Work experience
Why Work Experience?
The term 'work experience' includes any paid or unpaid work, from your casual weekend position to paid summer internships. While most employers value all work experience, they will be especially interested in experience that is relevant to your degree.
Work experience can help you to develop your professional skills, your understanding of the work place and your knowledge of your profession. It will also give you the opportunity to experience the theory of your study in action.
Work experience is also a valuable way to demonstrate your employability and develop a professional network.
You may have a compulsory work experience component to your degree, be able to select an experiential course, take an elective, or you may be able to access extracurricular work experience opportunities.
However you come to undertake work experience, if you do, the essential element to the success of work experience is your preparation.
Find Work Experience
Finding opportunities to undertake work experience through your degree can seem a little daunting.
There are a few options for you here:
- Paid vacation work or internships
- Unpaid internships or work experience placements
- Volunteer work
- Volunteer programs where you commit to funding a project
The websites below will help get you started
More information on how to prepare for work experience is in the section in Take Action and the information sheet below will help you prepare for cold calling.
Hints and Tips for approaching employers worksheet (PDF 62kb - opens in a new window).
Work Experience Online
We all know that employers are looking for experience in the field....but how do you get this while you are studying?
Click through the links below to find out about paid vacation programs, internships and cadetships, volunteer opportunities and the UniSA Work Placement Scheme.
Get the experience that will get the job.
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