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GET SET FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR VIRTUAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Congratulations on being selected for your experience. We are working to set everything up for you and your virtual work experience event. Here are the ten steps to take before, during and after your virtual work experience to be set up for success and get the most from it.

BeforeAll you need to get

set up for your virtual experience.

Set up surveyTell us how you feel about your experience.

Accessing Google ClassroomsHow to join your experience.

Feedback and videoTell us and others how it went with your top tips.

Technical set upPrepare your device and space.

ConfidenceTo help you apply your best self.

CertificateYour award to support your future career.

Final detailsHow to access your experience.

WellbeingMaking sure you are at your best.

RepeatExpand your world again with another experience.

DuringGetting the most

from your experience as it is happening.

BeyondTaking action after your virtual work

experience.

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Set up survey

Help us make a difference to you and all the young people we work for by helping us understand you more. Fill out our quick online survey and answer a few questions that help us learn your career goals, feelings and what you want to gain from your experience.

Simply click here to complete the survey or scane the QR code, right.

The information you provide will help us to improve our services and will allow us to measure and explain our impact. Nothing that will identify you personally will ever be shared.

BEFOREEverything you need to get set up for your virtual experience.

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2Technical set up

Your virtual work experience will be hours of your time and getting a space prepared to ensure you can get the most from it is essential. These top tips will help you get prepared:

Your workspace

Whether you are at home or have been asked to be in your school for your virtual work experience, it really is important to have a calm and quiet space to focus. Where you can, try and find:

A private space, closed away from

others passing by or distracting you.

A place where you can have your speakers on to be able to talk freely.

A comfortable space with a clear

background for the camera.

Scan here

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FAQs

Technical set up (continued)

Essential to joining your virtual work experience is having the right technology set up. We want to make it as simple and safe as possible for you to connect with our employers so there are some careful steps you need to take to be ready for your experience.

Your device

You will of course need internet connection for the duration of your work experience.

You can connect to your virtual work experience with:

Whatever device you use it is important that you have consistent internet access, speakers, a microphone and a camera to ensure you can connect with the employer live.

Microphone and camera are recommended but not obligatory. You might need to communicate with your classmates on team tasks, if you do not have a microphone, you will be able to use the chat function.

Windows/Mac, PC or laptop

Xbox or PlayStation

Smartphone or tablet

I have applied to two placements and have been chosen for both. They run at the same time, can I attend both?

You can only be in one place at one time so, due to the nature of work experience, you cannot attend multiple placements at the same time. It is important to remember that work experience includes teamwork and other activities which you need to participate in. Decide which placement you want to attend and contact us to let us know in advance.

What happens if I cannot attend the placement?

Attendance for all days of a placement is compulsory to gain your certificate. In some cases, there can be special extenuating circumstances. If you cannot attend, you must notify your school and Speakers for Schools as soon as possible. This will allow us to offer your place to another young person and make sure we are not chasing to find you.

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3Final details

If you are reading this document, you will have received an email from Speakers for Schools confirming your place and letting you know the information you need before your placement starts.

At this point make sure you note down the date and time of the experience and set a reminder, so that you do not forget. If the email says, ‘Action Required’, please ensure you complete this action ahead of your experience.

You will also have to fill out the Pre-Placement Survey and the Student Code of Practice. Please ensure to fill these out as soon as you can.

FAQsDo I need to prepare or complete any work in advance?

Usually, no. However, some employers may ask you to read a website or complete a small task in advance to prepare you for the first day. You may want to research the employer to understand more about their business and it is also a good idea to write down any questions you would like to ask during your experience.

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4Accessing Google Classroom

To keep you safe with us online, we create a VWEX account for you. This is a Google account that protects your identity and personal contact details. It is your key to your virtual work experience.

You will receive your temporary VWEX log in details in an email at least 48 hours before your experience.

If you have not received your temporary login details these should be your next steps:

1. Check you have the right email account The email will be sent to the email address you used to register and apply for your placement (log in to the portal and go to your profile to see your email address).

2. Check your spam folder It is rare, but it can happen that the email ends up in spam.

3. Contact the Experience Team If you cannot find your details anywhere and you are certain that you are checking the correct email address, please reach out to us. You can contact us via email at experience@speakersforschools.org.

How do I find my classroom?

It is crucial that you log in to the classroom as soon as you receive your details to avoid any login issues on the day of your placement. In the next pages, we give you guidance on how to access from Google Chrome, Safari and tablet or phone.

DURINGGetting the most from your experience as it is happening.

FAQsI cannot access Google Classrooms, what do I do?

Check that you are using your VWEX account details to access the classroom. Ensure that you are logged out of your personal Google account. Use an incognito or private browser. If you are accessing classrooms from a school computer, check with your IT support that Google Classrooms are accessible through your network. If you have any further issues, reach out to us as early as possible at experience@speakersforschools.org and include a screenshot of the problem.

