1. Work experience at EEB3 Coordinator: Maria Fouseka – marifouse@gmail.com – B02marifouse@g

2. What are the main features of work experience at EEB3? The school gives to 5th and 6th year students the opportunity to participate in« work experience ». Year 7 pupils can also participate, but they have to be allowed by the School to do so. Work experience is not compulsory but highly recommended. The work experience is scheduled the two weeks after the Year 5 and 6 final examens or at any other moment during the summer holidays. We prefer this activity to be undertaken in the same organisation. However, we accept it could be done in two different (one week each), if necessary. This activity is not paid and it is covered by the school insurance.

3. What is the work experience purpose ?  It makes the pupils think about their further education or career and their professional future  It gives the pupils an opportunity to discover the « working environment » especially in the field of their interest  This experience will help the pupils to make better decisions on theirs options at school

4. Why the work experience could be usefull for the pupils ?  This experience could develop their communication skills and their ability to interact with others as well as their awareness of the expectations from a professionnal environnement.  It can, in some cases, allow the pupils to improve their knowledge of languages in surroundings different from the school.  It is an asset on their C.V. or in an application-file for future studies, especially in a British University or in a Business school in France.

5. Where it can be done ? Work experience can be done in Brussels or, if possible, more or less, anywhere all around the world. The shipping and living costs are at the parents expenses. We recommend the pupils to do their work experience in a place where they can use their L II or LIII.

6. When it can be done ? We prefer the pupils do their work experience during the two weeks after the June exams, but, if it is not possible, this activity can be scheduled at an another period during the summer. The internship can also be scheduled during the school year holidays but an agreement from the school is needed in that case. The work experience is supposed to be done two weeks in a row at the same place but, if it is not possible, the pupils are allowed to spend the other week in another organisation.

7. How to find a placement ? 1. The pupils and their parents must find a placement on themselves The school does not provide any list or contacts. 2. The pupils compose a CV and a letter of application with the help of their teachers if necessary. 3. They contact their parents, colleagues, friends, former pupils who have already done a work experience to get some connections. 4. They search the internet to be informed about the companies and the send the CV and letter to the organisations/companies they are interested in. 5. They don’t hesitate to phone to the organisation representative to support their own application and to get an interview. 6. They don’t wait the very last moment to apply and take the deadline of the contract handout (before the end of May) into account.

8. What are the roles of the school ? The school can offer a support to the pupils to write application letters and CV and advise them. The school provides a work experience contract which makes the placement legal and gets the pupils covered during their internship. The school deals with special cases and intervenes in case of a problem during the work experience. The school delivers a work experience certificate to those who provide a work experience report and an evaluation table completed by the adult responsible for the internship.

9. What are the different steps of the work experience ? 1-Once a pupil has been accepted, he/she must download a work experience contract from the EEB3 website and have three original hard copies completed and signed by the pupils, then the parents, the organisation rep, and the head of the school (more details on the next slide). 2-The three contracts has to be signed by all stakeholders and sent by post to EEB3 before the beginning of the placement and before the deadline scheduled by the school, otherwise the placement won’t be insured and considered by the School. 3-After the internship, the pupil must hand over a work experience report and an evaluation table, completed by the adult in charge of the internship.

10. How to deal with the contract ? 1 – The pupils and their parents must download and print three hard copies of it from the school website (the contract is available in French, English, German and Dutch); 2 – The pupils and their parents must complete and sign up each copy of the contract (no photocopy or scan allowed for legal reasons) 3 – The pupil must post the three copies of the contract to the organisation/company representative before the deadline; 4 – The representative must complete and sign up the three contracts and post them to Ms Fouseka at EEB3 before the deadline (no scan/fax allowed).

11. What are the special cases ? Those are the cases the School accepts to take into consideration after the deadline : – Application to a work experience at Eurocontrol (special procedure with selection). – Application to a work experience at the Council of the EU (special procedure with selection). – Application to an organisation who emailed an agreement for the internship before the deadline, but sent the three contracts afterwards. – The others cases have to be introduced to Mr Radhuber asap.

12. How to get the contract ? 1. Once collected at school by Mrs Fouseka, the three contracts are transfered to Mr Pino (Head of EEB3) to be signed up. 2. One copy is filed by the school and the two others are handed over to the pupils. 3. The pupil must send or hand over the company representative a copy of the contract signed by the school.

