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How to Get Work Experience: A Guide for Year 10 and 12 Students

• Published April 30, 2024

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about your future career but you’re unsure of the right path to get there? Work experience allows you to be a fly on the wall in your chosen industry. 

Students get two opportunities to engage in work experience as a part of their education: once in Year 10 and once in Year 12. Taking these opportunities is a really fantastic idea for a wealth of reasons, not least the fact that it looks good on your CV.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of a work placement, where to look for opportunities, and how to get work experience for year 10s and year 12s. Let’s dive in.

What is Work Experience?

Work experience refers to a few days or weeks where you work in your chosen field. ‘Work’ here is a loose term because you’ll often only be doing light work or shadowing somebody as you gain practical insights into the field.

Work experience can give you some great insights into your future career, sort of like a taster of what you’ll be doing when you leave school. 

Is Work Experience Paid?

Usually, work experience is unpaid. You only do the role for a short time, often just a week, and you don’t take on much responsibility. The primary benefit, rather than payment, is gaining deeper insights into the world of work.

Benefits of Work Experience

Although it’s unpaid, there are tons of benefits to completing work experience. Above all else, you get to test the waters with the career of your choice. If you don’t like it, you can always change your plans!

Alongside that, you have something to add to your CV and UCAS application. Plus, you’ll likely gain some new skills along the way.

Here are the primary benefits of work experience.

It’s Useful for Your UCAS Application or CV

Depending on what you want to study at university, work experience can be useful. For specific professions like teaching, law, or medicine, work experience looks good on your UCAS application and is great for drawing on in your interviews.

Even if you’re not sure about university, work experience looks good on your CV. It can be helpful for landing internships, apprenticeships, and entry-level positions. 

An Opportunity to Develop

Throughout your work experience, you might learn quite a lot about yourself even in a short space of time. You can test out career options and find out if you’re suited to different roles.

Furthermore, you can discover what inspires you, learn about your strengths, and find areas for self-improvement. You might even grow closer relationships with the people you know in your chosen field.

Helps You Learn About Your Future Career

The whole point of work experience is to learn about your future career. As a result, you can decide if you like it, or potentially adjust your course to something new.

Later down the line, the skills and connections you develop during work experience can help you get into jobs and internships.

Builds Your Soft Skills

Soft skills are a necessity for university and your future career. Work experience can teach you:

• Organisation and punctuality
• Teamwork and communication
• Problem-solving
• Flexibility and adapting to new environments

These are skills that are useful in any job, so make sure you list them on your CV. It’s helpful to have specific anecdotes from your work experience that highlight these skills.

It’s a Fun Challenge

For many people, work experience is a chance to get out of their comfort zones. It can be a little scary going to work for the first time, but the challenge is part of the fun!

As Morgan Freeman once said, “Challenge yourself: it’s the only path which leads to growth.”

Through this challenge, you’ll gain new confidence and skills that will help you in later life.

Types of Work Experience

Work experience comes in many forms. You can try to get work experience at any time by arranging your own placement. If you do this during the summer or after year 12, you can spend longer on a placement, which gives you more options.

The types of work experience include:

• Work shadowing: Watching somebody perform their job for a few days.
• Internships: Paid or unpaid work experience that lasts 2-3 months during the summer.
• Placements: Working in an entry-level job role to gain experience, usually for one year. These are often paid.
• Gap year: Working abroad with a company or charity for one year after sixth form.
• Virtual work experience: Doing a virtual placement to gain insights about a job role while working from home.

Generally, Year 10 work experience involves shadowing. However, you can always strike out on your own during the holidays to get extra work experience to show that you’re passionate.

How to Get Work Experience

Landing the right work experience role is no easy feat. In fact, you may need to apply for several positions before you get one. Here’s a great guide for getting work experience.

Start Early and Plan Strategically

Make sure you start planning well in advance. That way, you’re more likely to get the role you want before the slot is filled by somebody else. At the beginning of the year, start to think about the industry you would like to work in. If it’s a competitive field like medicine, start sending out applications months (or even a year) in advance.

You should also develop a strategic plan for work experience. Think about what your goals are and try to find a placement that fits. Your goals may be to:

• Gain experience in a specific profession
• Be in a particular work environment, like an office
• Try a particular skill
• Learn how to interact with customers

By thinking of your goals and industries, you can start to narrow down the right role. Check out the National Careers Service to find information on specific careers and research the ones that interest you.

Need inspiration on how to get work experience? Read our articles: Work experience ideas for year 10 and Work experience ideas for year 12  

Choose the Right Place

With your chosen industry in mind, it’s time to look at places you could work. Here are some ideas to get you started, organised by field.

Reach Out to Interesting Employers

Next, compile a list of potential employers in your area. Then, it’s time to start making the rounds. You can start by walking into local businesses, introducing yourself, and asking how to apply for a work placement. 

Alternatively, you can reach out online via email. You can email the business’s helpline, or find out who the manager is and reach out via email or LinkedIn. Send a friendly message that introduces yourself, then attach your CV and ask about a work placement. If you don’t hear back after a while, you may want to phone them for a follow-up.

Reaching out might seem intimidating, but it’s often the best way to get a placement. Plus, most businesses are happy to hear from interested students.

Utilise Online Platforms

Some businesses post work experience placements on job boards. Make sure you check out Indeed and LinkedIn, and use the search functions to find work experience opportunities.

You can also try industry-specific job boards, depending on the sector you’re trying to work in. 

Online platforms are particularly useful when it comes to virtual work placements, so make sure you keep an eye out. You can also set alerts in advance so that, when the time comes, you can apply quickly.

Networking is one of the easiest ways to get work experience. If you want to know how to get into work experience with no experience, it’s often through networking. 

If you know someone who works in a field you enjoy, now is the time to reach out. It could be a family member, or friend, or even a teacher. Even if they can’t give you a placement, they might be able to point you in the right direction.

Remember that, if you choose to take a placement with a family member, you should still formalise the arrangement with a contract.

Also, if you have a career that you’re set on, you can always start networking early. Reach out to relevant figures on LinkedIn and social media, or attend industry events and fairs. Making connections is a great way to get a placement, but it will also help you down the line when you want to enter the job market for real.

Craft a Standout CV and Cover Letter

A CV is essential for work experience. You’ll need to craft a compelling CV to make you stand out from other candidates. Remember that your CV should be specific to the industry you want to work in. There’s no point writing, ‘Excellent knowledge of social media marketing,’ if you’re trying to work in medicine.

Your CV should include details on your education, any prior work experience or volunteering, a list of your skills (both soft and hard), and a short section explaining who you are. The personal statement is important, so don’t overlook it. Try to make the CV short–ideally, it should fit on one page.

Read our article: How to write about work experience in your personal statement . 

You can write your CV on a simple document like Microsoft Word. Or, you can go above and beyond with a free template on Canva , which can make your CV look professional and stand out.

You’ll also need to write a cover letter. This should explain:

• Who you are
• Why you’re applying for the position
• What your future career goals are
• What your relevant skills are
• If you have any previous work experience
• Why you are a good candidate

Make the cover letter specific to each role you apply for. Companies will be able to tell if you copy-paste the same letter to every role you’re applying for. Here are some more cover letter tips:

• Research: Ensure you know about the position and the organisation, and be specific about this in your letter. Show that you’ve done your research.
• Add your contact information: Your letter should include contact details at the top, including your full name, address, and postcode. You may also want to include your email address and phone number.
• Introduce yourself: Make sure you add some personality to the letter. Explain some of the basic details about yourself, like what you’re studying and why you’re interested in the role.
• Explain your goals: Tell your potential employer what your future career goals are.
• Highlight your qualifications: Discuss your studies, skills, and any previous experience.
• Talk about your interests: If they’re relevant, talk about your hobbies or interests. This includes hobbies that have taught you particular soft skills.
• Add a call to action: At the end of the letter, invite the hiring manager to contact you. You can tell them you look forward to hearing from them and let them know about your availability.
• Address and sign the letter properly: Make sure you address the letter to the recipient properly, including adding the date and address. At the end, sign with ‘sincerely’ or ‘best regards,’ and your name.
• Format your letter: There are plenty of helpful templates online to help you format your letter. Again, you can use Canva to find a professional template or make your own.
• Proofread: Always proofread your letter to identify grammatical errors and readability issues. After all, you need to seem professional and pay attention to detail.

Prepare for Interviews

Usually, you will need to do an interview before receiving your work experience placement. You may be interviewed by one, two, or multiple people.

Make sure you prepare for your interview by researching. You should be familiar with the role and the company to show hiring managers that you are prepared and knowledgeable, and also passionate about the role. 

Aside from doing the relevant research, prepare for your interview by learning how to be professional. Make sure you select a smart outfit and research some interview tips to impress the hiring managers. For example, begin the interview with some small talk and ask your interviewers how they are. This will help you to seem approachable and confident.

During your interview, they will ask you probing questions. There will be a structure, with many of the questions being specific to the role in question. Expect to answer questions about:

• Why you are interested in the field or company
• Your suitability for the role
• What skills you have
• Technical questions related to the role
• Your relevant experiences
• Hypothetical questions about the role

Often, they will ask you follow-up questions based on your answers. You also may be asked to provide more detail or challenged on your answer. This isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes, interviewers want to test your opinions. However, if you think you might have genuinely said something wrong, it’s okay to backtrack and take a different route.

At the end of the interview, it’s always recommended to ask at least one question. You can ask your interviewers:

• What skills and traits their ideal candidate possesses
• What previous interns have done career-wise after their placement
• What they like most about the company
• How the company is engaging with a specific issue in the industry

During your pre-interview research, you might Google some industry-specific questions to impress your interviewers.

At the end of the interview, be polite with your interviewers. Feel free to make small talk and wish your interviewers a good evening or weekend as you leave. 

How Volunteering Can Help You with Work Experience

Aside from traditional work experience placements, you can also try volunteering. Again, this involves an unpaid position tangentially related to your field of interest. 

Volunteering can also help you gain the necessary skills for future employment, including teamwork and problem-solving in a real-world context. Plus, volunteering is an altruistic activity that shows you care about your community. This looks fantastic on a CV or university application–employers often value the commitment and passion demonstrated through volunteer work.

What’s more, you might meet people along the way who can help you get a foot on the career ladder. Remember, networking is a great way to find jobs.

How to Find Programmes That Offer Work Experience

Sometimes, finding relevant work experience in your desired industry is too tricky. This may be due to competitive applications, a lack of time, or other unforeseen circumstances.

In this case, it’s possible to find suitable experience through a work experience course.

For example, Immerse Education’s Career Insights programme can help you gain hands-on experience in industries such as Engineering , Fine Art , Business Management , Law , and several others. With work experience courses available in New York , London , and San Francisco , you can meet like minded people, engage with an industry you’re interested in, and meet experts.

Gearing up for the Future

As you embark on the journey of work experience in Year 10 and 12, look at it as more than a mandatory task. Instead, see it as an opportunity to challenge yourself and grow toward your future.

Whether you choose traditional work experience or an Immerse Education course, work experience is a fantastic way to develop your skills and shape your future academic pursuits. It goes far beyond embellishing your CV–it’s a way to gear up for your future and become your brightest self.

Find out more our career and industry-led programmes.

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140+ Work Experience Ideas (Ideal for Year 10 and Year 12)

In A-Level , Career , GCSE , General by Think Student Editor January 17, 2024 2 Comments

When it comes to applying for jobs and university, you need to find a way to make your application stand out. When you’re fresh out of school or university, this can be difficult as you will often not have much to put onto your university application or CV. Something that can help to make you stand out from the crowd is having experience, particularly in the area that you want to go into. While work experience can be an important part of your application, it can be difficult to know how to get it.

Continue reading to get some ideas on how to get work experience to give your applications a boost. This article will list ideas for particular sectors and give you more of an idea of how you can actually do this work experience yourself.

Table of Contents

General work experience ideas

Getting work experience can incredibly important and useful regardless of what you want to do in the future. Even if you’re not sure what you want to study or don’t have any particular career that you’re interested in, getting work experience is still worth your time.

If this is the case for you, you’ll probably look for more general and less specific work experience that can be applied to many different study or career paths.

1. Volunteer at a charity shop

Volunteering at a charity shop can be one of the best ways to get work experience. It can also be one of the easiest ways.

While other forms of work experience may require you to meet specific requirements in order to be able to do it, getting work experience at a charity shop will not normally need this. Getting work experience in a charity shop can be done either by applying on their website or applying in-store.

For more on this, you can look at this page from the British Heart Foundation and this page by Oxfam.

2. Work at a café or restaurant

Working at a café or restaurant can be a great way to get work experience in hospitality. This type of work experience can be done through voluntary or paid work.

To get paid work experience at a café or restaurant, simply apply on either their website or a job search site, such as Indeed or Reed. If you need the work experience for a specific time slot, such as for your work experience week, it may be best to go to a small restaurant or café and contact them directly to ask if this would be possible. You may also want to try a community café, which may already have voluntary positions.

3. Volunteer at a food bank

The requirements that you need to volunteer at a food bank may differ slightly depending on the organisation that the food bank is a part of. If your local food bank is smaller, you may be able to contact them directly through email or phone and ask about volunteering positions .

However, if part of a large network of food banks, getting this work experience can normally be done by applying on their website. Although for both options you may need parental permission if you’re under 18. To learn more about this, check out this page by The Trussel Trust.

4. Get work experience at a hotel

Getting work experience in a hotel can be great as it gives you a taste of several different job areas, such as hospitality, business and customer service. Some hotel chains will have work experience programmes of their own and to get these you will just need to apply.

For example, the IHG Academy Work Experience allows students to work shadow at IHG hotels for up to 2 weeks. To learn more about this programme, check out this page on the IHG website. The Grand Brighton hotel also has a work experience placement for students in the area, which you can learn more about here on their website.

Other hotels may not advertise work experience. However, it can’t hurt to contact them and ask if you could do work experience with them.

5. Volunteer with a charity

As already mentioned, volunteering at a charity shop is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to get work experience. However, there are many other ways to get work experience by getting involved in a charity.

The exact roles included in this will depend on the nature of the charity itself. For Age UK, roles may be related to helping older people at social clubs or day centres run by the charity. To learn more about this, check out the Age UK website .

For other charities, volunteer roles may include gardening, admin work or befriending. To learn more about this and how to get involved, check out this page on the Sue Ryder website.

6. Volunteer at your local library

Work experience at a library can vary based on what your local council’s policies are and what your local library offers. Due to this, how you can get work experience at a library can also.

You can often apply for either a work experience placement or a volunteering position by directly contacting the library . However, you may instead need to apply through your school. For more on this, check out this page by Aberdeen City Council.

Some council’s will require you to be 18 before being able to volunteer with their libraries. If this is the case, you may still be able to get a library work experience placement with the British library.

This can be in-person or virtually and will last 1 or 2 weeks. To learn more about getting this work experience, check out this page by the British Library.

7. Get involved in local events or festivals

Getting involved in local events and festivals can be an excellent way to get work experience and develop your organisation and problem-solving skills. There are so many different, independent events and festivals that take place in the UK and so there’s no set way of getting this work experience.

However, if the event has its own website or social media page, you may be able to use it to contact the organisers and ask if they have volunteering or work experience available for you. It is important to note that some event and festival volunteering opportunities will only be open to people above 18.

To get you started, click here to find a list of festivals and events in the UK on the Visit England website.

Medical and healthcare-related work experience ideas

If you’re planning to go to university and study either a medicine degree or some kind of NHS-funded healthcare degree, then universities will typically want you to have work experience. The work experience that you need will often be in order to show off your personal qualities, such as resilience, motivation and communication, as well as to make sure that you understand what the role you are aiming for involves. For degrees related to these, such as Pharmacy, Pharmacology or Biomedical Sciences, work experience could also still be useful.

Please note that the following work experience ideas are partially based off this page by the NHS.

8. Get work experience at your local hospital

While you won’t be directly involved in treating patients, getting work experience for medicine or a healthcare profession at your local hospital or clinic could be a great way for you to get a better understanding of what’s involved in this profession.

How you get this work experience may depend on where you live and the policies these hospitals have. However, many hospitals already have volunteering positions, which you can often find on their websites in the careers section.

Otherwise, you may want to email them more directly to ask if you would be able to volunteer with them . To find your local hospital, check out this page on the NHS website.

9. Get work experience at your local GP surgery

Once again, how you get work experience with your local GP may depend on where you live and the policies the GP has. GP surgery websites that I’ve come across don’t particularly have a clear section to tell you about volunteering positions available.

However, they will often have a section on their website where you can message them and ask if there are work experience or volunteering positions available. To find your local GP’s website, check out this page by the NHS.

10. Get work experience at a dentist surgery

For a Dentistry degree, work experience is once again vital. Similarly to a GP, there is generally little in the way of volunteering positions or obvious work experience placements.

However, there are often ways, such as through email or through their website, that you can contact the dentist surgery and ask about any work experience or volunteering positions that may be available. To find your local dentist surgery, check out this page by the NHS.

11. Get work experience at a pharmacy company

There are 2 main ways that you can get work experience in pharmacy. This can be either through voluntary work experience or paid work.

If you’re over 16, you may be able to get work experience with a pharmaceutical company on a placement in summer. To learn more about this and find which companies may offer these programmes, check out this guide by ABPI.

You may also be able to work in your local pharmacy as a counter assistant or similar job. To find jobs, such as these, check out this page by Indeed.

12. Get work experience at a mental health clinic or hospital

To do this work experience, you can look on a mental health clinic or hospital’s website to see what voluntary positions they have available . For younger students, this type of work experience may be more difficult to get as for some clinics and hospitals, you will need to be at least 18 to volunteer.

If you’re in Year 10 or Year 12 and need to find a work experience placement for the week, you may still be able to contact them directly, such as through email, and ask if doing the work experience for a limited time is possible. To find your local mental health clinic or hospital, check out this page by the NHS.

Health and social care work experience ideas

Health and social care roles refer to careers where individuals help others who have social, physical or mental needs. Consequently, finding work experience can be difficult, as you may need certain qualifications.

Regardless, there are plenty of opportunities out there which are related to this sector in some way!

13. Volunteer at a residential care home

As care homes are generally private, getting work experience at a care home can vary much more as it will fully depend on the policies of who runs it. You may want to look at a particular care home company’s website to see what positions for work experience or volunteering that they may have available . For example, Care UK offers a work experience placement for school pupils as well as a work placement for school leavers that last between 2 and 4 weeks, which you can learn more about on their website here .

Otherwise, you can look at finding the care home most accessible to you. To do this, look at this page by EAC Housing Care to find a list of care homes in the UK.

There are plenty of care homes around the UK you could volunteer at. You wouldn’t be required to do any caring duties.

Your role would be to just maybe chat to the residents and keep them company, or maybe organise some activities which you could do with them. Just call up a local care home and ask!

14. Volunteer for a charity such as AgeUK

AgeUK specifically supports older people who may feel lonely. By becoming a volunteer, you could work in a charity shop and raise money. Alternatively, you could become a telephone friend and talk to those older individuals who may feel lonely.

You can discover more volunteer opportunities if you check out this article from the AgeUk website.

15. Shadow a professional working for the NHS

There are plenty of different caring roles in the NHS. Therefore, it would be best for you to research the specific role you are interested in.

Then contact as many organisations as you can which offer NHS services . Check out this page from the NHS website to discover how you can actually find shadowing opportunities.

16. Virtual work experience

It may be hard to find opportunities for shadowing professionals in the health and social care sector. Therefore, virtual work experience is a Godsend!

Springpod offers virtual work experience for a range of different health and social care careers, allowing participants to get a well-rounded view! You can check this out if you visit their website here .

