the world. Last year saw pupils working in an electrical engineering company in Thailand, a veterinary hospital in Australia, an investment company in Zambia and a law firm in Dubai. ‘The aim is to make students “world ready”,’ says Marya Akhtar, the school’s director of global business development. ‘We believe internships are a vital way to help young people stand out in a competitive job market, providing structured, meaningful experiences that develop critical skills and broaden horizons.’ 

Baked into Ampleforth College’s internship offering is its impressive senior-scholarship programme with JCB designed for students who are interested in studying business or engineering at university. The programme includes a guaranteed work-experience placement in the summer after Year 12 and a minimum one-month internship after Year 13. Scholars have regular meetings with JCB mentors, tailored careers guidance and the opportunity to meet the JCB senior leadership team, and during their internships, they work on real projects, giving them valuable insight on how a major engineering and manufacturing business operates. 

The Futures Department takes a ‘five years’ time’ approach to supporting and empowering students to navigate the employment field. ‘At Cranleigh, we are highly aware of the importance of internships to enhance graduate-employment prospects and strongly believe that they should be as equitable as possible for all,’ says head of futures Naomi Ambrose. Sixth-formers are offered a programme of learning opportunities, corporate insight experiences, networking events and training sessions to help them access internships. Lunch-and-learn seminars, alumni mentors and networking with parents from specific professions are just some of the ‘Life after Cranleigh’ offerings that help students get to where they want to be in five years. At a dedicated association actively seeks to connect recent graduates with internship opportunities, encouraging alumni to offer placements to new leavers. It’s seen pupils secure internships with the likes of Cannes Film Festival, BNP Paribas in New York and Annapurna Pictures.

  
Former pupils and parents are also key to helping students at secure internships. A large number turn up every year to the school’s spring Careers Convention, offering advice and often playing a key role in helping them get mentoring opportunities and work placements. Indeed, several Canfordians have succeeded in gaining places on the JP Morgan summer programme in Bournemouth, as well as degree apprenticeships with the likes of PwC and Goldman Sachs. St Swithun’s student-guidance department is equally proactive in helping students secure valuable internships. The school has built up an impressive community platform of more than 2,000 parents and former students to help pupils find opportunities. ‘We have had students secure internships at prestigious companies that rank among the top 100 graduate employers, including Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil and the NHS,’ the school tells us. ‘However, some of the most rewarding experiences come from internships at smaller companies where students take on a greater level of involvement.’ The advice they give is to be proactive and start early. ‘When you first reach out, don’t ask for an internship right away; instead, focus on building a relationship and seek guidance or mentorship. The internship will then come.’

David Hawkins from university-application specialists says the most valuable internships are those that allow you to actually ‘do’ instead of merely observing: ‘A university admissions officer isn’t going to automatically be amazed by the fancy name of a company if all you did was make coffee. They might be more impressed that you worked in the service industry and got your hands dirty.’ ‘Meaningful placements’ is how Reddam House terms the importance of ‘doing’ over ‘watching’ when it comes to internships. Its pupils have gone to companies including Nirvana Spa, AWE and Mulberry Vets, making connections that have led to conditional employment for the future. Diana Cree, director of external relations at , tells us that ‘internships give pupils vital exposure and understanding of the world of work’, making them ‘better placed to plan and navigate their path through to a successful future’. The school encourages work and work-placement experience through all means possible, whether that’s work shadowing or an internship. 

careers pathway adviser Mel Szender adds: ‘Internships aren’t commonplace for our pupils due to companies often preferring to offer undergraduates paid and unpaid internships.’ This, she continues, often varies depending on a school’s demographic area. However, one sixth-former did recently work on Wicked at Sky Studios and many have links with local companies, while virtual work experience with larger businesses is growing. ‘Virtual internships aren’t so readily available,’ she says. 

But work experience can be a valuable stepping stone to an internship.  runs an extensive work-experience programme for its Year 12 students that sees them visiting a place of work one afternoon a week during term time, helping them learn important workplace skills such as collaboration and resilience. Placements include local hospitals, research organisations, schools and charities; one A-level economics student even worked at the French multinational BNP Paribas. The work-experience programme helps pupils organise summer placements with a sophisticated recruitment process that is managed by the futures team and in some cases placement providers too. The school’s bulging contacts book includes the likes of Europe Arab Bank, St George’s Hospital, PwC, Westgate Chambers, The Waldorf Hilton Hotel and Strathmore Publishing.

  
‘Having a large alumni and parent network allows us to match up students to alumni or parents working in a wide range of career areas,’ says Debbie Longland, head of careers at , which has secured work-experience placements for pupils at BAE Systems, King’s College Hospital, Dyson, Toyota and the National Trust, among others. Every year the school holds two speed-networking events where students get to meet a wide range of alumni and parents. ‘Students should be taught how to network… it’s a vital skill,’ says Mrs Longland. She also has valuable advice for students embarking on an internship: ‘Meet as many people as possible and ask lots of questions and think about the work environment and the values and culture of the workplace – what is important to you? And don’t forget to reflect on your experience.’ 

agrees that reflecting on the skills you gain is key. It focuses on offering its pupils opportunities to explore different industries, develop transferable skills and make informed decisions about their career paths, regardless of whether the experience aligns with their long-term goals or not: ‘Building professional relationships during work experience can open doors to future opportunities.’ Many Old Suttonians mentor current students, offering guidance on CVs, interview preparation and career advice. Recently, an alumnus hosted a visit to a London law chamber, giving students first-hand insight into careers in law and the preparation required to get there. 

Thornton College also draws on its contacts, which include high-profile companies such as BP, Network Rail, the Civil Service, KPMG and Sir Robert McAlpine. Head of careers Jo Scott says, ‘Drawing on our contacts means I am able to advise on different apprenticeship opportunities.’ For pupils at , , a joint networking platform with the alumni of Marlborough College UK, enables Marlburians to find mentors, post jobs, request work experience or simply connect with more than 10,000 members worldwide.  

Tammy Parks, head of careers and employability at , tells us the school has an extensive programme of careers-guidance interviews: ‘We have one-to-one meetings with every pupil. These meetings are a brilliant opportunity to discuss ideas and aspirations and ultimately receive personalised advice and guidance.’ The Marist, meanwhile, runs a virtual as well as an in-person programme to help students find placements, conceding that ‘internships are increasingly difficult to secure… As a school, we recognise the challenges this presents for students to apply the practical application of knowledge in the workplace, and we widely research opportunities to support them, identifying key areas for growth and expansion of skills and knowledge.’ 

In the end, whether you gain work experience (watch out for our dedicated upcoming feature) or manage to secure an internship, as Alice Smith School’s Ms Cantrill says: ‘Remember the importance of reflection. This is arguably more important than listing the responsibilities you had or name-dropping a particular company. Instead, can you express how you grew from the experience?’