Year 10 Work Experience

About Year 10 Work Experience

Two full weeks of compulsory work experience placement held in Term 3 & 4:

  • BLOCK 1: 25th August - 29th August 2025 (Term 3 - Week 6)

  • BLOCK 2: 24th November - 28th November 2025 (Term 4 - Week 7)

    Work Experience gives you the opportunity to test your career choice and gain some experience in the world of work.  These placements should be in career areas which are of interest to you. Based on experience in previous years, it has been found that the greatest benefits went to those students who arranged their own Work Experience placements.  For this reason, it is strongly encouraged that you are not “employed” by your parents or in your usual part-time jobs.

Getting help

If after attempting to find your own Work Experience placement, you are having difficulty, the Careers Adviser and Year 12 Work Experience Mentors can assist. Although the careers advisers can help you find potential employers, it is up to you to apply for the positions. It is not appropriate for your parents to apply for a job for you or for you to work with your parents. An important part of the learning process is in looking and applying for a position yourself.

Step 1: Preparation

Finding an Employer....

  • Google provides a ready made list of employers

  • Talk to people; friends, family, Year 11 & 12 students, students from other schools may be able to help

  • Look around the local area, note the address of potential employers

  • Explore interest magazines and online platforms e.g. IT, music etc...

  • Consider contacting university faculties – e.g. psychology, medicine, science, engineering

  • Approach employers with an email and a cover letter (here’s a example of a cover letter)

  • If all else fails, see the Career Adviser – Mrs Poppett / Mr Chisholm

Step 2 - Forms and documents

  1. Download the Student Placement Record (SPR), complete your section.

  2. Complete the school section with the following details:

    School Name: Caringbah High School

    School email: caringbah-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

    School number: 02 9524 3859

    Nominated contact: Andrew Chisholm/Kate Poppett

    Contact Position: Careers Advisor

    Contact’s number: 02 9524 3859 (Ext 160)

  3. Download and forward Parent Information Booklet & Addition Information for Parents to your parents/carers

  4. Send the Student Placement Record (SPR) to your employer, along with:

4. Check Additional Requirements complete the extra documentation if your placement is:

  • OUTSIDE OF NSW OR IN A RURAL OR REGIONAL LOCATION:

    Please note: If accommodation away from home is NOT with a family member, additional paperwork must be completed at least one month before your placement. Additional documentation links can be found within the "Accommodation away from home form" - Appendix 5 and Appendix 6. This information must be provided to your Career Adviser ONE MONTH before your placement.

  • There is a requirement for ALL students completing their Work Experience on a Construction or Building site to have a WHITE CARD. White Card Courses are available all around Sydney. Your White Card must be submitted with your SPR. Please ensure that your course is face to face, and not an online course. Online course certification will not be accepted.

5. Submit your completed paperwork via the Submission Form OR submit a hard copy at the Careers office. Do not email your form to us

6. Download the relevant Safety Card/s:

Step 3 - Participation

On the Job

All students will participate in a Work Experience Readiness Seminar prior to placement. We will be covering Informational Interviews, Employability Skills, Safety and Emergency Procedures, and Placement Expectations. Delivered during Future Ready lesson.

One week before the start of your work experience…

Phone your employer...

  • Re-introduce yourself, check your placement is still convenient, check on your contact person’s name and organise a time and a meeting place for your first morning.

  • Ask if there is any WHS (some employers require you complete WHS document e.g. a public hospital must do a police check and see proof of your immunisation).

Plan your travel…

  • Identify the best way of travelling safely to and from Work Experience. Whether that be by train, bus, walking or getting a lift from a family member, it is important you consider traffic, safety and always aim to arrive early.

During Work Experience, remember...

  • Be punctual, be polite, be co-operative, and most of all, be enthusiastic! If you find yourself with nothing to do, ask what needs to be done - use your initiative!

  • Identify potential candidates for your informational interview. Once you have decided, ask this person when would be the most convenient time for them to sit down with you during your week of placement.

  • Should any problems arise, ring Mrs Poppett / Mr Chisholm at school 95243859.

  • Remember, if you cannot attend Work Experience for any reason, you must contact both the school and the employer on the morning of your absence. A note explaining your absence must be handed in at school to the office on your first day back after Work Experience.

Evaluation Forms…

  • Following your Work Experience placement, you will be required to submit two evaluation forms. These include both an individual evaluation form (completed by you) and an employer evaluation form that you will need to have completed by your superviser before the end of your placement. Don’t forget to pick it up!

Informational Interviews…

  • As part of your placement, you will also be required to complete a minimum of ONE informational interview. Consider it a backwards interview, where you are the one asking the questions! We will prepare these questions during Future Ready and they will help you to further determine whether this industry / profession might be something you would like to explore further.

Document your Experience…

  • When we return to Future Ready in Term 3, you will need to write a short summary of your experience. Blog style!! This will be an extremely valuable activity to help you reflect on what you have learned from the experience. If you would like to / are able to take some photos to accompany your summary, it’s always a nice touch!!

During your Work Experience placement, a Classroom Teacher OR your Career Adviser will either visit you in the workplace or phone your employer for some feedback regarding your participation. You Teacher / Career Adviser will organise this directly with your employer and inform you about when they will be visiting or phoning.

Step 4 - Follow-Up

Future Ready Lessons

  • Send an email to your work experience employer thanking them for the experience with a certificate created by the school (provided by Mrs Poppett)

  • Submit Personal Evaluation Form to your Future Ready teacher

  • Submit Employer Evaluation Form to your Future Ready teacher

  • Submit Informational Interview to your Future Ready teacher

  • Complete Work Experience Blog / Story - summarising your experience

The follow-up Future Ready lesson will explore key learning, employer feedback, what's next, and using your experience to make career decisions.