17. Volunteer at a special school

There are schools in the UK specifically built for children with physical and mental disabilities. These children need lots of extra support, so if you volunteer at one, you need to be aware of the great responsibility you would be given.

If you are interested in a caring role such as this, it would be best to contact these types of schools local to you.

18. Volunteer in an aid working charity

An example of a charity that offers aid to those in need is the British Red Cross. You could volunteer to help those individuals who are in emergency situations, strengthening your skill set to help vulnerable people.

Helping vulnerable people is the main aim of roles related to health and social care. There are other volunteer roles available which you can even do virtually! To find out more, check out the British Red Cross website here .

19. Become a childminder

If you are thinking about working with children in a career related to health and social care, becoming a babysitter of childminder can provide valuable work experience. This is because it will allow you to gain a real insight into how children behave and develop.

Consider putting up an advert displaying your services in your local corner shop or even on social media if this is done in a safe manner.

20. Shadow a social worker

Social workers are individuals who help to improve their client’s well-being and offer support if they are facing tough challenges. If you know any companies which employ social workers and this job interests you, it may be useful to call them up!

You could then gain a real insight into the career. Check out this article from Social Work News to discover some useful tips on shadowing a social worker.

21. Volunteer as a youth worker

You could volunteer at a youth centre and gain valuable experience working with youths from all kinds of different backgrounds. You could be involved in organising fun activities and helping the youths to increase their confidence!

This experience will not only help you stand out but could also allow you to find important contacts. You can find out more about youth workers if you check out this article from Indeed.

22. Peer mentor

Becoming a peer mentor is a more accessible way of gaining work experience. This is because many schools have a peer mentoring scheme.

If this is the case, maybe ask a teacher if they could introduce peer mentoring, as it will give you valuable experience of working with younger individuals. To discover how to be the best peer mentor possible, check out this article from the Together Platform.

Teaching and working with children or vulnerable people work experience ideas

Two more of the degree areas that will generally need you to have work experience to be able to get onto the degree programme are teaching and social work. While not directly linked, both of these degree programmes are linked with working with children and may also be linked with working with vulnerable people. Due to this, the work experience options that you can get for them largely overlap.

23. Get work experience at a primary school

A great way to get work experience in teaching is to go back to your old primary school to get work experience there. If this is not possible or convenient, then you can always contact other local primary schools to see if you can do work experience with them.

The best way to get this work experience is to directly contact the primary school. As you’ll be working around children, you may need to get a DBS check if you’re over 16.

24. Get work experience at a secondary school

Another way to get work experience is at your local secondary school. This is arguably much easier as you would have gone to the secondary school much more recently and may even still have their contact details.

In fact, if you go to a sixth form that is connected to a secondary school, you may even be able to do this without having to formally contact the school. Otherwise, the best way to get this experience is to directly contact the school that you want to do the work experience at and ask if this would be possible and what requirements you would need to meet .

25. Volunteer at a youth club

How you can get a volunteering position at a youth club will depend on who runs the club and your location. If the club is registered with your local authority, you may be able to apply or register your interest on its website. For example, if you live in London, you can find different positions on the Greater London Authority website, such as this position here .

Otherwise, you may want to contact the youth club organisers directly. You may be able to find this on your local council’s website or where the youth club is advertised, which may be in local newspapers or on social media.

26. Volunteer at a nursery or day care centre

Getting work experience at a nursery or day care centre may be a little more difficult for students as some voluntary positions may require you to be 18 or have certain childcare qualifications. However, some centres do offer work experience and volunteering positions that even younger students are able to do and to find these it is best to look for ones in your local area, check their websites and message them directly.

For example, Pioneer Childcare offers work experience for students even if in school or college. To learn more about this position and how to contact them to apply, check out this page on their website.

27. Volunteer at sports clubs or dance classes

Like many other work experience ideas on this list, how exactly you get this work experience will depend on your region and personal circumstance.

If you live in a region that has a directory of different sports clubs and classes, then you may be able to apply through this or get the contact details for how you’re supposed to apply otherwise. For an example of this, check out this page on the East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust website.

If not the case, you can try to use your personal contacts, such as previous experience at a sports club or dance class or people you know that run one. Alternatively, you could search for clubs and classes in your local area and contact them directly to see if you can volunteer.

Media and publishing work experience ideas

To get into media production courses, students may need to already have some work experience in this field . Despite it being highly technical, there are several ways that you can do this.

Also, getting work experience in other areas in the media industry, such as journalism and publishing, can help to give you a better insight into these careers, even if you don’t need work experience in order to study it.

28. Get work experience at a local radio station

Get work experience at your local radio station or local hospital radio can be done by directly contacting them through their website, email or some other means. Please note that there may be an age limit.

For example, volunteering with the hospital radio at Royal Berkshire Hospital requires you to be at least 17, meaning that you may have the opportunity to do this work experience in Year 12 but won’t in Year 10. To learn more about this, check out this page on their website.

29. Do work experience at a local newspaper or magazine

Local newspapers and magazines are unlikely to directly advertise a work experience position. However, if you contact them directly, you can ask if doing a work shadowing placement would be possible.

Depending on the school you go to, you may be able to volunteer with your school’s newspaper or newsletter. While on a much smaller scale, this work experience could even prove to be better as it would be much more hands-on.

If neither of these options are possible, you can get work experience in journalism online . For example, Springpod have a journalism work experience programme that features speakers from BBC News and The Financial Times. To learn more about this, check out this page on Springpod’s website.

30. Work for an online newspaper or magazine

If you’re interested in journalism or other writing jobs, this work experience can be vital in order to develop your own skills. There are many different positions available, and you’ll need to choose which one suits you best.

For example, here at Think Student, students are given the opportunity to write articles and gain experience in this field , which you can learn more about here .

Other options include Shout Out UK, an online newspaper run by young people. It focuses on politics, but articles may also be about pop culture and trends or social media. You can learn more about this on their website here .

For more on where you can get work experience by writing for an online newspaper or magazine, check out this article by The Guardian.

31. Get work experience at a television studio

Unfortunately, getting direct work experience at a television studio will generally require students to be at least 18. Opportunities of this kind are offered by companies such as ITV , Tiger Aspect and Endemol Shine UK , which you can find more about by clicking on their respective links.

However, you can still get television work experience with online work experience schemes . For example, Channel 4 runs their 4Skills programme for students aged 16 or above. To learn more about this programme, check out this page on the 4Skills website.

32. Get work experience at a publishing company

Getting work experience in a publishing company can once again be quite difficult for younger students as many will want you to be at least 18. For example, Penguin Random House and the independent publisher, Slightly Foxed , both have work experience programmes for over 18s, which you can learn about by clicking on their respective links.

However, if you directly contact a smaller publishing firm, they may be able to accept you as a volunteer or for a work experience placement . To learn more about this, check out this article by The Publishing Training Centre.

English literature and language work experience ideas

Work experience related to English language and literature is everywhere. After all, English is essential for jobs, as without communication, there would be havoc!

Therefore, strengthening your English skills will impress any employer . However, if you want to discover work experience ideas more specific to English, check out the list below:

33. Volunteer at a library

If you just call up a local library and ask if you can volunteer, most librarians will be ecstatic! After all, being a library volunteer is not all just about stacking books!

You could help organise events such as creative writing workshops, which would help develop your English writing skills. You could also help deal with the digital aspects of the library, after all, the younger generation is often better at this. You can discover more if you check out this article from Volunteer Work Near Me.

34. Work for the local paper

Working at the local paper would definitely help improve your writing skills. It would also help you learn more about your local community!

If you are interested in writing non-fiction, consider calling up your local newspaper and asking if they would have you. If you want to discover what you would actually do as a newspaper journalist, check out this article from Indeed.

35. Write online blogs

If you enjoy writing but just don’t know what to write about, why not consider writing about yourself! There is guaranteed to be plenty of people online who will enjoy reading about your life.

This is especially true if you write creatively and make your pieces especially entertaining! This may not seem like work experience. However, from writing blogs, you would be developing the essential skills needed by a writer.

36. Shadow employers at an editing house

If you dream about becoming a editor someday, it may be worth gaining some experience in their place of work to see what they do. It would also increase your knowledge of the different literature out there!

You could phone up any local editing houses to ask them if they would consider taking you on. If not, you could always find other ways of editing, such as assisting with the school newspaper.

Check out this article from Indeed if you want to discover how to become an editor.

37. Shadow someone with a role in the media

This could be shadowing someone in a radio show or someone who works for a magazine company. Regardless, you could be improving your verbal and written English skills.

It will be beneficial if you contact companies which are based on roles that you are interested in. If you are given the opportunity to shadow, you will develop extremely useful skills!

38. Shadow at an advertising agency

The field of advertising requires individuals to have good English skills. This is because good catch phrases have to be created and words are carefully selected to accentuate the wonder of the chosen product!

If you know of a brand that is local to you, consider calling them up and asking if you could discover what it is like to advertise with them for the day. This is also a good choice if you have a competitive nature!

39. Shadow an ESL teacher

This is a teacher that teaches English as a second language to students. If you are interested in teaching and explaining the English language to someone, this could be a useful work experience choice.

If you want to discover more about what an ESL teacher actually is, check out this article from The TEFL Academy.

40. Become a proofreader

If you are one of those individuals who love to correct other people’s grammar, consider getting work experience as a proofreader! Not only will your grammar correcting skills increase, you will also be exposed to a wide range of different literature!

You could even just volunteer at charities to start with. To find out more about getting proofreading experience, check out this article from Chron.

Architecture, building and construction work experience ideas

If you want to study degree programmes, such as Architecture or Town and Country Planning, you may need to show off your work experience in your application. Although this will depend on the exact course you study and where you apply to, having work experience in this area can teach you a lot more about these industries, especially as it can be difficult to know what is actually involved in these types of careers.

41. Get work experience at an architecture firm

If you are interested in studying architecture, work experience with an architecture firm is something that will give your application a necessary boost. Some architecture firms offer work experience placements and so you can apply for these schemes on their websites. For example, Scott Brownrigg , DKA and BM3 all offer work experience placements for students, which you can learn more about by clicking on their respective links.

42. Get work experience at a construction company

To get work experience at a construction company, students will need to find construction companies that offer work experience and apply on their websites. For example, the BAM construction company offers work experience placements for school students. To learn more about this, check out this page on their website.

You may also be able to directly contact a construction company to see if they would be able to offer a work experience placement.

43. Get work experience with a town planning company

For Town and Country Planning degrees, you once again, may also need to have work experience. This can be done through a town planning company.

To get this work experience, you can research town planning companies in your area and see if they have work experience opportunities. After this, you may be able to apply directly on their website or email them to learn more about the position.

For example, if you’re 16 or over, you can apply to The Royal Town Planning Institute’s 1-week work experience programme. To learn more about this programme, check out this page by Pathway CTM.

44. Get work experience at your local estate agency

The real estate industry is quite closely linked to town and country planning. Due to this, getting work experience in real estate can help you to better understand the industry. In order to get experience with your local estate agency, you will generally need to contact them directly.

Some estate agents may have sections on their websites about work experience placements. For example, you can look at this page by Galliard Homes to learn more about their 2-week work experience placement for students.

Geography work experience ideas

Geography covers such a wide range of topics, such as the physical environment, issues in the world and even just how to use a map correctly! Consequently, there are many jobs which use geography.

It is just up to you to find them and research the ones which you would enjoy!

45. Volunteer at charities focused on looking after the environment

There are many charities in the UK focusing on saving the environment and fighting climate change. All you have to do is call up the charities you are interested in and get going with any volunteering opportunities!

You could take part in fundraising or action groups if you are interested in this aspect of geography. An example of a charity you could get involved in is called Friends of the earth and their website is found here .

46. Shadow a geologist

Many geologists will only let university level students shadow them. However, if you specifically call up companies and ask them, you may be allowed!

This page from The Geologist’s Online Directory can help you search for companies close to you. As you won’t yet have necessary qualifications, you may just be conducting surveys. Regardless, any type of work experience will be beneficial to you.

47. Shadow a travel agent

If you are interested in the travelling side of geography, it may be worth seeing the life of a travel agent. You will need to have a good knowledge of the world and good problem-solving skills.

If you want to find out more about what the role of a travel agent is, check out this article from Indeed. If this interests you, call up your local travel agents to ask if you could shadow them.

48. Volunteer at a nature reserve

If you are passionate about conservation and preventing extinction, you could perhaps consider volunteering at a nature reserve! Not only would you be given the opportunity to garden, you could be involved in research and GPS tracking!

You could even organise wildlife watch groups . You can discover more about this if you check out this page from The Wildlife Trusts website.

49. Get work experience at your local news station

This may not sound related to geography; however it definitely is! You could get involved in the weather reporting which would be beneficial if you are interested in the physical and scientific parts of geography.

If your local news channel won’t allow you to join, you could still become an active Weather Watcher! You can find out what this means if you check out this article from the BBC.

50. Experience a placement at the British Geological Survey

The BGS offers placements to individuals under 18! Those who are selected are given the opportunity to work with scientists and gain a real insight into the world of geological research .

The work experience only lasts a week; however the opportunity would be incredible! You can discover how to apply and find out what is involved if you check out this article from their official website.

51. Volunteer at the DofE awards scheme

If you are a dab hand at orienteering, reading maps and compasses, this could be a great opportunity for you! This is because you could share your knowledge with others to help them navigate their routes during the DofE award scheme.

You can discover how to become a volunteer if you check out the DofE official website here.

STEM-related work experience ideas

Unless you want to become a scientist, a mathematician or a teacher, knowing what careers are available in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) can be difficult. Due to this, work experience can be a great way for you to learn more about it before committing to a degree, an apprenticeship or a job.

52. Get work experience with an accountancy firm

Accountancy may not be the first thing when you think of STEM. However, due to its mathematical basis, it can be a great career option for students who enjoy maths. Accounting degrees are another one of the degree programmes that may need you to have work experience.

First of all, if you meet the criteria, you may be eligible for the Access Accountancy work experience programme. This programme aims to level the playing field to allow students to get into accounting based on their own merits rather than background, which you can learn more about here on its website.

There is also the Explore BDO Insight Programme aimed at students in Year 11- 13, which you can learn more about on their website here . Otherwise, you can directly contact an accountancy firm to see what work experience positions they may have available for your age and expertise level .

53. Get work experience at a laboratory

If you’re interested in studying science or even pursuing a career in science, doing your placement at a laboratory can be a great way to get work experience. This may be done at a private laboratory or at the pathology laboratory at a hospital. For both of these options, students will need to apply through the website or as otherwise told.

Some opportunities include work experience at your local hospital, which you can learn more about on this page by NHS Gloucestershire Hospitals. As well as the National Nuclear Laboratory or NPL , to learn more about these work experience programmes, click on their respective links.

54. Do work shadowing at a vet clinic

If you’re interested in doing a Veterinary Medicine degree, getting work experience in this area can be an absolute must. The best way to get this experience is to find local vets in your area and contact them or apply through their website.

Some vets will already have work experience programmes and others may allow you to do a work shadowing placement. For example, Cerdarmount Veterinary Clinic in Bangor allows students to observe and learn about the processes involved in this field. To learn more about this opportunity, check out this page on their website.

55. Get work experience at a technology company

Working at a technology company can give you an insight into the vast range of jobs within the industry. Some technology companies offer specific work experience programmes aimed at students and young people .

For example, Cisco has a Pathway To Your Future Work Experience programme, aimed at either 14- 16-year-olds or 16- 18-year-old girls . To learn more about this programme, check out this page of their website.

56. Get involved in a research placement

If you’re in Year 12 and meet certain eligibility criteria, you may be able to undertake a research project. This programme is called Nuffield Research Placements and students are paired with a host organisation to do work experience in scientific research. To learn more about this and how you can get involved, check out the Nuffield Research Placements website, here .

57. Get work experience in aircraft engineering

This one sounds a little bit more vague and you may be wondering how exactly you would be able to get this kind of work experience. There are several ways you can go about this, such as getting this experience with an airline or an airport, who may offer this programme .

For example, British Airways has a work experience programme for engineering, that allows you to spend between 3 and 5 days with them. To learn more about this work experience opportunity, check out their website here .

Otherwise, you could do aircraft engineering work experience with the RAF . This work experience opportunity would similarly be about 5 days and would give students the opportunity to learn more about the role. To learn more about it, check out this guide by the RAF.

58. Get work experience with a car manufacturer

Getting work experience with a car manufacturer could allow you to gain a better understanding of the engineering and manufacturing processes involved. You may also be able to get work experience about business and project management side of the industries as well.

For example, Bentley provides both work experience and virtual work experience programmes aimed at students between the ages of 14 and 19. To learn more about these opportunities, check out this page on the Bentley careers website.

59. Do a STEM World Skills competition for work experience

If you’re interested in engineering or computing, this could be a great option for you if you’re in Year 12 or above.

To take part, you will need to be entered into the competition by your college or training provider so if you’re interested, it’s best to talk to them about this.

You can learn more about how it works here and more about the types of competition here both on the World Skills UK website.

60. Go to STEM university work experience summer schools

For STEM subjects, many different universities hold summer schools and other programmes. Some of these programmes, they are specifically designed as work experience opportunities.

For example, Imperial College London offers a Year 12 work experience programme in maths and scientific departments . You can learn more about it in this page on their website.

Also, the University of Sheffield offers a virtual work experience programme in physics . You can learn more about it here on their website.

61. Work shadow an electrician

Electricians don’t typically offer formal work experience programmes. However, instead you can try to arrange a work shadowing placement. This means that you will simply be observing an electrician as they work and have the opportunity to ask questions if need be.

To do this, you should directly contact electricians or firms in your local area to see if they would be willing to allow you to work shadow.

62. Work shadow a mechanic

There may be some mechanic work experience programmes. These are more likely to be done with a car manufacturer in their services department rather than a mechanic company.

For example, East Western Motor Group offers a work experience programme, that includes their after sales department. You can learn more about it on this page of their website.

However, you may also be able to arrange a work shadowing placement with a car mechanic by contacting them directly.

63. Work shadow the lab technicians at your school or college

In this role, you would be able to see how the lab technicians at your school or college set up practical experiments for different classes to do.

It’s best to start by talking to your form tutor, your head of year or your science teacher to get started. They should be able to tell you how this would work and what you need to do to be able to have this as your work experience.

64. Work shadow the IT support department at your school or college

A great way to get work experience in IT and computing is to do it through your school. This can be done by work shadowing the IT support department at your school.

To get this work experience, you should talk to your form tutor or your head of year first to see if this is even possible. From there, they should be able to tell you everything that you need to do to be able to do this work experience.

65. Get work experience at software development companies

This type of work experience can teach you more about this ever-growing industry and what careers are available.

This can be done through a company’s formal programme . For example, Softwire runs a 1-week work experience placement during the half term holidays. This is aimed at students between Year 10 and Year 13.

You can learn more about this by checking out this page on their website.

66. Get work experience in cybersecurity

You may decide to go down the virtual work experience route.  There are a range of options that will teach you more about the field of cybersecurity. You can learn more by checking out this article by Youth Employment.

Alternatively, you could apply to a company’s work experience programmes specifically cover cybersecurity. For example, Cisco’s Pathways work experience programme for Year 11s and Year 12s has some sessions on cybersecurity.

For more, check out this page on their website.

67. Get work experience at a science museum

In order to volunteer at a science museum, you may need to be over the age of 18. However, some science museums may also offer work experience placements, so it’s important to check before ruling this out entirely.

Once again, you’ll need to arrange this in a similar way to work shadowing. In this way, make sure you’ve clearly written asking about any work experience placements and included your CV.

68. Get work experience at an astronomical observatory

An astronomical observatory can be a great placement if you’re interested in astronomy and space sciences. This can teach you more about the work of an astronomer.

