Work Experience at HRO’C
July 2nd, 2009 by Izzie Barber
When you hear the words ‘work experience’ in an all girls’ school, you get many different reactions to being “out in the real world”, as the teachers like to call it.
“Yesssss, no more school for two weeks.”
“I’m going to the zoo because I want to be a hippo.”
“Oh no, I’ve got to work with my dad at his office where everyone is over 60 and grey.”
“Good, a chance to buy some more clothes”
Nevertheless, we were told to be organised in the middle of September for something that we would be doing, what, 9 months later? So, as usual, there were the incredibly over-organised ones who came in the next day with it sorted and there were the others who had only just been accepted into their placements last week. Amazingly, I was not the latter.
Churches, schools, airports, “boring old” offices, zoos, banks, shops, car dealers, estate agents, garden centres, hotels, vets, hospitals, doctors, BBC, law courts, theatres and the sewers are just a few of the weird and wonderful work experience placements that come out of Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls each year.
Some people get great places such as Cosford Air Base or Kerrang Radio but with the tight grasp of Health and Safety of my school, there are only a bunch of places where you can actually be hands-on. Hopefully the one poor person at the sewers is thanking their lucky stars for the over-protectiveness of schools. Then, there are those poor few that get stuck with something the school sort out like stacking chairs in a church or filing papers in the school office. Ha.
Luckily, I think mine is definitely more towards the “great places” end of the stick. I bet you everyone else has to wear a suit and, hey, there are no boring old people over 60!
Initially, I imagined HRO’C to be quite formal with lots of old people in grey business suits and briefcases in a huge office with big, clumpy computers at every desk, but instead of big, clumpy computers, everyone is “down with it” and has a MAC.
As I am interested in either journalism or medicine, which are completely different careers, having a week at HRO’C has been a very valuable experience. I have done things I wouldn’t have otherwise done and learnt things that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. Did you know that the horse food market is very competitive?
The thing I like the most about HRO’C is the very informal and laid back atmosphere around the office. Also, if I hadn’t had a place in such a great company as HRO’C, I would have worked with my sister at her office. Guess what she does?
She works in PR.
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Tags: HRO'C, PR, work experience
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