Looking for  answers about your future career?

We’re a UK-wide youth charity on a mission to help you achieve  the type of career you dream of.

Get started by taking our Career Personality Quiz: a quick, fun way  to find out which types of careers are most likely to suit you and  we’ll then direct you to amazing work experience opportunities  and inspirational talks to help bring your career ambitions to life.

Take the quiz

Take control of your future

We believe every young person should have the opportunity to succeed and reach their potential, no matter where  they are born or who they are born to. If you attend a UK state secondary school or college, click on the tiles below  to explore our latest work experience opportunities or browse our library of inspirational talks.

Work  Experience

14-19-year-olds can get world-class, in-person and virtual work experience with leading UK employers like Bentley Motors, the NHS, Santander, Boots, and Virgin Atlantic; to build your skills, add to your CV, and explore career options.

Get work experience

Inspirational Talks

11-19-year-olds can join great talks from  high-achieving professionals and famous-names  like Marcus Wareing, Deborah Meaden, and James Acaster; to discover the key to career success and how to overcome adversity

Find talks

National Teen
Book Club

14-19-year-old independent learners can join us for after-school online book clubs where you’ll be supported to explore themed reads, take part in  or listen to discussions, meet inspirational authors and related speakers and gain careers insights.

Join book club

Why choose Speakers for Schools?

2,073

schools and colleges  
are in our network

70,000+

verified student  
users trust us

354

employers partner  
with our charity

See how students  like you benefit from our programmes!

We’ve provided career advice and support to over 1.6 million young people like you to help them get more informed about the world of work and explore future careers. Check out the story of three students who took part in an in-person work experience opportunity at top advertising agency Lucky Generals.

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Why students trust Speakers for Schools

“In June 2021, I started the first day of my virtual work experience with FinTrU… Fast forward to June 2023, and I took part in the same work experience programme, however, this time as an employee at FinTrU. ”

Lara

Belfast

“I would never have found work experience with Bentley Motors without Speakers for Schools and I really enjoyed learning about the business. The car design challenge  was exciting.”

Yen Li

Torquay

“Working with Spaceport Cornwall has further inspired me to pursue a career in aerospace engineering and allowed me to meet people who do jobs similar to those  I want later in life.”

Beau

Birmingham

Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions

If you are aged 11 to 19 and attend a state school or college in the UK, you are eligible to access all our fully funded programmes. Register for a student account on our online portal to start applying for in person work experience and virtual work experience* or browse our online library of inspirational talks to get on-demand content featuring tips, insights, and industry spotlights from hundreds of high-profile professionals. You can also opt to take our quick Career Personality Quiz to find out what career type best suits you best and receive regular email updates on our latest placements and inspirational talks. If you would like to access our National Teen Book Club, please talk to your school about registering to take part. *Please note that your school or college will also need to be registered with Speakers for Schools for you to complete the application process for any work experience placement.

Yes, you can, but you will only have limited access to our programmes if your school or college does not register with us too. Setting up an educator account is very easy and there is no cost to your school, so in the case your school is not yet set up with an account on our portal, please contact your careers lead to request they register. Once your school is registered, you will be able to apply for work experience either via the opportunities page on our website or via the portal. No separate school registration process is required for you to view online content from our inspirational talks library.

We aim to make all our placements as accessible as possible, but we understand that some students require additional support to take part in work experience and/or get the most out of their experience. We run some dedicated SEND placements which are specially designed to accommodate a variety of additional needs. Please take a look at our SEND page to find out what additional support is available currently.

All our activities are designed to benefit you in some meaningful way! Work experience can provide you with useful insights and practical learning opportunities that will give you a deeper understanding of the world of work and what type of career will best suit you. It will also: Help you make more informed decisions around subject choices. Broaden your horizons and enable you to build your confidence and gain the essential skills that employers will value. Boost your CV or personal statement, providing tangible evidence of your interest in a particular career, discipline, employer, or industry. Increase your chances of securing a place at a chosen college or university, getting onto a training course or apprenticeship, or even landing your first job. Plus, doing multiple work experience placements while in education has also been proven to increase your annual salary once in full-time work. Educators also tell us that our inspirational talks have helped their students access credible information about jobs and careers and have had a hugely positive effect on their students’ understanding of the workplace.

Your parents and carers can visit the about us page on our website here, where they will find information about our social mobility mission, the fully funded programmes we offer and how we can support young people like you. We also run online introductory sessions for parents and carers throughout the year where we invite parents and carers to join us to learn more about our programmes, their impact, and some of the employers we work with. Parents and carers can register their interest in attending one of these events, by subscribing to our email updates.

There is no single pathway that is best, and it is important to review your options at each stage in your career journey. Some careers require a university degree while others are more flexible. Employers generally offer a range of pathways into ‘early careers’ for young people including entry-level roles (where you can join straight after leaving school), apprenticeships (where you can earn as you learn and there are various levels available) and graduate roles (where you require a university degree to apply). Learning more about different industries, employers and career options while still at school can help you to make more informed choices about what you go on to do next. Taking part in work experience offers a perfect opportunity to discover more about the range of options available with an employer and, during the sessions, employers will often signpost the different pathways available and offer some practical applications guidance and tips.

Careers education is the general term used to describe any advice, guidance, training, information, or learning opportunities you receive while still at school or college to help get career-ready and make informed decisions about your pathway into the world of work. We like to think of our website as a careers guidance platform for students aged 11 to 19, helping you consider a wider range of career suggestions, as well as accessing a wider range of opportunities to gather crucial careers advice and support to make those all-important career choices.

There is no one-size-fits-all all approach to careers and the truth is, whatever your strengths or interests, there are probably hundreds of jobs that you might find are a good fit for you. This is why we recommend keeping an open mind and being prepared to consider a range of different options. Our taster sessions and work placements give you the ideal way to explore inspiring career options by providing opportunities to take a closer look and compare multiple employment options in the same industry or look at one discipline across a few industries. To help you identify your strengths and interests, why not take our Career Personality Quiz?

Still got a question? Get in touch and we will be more than happy to help.