One work experience programme is the one at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. On this work experience, each student will have 1 week in August of placement alongside another student.

You can learn more about this by checking out this page on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

69. Get work experience with Formula 1

If you’re interested in aerodynamics, mechanics or a related field, getting work experience within a Formula 1 team could be perfect for you.

To go about this, you will need to email the HR department to ask if they have any work experience available and when this is. It would be a good idea to include a CV and maybe even a cover letter when applying.

You can learn more about this on this page of the Formula Careers website.

70. Get work experience with the Met Office

If you’re interested in meteorology, getting work experience with the Met Office could be perfect. This work experience is open to young people between the ages of 13 and 18.

This type of work experience is virtual. However, you might be able to do in-person work experience after you have completed the virtual one.

You can learn more about this here on the Met Link website.

Psychology work experience ideas

It can be difficult to get work experience related to psychology. After all, you can’t go around scanning people’s brains and recording all of their different behaviours!

However, there are plenty of work experience opportunities which are directly or indirectly linked to psychology that you may never have thought of before!

71. Springpod virtual work experience

It is true that many professionals won’t allow you to shadow them due to patient confidentiality. Consequently, an alternative way of getting work experience in psychology is to sign up for some virtual work experience.

Springpod is an online platform which allows students to experience what different psychological professions are like . This includes being a sports psychologist, health psychologist and clinical psychologist.

You can find out more about Springpod virtual work experience if you check out their website here . Springpod also offers many other work experience ideas outside of psychology, so they are definitely worth checking out.

72. Shadow a mental health specialist

The NHS has two major services which support individuals with mental health issues, one for children and one for adults. You could call up your local mental health clinics to ask if you could shadow an employer there.

However, you need to be aware that this may not be possible due to client confidentiality . If this is the case, it could be arranged for you to be given the opportunity to have a chat with the mental health professionals.

73. Volunteer at a charity that supports mental health

There are many charities available that support individuals with mental health issues . You can volunteer in many different ways, such as working at a charity shop or helping to organise fundraising events.

You can find out more if you check out this article from the Mind website, which is a charity dedicated to supporting those individuals with mental health issues.

74. Shadow a psychologist or psychiatrist

If you happen to know a certain company of psychologists or psychiatrists, you should consider calling them up and asking them if they could offer you work experience!

However, when you are in the process of shadowing, you need to make sure that you are making the most out of the experience. Check out this article from the Physician Attorney Contract website if you want to discover how to do this.

75. Volunteer at a rehab centre

Volunteering at a rehab centre can be a difficult experience, as the individuals you will see may be struggling. However, it can also be a rewarding experience, as you could be responsible for setting up activities and making sure that the residents are as comfortable as possible .

76. Shadow a special educational needs teaching assistant

SEN teaching assistants help to support children with learning difficulties. They are often found in schools, so if you know that your school has one, there is no harm in asking if you can shadow them!

This could help you gain insight into the role and also learn about behavioural management, which is related to psychology. You can find out more about this and how work experience can help if you check out this article from ZEN Educate.

77. Mentor young offenders

If you are interested in forensic psychology, mentoring young offenders could be a good option. If you choose a good company, you will be specially trained to do this. The Trailblazers mentoring company offers useful opportunities. You can discover their website if you click here .

Mentoring young offenders will definitely help you stand out compared to other applicants!

78. Volunteer at brain injury support groups

If you are interested in neuropsychology and the impacts of brain injuries, this could be a good option for you! Headway is a UK charity which offers support groups to individuals with brain injuries.

You could be responsible for organising groups and events, posting leaflets or even just raising awareness about the devastating impacts of brain injuries. You can discover more about how you can help if you check out this page from Headway.

Artistic and creative industries work experience ideas

When thinking about artistic and creative subjects, it can be difficult to associate these with what jobs you can get with them. Other than the obvious, singer or actor, it can often feel as other job opportunities aren’t available for students who study arts subjects. Due to this, gaining work experience can be a useful way to gain a better understanding of what opportunities and careers exist in the arts.

79. Get work experience at a theatre

A work experience placement at a theatre can teach you about the different areas involved, such as the marketing or technical aspects. Due to there being so many different theatres, the policies of each will differ.

Some may require you to be 16 or 18, which is important to keep in mind when looking for this kind of work experience. Others will have specialised work experience programmes for students in Year 10 and 12 and surrounding ages .

For example, Cambridge Arts Theatre has a 1-week work experience programmes, which you can learn about here on its website. Students may need to apply for theatre work experience on the theatre’s website or by email.

80. Get work experience at a recording studio

A recording studio can be a great place for you to get work experience if you’re interested in music and music technology. This work experience may be offered by a recording studio itself or instead by another music organisation .

For example, Sound Gallery Studios offers a work experience placement to students aged 15- 19, which you can learn more about here on their website. Also, The Music Works, a music charity, offers work experience in music production and studio engineering, which you can learn more about on their website here .

81. Get work experience at an art gallery

Work experience at an art gallery can give students a better understanding of the different areas involved in this industry. Students can get this work experience by looking for voluntary work on the art gallery’s website or the wider organisations website.

There may be an age requirement of 16 or 18, depending on the organisation’s policies. For example, the National Portrait Gallery will need volunteers to be at least 16, although they do run some programmes for school-aged students. To learn more about this, check out this page on their website.

You can also look at this page by National Galleries of Scotland to learn more about the volunteering and work experience available.

82. Volunteer with a costume maker

If you’re interested in the arts as well as fashion, wardrobe work experience could be a great choice for you.

In order to get this kind of work experience, there are certain programmes. For example, there’s the Surrey Arts Wardrobe work experience, which you can learn more about this on this page of their website. As well as, the Punchdrunk work placement, which you can learn more about this on this page of their website.

83. Get work experience at a hairdresser’s or barber’s

Hairdresser’s and barber shops are often small businesses with a single store, and some may not even have a website. Due to this, the best way to try and secure work experience at a hairdresser’s or barber’s is to directly contact them either by email, phone or going into the shop directly.

84. Get work experience at a beauty salon

Getting work experience in the beauty industry can be difficult as there is often a limited number of places you can do it. Getting this experience by working in a beauty salon can be a great way to learn more about how the industry works and what is involved in the job of a beautician.

Like with a hairdresser’s or barber’s, students should directly contact a beauty salon near them to learn about work experience opportunities .

85. Shadow an interior designer

If you are interested in the art of designing houses, it may be useful to consider shadowing an interior designer . You would then gain experience designing houses and talking to a range of people, whilst trying to find out what they would really like.

Consider calling up some local interior designers and asking whether they would let you shadow them! You can discover more about the career of an interior designer as a whole if you check out this article from My World of Work.

86. Volunteer as a painter

If you are interested in sharing you own art with the world, you could just volunteer as a painter and create beautiful art pieces for people. This could help you create contacts and a reputation .

Alternatively, you could volunteer to paint individual’s walls, or even buildings, such as care homes. This could also boost your people skills. Consider being really creative when painting these walls, with the goal of making people smile.

Check out this article from Real Homes to discover some ideas.

87. Volunteer at an after-school club involving art

Normally, schools offer a range of after-schools clubs, based on all of the different subjects. If your school has an after-school club dedicated to art, consider volunteering at it!

You could help children younger than you reach their best potentials when painting and drawing. This would increase your experience with children as well as the subject of art.

88. Volunteer at crafts events

If you research crafts events in your local area, there is guaranteed to be a number of events that pop up! These could be based in churches, community centres or schools.

The art projects are bound to be simplistic, however with your expertise, you could help others create masterpieces. You could be exposed to a range of different crafts.

If you are interested in volunteering with art in general, check out this article from The Arts Society to discover opportunities.

89. Shadow a cake artist

If you are interested in the art of drawing on and decorating cakes, it may be a good idea to phone up your local bakery! You could shadow the cake designers there and discover how they produce the most flawless looking cakes .

Gaining work experience this way is especially beneficial, as you may be taught the exact skills to create the most intricate designs.

90. Gain experience at a graphics company

Getting work experience in graphic design would be extremely valuable to you, as so many industries require graphic designers! If you shadow a graphic designer, you could discover what skills are necessary for the job and what they actually do.

Gaining work experience in this career role could also mean that you can start to create a portfolio. This would be seen as impressive to potential employers. You could even do virtual work experience, as shown by Springpod if you click here .

91. Create your own video games

If you are more interested in coding and digital art, it may be worth considering creating your own video games! You could create beautiful designs and get others to play them and see what they think.

If possible, you could shadow video game designers to get the full experience of what their day-to-day job involves. If you want to discover how to become a fully qualified video game designer, check out this article from Indeed.

Sport work experience ideas

There are many work experience opportunities out there if you are interested in sports. This is the case for if you love to play sports, write about sports or even to just watch them!

Check out the list below to see how you can get involved in sports work experience.

92. Volunteer at a school sports club

You could potentially ask your P.E teachers to let you help out during sports clubs that they may run. It would be useful if you are good at the sport you are asking to volunteer at! It would also be beneficial for you to not mind working with kids!

You could then share your skills with individuals younger than you and show them how to excel at the sport they are playing.

93. Shadow a coach

If you really want to see how sports teams can be improved and are really passionate about a particular sport, consider shadowing a coach! You would then be able to discover the different techniques and strategies they use to help their team be successful .

Coaches will no doubt be happy with you offering extra help! You could call up local sports teams or even find out if your school offers clubs with coaches to get this role.

94. Shadow sporting commentators

If you are more interested in the media and documentation of sport, it may be useful to experience what it is like in a sports recording studio . You could watch how the sporting commentators describe and entertain.

Call up some local studios to get the ball rolling . You can check out what a sports commentator actually does if you check out this article from the National Careers Service.

95. Volunteer at a sports shop

If you are interested in the different types of sporting equipment and clothing, perhaps consider volunteering at a shop dedicated to selling sports items. This could be at a bike shop, a runner’s store or anything else you can think of!

Volunteering at a sports shop could increase your knowledge of sporting equipment and potentially even how to look after it.

96. Volunteer at sporting events

There are plenty of sporting events around the UK which you can definitely be apart of. This could be park runs, muddy sprints or even just social sports events!

Volunteering at these will not only give you experience of helping people with sport but also with talking to a range of new individuals. Check out this article from Sport England to discover how to get started.

97. Shadow a personal trainer

If you speak to your local gym and ask them if you could shadow a personal trainer, they may just let you! You could then see how the personal trainer interacts with clients and focuses on tailoring a workout to their specific goals.

However, you must always make sure that the client has given their consent! You can discover more about shadowing a personal trainer if you check out this article from Origym.

98. Create your own coaching plans

If shadowing a personal trainer isn’t possible but you are interested in helping people achieve their fitness goals, perhaps you could make your own coaching plans! You could do this for your friends and family at first – with their consent of course!

The experience will allow you to see what works and what doesn’t and give an insight into what it’s like to be a personal trainer!

99. Shadow individuals at a sports media company

If you are interested in sports journalism and media coverage, it may be useful to research and contact local companies dedicated to this . You could then see what the world of sports media coverage is like and discover whether it is really as exciting as watching the game!

You can discover the most popular sports websites on this article from FeedSpot if you want to get a feel for what sports articles sound like.

100. Volunteer as an umpire or referee

There are many independent sports clubs out there for kids who have shortages of umpires and referees! If you know a certain sport really well and think that you can manage a group of kids, consider doing this!

Call up some local clubs and ask them for permission and you could gain more experience with the sport and with working with children.

Business studies work experience ideas

In business there are so many different careers. However, it can be difficult to know what the differences between each of these are and more importantly which one would be right for you.

In the following sections, you’ll get to see a range of ideas to get work experience that can teach you more about all these careers and roles.

102. Work shadow at a marketing company or in the marketing department

Work shadowing in a marketing company or the marketing department of a company allows you to delve a little deeper into the business world. To get this type of work experience, you can directly contact marketing agencies that you’re interested in and ask if you can work shadow with them.

103. Work shadow in auditing

There are so many different aspects to business that it can be difficult to know how to get work experience in this field. One of the areas of business students don’t even know about is auditing.

In order to do auditing work experience, students can undertake a specialised programme . For example, KPMG runs a Black Heritage Talent Insight Programme in several areas of business, including auditing. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on their website.

104. Get work experience by starting your own business

In this day and age, more and more people, including students, are beginning to set up their own businesses. Setting up your own business can be a great idea to gain some work experience as it allows you to learn firsthand about entrepreneurship in a way that goes beyond what you just being told.

To get some ideas of what businesses you can start by yourself, without breaking the bank, check out this article by Save The Student.

105. Get virtual work experience in business

Physical opportunities, whether work shadowing or specifically made programmes, are often hard to come by.

With websites, such as Springpod, you can come across virtual work experience programmes in a variety of business areas. These include marketing and social media marketing, human resources and its functionality in business and even particular types of business, such as insurance.

Follow this link to find the Springpod website.

106. Work shadow in project management

Getting work experience in project management can be a great insight into a career that you just might be interested in.

This work experience can come with companies in specialised work experience programmes or even from your local authority. For example, Bristol City Council’s work experience placement offers a placement in project management. For more on this, check out this page on their website.

107. Work shadow in data analytics

For many students, the career paths in data, especially from a business perspective, aren’t very clear so getting work experience in this field can help to change that.

One example is the Microsoft data analytics consultancy firm, Purple Frog Systems. In this work experience placement, students would need to email the company to express their interest.

108. Get work experience in tax

When it comes to the more technical side of business, students are often unaware of what careers are out there. Getting a work experience placement that focuses on tax and similar themes can help you to better understand the importance of these in business.

For example, the EY’s Career Starters work experience programme focuses on tax and assurance as well as other more technical business areas . You can learn more about it on the EY website here .

109. Get work experience at an insurance firm

Another feature of business that’s often overlooked is insurance. This can once again feel confusing when it comes to relating it to potential future careers.

One programme in insurance that is offered to Year 12 students is by BMS Group. On this 2-week placement, students will be able to gain better insight into the insurance industry and careers available.

110. Get work experience in investment banking

If you’re interested in the financial and economical side of business, then an investment banking work experience placement could be a great way for you to learn more about this industry.

One of the programmes that you can look into is the Study Mind investment banking work experience programme. This is a 5-day programme that covers investment banking and other aspects of business. You can learn more about it on the Study Mind website here .

111. Get work experience in social media management

Social media has become such an important part of business to the extent that it has launched new types of jobs, including social media managers.

To get this type of work experience, you can start off by setting up your own social media management business or by working directly for a business, who needs this service. You could contact local businesses to see if you could voluntarily manage their social media accounts to enable you to get this experience.

112. Do a specialised business work experience programme with a company

Instead of just work shadowing or even just getting experience in a specific department, lots of companies have a specialised work experience programmes to enable students to get a taste of different areas of business that allows their company to function.

For example, there is the Deloitte’s Aspire work experience programme for Year 12s . You can click here to learn more about this programme on the Deloitte website.

113. Work shadow a sales representative

Getting work experience with a sales representative can help to show you exactly how this role works and the importance of sales in business. In order to get this work shadowing placement, it’s best to directly contact businesses . As before, you will most likely want to include a CV and explain exactly why you want to work shadow at that company.

Law work experience ideas

Breaking into law can be so, so competitive that having a bit of work experience to give you a boost can only help. However, knowing what kinds of work experience to get can be another dilemma.

In the following sections, you’ll see some work experience ideas that will enable you to learn more about careers in law and the legal system as a whole.

114. Get work experience at a law firm

Law work experience can be invaluable for applying to do a Law degree due to the sheer number of applicants that you need to stand out from. Getting formal law work experience can be more difficult if you’ve not yet start university, however some firms offer it.

For example, Pinsent Masons offers a Summer Legal School Work Experience programme to give you an insight into to the law industry. You can learn more about it here on their website.

115. Get work experience at a legal advice clinic

Another way to get work experience in law is to volunteer. Volunteering at a legal advice clinic can give you an insight into how law can come into people’s everyday lives.

In this voluntary role, you won’t be directly involved but you will have a chance to help with admin or social media presence. To learn more about this, check out this page on the Merseyside Law Centre website.

116. Observe court hearings

Watching court cases, counts as work shadowing as you are seeing how the roles in court work.

In order to do this, you can simply go to a court hearing that is open to the public and watch from the public gallery. Alternatively, you can watch remotely. Some courts, such as the Supreme Court stream their hearings online.

You can learn more about this by checking out this page on the government website.

117. Work shadow a paralegal

If you’re interested in law, then you’re probably familiar with the different types of lawyers, such as solicitors and barristers. However, there are other positions in the legal world that are still essential for it to function, such as a paralegal.

In order to work shadow a paralegal, you would need to contact the law firm and specifically state that you would want to see the work of a paralegal.

118. Work shadow a legal secretary

Another overlooked career in law is that of the legal secretary. Getting work experience with a legal secretary could be valuable as they are important to the ins and outs of the law firm.

Once again, in order to work shadow a legal secretary, you will need to contact the law firm and specifically state that you want to work shadow a legal secretary.

119. Get work experience at a barristers’ chambers

If you’re specifically interested in becoming a barrister, then getting work experience in chambers could be a great idea. These are mainly for Year 12 students and would allow them to work shadow and maybe take a more active role.

In order to get these kinds of work experience, you would apply on the chambers’ websit e. For example, you can look at this page by Old Square Chambers.

120. Participate in the bar mock trial competition

This is open to 15- to 18-year-olds and to enter into this competition, your school or college will need to sign up and pay the fee.

You should check if your school/ college already participates in this competition. If not, you may be able to talk to your school or college to see if they would be willing to start participating in this.

For more on this, check out this page on the Smart Law website.

121. Volunteer with youth justice services

To get this type of work experience, students should contact local volunteer agencies directly. This is because most voluntary roles in youth justice services will require the volunteer to be at least 18.

However, some local volunteering agencies may have positions available that are suitable for under 18s. You can learn more on this page of the Youth Justice Resource Hub.

History work experience ideas

Finding work experience can be difficult in general but when it comes to humanity subjects that can often be much worse. While history has some obvious contenders for both careers and work experience, it can be difficult to see beyond these.

In this section, we’ll take you through some of the best work experience ideas to give you a better understanding of careers in history.

122. Get work experience at a museum

If you’re interested in history, getting work experience at a museum can be a great way to learn more about the careers associated with this subject. You may be able to get this through a work experience scheme by a museum or university museum.

For example, the Natural History Museum’s work experience programme allows students in Year 10 and above to spend the week learning about a specific area of museum work. To learn more about this and how you can get involved, check out this page on their website.

123. Get work experience at an archive

Another history-focused career that you can get work experience in is that of an archivist. In this work experience, you can learn about how documents are preserved and cared for.

The National Archives’ work experience placement lasts 5 days and is aimed at students between the ages of 14 and 18. To learn more about this and how to get involved, check out this page on The National Archives’ website.

124. Get work experience in heritage conservation

Another feature of the history industry is heritage conservation. In this area, it’s important to learn about the careers and opportunities involved on work experience as these are often not talked about.

One volunteering scheme that allows you to get work experience is the English Heritage volunteering scheme. With this there are a range of opportunities from gardening to supporting visitors. You can learn more about this on the English Heritage website here.

125. Volunteer with a Council of British Archaeology group or young archaeologists club

Included in the area of history is archaeology and as this isn’t generally taught in schools, getting work experience in this field can be incredibly enlightening. To get said work experience, you could volunteer with a Council for British Archaeology group or a Young Archaeologists’ club. For more on these, check out this page and this page on their respective website.

126. Get work experience with a historical costume maker

Some costume makers and historic dress restorers offer volunteering and internship placements for students. This can give students interested in textiles and design a great opportunity for work experience.

