From Students to Creators: Work Experience with a Real Impact
For three National Online School students, a week of work experience with the school’s marketing team became much more than an opportunity to explore careers in digital marketing. It was a chance to build confidence, overcome personal challenges and discover what they were capable of when given the opportunity to shine.
Throughout the placement, the students worked on genuine National Online School projects. They carried out a social media audit, created social media content and video scripts, captured authentic photography and video, learned filming and editing techniques, and developed ideas for a future student recruitment campaign. Rather than simply observing, they made a real contribution to projects that will help shape the school’s future marketing activity.
Although they shared the same placement, each student’s journey was very different.
For fifteen-year-old Jenny from Yorkshire, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), significant social anxiety and selective mutism, the week marked an extraordinary breakthrough. Since joining National Online School in February, Jenny had never independently initiated communication with a member of staff. She communicates very differently from many other students and would usually join online sessions without using her microphone, camera, chat function or even emojis, with staff regularly checking in with her mum to see how she was getting on. Throughout her work experience placement, Jenny worked remotely and joined every meeting. During the week, she independently used the chat function to communicate directly with Natalie from the marketing team for the first time since joining the school. It was a huge milestone, representing a significant step forward in her confidence and engagement. Her teachers were incredibly proud of her achievement and recognised it as an important moment in her journey.
Seventeen-year-old Michaela from London has ASD and a Language Disorder and can experience anxiety when faced with unfamiliar environments or unclear expectations. Having previously experienced challenges in education that affected her confidence and trust in adults, she embraced every opportunity the placement offered. Michaela spent two days working alongside the marketing team in the office before completing the remainder of the week remotely. She quickly became a valued member of the team, demonstrating independence, creativity and professionalism throughout the placement. The quality of her work impressed the marketing team so much that elements of it will now be used in future National Online School projects and campaigns, reflecting the confidence and professional skills she continues to develop.
Anthony, seventeen, from London, has ASD and ADHD. Having experienced significant bullying throughout secondary school, he had understandably developed anxiety around education and found it difficult to trust unfamiliar adults. For Anthony, simply attending the marketing office on the first day of his placement was a remarkable achievement. Stepping into a completely new environment and working alongside an unfamiliar team required enormous courage and resilience. Although he found the experience overwhelming and was unable to return to the office for the remainder of the week, the marketing team continued to support and encourage him. Everyone involved recognised just how significant that first step had been and were proud to have welcomed him to the team.
Every student’s journey is unique, and every achievement deserves to be recognised. For Jenny, Michaela and Anthony, this wasn’t simply a week of work experience. It was a chance to discover new strengths, overcome personal challenges and take important steps towards their futures. Their experiences are a reminder that success isn’t measured by how big the achievement appears to others, but by the courage, determination and resilience it takes to achieve it.