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4Accessing your Google Classroom from a PC or laptop using Google Chrome

1. Go to www.classroom.google.com using Google Chrome.

2. Right click ‘Try another account’ and select ‘Open link in incognito window’, top right.

3. Enter your username and password, bottom right.

4. The classroom that you have been invited to will appear automatically, click to enter and find the meeting link in the main stream.

5. Click it and join the experience.

6. You are ready to start!

7. If you encounter any issues, please send a screenshot of your browser to experience@speakersforschools.org stating your name and the name of the employer you are doing your work experience with.

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4Accessing your Google Classroom from a PC or laptop using Safari

1. Go to www.classroom.google.com using Google Chrome.

2. Select ‘Sign in’ and ‘Google Classroom’, below.

3. Choose ‘Use another account’ and enter your VWEX username and password (see both images on the right).

4. The classroom that you have been invited to will appear automatically, click to enter and find the meeting link in the main stream.

5. Click it and join the experience.

6. You are ready to start!

7. If you encounter any issues, please send a screenshot of your browser to experience@speakersforschools.org stating your name and the name of the employer you are doing your work experience with.

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4Accessing your Google Classroom from a phone or tablet

1. If you are planning to join your work experience from a phone or tablet, you will first have to download Google Classroom and Google Meet.

2. Click ‘Get started’ and then the app will then ask which account you would like to use. Choose ‘Add account’.

3. Enter your VWEX login details, top right.

4. Once logged in, your classroom will appear automatically, click to enter and find your meeting link in the stream.

5. Click the link and choose ‘Open with Google Meet’.

6. Click join and you are ready to start, bottom right.

7. If you encounter any issues, please send a screenshot of your browser to experience@speakersforschools.org stating your name and the name of the employer you are doing your work experience with.

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5Confidence

You are in your work experience. The employer is asking everyone if they have any questions. You know you have a question, but something is holding you back from asking it.

Having the confidence to stand in your moment to ask the question can feel like a really big step. The best advice we can give is the top tips that are given from the young people who have been there before you:

Amir, 16

‘Just go for it. If you have a question in your mind, this is your chance to ask it. When I took that leap, I was nervous,

but the employer was kind and encouraging.’

Olivia, 14

‘It took me 10 minutes to get over my nerves when it

started. But the employer was super nice and in no time I was

getting into it. I got so much from it, I didn’t want it to end.’

Sarah, 17

‘There are loads of ways to get involved. The tools make

it really easy to type your question or answer to an

activity. That made it so much easier for me.’

Jake, 19

‘It was really important to me that the experience went well as I really want to work for the employer. They put me at ease really quickly and made it easy

for me to work with them.’

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6Wellbeing

A virtual work experience can be draining. It is all new information and new people to meet, so it is really important to look after yourself and make sure you have time to rest, reflect and relax.

We work with the employer to ensure their agenda has lots of breaks in it. We will always ensure, in a full day, that there is a morning, lunch and afternoon break. Here are our top tips for looking after your wellbeing to be your best self:

Have plenty of water and healthy snacks to hand so you can keep your

energy up.

Get some fresh air, go for a walk, and get away from the screen for a little

while in your breaks.

After your work experience day,

take time to relax to ensure you are rested

for another day.

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7Feedback

Following your experience, we will send you an email with details of our evaluation survey in which we ask you to provide written feedback on your experience.

Your feedback will help us make future work experience opportunities even better.

The information you provide will help us to improve our services and will allow us to measure and explain our impact. Nothing that will identify you personally will ever be shared.

Video

In the same email, we will also invite you to record a video telling us and others about your experience. We really want you to reflect on your experience, what you learned and what you are going to do with it from here.

Your video may be shared with the employer, with other young people and in our marketing to promote the difference the experience made to you and/or all our young people. It is a great opportunity for you to share your top tips with others just like you.

These are the three steps to take to record your video:

Download the Seenit app to your smartphone from your app store. iOS • Android

Use the unique project code we send

you in the email to activate your profile

and get started.

Record five different shots answering five different questions

about your experience.

BEYONDTaking action after your virtual work experience.

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Certificate

Once you have finished your experience, you will find your certificate on your Portal profile. This shows the great work you have done in completing your virtual work experience with us. It will have details of the dates attended, the employer and our certification.

Your certificate will be available in the ‘Applications’ section of your dashboard:

Your school will also be able to find your certificate in their Portal profile.

Repeat

Now you have finished an experience with us, you can do another. Our Portal is full of a huge range of inspiring experiences for you to choose from. There are no limits to how many you can do with us as long as your parents or guardians and your school agree you can take the time to experience another employer. Pop back to the Portal at any time to see what more we can offer you to help power up your future.

CONTACT USWe are here for you. If you need anything at all to ensure you are at your best for your virtual work experience, contact us at experience@speakersforschools.org