For example, The Tudor Tailor offers work experience for students of different ages and experience levels. Due to this, the nature and the length of the placement may also vary. To learn more about this and how to get involved, check out this page on their website.

127. Get work experience with a tour guide

There are a range of historic tours that take place throughout the UK. Work shadowing on these could enable you to learn more about how history is taught in a non-academic setting.

In order to get this work experience, students will need to directly contact historic tour guide companies as they won’t generally have work experience programmes.

128. Get work experience at historical buildings

It’s best to contact these organisations via their website or by email to learn more. At time of writing (November 2023), the Historic Royal Palaces are updating their work experience programme, so it is not currently available. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on their website.

129. Volunteer with the War Memorials Trust

With this work experience, you would either be contributing to the War Memorials Trust website, or you would be committing at least half a day per week in an office-based setting in London. You can learn more about this volunteering scheme by checking out this page on the War Memorials Trust website.

130. Get virtual history work experience

Particularly with very academic subjects, finding work experience that’s right for you can be hard to come across. However, with virtual work experience, you have the opportunity to go at your own pace and to learn in greater depth.

One programme available for history is ‘Careers in Heritage with Historic England’ programme. You can learn more about it on this page of the Historic England website.

Foreign languages work experience ideas

Foreign languages subjects tend not to be very popular options for GCSEs or A-Levels. Thus, the careers involved tend not to be as commonly talked about as others.

Finding foreign languages work experience ideas can be difficult but don’t worry. In the following sections, you will see a range of different ideas for languages work experience to help you learn more about the industries involved.

131. Get work experience at a translation agency

If you’re interested in languages and want to pursue a language-related career, getting work experience at a translation company can be a great way to learn more about what you can do with languages. Work experience placements allow students to shadow professionals in translation companies in different departments.

If you study German and are in Year 12 or above, you could get a 1-week work experience placement with AST Language Services. To learn more about this opportunity, check out this page on their website.

132. Get work experience at an embassy

When it comes to foreign languages international relations and diplomacy can be a great route to go down.

In order to get this work experience, it’s best to directly contact the embassy that you’re interested in doing work experience or work shadowing at. Applying with a CV and maybe even a cover letter will once again set a good precedent and make you more likely to get a position.

133. Volunteer in foreign language classes

Getting work experience at your own school, college or sixth form can be a great idea as it can be easier to arrange. This especially applies when it comes to modern languages work experience as this can be hard to get.

In order to get this work experience, it is probably best to first talk to your language teacher and then to check how this would work with your head of year and/ or your form tutor.

134. Volunteer at a language school

Teaching English as a foreign language is fairly common for foreign language graduates. Getting some work experience in this industry can help you to decide if it is something that you would be interested in.

There are many different schools where students go to learn English. You could volunteer in one of these.

For example, the Ealing Community School of English is run entirely by volunteers. You can learn more about this by checking out this page on their website.

135. Volunteer at a language club

There are often language clubs or even language cafes on in the local community. Even without having fluent language skills, you could volunteer with one of these.

Without being fluent, you obviously won’t be teaching the class. However, you could help when it comes to setting up or cleaning.

However, it’s important to note that this will fully depend on where it is that you’re volunteering with. Although, it would be a good start to search at local community centres.

136. Get work experience at tourist information centres

Tourist information centres once again give you the chance to go into travel and tourism with your language skills.

While there are no formal work experience programmes that I could find. You can always directly contact your local tourist information centre and see if there’s anything available for you to do as work experience.

137. Get work experience at an airport

Getting work experience in an airport can be great if you want to go down the travel and tourism route and put your language skills to use in this way.

In order to get this work experience, there are a range of programmes. For example, ones at Bristol Airport, linked here from their website, and London City Airport, linked here from their website. However, these will often be dependent on where you live.

138. Get work experience abroad

You would most likely need to do this type of work experience in the holidays to make it easier to do. In order to get this work experience, it’s best to apply for a programme where you find it, whether this is a particular agency or a specific programme.

However, there are 2 main issues: cost and safety. Thus, it’s important to take this into consideration when finding a work experience placement abroad.

139. Participate in Model UN for work experience

Model UN doesn’t sound like an actual form of work experience. However, it is actively teaching you about the United Nations and careers in international relations and it allows you to develop transferable skills in a similar way to work experience.

In order to participate, students will need to search through organisers, who run Model UN conferences . This can be done through online or using your school’s contacts.

For more on this, check out this page on the UN website.

Religious studies work experience ideas

When it comes to religious studies, it can be incredibly difficult to think about which careers these link to let alone how you should go about getting work experience in these areas. The following sections will give you some ideas of work experience ideas directly related to religious studies.

140. Volunteer at a place of worship

To find where to do this work experience, you should look up places of worship in your area and try to find the contact details of these. You may even be able to find a website with which you can send a message through.

When contacting them, make sure that you clearly state your purpose (to do work experience), the dates you want to do it and maybe even include your CV as well.

141. Work shadow your religious studies teacher

You can talk to your religious studies teacher and your school to see if you can do your work experience placement at school by helping out in other religious studies classes.

A religious studies teacher is still a viable option if you’re interested in taking religious studies or theology further on. Thus, this work experience can give you an insight into this career path from the other side, which you’re not normally used to.

142. Volunteer at religious organisations

Many places of worship also run other organisations. These typically include food banks but can also be charity shops and other community-centred things. This can enable you to get practical work experience into how religious studies can be looked at from a community setting.

As these once again operate on a local level, you will need to directly contact these types of religious organisations to see how you can volunteer with them and whether this would be possible at all.

143. Get work experience at religious shops

Depending on where you live, there might be a primarily religious shop. These may come in the form of bookstores, clothing stores or other kinds of shops that sell religious items, such as prayer mats or even rosary beads.

Once again, these shops will operate on a local level. Due to this, you’ll once again have to try and find out whether you can volunteer with them buy directly contacting any religious shop that is in your local area.

144. Volunteer at religious events

To get work experience for religious studies, you could volunteer at one of these events. This might be in the form of helping to set up tables or even being a stagehand or maybe something else entirely.

What religious events are held will once again depend on your area and so you will need to look it up. The same applies here as you will need to make your intentions clear and should consider including your CV.

Other work experience ideas

Some work experience ideas don’t quite fit into the categories above yet are still quite specific in the industry that they exist in. If you’re interested in law, working with animals, public services, history, politics or languages then the following ideas might just be for you.

145. Get work experience at a zoo

Zoos may offer work experience programmes for Year 10 and Year 12 students. These can allow you to gain a better understanding of what is involved, such as animal care and animal conservation.

Depending on the programme and the zoo that offers it, there may be specific eligibility requirements. For example, London Zoo offers their work experience programme to students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Camden and Westminster. To learn more about this, check out this page on their website.

146. Volunteer at an animal shelter

If you’re interested in animal welfare and caring for animals, then you could also choose to get work experience by working at an animal shelter or sanctuary. In this role, you would be working with different animals and learning more about caring for them.

For example, in a work experience placement with Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, you would be working with the rabbits and cats and mainly focused on cleaning. To learn more about this, check out this page on their website.

147. Get work experience on a farm

Getting work experience on a farm could help you to learn more about animal care and management. You could be given practical experience and taught about the health and safety procedures involved .

There may be an age restriction involved, depending on the farm and its policies. For example, on Surrey Docks Farm, you need to be at least 14 for a weekday placement and at least 18 for a weekend placement. To learn more about this, check out this page on their website.

148. Get work experience with your local police force

Depending on your region, your local police station may offer a work experience placement. T his will give you an overview of the different roles and situations police officers deal with daily and give you an insight as to how the force functions as a whole.

Some programmes may need you to get parental permission, if you’re under 18 and most will likely need you to go through a vetting process . To learn more about getting work experience in the police force, check out this page by Kent Police.

149. Get work experience with your local council

Getting work experience with your local council can be a great option for students interested in politics as it teaches you about how local government works in a practical way. There are a wide variety of departments involved in local councils, meaning that your placement may vary depending on which department you’re positioned with.

For example, with Three Rivers District Council, you can choose which service to do the experience with. This might include housing, facilities management and culture and play services. To learn more about how to get involved in this, check out this page on their website.

150. Get work experience at a bank

Work experience at a bank can be great for students interested in finance or economics. Large banks may offer specific work experience programmes for young people to give them an insight into the industry.

For example, HSBC offer weeklong work experience opportunities for UK students in Year 9 to Year 13. To learn more about this programme, check out this page on their website.

*Information in this article to do with which degrees require work experience has been taken from this UCAS guide .

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The Ultimate Guide to VCE Creative Writing

March 1, 2022

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• What Is The Creative Response?
• What Are You Expected To Cover? (Creative Writing Criteria)
• Literary Elements (Characterisation, Themes, Language, Symbolism, Imagery)
• LSG's unique REPLICATE and IMAGINE strategy
• Sample A+ Creative Response
• Writing The Written Explanation
• Resources To Help You Prepare For Your Creative Response

1. What Is The Creative Response?

The Creative Response, which forms part of the ‘Reading and creating texts’ component of the study design, is part of the 1st Area of Study (AoS 1) - meaning that the majority of students will tackle the Creative Response in Term 1. Unlike the analytical text response, in the Creative Response you will be asked to write your own imaginative piece in response to a selected text. 

You are expected to read and understand the selected text, analyse its key features, and write a creative piece which demonstrates your comprehension of the text.

2. What Are You Expected To Cover? (Creative Writing Criteria)

The creative writing task assesses your ability to combine features of an existing text with your own original ideas. The key intention here is to demonstrate your understanding of the world of the text. You can achieve this by exploring and applying selected elements from the text, such as context, themes, literary devices like symbols, and/or characters. You should also consider the values embedded within the text - this includes explicit values (which can be seen on the surface of the text) and implied values (values we uncover through analysis of the text’s deeper meaning). Try to reflect these values within your writing. 

Your piece will be a creative response, after all, so you should apply the conventions of this style of writing. Firstly, your creative should follow the structure of a beginning, middle, and end. We can also think of this as rising tension, climax, and resolution. Secondly, you should develop an authentic use of language, voice and style to make your writing more engaging and sophisticated. Thirdly, you can use literary devices to build meaning and depth within your piece. As always, your writing should be consistent with the rules of spelling, punctuation, and syntax (that is, written expression) in Standard Australian English.

Part of this assessment is the Written Explanation, which is a chance for you to explain and justify your creative writing choices. Within the Written Explanation, you should reflect on your writing process and analyse your own work. The primary goal here is to explain the links you’ve made to the original text, by considering features like purpose, context, and language. 

Ultimately, to put it simply, you are expected to understand the selected text and demonstrate this in your creative piece. If you're looking to quickly increase your creative skills, watch our incredibly popular video below:

3. Literary Elements (Characterisation, Themes, Language, Symbolism, Imagery)

Literary elements are different parts of the creative writing equation that ensure your piece is consistent with the expected features of this type of writing. When selecting which literary elements to include in your piece, remember to consider the original text and ensure that your work, while creative, also demonstrates your ability to replicate some of its elements.

Characterisation

As we know, characters are fictionalised people within the world of a creative text. Almost an entire century ago, the English writer E. M. Forster famously introduced the concept of flat and round characters in his 1927 book, ‘Aspects of the Novel’. According to Forster, flat characters can be defined by a single characteristic; in other words, they are two-dimensional. For example, the characters of The Simpsons could arguably all be defined as flat characters; Homer is characterised as a slob, Flanders is defined by his Christian faith, Lisa is stereotyped as the ‘teacher’s pet’, and Bart is portrayed as rebellious. We can define all of these characters as flat because they are labelled to the audience in these two-dimensional ways.

In contrast to this, round characters have multiple characteristics, which brings them closer to seeming like real, human figures. The personality of these characters extends beyond a single attribute. In Harry Potter , Harry himself is a round character because of how much we learn about him over the course of the series. For example, we find out about Harry’s difficult childhood, his personal challenges, his love interests, and we see his personality grow from book to book. 

Whether the characters of your creative are flat or round will depend on their involvement within, and importance to, the storyline of your piece. Generally speaking, however, you should aim for the central character(s) to be round, while any minor characters are likely to be flat. Developing round major characters will ensure that they are realistic and believable. In turn, you’ll be able to better demonstrate your imaginative skills and understanding of the text through these characters. 

Themes are the key ideas and issues that are relevant to the storyline of a fictional text. We can identify themes by labelling the main areas of meaning within a text and thinking about the messages that emerge throughout the text. To build your understanding of themes within a particular text and to evaluate the themes of your own creative, consider the following questions:

• What is the text really about, beyond superficial elements like plot and character?
• What is the text saying to its reader?
• What are the core idea(s) or issue(s) within the text?
• What idea(s) or issue(s) do the message(s) of the text correspond with?

To return to our example of The Simpsons , we could say that the themes within this sitcom include love and family, neighbourliness, and social class. From episode to episode, The Simpsons comments on these different issues. For example, Marge and Homer’s relationship, with its domestic setting and marital ups and downs, is a core aspect of the Simpsons household. Likewise, family is a major component of not only the Simpsons themselves, but also the broader Springfield community. The interactions between parents and children is evident on Evergreen Terrace with the Simpsons and the Flanders families, as well as in other settings such as Springfield Elementary School (where even an adult Principal Skinner is seen through his relationship with his elderly mother). These broad areas can be identified as the key thematic concerns of the series because each episode centres around these ideas.

Language refers to the way in which a piece of writing is expressed. We can define this as the ‘style’, or ‘tone’, of a text. The words and phrasing chosen by a writer determine how ideas are communicated. Effective language will be appropriate for the world of the text and contribute to the narrative in a meaningful way. There are a number of ways in which a piece of writing can be articulated and you should consider the nature of your piece and the language of the original text when deciding what type of language is most appropriate for your creative.

Dialogue, on the other hand, is an exchange of conversation between characters. Dialogue is often used to provide context to a text, develop its storyline, or offer direct insight into a character’s thoughts, feelings and personality. ‍

A symbol can be defined as a thing that represents something else. Symbols are typically material objects that hold abstract meaning. For example, in Harry Potter , Harry’s scar is a symbol of his difficult childhood. Because Harry’s scar causes him pain in Voldemort’s presence, it can also be said that the scar is symbolic of the connection forged between Harry and Voldemort when his attempt to kill Harry failed. As this example suggests, symbols are often associated with the text’s themes - in this case, Harry’s scar relates to the themes of childhood and death. 

The key with symbolism is to connect a particular theme or idea to a physical object. For example, the theme of grief could be portrayed through a photo of someone who has died. Likewise, the theme of change might be represented by a ticking clock, while a character’s clothing could be a symbol of their wealth or status.

For more literary elements, also known as metalanguage, check out our lists:

Part 1 – Metalanguage Word Bank For Books

Part 2 – Metalanguage Word Bank For Films With Examples

And if that's not enough, you'll also want to check out our How To Write A Killer Creative Study Guide where we unpack these elements in more detail AND analyse imagery, foreshadowing, flash-backs and flash-forwards! 

4. LSG's unique REPLICATE and IMAGINE Strategy

If we think about the criteria of creative writing, we’ll see that much of this task involves demonstrating your understanding of the text. For this reason, being able to replicate the world of the text will enable you to showcase your understanding and, in turn, to meet the criteria your teacher will be looking for. Let’s consider how you can strengthen your creative by taking the time to understand the text on a meaningful level and reflect this within your writing.

Step 1: Read

Writing a strong creative piece begins with reading. Reading the text (or watching, in the case of a film) is essential to developing an informed creative response. The more closely you read, the more confidently you’ll be able to engage with the important ideas and textual elements necessary to take your creative from good to great. 

While reading the text for the first time, focus on developing your understanding and clarifying any uncertainty. I would recommend taking the time to read a plot summary before beginning on the text - this will allow you to go in with a reasonable idea of what to expect, and also provide a security net to minimise your likelihood of misunderstanding the plot. 

While reading the text once is sufficient, you will benefit from reading it twice. A second reading enables you to take the time to annotate key sections of the text and to further your initial understanding. If you choose to read the text a second time, pay extra attention to the themes and inner-workings of the text. This means reading between the lines and starting to form an analytical understanding of what the text is about, beyond surface ideas like plot and character. 

Annotating the text (or note-taking, in the case of a film) is an important aspect of any academic reading. The key intention is to ensure your annotation approach is as convenient and accessible as possible. To achieve this, I suggest listing the key themes, allocating a different coloured highlighter to each, and colour-coding sections of the text which you think relate to each specific theme. This will give your annotating process more direction compared to the common approach of simply leaving notes in the margin, which may be time-consuming to read over later. 

I would also recommend making the most of coloured tabs - these enable you to immediately see the key sections of the text, rather than flicking through aimlessly. If you can colour-code these tabs according to the same key as your highlighters, you’ll be able to instantly spot which sections correspond with which theme (and trust me, this will come in handy if you decide to replicate these themes in your own creative).

Aside from annotating the text itself, try to ensure that the notes you write are concise - not only will this save you time, but it’ll mean you focus on condensing the key information. In turn, you’ll have less material to sift through later on, giving you the ability to jump straight into planning and drafting your own piece. This video, How to effectively annotate your books for school! and this blog post, How to effectively annotate your texts in VCE will provide you with more helpful strategies to get the most out of annotating. ‍

Step 2: Understand the World of the Text

‍ Regardless of how many times you read the text, your understanding will be strengthened by seeking out resources to help you think about the text on a deeper level. A good starting point for this is to have a look for LSG blog posts and videos that are about your specific text.

Watching or reading interviews with the author of the text is a fantastic way to hear directly about their intention in writing the text - after all, they are the single most authoritative source on the text. The goal here is to understand the author’s intent (something we’ll expand on in Chapter 8: Strengthening Your Creative ) so that you can reflect this within your own writing. Focus on how the author explains certain aspects of their text, as well as any points they make about its context and background. 

Additionally, peer discussions and asking questions in class will help you to further develop your understanding of the text and clarify any uncertainty. Seeing the text from another’s perspective will develop your knowledge beyond a superficial understanding of the text and introduce ideas you may not have otherwise considered.

Remember to take notes as you go - these will be useful to reflect on later. ‍

Step 3: Implement Your Understanding ‍

Okay, so you’ve taken the time to read and annotate the text, and you’ve sought out external resources to further develop your comprehension. Now we want to apply this understanding within a creative context. Reflect on what you know about the text. Think closely: What have you learnt about its context, characters, and themes? What elements of the text stand out? The goal here is to draw inspiration from the text and begin to think about which aspects of the text you might like to replicate within your creative piece. Begin to put together a shortlist to keep track of your ideas. The aim here is to develop a picture of the parts of the text you might decide to replicate in your own writing. 

Although understanding and replicating the text is important, if we were to only do this, your piece wouldn’t have much creative flair or originality. Here, we’ve taught you the ‘ Replicate ’ component of this strategy . If you’d like additional information about how to elevate this to an A+ standard AND a comprehensive explanation of the ‘ Imagine ’ component, check out our How to Write A Killer Creative study guide ! ‍

5. Sample A+ Creative Response

Here's a sample excerpt from a creative piece written by Taylah Russell, LSG tutor and 47 study scorer, in response to the short story 'Waiting' in Cate Kennedy's anthology, Like a House on Fire :

"The clinician presses forcefully into my lower abdomen, refusing to stop and accept my reality. The poor thing, deprived of such hopelessness as I, seems to honestly believe that the longer he agonises over finding something, the more likely it is that some form of life will appear. That those horoscopes in those grimy magazines, written by journalists who’ve probably been fired from their former reputable jobs, may actually hold some validity. I place my hands over my eyes, tentatively pressing against my eyelids, turning my surroundings a dark black and blocking the stream of water that has readied itself to spill when the time comes, when that young boy finally gives up and realises that his degree holds no value in providing me with happiness."