13. How the pupils must behave during the internship ? As representatives for their school, the pupils must behave in a responsible way. It means the pupils must : – follow the dress code, – arrive on time, be respectful to everybody – and make sure that they take the placement seriously. The pupil’s behaviour is evaluated by the adult responsible for the placement.

14. How to write the work experience report ? When the pupils have completed their placement, they will be asked to write a report ( of about 1000 words) and hand over -after the All Saints Holidays- to Mrs Fouseka. This report may be drafted in English, French or German and has to be divided into three sections : 1 - An overview of the characteristics of the company or the organization 2 - A detailed outline of their activity during the placement and 3 – An assessment about what this training course has offered to them.

15. What the evaluation table is it for ? An evaluation table is provided to the pupils at the begining of the work experience and it has to be given to the adult in charge of the internship. It will allows him/her to evaluate different aspects of the pupils behaviour and skills. It will prove that the pupils has correctly undertaken his/her placement. Once the work experience is over, the table must be posted/mailed by the company to Mrs Fouseka. Thanks to the table and the report, the school will be allowed to provide a work experience certificate to the pupils.

16. The work experience certificate To get a work experience certificate from the school, the pupils must hand over: – a work experience report and – An evaluation table with favourable comments from the adult responsible for the internship. The certificate will be provided at the end of the school year.

17. Some examples of work-experience placements Embassies, European Commission, the Parliament, … NGO based in all continents Lawyers’ practices, architects’ studios, animal clinics, Natutal Science Institutes, laboratories, Hospitals, Old people homes, nurseries Hotels, museums, tourist-offices, Airlines, newspapers, broadcasting, Nato, WTO, … Banks, insurance-cie, administrations, Pharmaceutical cie, Car-constructing cie, factories,…

18. Examples of possible work experience, …... Student’s comments… Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique The organisation of work in a team and as an individual was a hard lesson to learn, but it was very effective. I even participated in an all-night survey of one kilometre of forest, which was a unique experience. Chalude, Vandecapelle & Associates I was not expecting to learn very much in these two weeks, except how to make coffee and make photocopies. I was wrong. De Smet & Whaley Architects I think it was a very useful and fruitful experience. It is funny how now I look at buildings, whether simple or complicated ones, from an architectural point of view. Institut Jules Bordet Ce stage compte beaucoup pour moi. Je ne m'attendais pas à vivre une expérience aussi enrichissante et de me retrouver au bloc opératoire, face à la réalité.

19. Cabinet vétérinaire à Dworp Mes attentes ont été dépassées parce que j’ai pu assister à des opérations auxquelles je ne m’attendais pas. Bosch Rexroth J’étais un peu déçue par les tâches monotones, mais en parlant avec d’autres stagiaires, j’ai découvert que c’est absolument normal. Council of the European Union The knowledge, experience and know-how learned and gained during these two weeks are most certainly not something readily available in textbooks. The traineeship was definitely not a waste of my vacation period, however greatly I might prize the latter. Studio legale Vantaggiato - Lecce - italy Choose a job that interests you, even if it may not be your future ambition.You have to take into consideretion that 2 weeks can be a long time if you do not do something which you like. Student’s comments…

20. Agenda 2014-2015 1. January : 1. the career adviser introduce the work experience project to the pupils. 2. The relevant documents (ex : contracts, ptt..) are put online on the school website (secondary school/orientation/work experience) 2. From January to May : the pupils and their parents are searching for a placement on themselves. The three hard copies of the contracts must be posted to Mrs Fouseka as soon as possible at School. The pupils and the parents will be informed -when necessary- by the school website and by the APEEE mailing list. 3. End of May: deadline for receiving the contracts. 4. June : administration of the special cases (ex ; Eurocontrol, European Council…) 5. Last week of June – first week of July : period recommended by the school to schedule the work experience (the school is still open, so that it is possible to intervene in case of problems). Otherwise, work experience can be scheduled later on the summer holidays. 6. From September to All saints Holidays : writing the work experience report and collecting the evaluation table from the adult responsible for the placement. 7. The work experience certificates will be delivered before the end of school year.

21. Need more information ? Contact your career adviser or Consult EEB3 website : secondary school/orientation/work experience Contact Mrs Fouseka : – marifouse@gmail.com / classroom B02 marifouse@gmail.com

22. This presentation has been designed: by Mr Frantz Killius, work experience coordinator in EEB3 from 2011 till 2014 and modified by Mrs Fouseka, work experience coordinator from 2014-2015.