As we can see in this paragraph, the writer is replicating certain themes from the original text, such as grief. Additionally, this piece is written from the perspective of the original protagonist, which means that its characters and context are also directly inspired by Kennedy. Ultimately, by carrying across these text elements of theme, character, and context, the writer is able to clearly demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the text , while also showcasing their creativity. To see more of this creative piece as well as another A+ example, check out the How to Write A Killer Creative study guide !

6. Writing The Written Explanation ‍

For a detailed overview of the Written Explanation, check out our Written Explanation Explained blog post. ‍

7. Resources To Help You Prepare For Your Creative Response

Youtube videos ‍.

We create general creative writing videos where I explain the method behind this task: ‍

We also create videos that outline ways you can set yourself apart in this assessment:

‍ ‍ Check out our entire YouTube channel (and don't forget to subscribe for regular new videos!). ‍

Blog Posts ‍

Our awesome team of English high-achievers have written a number of blog posts about creative writing to help you elevate the standard of your work! ‍

5-Step Recipe for Creative Writing   ‍

How to achieve A+ in creative writing (Reading and Creating) ‍

"Creative Response to Text" Ideas ‍

Written Explanation - Explained ‍

Reading My 10/10 Marked CREATIVE GAT essay ‍

VCE Creative Response to Runaway by Alice Munro

VCE English Unit 3, Areas of Study 2: Creating Texts - What Is It?

VCE Creative Writing: How To Structure Your Story

Study guide ‍.

And if that isn't enough, I'd highly recommend our How To Write A Killer Creative study guide .

In this study guide, we teach you the unique REPLICATE and IMAGINE strategy, a straightforward and methodical approach to creative writing. The study guide also covers our step-by-step method to guide you through every phase of creative writing (no more not knowing where to start!) AND includes excerpts from multiple A+ creative pieces. Find out more and download a free preview here . 

Get our FREE VCE English Text Response mini-guide

Now quite sure how to nail your text response essays? Then download our free mini-guide, where we break down the art of writing the perfect text-response essay into three comprehensive steps. Click below to get your own copy today!

Access a FREE sample of our How To Write A Killer Creative study guide

• Learn how to apply key creative frameworks and literary elements to elevate your writing
• Introduces the REPLICATE and IMAGINE strategy , a straightforward and methodical approach to creative writing
• Includes a step-by-step method to guide you through every phase of creative writing
• Explains the Written Explanation component, with multiple annotated A+ examples
• Includes excerpts from multiple A+ creative pieces

We’ve explored creative writing criteria, literary elements and how to replicate the text over on our The Ultimate Guide to VCE Creative Writing blog post . If you need a quick refresher or you’re new to creative writing, I highly recommend checking it out!

There are two types of people in this world… those who love creative writing, and those who don’t. But no matter which one you are, never fear, your saviour is here (in the form of this simple guide to writing creatively – whether it’s for school, for a writing competition or just for fun)!

What Are the Five Steps?

• Do a brain dump of your ideas!
• Stay true to yourself
• Start small - keep it simple
• Don't be afraid to add "spice"
• Read your writing out loud

STEP 1: Do a brain dump of your ideas!

You’ll often find that your brain is buzzing with possible storylines or scenarios; you’ll feel so overwhelmed trying to pick just one! Or maybe, you’re experiencing  “writer’s block”,  a mind blank. My tip for this is to set a five-minute timer, get a blank sheet of paper and scribble down everything that comes to your mind! You’ll be surprised at how imaginative your mind can be under pressure! When the timer goes off, take a break and then read through each idea individually before choosing one to develop. This way you’ll be able to clearly see all your thoughts, and maybe even be able to link multiple ideas into a more detailed story !

STEP 2: Stay true to yourself

Creative writing is so different to other text types because it gives you the freedom to choose what you're writing about, and how you're going to do it! So, take advantage of this and write from the heart – don’t try to be someone you’re not. Let your personality shine through your writing. It's usually the stories that have some kind of personal backstory, or are based on a real-life experience that are the most enjoyable to read!

STEP 3: Start small - keep it simple

No one expects you to write a New York Times best seller novel in your first attempt! Even the most talented authors began with a dot point plan or a simple paragraph based on their idea. From my experience, the absolute hardest thing to do is actually get started. Keeping it simple and focusing on getting your ideas down on the page is the easiest way to overcome this hurdle. You can worry about the language and descriptions later, once you have a basic first draft, editing and developing is so much easier!

Want to also know the 11 mistakes high school students tend to make in creative writing? Check out this  

STEP 4: Don't be afraid to add "spice"

Now it's time for my favourite part; adding the flavour! This is what will make your writing stand out from the crowd! Take some risks , don’t be afraid to rewrite parts of your piece or use language techniques that are out of your comfort zone! 

Here are a few of my favourite features to use when creative writing:

• Flashbacks / Foreshadowing (these are good tools to subtly suggest a character’s backstory and add some mystery – especially if you use third-person language to make it more cryptic) 

E.g. As he entered the quadrangle for the first time since the accident, a wave of nostalgia hit Jack… The boy chuckled as the girl ran across the quadrangle to meet him, her cheeks rosy from the frosty air. The pale orange sky was transforming into a deep violet and the new-formed shadows cast dancing silhouettes on the young couple. The boy took the girl’s hand, making a silent promise to himself to protect her smile forever. A promise he would fail to keep…

• Personification (giving inanimate objects some life to spice up your descriptions!)

E.g. Her favourite oak tree stood proudly in the middle of the park, arms outstretched, waving to those that passed by.

• Oxymoron (contradictory words or groups of words)

E.g. Deafening silence, blinding darkness, cold fire

If you want to enhance your language or use different adjectives to what you normally use, https://www.thesaurus.com/ is your best friend! 😉 

If you're stuck on how to develop your descriptions and make them more vivid, I suggest relating back to the five senses . Ask yourself, what can the character see? What can they smell? What does the setting they're in sound like?

E.g. He was paralysed in front of the caskets… the cotton wrapped, caterpillar-like bodies, the oppressive silence of the parlour made him feel sick. And the overpowering stench of disinfectant mixed with already-wilting flowers certainly didn’t help.

STEP 5: Read your writing out loud

It can be awkward at first, but have some fun with it! Put on an accent, pretend you're a narrator, and read your writing. It really helps you to gauge the flow of the piece , and also identify things you might need to change. Or even better, read your writing to a friend or family member - ask them how they feel and what their initial thoughts are after hearing your piece .

Either way, reflection is one of the best ways to improve your writing and get it to the next level.

That’s all there is to it folks! Follow this simple recipe and you’ll be cooking up a creative-writing storm! Good luck! 😊

Want more tips on how you can achieve an A+ in creative writing? Read this blog post.

For a deep dive into the Creative and what it entails, check out our blog post: VCE English Unit 3, Area Of Study 2: Creating Texts - What Is It?

Leo Tolstoy wrote his magnum opus, War and Peace , over the span of six years. It took Harper Lee two and a half years to write To Kill A Mockingbird . Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See took ten years to complete.

The incredibly intricate and complex nature of stories means that it often takes time to fit all the elements in harmony. But for those of you studying VCE English Units 1 and 3 , you don’t have the luxury of two or six, let alone ten years to write your Creative. The time constraints you face can mean that it’s harder to put the metaphorical puzzle pieces together. 

Luckily, we can simplify the process for you by breaking down what makes a good story (using Cinderella to demonstrate).

The Skeleton of a Good Story (With Steps!)

In primary school, we were all taught the “beginning-middle-end“ approach to stories. Aside from being kind of vague, this overused approach doesn’t ensure a clear transformation between the “beginning” and the “end“. If nothing changes between the beginning and the end of your story, you have no story.

The skeleton approach is an effective alternative to other forms of story writing because it guarantees that your character has fundamentally changed by the end. Think of the following as criteria when you write your Creative - if you have (even slightly) addressed all of the following aspects, you can be sure you’ve written a story worth telling (and a Creative that’s going to score highly).

1) The Status Quo

Most stories feature a main protagonist, and your Creative piece should too! This is the main character who is in a zone of comfort/familiarity with some obvious shortcoming. This shortcoming can be a character flaw or something in the setting. This is Cinderella: she is used to her ordinary life in her small house, with her shortcoming being that she’s a servant to her evil stepsisters.

2) The Want

Additionally, your character has to want something (or at least, think that they want that thing). Since your time is limited, keep the desire simple. For instance, Cinderella’s main desire is to escape her life of servitude and be supported.

3) The New Situation

After you have established the character’s “want”, your character has to enter an unfamiliar situation that addresses their shortcoming. Continuing the example of Cinderella, this unfamiliar situation is the royal ball, which offers her the chance to marry the prince and live with him instead.  

4) The Plan

After the new situation is presented, the character must carry out a plan to get what they want, be it explicitly or subconsciously. This plan can either succeed or fail in getting them what they want. Cinderella plans to present herself as a viable option for the prince by ensuring she is well-groomed and presentable - a plan she fulfils.

However, the character must pay a very heavy price for it - mentally, physically or emotionally. This is the climax of the story, where the character is challenged and maybe even forced to change. For Cinderella, the clock striking midnight signals a limit on the amount of time she can maintain the princess persona and interact with the prince.

5) The “Eureka” Moment

This part of the story is potentially the most vital: when the character is forced to look within and reflect on who they are, what they actually need and want, and who they must be to achieve these things. Cinderella's initial reluctance to claim ownership of the shoe suggests her acceptance of a life of servitude, implying that she views the "aristocratic dream" as unachievable.

6) The Resolution

Finally, the character either returns to their familiar situation or a new situation is born. In Cinderella , a new situation arises when Cinderella marries the prince and escapes her previous life. This is when the situation has been “resolved ”, not “ended”.  

Experiment!

The other benefit of the skeleton approach is that you have the room to experiment with your Creative piece. For instance, you can do an allegorical text (like Animal Farm ) or maybe even a cyclical structure ( Gone Girl , film). Your Creative piece is inspired by your experiences and no one else’s so have fun with your creative control!

2022 Update: Check out our TikTok and YouTube channel for the latest GAT updates and how you can succeed even without study!

If you're not entirely sure what the GAT is, head on over to this blog to find out more about it and why it's important!

‍ [Modified Video Transcription]

What's up?! I got 10/10 on my GAT, so I'm going to tell you how I got perfect marks in Task One of the GAT . I'm also going to share with you my essay so that you know exactly what you need to do when it comes to doing your GAT. 

Why Do I Need To Do Well in the GAT?

Here's a bit of information you need to know going into Task One , which is basically a Creative piece . Now, I've done a GAT video in the past, which I highly recommend you go and watch, because in that video I teach you essentially what you should be doing for the writing tasks and how you should organise your time in order for you to get the best possible marks in the GAT. No, you don't have to study for the GAT, but if you can do well in it, then you might as well because...you don't know….COVID might come back, you might need a derived score...you know what I mean? You just don't know what's going to happen so you might as well try to do your best and if this video helps you out with that, if you're willing to spend a few minutes doing it and yet bump up your marks heaps, it's definitely going to be worth it for you!

GAT Advice From a VCAA Examiner

I learned all of my skills from my tutor at the time, who was a VCAA examiner, so this information comes directly to you from an examiner, so, you know, it's legit! 

A lot of people get really confused when it comes to Task One because they think that it's just a whole bunch of information that's put in front of them and what they're supposed to do is just regurgitate the information that's there and package it into an essay somehow. But, as I've talked about in my previous video , the way that you do this is to write a Creative piece using the information that's in front of you - just trust me on this. 

Approaching the GAT Creatively

I know there's a lot of talk back and forth out there about how you should be doing Task One , but you can see ( in the comment section of my other video ) people who followed through with this Creative method and have done really well. Another reason I like this Creative approach is because it makes things easier for you. In the instructions, it says:

'Develop a piece of writing, presenting the main information in the material. You should not present an argument.’

So really what's left is (if it's not going to be persuasive) it either has to be an Expository, which is just like a normal Text Response essay, or it can be a Creative. A normal Text Response essay is going to be so boring for everyone out there - do a Creative instead! Why?! Because:

‘Your piece will be judged on:

• how well you organise and present your understanding of the material.
• your ability to communicate the information effectively’

So, what this means is if you're going to do a Text Response version of the information that's in front of you, the only way you can really do that is by regurgitating and just wrapping up similar pieces of information in one paragraph together. I don't know how you would do an Expository well, but if you take a Creative approach, it not only tests your organisational skills but also tests your understanding of the material as well. 

What I mean by Creative piece is you can write a letter to the editor, you can write a diary entry, you can write an advertisement, you can write a brochure. There are just so many different types of Creative pieces you could use - the world is your oyster essentially. I'm going to talk you through how I did it for my particular GAT. 

How a Creative Approach Got Me a 10/10 in My Trial GAT

This one here is actually a trial GAT. We had an examiner come in and grade our marks for us so it's not my actual GAT, which I don't think you can get back, but it's the closest thing to it, so, we'll work with that. 

We did a really old GAT. This is the 2004 (which is ages ago) General Achievement Test. Some of you might've been born around this time! That is nuts!! Anyway, the GAT has not changed over the past 10 or so years, or the past 20 years even, so don't feel like this is information that's not going to be helpful, because every single year it's the same type of instructions with a similar type of information that's given. 

Here you can see that I've got an island and there are just bits of information. There's a legend, there's a scale, there are facilities, there is a temperature and a bird's eye view of the island itself.

If you look at this, how are you going to write a Text Response on this? It's going to be boring. So instead, what I did was I said:

'Dear Diary: We arrived in Amaroo Island this afternoon and the view of this place from the plane was amazing!'

When I was in the GAT itself, I would cross out the section (in this case the photo of the island) that I had covered just to see how much information I was able to pack into my piece and know that I wouldn't need to touch it again.

'Magnificent blue water sea, sandy white coast and huge amounts of great green trees! From the airport, we travelled by bus to our hotel where we will be staying for two nights. On the way, we stopped at a historical ruins site. One of the tour guides whom we bumped into told us the ruins have been found to be from 1854! We stayed there for an hour, then caught the bus back again to our hotel. We were extremely excited to explore the hotel and its surroundings, so Dad, Mum, George and I quickly unpacked our luggage and changed for the night. We decided to have dinner at a restaurant which turned out to serve delicious food. After dinner, we explored a shopping centre, galleries and even a museum which is called ‘Maritime Museum’. So many facilities in just one place! That took most of the night and we were all tired from a long day. Tomorrow we will be going swimming and camping outdoors for the night. I'm excited!' 

You can see just in this one paragraph I've tried to pack in as much information as I can, but in a way that makes it interesting and fun. You'll notice that with my vocabulary it's not like I am this 50 study score achiever who’s writing exceptionally beautiful language and, I don't know, making this GAT piece something that it's not. I'm just giving them information, having fun with it, making it creative and as a result, I did well!

Alright, let's keep going. 

'Dear Diary: Our second day began with the sunshine pouring into our rooms.'

That's just a nod to the temperature. It's not an explicit nod, it's more of an indirect nod. 

‘George and I were very eager to go swimming and were pleased to find that the weather for the day was 28°C!'  

There's the explicit inclusion of the information.

'I'm glad we came here in January rather than July when we were initially planning to holiday.'  

Adding more information without just forcing it down the examiner’s throat. 

'Our travel guide booklet states that it’s only a maximum temperature of 15°C! degrees in July! We wouldn't have gone swimming then, that's for sure. Mum and Dad decided that even though there was a safe swimming area near Gali in Gali Bay, we should go to Dolphin Bay and then to Marlin Bay to stay for the night.'

Here I'm just including Gali Bay because I wanted to, but I wanted to also talk about the other bays as well. I'm just trying to be creative in how to include this information. It's all embedded within my storyline so it doesn't feel like I'm spoon feeding my examiner piece after piece of information.

'We caught the bus again to Dolphin Bay and there were many families as there was a caravan park situated right by the bay! How convenient is that! When we were swimming, we could even see the Cape Dolphin lighthouse in the distance. Afterwards, we travelled to Marlin Bay via bus. Marlin Bay is right next to Amaroo National Park, and we've seen some kangaroos and koalas amidst the trees but we're not allowed into the park as it's a marine reserve boundary. Tomorrow we're heading back to Gali Hotel, playing some golf and going riding along the coast!'

I'm pretty much almost done! You see that my essay wasn't actually that long. It was only a page and a half (of handwriting), and yet I still got 10/10. I think it just goes to show how many people out there just don't know how to do a GAT, so you only need to do a fraction better in order for you to do exceptionally well in your GAT scores. To finish off my story:

'Dear Diary: Our final day at Amaroo! We woke up early, had breakfast which Mum cooked up and then headed back home.'  

Here I'm also adding in pieces of information that aren't necessarily on the page that's been given to us. I just thought it'd be a nice touch to say this,  you know, we woke up early, we had breakfast which Mum made - it just adds to the storytelling. 

'We didn't do much during that morning, just had lunch at the Gali restaurant. Afterwards, however, we did lots! We hired bikes from the shopping centre and rode along Gali Bay to Moonlight Bay. It was tiring but the scenery was amazing! We spent most of the afternoon riding but got back to Gali at 4 o'clock and Dad headed out for some golf. George and I decided not to because we were drained from all our exercise already. This is our last night in Gali, I'll be sad to leave Amaroo Island.'

That's it! If you guys want to see how I got 10/10 in my second task. Make sure you leave a comment for me over on Youtube, like the video and I'll get another video/blog out for you guys. Thanks so much for watching (or reading) and I wish you guys all the best for the GAT.

The Full Essay ‍

Dear Diary:

We arrived in Amaroo Island this afternoon and the view of this place from the plane was amazing! Magnificent blue water sea, sandy white coast and huge amounts of great green trees! From the airport, we travelled by bus to our hotel where we will be staying for two nights. On the way, we stopped at a historical ruins site. One of the tour guides whom we bumped into told us the ruins have been found to be from 1854! We stayed there for an hour, then caught the bus back again to our hotel. We were extremely excited to explore the hotel and its surroundings, so Dad, Mum, George and I quickly unpacked our luggage and changed for the night. We decided to have dinner at a restaurant which turned out to serve delicious food. After dinner, we explored a shopping centre, galleries and even a museum which is called ‘Maritime Museum’. So many facilities in just one place! That took most of the night and we were all tired from a long day. Tomorrow we will be going swimming and camping outdoors for the night. I'm excited!

Our second day began with the sunshine pouring into our rooms. George and I were very eager to go swimming and were pleased to find that the weather for the day was 28°C! I'm glad we came here in January rather than July when we were initially planning to holiday. Our travel guide booklet states that it’s only a maximum temperature of 15°C! degrees in July! We wouldn't have gone swimming then, that's for sure. Mum and Dad decided that even though there was a safe swimming area near Gali in Gali Bay, we should go to Dolphin Bay and then to Marlin Bay to stay for the night. We caught the bus again to Dolphin Bay and there were many families as there was a caravan park situated right by the bay! How convenient is that! When we were swimming, we could even see the Cape Dolphin lighthouse in the distance. Afterwards, we travelled to Marlin Bay via bus. Marlin Bay is right next to Amaroo National Park, and we've seen some kangaroos and koalas amidst the trees but we're not allowed into the park as it's a marine reserve boundary. Tomorrow we're heading back to Gali Hotel, playing some golf and going riding along the coast!

Our final day at Amaroo! We woke up early, had breakfast which Mum cooked up and then headed back home. We didn't do much during that morning, just had lunch at the Gali restaurant. Afterwards, however, we did lots! We hired bikes from the shopping centre and rode along Gali Bay to Moonlight Bay. It was tiring but the scenery was amazing! We spent most of the afternoon riding but got back to Gali at 4 o'clock and Dad headed out for some golf. George and I decided not to because we were drained from all our exercise already. This is our last night in Gali, I'll be sad to leave Amaroo Island.

If you'd like more help, check out Why the GAT Matters and How To Use It To Your Advantage . It walks you though what's involved, why the GAT matters, the different tasks you'll need to complete and more!

For many students, writing creative pieces can be slightly daunting. For some, it is about unleashing the writer within as the boundaries and thematic constraints that exist in Text Response are lifted. For others, it can be an opportunity to discover new writing styles, branching out from the generic T-E-E-L structure.

Formats of imaginative pieces include:

• short narratives,
• a personal diary entry ,
• chronicling the character's thoughts,
• and monologues.

Writing in an imaginative style allows you to draw from your own morals, views and feelings. You can weave in personal anecdotes, experiences, and metaphorical language which gives one's writing that pizazz and individualist factor!

Moreover, you can showcase how you have perceived and interpreted the characters within the novel/film, the landscapes they inhabit. Alternatively, you can step into different personas. For example, for the topic of conflict, I can write as an injured army medic, a doctor, a foreign correspondent and a war photographer.

However, imaginative writing also has many pitfalls students tumble into (do not despair; you can get out of it!):

1) Don't get too caught up in emotions and flowery language.

Great imaginative pieces are not only graded on how good your story telling skills are. More importantly, your teachers would be grading on the palpable links to the themes of the text and prompt you have been given.

In Year 11, when I wrote an imaginative piece, I went overboard with the flowery metaphorical language. My teacher said ‘Overall, the piece is good however, at some parts it sounded like purple prose.’ When I read it over now, I shudder a little.

2) In Reading and Creative, there is greater emphasis on extrapolating themes and ideas from your studied text.  

So, those radical and out-of-the box ideas and views you have in relation to the text can now be used.

For example, the overarching themes in  Every Man In This Village Is A Liar  encompass the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, inequality (the unequal status of women in Middle East), the effect of war on the physical body and the human psych and, how the media portrays war and violence. The starting point to planning any context piece is to use quotes and ideas within your text. Infer meaning from those quotes and main ideas and ask yourself:

• 'Does it hold a great degree of relevance to issues prevalent today?'
• 'Can I link it to my sac/exam prompt?' 

So, here's an example of planning a creative piece. Two of my favourite quotes from  Life of Galileo  are:

'Science is the rightful, much loved daughter of the church.'

‘Our ignorance is limitless; let us lop off a millimeter off it. Why try to be clever now that we at last have a chance of being less stupid.’

In essence, this conveys the overarching theme of science vs. religion, and how Church and the inquisition exploit the peoples' views through their own ignorance. Their fear of change, pioneering and gaining of new knowledge stems from the prospect of chaos if society's entrenched values are uprooted. I interpreted this as 'ignorance is not bliss' and instead, it breeds fear in people. This is in relevance with the tragic events that has occurred in recent years - acts of terrorism, and/or racially motivated attacks. In the context of our modern society, religion and science still maintain an intriguing and tumultuous relationship. As the advancement of technology and ethics are not at equilibrium, this is where controversy arises. Conversely, we now have to consider whether this relates to the prompt:

A person never knows who they truly are, until tested by conflict.

Possible idea for this example:

"Is it ethical to administer a new drug capable of rewiring and regenerating brain function at a neuronal level to someone who has sustained extensive brain damage? Is it deemed humane to potentially change a person's character? At what personal cost will this have? - Playing god."

Tips to achieve A+ in creative writing

1. ensure it is related to the text..

A lot of students believe that the reading and creating essay is exactly the same as the old context essay. However, there is a significant difference! While a creative context essay does not have to link to the text in any way and only needs to explore a certain idea (e.g. encountering conflict), the reading and creating essay needs to offer a relevant interpretation of the text as well as show understanding of the text’s messages and how the text creates meaning .

The easiest way to write a creative response that links clearly to the text is to write about a scenario that is related to the plot line. You can do this by writing a continuation of the storyline (i.e. what happens after the end?), or by filling in gaps in the plot line which the author did not explicitly outline (what happens behind the scenes that caused the outcome?) In this way, your response will be completely original and still demonstrate an understanding of the world of the text.

2. Write in a way that shows understanding of how the text creates meaning.

When creating your response, be aware of the features present in your text (such as characters, narrative, motifs etc) that you can use in your own essay. For example, if the text is narrated from a first-person perspective, you may also mimic this in your essay. Or, you could tell it in first-person from another character’s point of view to demonstrate another interpretation of the text. You may also include motifs from the text into your own response. But be careful when making decisions about structure, conventions and language. If the text is written in very formal and concise language, it is probably not a good idea to use slang. Similarly, if the text is a play, structuring your response as a script might be a better choice than writing a poem!

3. Explore the explicit and implied ideas and values in the texts.

Lastly, remember that whilst it is a creative response, your purpose is NOT to tell a nice story but to explore the ideas, values and messages left by the author! There will always be various interpretations regarding these values, and you can express your understanding of the text through your portrayal of certain characters, or through the events in your response. For example, if you were studying Measure for Measure and wanted to explore how human nature cannot be restrained or limited by law and punishment, you could write a continuation of the play in which the city of Vienna has reverted to its original state of moral decay.

4. Show, don't tell

Creative essays are great because they offer interesting and unique stories; however, there is one common downfall that occurs in writing. Some students create pieces that are  too  straightforward. Rather than using vocabulary, imagery and symbolism to express a point, they simply write down a statement that sums up what they wish to say. Your aim is to invite the reader to  experience  the story through your words. This can be done through the character’s thoughts, feelings, actions etc. Thus the well-known phrase among writers, ‘ Show, don’t tell’ . Keeping this idea in mind turn you into a much more successful writer – and you’ll see the difference!

Tell: Katie was very happy.

Show: Katie’s face lifted. Little wrinkles appeared around her bright eyes, her dimples made an appearance that dug into her cheeks as a big grin emerged to show her perfect teeth.

Tell: She felt horrible for the weeping children.

Show: Guilt throbbed inside her as she stared at the weeping children. Her heart pounded against her chest, her hands trembling beside her still body, her brain screaming at her to do  something .

Tell: I was scared.

Show: I hear my breathing; heavy, and rapid. I shut my eyes tightly. I can feel goosebumps running up my arms and down my back.

To test whether or not you are ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’, think about whether or not your sentence leaves room for questions. In Example 1, ‘Katie was very happy’ would leave the reader thinking – what thought or action showed that she was happy? Whereas ‘show’ demonstrated that she was happy without directly stating it.

The key is to go into the finer details of your story!

Finally, have fun and enjoy the process of planning a creative narrative, let your imagination run a little wild and rein it in with your knowledge! Hopefully these tips were helpful and you are now more confident and informed on the Reading and Creating response! 

This blog post was written by Amanda Lau, Rosemary Chen, and Lisa Tran.

• What is a Written Explanation?
• Creative Response-Based Written Explanations
• Oral Presentation-Based Written Explanations

1. What is a Written Explanation?

Written Explanation (also known as Statement of Intention, SOE, and various other names throughout different schools) is a short introductory piece to your essay. The Written Explanation is intended to explore the reasons behind why you made particular writing decisions. This is done via FLAPC:

F orm,  L anguage,  A udience,  P urpose,  C ontext

2. Creative Response-Based Written Explanations

The following is taken from the VCAA study design for Creative Response-Based Written Explanations:

'a written explanation of creative decisions and how these demonstrate understanding of the text.'

Most assessors are quite lenient with how you want to approach the Written Explanation – there is no rigid structure that you need to abide by. As we will discuss below, this allows you to consider which aspects of form, language, audience, purpose and context you wish to include. Each of the points should establish why you have written your piece. They are considered as part of your SAC and thus, are marked accordingly. They are not  examinable during the English exam. 

There are traditionally three forms of writing accepted in assessments: expository, creative or persuasive essay. 

‘I chose to write in an expository style, employing conventions of format and style of a traditional essay. This allows me to express my ideas in a logical order while adopting a sophisticated tone.’

When writing, you choose particular words and phrases to illustrate your ideas. Think about what type of language have you used and why. Perhaps your piece is formal or informal, sophisticated or simple, or from a first or third person perspective. All these factors are important in shaping your Context piece. Also consider language techniques you may have incorporated such as repetition, rhetorical questions, metaphors, symbolism and more.

‘I have chosen to write from a first person perspective to shed light on the inner workings of Gardiner from  The Lieutenant .'

You must select a targeted audience for your essay. Your choice can be adults to young children, or even to your future self. Make sure your target audience is suitable for your essay – select a group that would realistically be interested in your work.

‘My piece is to be published in an anthology for those who have had difficulty assimilating into a new group or culture. As they have familiarity with the concepts I discuss, I intend for readers to depart with a greater understanding and appreciation of the ideas in my written piece.’

The purpose section is where you discuss the message you would like to send to your audience. Here you discuss your contention or arguments; whether you completely agree, disagree or a bit of both in regards to your prompt.

‘The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that there can be different outcomes from encountering conflict: firstly, that conflicts can change many people through growth in understanding or a sense of self-development and secondly, that there are times when people remain unaffected by conflict and thus, unchanged.’

Since your essay is based on your studied text, you should provide a brief discussion of the basic ideas behind the Context . You can do this prior to your  Purpose  section since it is a good lead-in.

‘In this essay, I explored the idea that ‘Conflict inevitably changes people’; a concept heavily explored in  The Lieutenant . Every person encounters conflict. It drives individuals to challenge themselves, and deal with new experiences.'

Different schools will set different word limits for Written Explanations. These can range from 300 – 350 words based on the VCAA study design. With such a small word limit, be succinct and choose wisely what you will discuss in order to score the maximum marks allocated to Written Explanations.

3. Oral Presentation-Based Written Explanations

The VCAA study design requests students write:

'a written statement of intention to accompany the student’s own oral presentation, articulating the intention of decisions made in the planning process, and how these demonstrate understanding of argument and persuasive language.'

Using the topic,  'Why we need to stop crying "cultural appropriation" when  cultural exchange  is far more important ', let's see how this can be done with FLAPC with some examples below (if you need help selecting a topic, check out our 2020 Oral Presentation topics to get those brain juices flowing ):

‘I chose to adopt the conventions of a persuasive speech, where I use a structure of presenting my main ideas by rebutting arguments made by the opposition. Throughout my speech, I embed persuasive tactics in an effort to firstly, encourage engagement from the audience and secondly, sway them to readily accept my point of view.

‘Since I am an Asian-Australian, I have purposefully forgone the opportunity to adopt a persona and instead, have chosen to write from a first person perspective as I can uniquely shed light on my own experiences towards cultural exchange and how that has directly impacted me. My speech heavily focuses on delivering tangible examples, such as anecdotes and social media usage, as I aim to heighten the topic’s relevancy and relatability for my audience. Moreover, as my focus is to reinforce positive attitudes towards cultural exchange, I have adopted a light-hearted approach with humour through the first portion of my speech, then moving into an urgent tone towards the end to highlight the importance of this issue.'

'I have opted to target young Australian adults since we are the generation of the future, and have a major role to play in positively shaping the Australian society’s views and attitudes towards cultural exchange.

'I aim to convince my audience that it is too easy to cry 'cultural appropriation' by being overly sensitive, and instead, we need to consider the benefits of cultural exchange. Cultural exchange itself, has shaped the world as we know it today – it has an important role in globalisation, understanding foreign cultures and the development of Australian society.'

'Australia is known to be one of the most multicultural countries in the world. However, recent media has drawn attention to cries of 'cultural appropriation' towards Indigenous Australians and other cultures, claiming that we fail to appreciate and respect cultural values when we take others' culture for our own (whether it be fashion, music, food or otherwise).'

‍ Sample FLAPC compiled and rearranged for flow and fluency:

Australia is known to be one of the most multicultural countries in the world. However, recent media has drawn attention to cries of 'cultural appropriation' towards Indigenous Australians and other cultures, claiming that we fail to appreciate and respect cultural values when we take others' culture for our own (whether it be fashion, music, food or otherwise). I aim to convince my audience that it is too easy to cry 'cultural appropriation' by being overly sensitive, and instead, we need to consider the benefits of cultural exchange. Cultural exchange itself, has shaped the world as we know it today – it has an important role in globalisation, understanding foreign cultures and the development of Australian society. I chose to adopt the conventions of a persuasive speech, where I use a structure of presenting my main ideas by rebutting arguments made by the opposition. Throughout my speech, I embed persuasive tactics in an effort to firstly, encourage engagement from the audience and secondly, sway them to readily accept my point of view. Since I am an Asian-Australian, I have purposefully forgone the opportunity to adopt a persona and instead, have chosen to write from a first person perspective as I can uniquely shed light on my own experiences towards cultural exchange and how that has directly impacted me. This also has an additional persuasive effect as I invite my audience to relate to my opinions through their own similar experiences as young Australian adults. I have opted to target this audience since we are the generation of the future, and have a major role to play in positively shaping the Australian society’s views and attitudes towards cultural exchange. My speech heavily focuses on delivering tangible examples, such as anecdotes and social media usage, as I aim to heighten the topic’s relevance and relatability for my audience. Moreover, as my focus is to reinforce positive attitudes towards cultural exchange, I have adopted a light-hearted approach with humour through the first portion of my speech, then moving into an urgent tone towards the end to highlight the importance of this issue.

Download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use

Need more help with your Creative Response? Check out How To Achieve A+ in Creative Writing (Reading and Creating)!

See how Lisa achieved full marks in her SAC in her Advice for A+ Oral Presentations guide.

1. What is an Oral Presentation? 2. What are you expected to cover? (Oral Presentation Criteria) 3. Choosing your Topic 4. Choosing your Contention 5. Writing your Speech 6. Presenting your Speech 7. Writing the Written Explanation 8. Resources to help you prepare for your Oral Presentation

What is an Oral Presentation?

For many VCE English students, the oral presentation is the scariest part of the course; it’s often also the first.

Doing a speech can indeed be daunting— you’re marked in real time, you can’t go back and edit mistakes, and the writing part itself is only half the battle. Nonetheless, the Oral SAC can also be one of the more dynamic and engaging tasks you complete in VCE English, and there’s plenty of ways to make it more interesting and also more manageable for yourself.

Keep reading for a comprehensive overview of what you need to know to succeed in your Oral Presentation. We’ve got you covered- from choosing your topic and contention, to writing and presenting your Speech.

We’ll also be suggesting useful resources, Study Guides and YouTube videos that will provide more detailed information and give you more confidence. Let’s get into it!

What are you expected to cover in an Oral Presentation? (Oral Presentation Rubric)

1. Your Oral Presentation SAC has two components. The first is the Oral Presentation itself (“a point of view presented in oral form”), and the second is a Written Explanation, also known as a Statement of Intention.

2. Your selected topic needs to be an issue that has appeared in the media since 1 September of the previous year

3. Your aim for this entire Oral Presentation SAC is to persuade your audience to agree with your contention (whatever that may be) based off the issue you’ve selected.

Here’s the raw version of VCAA’s expectations from you, taken from the VCAA website :

How to choose your Oral Presentation topic

1. select a topic that has appeared in the media since 1 september of the previous year.

This can be time consuming and tricky, especially if you want to choose something a bit more original or fresh.

Firstly, you need an event.  An event in the VCE English context is anything that happens which also generates opinionated media coverage—so, it’s not just an event but it has to be an event that people have published opinions about, and they have to have been published since September 1.

You might wonder why we don’t go to the issue straight away. Here’s a hypothetical to illustrate: if you asked me to name an issue, the best I could probably come up with off the top of my head is climate change. However, if you asked me to name an event, I’d pretty easily recall the Australian bushfires—something much more concrete which a) has generated specific and passionate opinions in the media; and b) can easily be linked to a wider issue such as climate change.

The ABC news archive is also really helpful for finding events since you can pick dates or periods of time and see a good mix of news events from then. Otherwise, Wikipedia has helpful pages of  events that happened in specific years in specific countries, so “2023 in Australia” might well be a starting point. 

When you have your event, you can then look for an issue. This will be a specific debate that comes out of the event, and can usually be framed as a “whether-or-not” question. The bushfires, for example, might generate debate around whether or not the Australian government is doing enough to combat climate change, whether or not Scott Morrison has fulfilled his duties as Prime Minister.

Most importantly, choose an issue from an event that’s interesting and important to you. After all, you’re going to be spending the time researching, writing and presenting!

2. Filter out the boring events/issues

Understand who your audience is.

Once you know who your audience is, ask yourself: Does this event and issue relate to my audience?

This question matters because “your aim of this entire Oral Presentation SAC is to persuade your audience to agree with your contention (whatever that may be) based off the issue you’ve selected.” This means that what you say to your audience and how they respond to your speech matters.

Even if your assessor isn’t counting exactly how many people are still listening to your speech at the end, everyone knows a powerful speech when they’re in the presence of one - it hooks the audience from start to end - and an assessor, consciously or subconsciously, cannot deny that the collective attentiveness of the room has an influence on their marking of your Oral Presentation.

That’s why you should choose a topic that your audience can relate to. Also, avoid topics that have too many unfamiliar words, because as soon as there’s something they don’t understand, it becomes much harder for them to follow your speech.

Now you may be asking yourself; what is the best topic for oral presentation?

Here are some example topics from previous years to give you inspiration:

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2014

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2015

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2016

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2017

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2018

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2019

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2020

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2021

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2022

VCE English Oral Presentation Topics 2023

For more detailed information on choosing a topic, read my blog Choosing a WOW topic for your VCE Oral Presentation ‍

How to choose your oral presentation contention

Once you've chosen an interesting topic and have researched all of its different viewpoints, it's time to formulate your contention.

Often, creating a killer contention is about avoiding some common traps that will make your overall presentation boring, bland and just like the rest of your cohorts'.

So, there are three things I like to AVOID:

1. Broad, Overarching statements

2. A Contention That Is Just Plain Obvious

3. Avoid A Contention That Is Generally Accepted As True In Today’s Age

For more information on writing a contention, read my blog Creating a Killer Contention for your Oral Presentation ‍

How to write your speech 

1. Have a CAPTIVATING introduction sentence; use a short, clear and powerful sentence.

2. RELATE to your audience so that it keeps them interested so they actually WANT to listen.

3. If you are taking on a persona, firstly study and UNDERSTAND your character.

4. Don’t forget your persuasive techniques. I usually use repetition in conjunction with the ‘rule of three’.

5. Remember that you are writing a SPEECH, not an essay. Instil your oral with emotion, varied tone and sentence lengths.

In fact, I've talked about a few of these in a 'Must Dos and Don'ts' video. If you haven't seen it yet, watch below before you read on.

4 Tips on Presenting Your Speech

1. Body Language

Confidence is key. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and, more importantly don’t move your legs. Especially if you’re nervous, swaying or shuffling will be noticeable and make you appear more nervous—when you practise, pay attention to the lower half of your body and train it to stay still if possible.

That being said, do use your arms for gestures. Those are more natural and will help engage the audience, though don’t overdo it either—usually, holding cue cards in one hand frees up the other but also stops you from going overboard.

2. Eye contact

Cue cards brings up another important consideration- eye contact. Hold cue cards in one hand as high as you can without it feeling uncomfortable. This means you don’t have to take your eyes away from the audience for too long or too noticeably to check your notes.

Eye contact increases your engagement with the audience. It also gives the impression of confidence and that you’ve been practicing and know your speech inside and out!

3. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

In a best case scenario, you won’t need to rely on your cue cards as you will have your speech basically memorised! Read your speech aloud and pretend that you’re actually delivering your speech. This means:

- Looking up ahead

- Holding the cue cards in the right spot; and

- Not just reading the words, but speaking as if to an audience

 It’s extremely helpful to also practice your speech to an actual audience! Practice in front of your family and friends. An alternative is to put a sticker next to your camera and record yourself. The sticker will help indicate where you should create eye contact. Look back at the video and give yourself some feedback, you might be surprised at your presentation!

4. Tone variation

Tone variation involves emphasising certain words, using pauses or slowing down for effect, or modifying volume. Incorporating some of these elements- even writing them into your notes by bolding/italicising/underlining will help you break out of monotony and make the speech more engaging.

Be sure to emphasise emotive language and any evidence you might use to illustrate your arguments. Most importantly, don’t speak too quickly!

5 things to keep in mind while writing the written explanation

For oral presentation based written explanations, the VCAA study design requests students write...

"A written statement of intention to accompany the student’s own oral presentation, articulating the intention of decisions made in the planning process, and how these demonstrate understanding of argument and persuasive language."

Using the topic, 'Why we need to stop crying 'cultural appropriation' when cultural exchange is far more important, ‘let’s see how this can be done with FLAPC with some examples below:

2. Language

3. Audience

For more information on writing a Written Explanation and a sample FLAPC compiled and rearranged for flow and fluency, read my blog How to Write a Stellar Written Explanation (Statement of Intention) .

Resources to help you prepare for your Oral Presentation

Doing this study all by yourself can be rather daunting, so we've got your back. We specialise in supporting VCE English by creating helpful videos, study guides and eBooks. Here are some just to get your started:

5 Common Oral Presentation Mistakes

‍ A Three Part Guide to Nailing Your Oral Presentation

Advice for A+ Oral Presentations

How I Got A+ in My Oral Presentation | Live QnA With Lisa Tran

How To 'Overcome' Your Fear of Public Speaking

Oral Presentations | How To Do Speeches

Walkthrough of a Full Scoring VCE Oral Presentation

Our How to Write a Killer Oral Presentation Study Guide has all the information you need to succeed in your Oral Presentations. Sample A+ essays and written explanations are also included!

Metalanguage is language that describes language. In films, we also need to consider cinematography – the technical side in the making of the film. For a detailed discussion, see  What is metalanguage?  

The prospect of writing a Text Response or Comparative essay on a film can be daunting—it’s difficult to know how to identify filmic devices let alone analyse why the director has used them to give meaning to particular scenes. To start us off, below are some filmic devices commonly used by directors that all students should be aware of when studying films.

Filmic devices

Camera shots.

This refers to the amount of space that is seen in one frame, which can be used to emphasise different aspects of the film’s setting or characters.

Example: An extreme close up of a character’s face to portray their emotions.

Camera angles

The way in which the audience is positioned to view the setting or character/s. This can enhance the audience’s understanding of the relationship between characters, or the way in which a character is feeling in a particular situation.

Example: a low camera angle can be used to demonstrate how a character is feeling empowered at a particular point in the film.

Any sound where the source of it can be seen in the scene (or is implied to be present) 

Example: Voices, are diegetic. Any sound that comes from outside the scene itself, for example, soundtrack, is non-diegetic. We can analyse the way in which sound enhances the mood of the film.

In the Made in Dagenham clip above, diegetic sound such as the pouring rain, spoons tapping on cups, radio in the background are all used to offer viewers a 'real' sense that we're in the cafe too.

The way in which the scene is lit can create interesting effects in what it suggest about the characters in the scene.

Example: if the main source of light comes from the side of the screen, lighting up one side of a character’s face, this can create a sense of mystery.

How a character is dressed in any given scene is very important; their clothes can say a lot about their present state of mind or their physical situation.

In-depth analysis using Mabo

Even once we know all this, it can still be difficult to use these devices as evidence to support our ideas in a text response essay. So let’s put our knowledge into practice and take a look at a few scenes from the film Mabo, directed by Rachel Perkins.

Opening scene:  Perkins uses a series of  long shots  of Murray Island in the opening scenes of the film, with  high camera angles . This is done to contextualise the setting, as well as foreshadow the great significance the land will have on the events of the film. The subsequent  low camera angle shots  of the trees on the island present them as being tall and majestic. Paired with the upbeat, vibrant native  music  (non-diegetic sound) that is playing, it is evident that Perkins is celebrating the beauty of the land and emphasising its importance, not just in the film, but in the islanders’ lives.

Benny Mabo and a young Eddie walking the beach: a  mid-shot  is initially used in this scene to show father and son walking in the water. This alludes to the strength of the connection that the Mabos have to the island in depicting them as being immersed in water. The subsequent  close ups  of their faces, conveying their contentment, with the waves of the ocean in the background, indicate that this connection to the land goes beyond the mere fact that they live there; the pair are shown to have a profound spiritual and emotional connection with the island. This is emphasised by the soft, peaceful  music  that plays alongside Benny’s recital of Malo’s law.  

Killoran exiles Eddie off Murray Island: side  lighting  is used in this scene to shadow some of Killoran’s face. This has a sinister effect. It suggests that his intentions toward Eddie are not honest, and further symbolises the corruption and lack of transparency in the Australian government in their dealings with the Indigenous. The cloud of cigarette smoke that surrounds him further highlights he toxicity of his presence on Murray Island, as does the solemn, foreboding  music  that plays throughout his conversation with Eddie. The  close up shots  of Eddie’s face convey the strength of his resolve in refusing to “[work] as a slave” for Killoran in penance for his crime.

Eddie on the railway tracks: this scene is all about Eddie’s internal conflict; his desire to return to his homeland, and the allure of the opportunities that the ‘mainland’ offers him (in particular, Bonita). The  high camera angle  is used to show him dancing across the railway tracks, which is heavy with symbolism, representing the choice between his old and new life. The  close ups  of his face as he sings his native  song  convey his emotional attachment to Murray Island and the depth of his despair at

not being able to return to it. His  costume  is comprised of old, dirty clothing, which is representative of his confused, weary and sorrowful state of mind. Yet the use of  backlighting  as he dances suggests that his decision to embrace his new life on the mainland will empower him. It further foreshadows the significance of this choice in enabling him to pursue the land rights case.

The Indigenous protest: Perkins deliberately uses  archival/stock footage  in this scene to enhance the viewer’s experience of the Indigenous’ protest at the Mayday march. By using real life footage from this actual historical event, Perkins adds authenticity to this scene, in order to effectively convey the importance of Eddie’s decision to participate. The  high angle shots , and  long shots , are used to show the sheer number of people who were fighting for change. The  music  quickens in pace to indicate a change, a turning point in Eddie’s life, in which he can no longer overlook the racism that his people have suffered. The  close ups  of his and his wife’s face during this scene express their passion and determination in supporting this cause, as well as their strong love for each other.

List of film techniques

These are just a few examples of the way in which you can use the techniques discussed to make your ideas more credible in text response essays. Some teachers may say that these filmic devices are a secondary source of evidence, but I believe they are equally as important as quotes in demonstrating a thorough understanding of the text—as long as you analyse why the director has chosen to include them.

Remember: the director only has a certain amount of time to tell the story, so every scene is important, and every technique is deliberate. That being said, don’t use these devices at the expense of quotations! 

This study guide is written by Gabrielle O'Hagen (Mabo examples), and Lisa Tran.

Listening is always viewed as the easiest section in an EAL exam, however, it is also the easiest section for students to lose marks as many of them may carelessly misread the question and/or comprehensively fail to answer the question. I personally find listening really challenging as it requires you to concentrate on multiple things at the same time, for example, the characters’ main contention, emotions, tone shift, and the context of the recording. However, as long as you do more practice, you will soon be able to master the listening skills! Here are the 4 steps that you will have to know if you want to do well in listening!

1. Read the background information of the text

Use your reading time (15 minutes) wisely and spend around 2-3 minutes in the listening section. The background information of the text is extremely important as it tells you the context of the recording which can also give you a basic idea of the characters involved in the text and the content they will be talking about. From the background information quoted from the VCAA 2019 EAL Exam , you will be able to recognise the two characters (Sue and Joe) involved in the text and you can also relate their conversations to the garage sale.

“Sue lives in a small seaside town. She presents a regular podcast called Sue’s Local Stories for the local radio station. Today she is talking about garage sales with John, who has just moved to the town. A garage sale is a sale located in a person’s garage or in front of their house, where they sell their unwanted items.” - Background information of Text 2

2. Scan through the questions carefully

Look for the keywords in the question, such as the 5W1H (Who, When, Where, What, Which, How), the character names, and the number of points that needs to be answered in each question. READ THE QUESTIONS FOR EACH SECTION CAREFULLY. That’s the only piece of advice I can give you to avoid losing marks on careless mistakes. Usually, the questions in listening are quite straightforward and easy to follow. Hence, it is particularly important for you to understand what the question is actually asking and what you are expected to answer in order to secure full marks in that specific question.  

Examples of the 5W1H Questions

• Who is he referring to when he says “You”?
• When did he open his first bookshop?
• Where did he go after his graduation?
• What message is he trying to convey in his speech?
• Which phrase did he use to express how dry it was in the desert?
• How does he express his anger?

3. Note taking

You should be using the spaces provided in the exam answer booklet to jot down any key words and phrases that are related to the questions. Do not bother to fill in the answers on the answer line just yet, as you are very likely to get distracted, hence, it may increase the risk of missing the answer for the next question. Remember that your notes should be as concise and clear as possible so you will be able to write down the answers immediately once the recording stops.  

Examples of notes

Question 1: Which type of animal does Sarah think is cleaner? Give an example and comment on her delivery.

• “MUCH MUCH cleaner” → emphasis

Question 2: How does Ryan show his feelings about plastic waste? Comment on his language choice and delivery.

• Exclaims → “putting sea life in a serious situation”
• Critical tone → emphasise the harm caused

4. Focus on the questions that you’ve missed

Bear in mind that you will have the chance to listen to the recording two times in total so please DO NOT stress if you miss out any answers or you are not sure about the answers after the first time. Highlight the questions that you have trouble with and focus on them when the recording is played the second time. 

If you have any spare time, I would recommend you to go through all your answers and check them in case you have any careless mistakes. Alternatively, if you are really confident with all your answers in the listening section, you could definitely start doing other sections in the exam, such as the Language Analysis and Text Response section.

Types of Questions you may get in Listening

In this section, I am going to introduce a few question types that can be seen in SACs and EAL exams. You will be able to perform well in all listening tasks if you do enough practices and are very familiar with these different questions:

• Support your answer with one piece of evidence from the text
• Give an example of delivery and language use to support your answer
• Give an example of the character’s indirect language
• What is the purpose of the text?
• Describe the character’s tone
• Describe the interaction between the characters

1. Support your answer with one piece of evidence from the text

This is a basic question type that can be seen in nearly every single listening task. It just means that you will have to quote a word or a phrase from the text in order to support your answer. Please ensure that your spelling is correct and the phrase that you quote is in the exact same wording as what the characters have said in the recording. You will only get the mark for your evidence if the above two rules are followed.

2. Give an example of delivery and language use to support your answer

You have to pay attention to the tone, pace and wording of the characters in order to answer this question. This kind of question is kind of tough, however, as long as you can memorise couples of examples of delivery, you will be able to answer this question effectively. 

Here are some examples of delivery and language use:

• Repetition — “No, no, no”
• Imperatives — “Do not do this…”
• Fast pace — “[quickly] What are we supposed to do now?” 
• Pausing — “But…”
• Place emphasis on words — “We have to STRIVE for our rights!”
• Increased volume
• Asking a question rather than making a direct statement
• Emphatic tone — “Do what I said!

3. Give an example of the character’s indirect language

An indirect language refers to an expression of the content of a statement in a longer or unclear fashion. It is often used in negotiation, diplomacy and in different types of embarrassing situations which can avoid the person from directly saying what he/she means.

Here are some examples:

“Oh… well… I am just browsing”

"Ummm… I am still thinking about it”

4. What is the character’s main argument?

In order to answer this question, you will have to pay attention to the standpoint of the character and be able to find the strongest point raised by him/her in the text. That’s why you have to read the background information of the listening task carefully and deliberately before you actually start looking into specific questions. This will enable you to have a basic idea of the character’s viewpoint towards the issue. Besides, the aim of this question is to test your understanding towards the text and your ability to interpret the character’s reasonings. Therefore, I would recommend you to focus on how the character is structuring his/her argument in order to help you to find the strongest argument. Bear in mind that your answer will have to be precise in order to secure full marks. No marks will be awarded to you if your answer is vague and not straightforward.

5. Describe the character’s tone

• Outraged tone — “Can you stop?”
• Astonished tone — “Wow!”
• Nostalgic tone — “I missed my hometown”
• Patriotic tone — “I am proud to be an Australian.”
• Amiable tone — “Nice to meet you.”
• Encouraging tone — “You can do it!”
• Accusing tone — “How could you make that mistake!”

You can also read through 195 Language Analysis Tones if you want to learn more tone words in order to drastically improve and expand your vocabulary. You are encouraged to memorise tone words as you will be able to apply them on your Language Analysis section as well!

6. Describe the interaction between the characters

Words to describe positive interactions:

Words to describe negative interactions:

• Disrespectful

For more resources on the Listening Exam and VCE EAL, check out The Ultimate Guide to EAL .   To see further advice, resources and samples for listening practice, see EAL Listening Practice And Resources (Part 1), EAL Listening Practice (Part 2), Tips on EAL Listening and How To Take Speedy Notes During Listening Component of VCE EAL Exam .

Introduction

If you, like me, grew up Asian in Australia, you might think you already know a thing or two about, well, growing up Asian in Australia. Our stories can be pretty similar—just have a scroll through the ‘subtle asian traits’ Facebook group, or have a conversation with literally any Asian Australian about their parents.

At the same time, it’s also important to recognise that everyone’s experiences are diverse, especially given how broad an identity ‘Asian’ can be. Also important is to recognise how broad and intersectional identity can be in general—intersectional meaning that race isn’t the only thing that defines any one of us. Things like gender, socio-economic status, ability, sexual orientation and religion can also be really central, for example. Each of these things can impact the way we navigate the world.

Covering a broad range of these stories is Alice Pung’s anthology, Growing Up Asian In Australia . Some of the contributors in this volume include Sunil Badami , Matt Huynh , Bon-Wai Chou , Diana Nguyen , Michelle and Benjamin Law, and Shaun Tan , and already this cross-section is fairly diverse in nature. You can also click on their names to find out a bit more about each of their work. I think this is worth a few minutes, just to get acquainted with the sheer range of Asian-Australian creatives who are represented in this book, and to locate their work within the themes they write about—in other words, having a think about the ways that cultural heritage, or experiences with family, or economic hardship permeate their work, both in the anthology and in their lives outside it.

The anthology is (perhaps quite helpfully) divided into sections which revolve around key themes, which is also going to inform the structure of this guide. I’ll be using this guide to go through an exercise that I found really helpful when learning the text, which involves:

• taking two stories per section and drawing up some dot-point similarities and differences
• translating two of those points into paragraphs, a bit like a ‘mini-essay’

We’ll go through some an example of what this might look like, and why it’s a helpful exercise to try.

Before we start diving into Growing Up Asian in Australia , I'd highly recommend checking out LSG's Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

Strine (Badami & Tseng)

Strine is what’s called a syncope , a shortened way of pronouncing Australian (a bit like ‘Straya’)—it refers to Australian English as it’s spoken by locals. This section of the book is all about language , and about the difficulties of juggling two languages growing up, and Badami and Tseng’s stories are great examples of this.

1. Similarity: connections to one’s mother tongue fade over time. Tseng recounts how, one by one, she and her sisters stopped learning Chinese as they progressed through their Australian education. Badami on the other hand compromises his name which stood out as too Indian when he “just wanted to fit in.”

2. Similarity: for ‘third-culture kids’, losing knowledge of their language also strains their relationship with their forebears. Badami’s mother is shocked to hear the anglicisation of his name despite the significance it carrie for her (“she spat my unreal new name out like something bitter and stringy”), and Tseng describes the experience of communicating with her father in “Chinglish” so that they can both understand each other.

3. Difference: language can be an internalised, personal experience, or a highly exposed and interpersonal one. While Tseng feels her loss of her language as a “sense of shame, a vague unease”, Badami is almost bullied into changing his name, “Sunil? Like banana peel?”

The Clan (Law & Chau)

This section delves into the complex ties that hold migrant families together. Chau’s poems are starkly different to Law’s story, so it’ll be interesting to compare how these different narrative forms work to explore those ideas.

1. Similarity : it can take at least one generation for migrant families to dig their roots into their new home. While Law’s parents are proud tourists at Queensland theme parks, he and his siblings “groan” at their comportment. Chau’s poem ‘The Firstborn’ traces his ancestry forward until he arrived, “an ABC” and his son “by amniotic sea”, both of them born into Australia.

2 . Similarity: family dynamics are still traditional and therefore gendered. Law notes how his mother’s health suffered when divorcing his father, and Chau notes that the women members of his family were “cast off” the family tree “as if they were never born.

3. Difference: family history and heritage can vary in importance. Chau’s family traces back “twenty-eight generations” of history, whereas Law’s family very much lives in the present, the only tie to older generations being his “Ma-Ma”, or grandma.

4. Difference: families show their love in different ways. Whether it’s dedicating a poem to his son about his life as one of “ten thousand rivers” of Chinese diaspora into the Australian sea, or taking the kids to theme parks on weekends, all sorts of affection can hold families together.

Putting it together

So I’ve tried to choose two sections (and four stories) that are all a bit different to try and mix it up and get some rich comparative discussion out of these. You might be studying this text alone, but even as one text, remember that there’s a lot of diverse experiences being represented in it, so discussing how stories connect, compare and contrast is just as important as discussing the content of individual stories themselves.

If we do a mini-essay, we might as well go about it properly and pick some sort of contention. Without a fixed prompt though, it might be easier to start with those dot points and pick which ones we want to write out and string together. Let’s pick two—connections to mother tongue fading over time (Strine similarity 1) and digging roots into Australia over time (The Clan similarity 1). A contention covering these points might look like:

While second generation migrants may struggle with loss of culture, they also constitute a unique and significant part of the diaspora.

Many migrants lose connections to their heritage over time, and these connections are often in the form of language. Particularly for Asian migrants, there is not as strong a need to preserve their mother tongue in the English-speaking Australia, and as such their knowledge of those languages can be easily lost. Ivy Tseng, for instance, recalls how she was never able to “grasp the significance” of learning Chinese as a child, and eventually she and her sisters would prioritise “study” and other academic pursuits over learning Chinese. Because tertiary study and education as an institution generally carry a lot of weight in migrant cultures, there is often a compromise made at the expense of heritage and language. These compromises can come from other factors as well, particularly the group dynamics of being in white-dominated Australia. Bullying is a frequent culprit, and Badami for example is indeed peer-pressured into resenting—and ultimately anglicising—his name, “Sunil? Like banana peel?” More generally speaking, a sense of shame for one’s difference is a common part of the migrant experience—Law experiences it as well at theme parks, where he and his siblings attempt to “set [them]selves apart” from the faux-pas of their parents. Not always an intentional goal, but a general willingness to compromise connections to heritage underscores many Asian Australian migrant stories, particularly of second-generation migrants.

However, the extent to which migrants feel socially integrated in society shifts generationally and over time as well. Second generation migrants are thus unique in that they have the closest connection to their heritage while also initiating this process of integration. Law and his siblings exemplify this, with their “Australian accents” and “proper grammar and syntax.” While some loss of their native Cantonese takes place, they are also the first in their family to sound Australian, one step closer to being Australian. They constitute part of the distinct, third culture of “ABC”—Australian-born Chinese—to which Chau alludes in his poem, ‘The Firstborn’. Distinct from first-generation migrants, ABCs are a product of diaspora and spend their formative years immersed in the Australian way of life. Chau’s poem goes on to highlight how sizeable this demographic now is—“the sea is awash with the unfathomable Chinese sons.” Thus, we can see how ABCs, or second generation Asian migrants, represent a unique and significant social group exemplified by great compromise, but also great change.

Why is this useful?/How can I apply this?

I like this exercise because it gets you thinking creatively about the key implications of the stories. Within a section or theme, you want to identify similarities in how both stories contribute to our understanding of that theme . You also want to identify differences to explore how stories can be unique and nuanced , which will provide your essay with more depth when you ultimately need it. Then, putting it all together helps you synthesise new connections between themes .

For an analytical study of this text, you’d flesh out those ideas until they become paragraphs, introducing relevant evidence and mixing it up with explanatory sentences as you go. Explanatory sentences keep you analysing rather than story-telling, and they usually don’t have any quotes—an example from above might be “because tertiary study and education as an institution generally carry a lot of weight in migrant cultures, there is often a compromise made at the expense of heritage and language.”

For a creative study, you’d take away those ideas and look at how else you might explore them in other stories. Feel free to challenge yourself for this; I remember falling back on more personal writing when studying this creatively, but don’t neglect other genres or forms! If second generation migrants are in fact more on their way to belonging, write a speculative story about how an apocalypse tests those connections to white Australians. I dunno, but don’t be afraid to really push the boundaries here and test the implications you draw from the stories.

Give it a go

Try it for some of these:

• UnAustralian? (Loewald & Law) and Leaving Home (Diana Nguyen & Paul Nguyen)
• Battlers (Dac & Law/Huynh) and Mates (Phommavanh & Ahmed)
• The Folks (Lazaroo & Tran) and Homecoming (Beeby & Larkin)

Growing Up Asian in Australia Essay Prompt Breakdown

Video Transcription

The essay topic we’ll be looking at today is short and sweet;

To belong is to sacrifice. Discuss. 

The key terms are evidently “to belong” and “to sacrifice”, so these are the words and definitions that we’ll have to interrogate. 

Belonging is a feeling of being accepted by someone or being a member of something, so we’d have to ask who is doing the accepting, and what are the writers seeking to be members of. On the other hand, sacrifice is loss, it’s giving something up—it’s implied that seeking belonging means you may have to navigate compromises to what you have, how you live, or maybe, who you are. Have a think about what sacrifices are made by whom, and why.

With that in mind, let’s brainstorm a contention . We usually want to avoid going fully agree or fully disagree to create a bit more ‘grit’ for the essay—and in this case, the prompt is pretty deterministic or absolute; it’s saying that belonging is all about sacrifice. 

I’d probably argue that belonging is sometimes about sacrifice, and for migrant children they often give up some of their culture or heritage for Western lifestyle or values. That being said, belonging in these cases is probably more about synthesis than sacrifice—it’s about being able to negotiate and bring heritage into increasingly Australian ways of life.

The brainstorming section of writing a killer essay is where my THINK and EXECUTE strategy comes in. If you haven’t heard of it before, essentially, it’s a method of essay writing that emphasises the importance of really thinking about all aspects of a prompt and exploring all the different avenues you can go down. To be able to EXECUTE a well-reasoned, coherent and articulate essay that contains enough nitty-gritty analysis, you have to do enough THINKing to get some meat on the essay’s skeleton, so to speak. To learn more, check out my top selling eBook, How To Write A Killer Text Response .

In paragraphs , we could start by looking at some of the sacrifices people make in order to belong . The poem, ’Be Good, Little Migrants’ has a more of a cynical take on this, suggesting that migrant groups are expected to sacrifice economic mobility and even personal dignity in order to gain favour with locals: “give us your faithful service”, “display your gratitude but don’t be heard, don’t be seen.” 

Economic sacrifices are seen across many stories, from the working class “decent enough income” in ‘Family Life’ to the failing business in ‘ABC Supermarket’. Other forms of sacrifice might be less material—for example Benjamin Law’s sacrifice of his Mariah Carey cassettes in an attempt to fit in at school from the story ‘Towards Manhood’. This example is interesting because it isn’t a cultural sacrifice, but a gendered one—it’s a good reminder that identity is always multi-layered. 

For migrant children though, the sacrifices usually revolve around their race and culture . Diana Nguyen for example notes language as a key sacrifice: she quits Vietnamese school because she didn’t feel like she belonged with the grade ones in her class, and her ultimate “lack of interest in learning [Vietnamese] created a lasting barrier” between her mother and her. In Sunil Badami’s story, ‘Sticks and Stones and Such-Like’, the sacrifice is his name, as he Anglicises it to Neil. When his mother finds out, “she spat my unreal new name out like something bitter and stringy, too difficult to swallow.” The common denominator here is that Asians growing up in Australia often have to navigate sacrificing some of their heritage in order to belong in western society. 

However, the challenges faced by the Asian diaspora growing up abroad are more complex and more nuanced than just sacrifice. More often than not, they’re required to synthesise a ‘third culture’ identity that balances their heritage with western values and lifestyles. 

Diana Nguyen goes on to discuss her career trajectory in becoming a “working actor” in Melbourne’s entertainment industry, carving out a path for herself in spite of her parents’ disapproval, and going on to represent a new generation of Asian Australians in the media. The story ‘Wei-Lei and Me’ also points to this shifting demographic in Australia, as Gouvernel and her best friend stave off a racist primary school bully only to see their home change for the better as they grew up, with new restaurants from their home cuisines opening up. At the same time, they “had become what [they] thought [they] could never be: Australian,” describing a way of life in Canberra that is unmistakably Australian. 

So, belonging isn’t necessarily all about sacrifice—it doesn’t mean you can’t pursue your passions or become ‘Australian’. Sure, sometimes sacrifice is necessary, but ‘third culture kids’ synthesise conflicting identities in order to belong. 

Having arrived at the contention, let’s just have another think about the takeaway message - being able to bring other themes into an essay topic that only really raises one theme. To answer this topic fully, a good essay wouldn’t just discuss belonging and sacrifice, but it would also bring in discussion about family, friends, careers and cultures, just to name a few. Hopefully this is something you can translate into your own future work!

Growing Up Asian In Australia is an anthology with a lot to unpack, but there are plenty of unique stories with plenty of interesting links to be made. However you’re learning this text, being able to draw conclusions from stories and extrapolate them into your writing is a really important skill.

As you go, ask yourself about the implications: ‘so what?’ and ‘why?’. These sorts of questions will help you get richer insights and write about the anthology in a more interesting way.

We've all been there. You're moments away from having to deliver your 5-6 minute long oral to all of your classmates and your teacher, and you're still trying to memorise that one bit that you just can't seem to get down pat. It sucks.

Doing a speech can indeed be daunting— you’re marked in real time, you can’t go back and edit mistakes, and the writing part itself is only half the battle. Nonetheless, the oral SAC can also be one of the more dynamic and engaging tasks you complete in VCE English, and there’s plenty of ways to make it more interesting and also more manageable for yourself.

We’ll break the whole process down into three parts (don’t worry, one of these will be the delivery itself) and have a look at ways to tackle each; hopefully, you’ll feel more empowered to give it a go on your own terms. Don't forget to also check out Our Ultimate Guide to Oral Presentations for everything you need to know for Oral Presentations.

Part One: Choosing a good topic

(in this section—researching events & issues, topic ideas).

For a bit of a head start on this step, be sure to check out our blog post filled with Oral Presentation Topics for 2020 . It's one of our best kept secrets!

In the study design, the description that’s given for the Oral Presentation is:

“A point of view presented in oral form using sound argument and persuasive language . The point of view should relate to an issue that has appeared in the media since 1 September of the previous year.”

Besides this restriction on how current/recent your issue is, the expectations themselves for this task are pretty standard (and therefore pretty broad): you

• select a topic or point of view
• research arguments and supporting evidence; and
• position the audience accordingly in your speech

Getting started on this first part can be tricky though, especially if you want to choose something a bit more original or fresh.

In any case, the first thing you need is an event . As a reminder, an event in the VCE English context is anything that happens which also generates opinionated media coverage —so, it’s not just an event but it has to be an event that people have published opinions about, and they have to have been published since September 1.

You might wonder why we don’t go to the issue straight away. Here’s a hypothetical to illustrate: if you asked me to name an issue, the best I could probably come up with off the top of my head is climate change. However, if you asked me to name an event, I’d pretty easily recall the bushfires—something much more concrete which a) has generated specific and passionate opinions in the media; and b) can easily be linked to a wider issue such as climate change.

So where do you find an event? If you can’t think of a particularly interesting one right away, you could always try Wikipedia. Seriously, Wikipedia very helpfully has pages of things that happened in specific years in specific countries, so “2019 in Australia” might well be a starting point. The ABC news archive is also really helpful since you can pick dates or periods of time and see a good mix of news events from then.

I wouldn’t underestimate your own memory here either. Maybe you attended the School Strike for Climate and/or you feel vaguely disappointed in the government. Maybe there was something else happening in the news you remember (even though it is often about the environment these days). It doesn’t have to be from the news though—maybe there was a movie or TV show you watched recently that you have thoughts about. You could really do a speech on any of these, as long as you suspect there might be recent, opinionated media coverage .

Only once you have an event should you look for an issue . This will be a specific debate that comes out of the event, and can usually be framed as a “whether-or-not” question. The bushfires, for example, might generate debate around whether or not the Australian government is doing enough to combat climate change, whether or not Scott Morrison has fulfilled his duties as Prime Minister, whether or not it’s appropriate to discuss policy already when people are still grieving. All of these issues are going to be more current and more focused than just ‘climate change’, so pick one that resonates for your speech. For a list of 2019-20 issue-debate breakdowns (i.e. topic ideas!), give this a read!

From there, you might delve a little deeper into viewpoints around your chosen issue, and you’d do this mostly by reading opinion or analysis articles (rather than hard news reports). Opinion is great to see what other people are thinking, and could help you bolster or reinforce your own arguments, whereas analysis is good to get a little deeper into the implications of and evidence behind the issue. The actual contention itself comes last—even though you might already have an idea what you think about the issue, you’ll be best prepared to articulate it after doing the research first.

Part Two: Writing a good speech

(in this section—register/tone selection, personas, openings, how formal you need to be, drafting & rehearsing).

For this part of the task, I’d keep in mind a specific snippet of its description: the need to use sound argument and persuasive language .

To be fair, persuasive language mightn’t necessarily be something you actively think about when you write persuasively—you wouldn’t ever really be like “hey, this is a great spot to include an appeal to compassion.” However, while you don’t need to start now, it’s good to have in mind a general register for your speech before you start. It’s one of the first things you might analyse in a written essay for good reason—it’s broad and it sets the tone for your argument/s.

With the bushfires for instance, you might contend that even though grief is a strong emotion, it should also be a trigger for resolute, permanent policy reform. But will you come from a frustrated, this-is-what-we’ve-been-saying-for-years register, or a compassionate look-at-the-damage-caused register, or an assertive, we-need-to-bring-the-community-together-first register?

Maybe you can incorporate a bit of each, or maybe (probably) there are more options, but in any case, making this decision first will help with stringing together arguments and incorporating more persuasive language techniques (PLTs). Note that most PLTs can be used across a number of registers, but there are some that might work more effectively with some of these.

For example:

These are things you’ll have to think about for your written explanations, and might also help you shape future research if you need to shore up the speech a little more. Something you may consider as well is adopting a persona , that is a character and a context for your speech. You don’t have to, but it may help you get started. It can be hard to just write a speech from scratch, but if you’re the mayor of a township affected by the fires and you’re outlining a course of action, it’ll help with your register and outlook.

Openings in general can be tricky though. Try to avoid stating your event, issue and contention outright—the audience doesn’t need to know that “recently, Australia experienced a horrific bushfire season and I’m going to talk about why now is the time to act on climate change.” They’ll figure it out. Instead, try to start with something that clearly communicates your register and/or persona (if you have one). If you’re a frustrated climate activist, start by illustrating the historical patterns of bushfires getting worse and worse. If you’re a compassionate community-builder, start with anecdotes of the damage. If you’re an assertive leader, explain who you are, what your experience is and how you want to create change. Don’t worry if you feel like the issue won’t be clear enough—again, they’ll figure it out! The opening also sets the bar for formality in your speech, and it’s honestly up to you how formal you’ll want to be. As a rule of thumb, don’t be so formal that you can’t use contractions (such as “you’ll” and “can’t”)—avoid those in essays for sure, but they’re a natural part of speaking and it’ll feel strange if you don’t use them.

I’d also recommend you draft and rehearse in front of others, highlighting areas where you think are the weakest and asking them for specific advice on those sections at the end. Having specific questions to ask, such as “should I include more data/quantitative evidence in x section?” or “is this specific appeal to x obvious enough?”, also means you get better feedback (since these are much easier to answer than “Was that fine?”).

Part Three: Delivering an engaging presentation

(in this section—body language, eye contact, rehearse rehearse rehearse, tone variation).

Most of you probably find this the most daunting part of the SAC—honestly, me too—but this is the part with the most tried-and-tested tips for success.

With regard to body language , stand with your feet shoulder width apart and, more importantly don’t move your legs . Especially if you’re nervous, swaying or shuffling will be noticeable and make you appear more nervous—when you practise, pay attention to the lower half of your body and train it to stay still if possible. That being said, do use your arms for gestures. Those are more natural and will help engage the audience, though don’t overdo it either—usually, holding cue cards in one hand frees up the other but also stops you from going overboard.

And cue cards brig us up to another important consideration— eye contact . Hold cue cards in one hand as high as you can without it feeling uncomfortable. This means you don’t have to take your eyes away from the audience for too long or too noticeably to check your notes.

Of course, knowing your speech better means having to check your notes less frequently. When I did my speech, I’d read it out aloud to myself 3-5 times a day for a week or two in advance, which made me feel like I was going insane but also meant that my speech was basically memorised . The cue cards were there in case of emergency, but I really didn’t need them at all. Absolutely make sure to rehearse your speech. Further, when you rehearse, try to pretend that you’re actually delivering the speech. This means:

• looking up ahead
• holding the cue cards in the right spot; and
• not just reading the words but speaking as if to an audience.

This last point is really important— tone variation might come naturally to some but not to others. I always found that building it into rehearsal helped with getting it consistent and natural. Tone variation involves things like emphasising certain words, using pauses or slowing down for effect, or modifying volume . Incorporating some of these elements—even writing them into your notes by bolding/italicising/underlining—will help you break out of monotony and make the speech more engaging as well. Be sure to emphasise things like emotive language and any evidence you might use to illustrate your arguments. And one last thing— don’t speak too quickly ! Easier said than done, but often the icing on the cake for a speech that is memorable for the right reasons.

Wondering where to go from here? Well, luckily, my eBook, How To Write A Killer Oral Presentation, details my exact step-by-step process so you can get that A+ in your SAC this year.

• Access a step-by-step guide on how to write your Oral Presentation with simple, easy-to-follow advice
• Read and analyse sample A+ Oral Presentations with EVERY speech annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY students achieved A+ so you reach your goal
• Learn how to stand out from other students with advice on your speech delivery

Sounds like something that'd help you? I think so too! Access the full eBook by clicking here !

EXECUTE is the writing component that ticks off the English criteria so that your teacher is wowed by your essay and wished it was longer. So, what are these criteria points? Each school may express these points differently, however at the end of the day, teachers and examiners are all looking for the same thing:

An understanding of social, cultural or religious background in the text and how that shapes the themes, ideas, and characters. Without a clear understanding of the context of your text, you cannot fully comprehend the views and values of the author, nor the overall meaning of a text.

For example, Austen was hunched over her small writing desk in the village of Chawton during England’s Georgian era as she wrote Persuasion. You are more likely reading it in a cozy bed, listening to Taylor Swift and half considering what you’re going to watch on Netflix later. Remember, your current social and cultural context can have a great influence on how you read a text, so it’s always important to imagine the author’s own context – whether this be very similar, or very different from the context of their text. It’s as easy as a Google search!

✔️Views and values

An understanding of the author's message and purpose.

Writers use literature to criticise or endorse social conditions, expressing their own opinions and viewpoints of the world they live in. It is important to remember that each piece of literature is a deliberate construction. Every decision a writer makes reflects their views and values about their culture, morality, politics, gender, class, history or religion. This is implicit within the style and content of the text, rather than in overt statements. This means that the writer’s views and values are always open to interpretation, and possibly even controversial. This is what you (as an astute English student) must do – interpret the relationship between your text and the ideas it explores and examines, endorses or challenges in the writer’s society.

✔️Different interpretations by different readers

An understanding of how different readers and develop different interpretations, and how this changes an author's message.

Like our example using Austen vs. you as a modern reader above, the way you interpret an idea or view a character can change based on your unique views and values.

✔️Metalanguage

An understanding of how author's constructs their text through specific choices in words.

For example, the use of the word 'bright' vs. 'dull' to describe a landscape is intended to effect the way you perceive particular ideas or characters in a text.

A high-graded English essay will cover all of these points without fail. If you're unfamiliar with any of these, you are missing out on ways to differentiate yourself from other students. At the end of the day, there are only so many themes and characters to discuss, so you need to find unique angles to discuss these themes and characters. This will help your essay move from generic to original (yeah boy!).

If you're interested, How To Write a Killer Text Response ebook shows you the inner workings of my brain 💭- what I think when I see an essay topic, how I tackle it, and how I turn these thoughts into a high-scoring essay. The ebook includes:

‍ - 50-pages teaching you how to respond to ANY essay topic

- Examples from 15+ popular VCE English texts

- Know exactly what to  THINK  about so you can formulate the best possible essay response

- Plus a bonus 20-pages of high vs low scoring essays , fully annotated (what works and what doesn't) so you know exactly what you need to do

Click here to access the FULL version now!

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Year 12 work experience

You don't need to wait until you leave sixth form or college to gain an insight into the world of work - A-level students can now join Year 12 work experience schemes run by many of the UK's biggest employers

What is Year 12 work experience?

Similar to the work experience opportunities available for university students and graduates, but generally shorter, these Year 12 and 13 programmes can help you to decide whether a career is right for you or just provide that much needed work experience to add to your CV .

This form of work experience, aimed at those aged 16 to 18 and studying their A-levels (or equivalent) at a school sixth form or further education (FE) college , typically involves:

• doing a one or two-week work placement and completing a number of tasks
• spending a period of time in one or more workplaces to see the jobs on offer
• job shadowing someone to see what they do in their role and whether it appeals to you.

What are the benefits of gaining experience while at school?

By completing work experience in Year 12 or 13, you can:

• talk about it in your personal statement for getting into university
• use it to stand out from your peers who haven't got any experience
• make industry contacts that may prove helpful throughout your career
• see it as a chance to explore a profession you're interested in
• ask the company about any internships available in future
• view it as the perfect introduction to doing an apprenticeship
• take this opportunity to develop the skills employers are looking for .

Which employers offer Year 12 work experience?

Work placements are available across a range of industries, but they are most popular in the following areas:

• accountancy
• engineering
• technology.

Many of the leading recruiters that run graduate schemes also offer early careers programmes for school leavers and above. This includes everything from degree apprenticeships to work experience for those still studying their A-levels.

Organisations currently advertising work experience include:

• Deloitte - the financial services firm operates a range of early careers schemes, including the Career Shapers Year 12 programme . Over three days in February, school students will attend in person and discover more about leadership roles, taking on client projects, networking and attending skills sessions.
• HSBC - the HSBC UK Work Experience Programme is for those in Year 10 through to Year 12 (S4 to S6 in Scotland) and is available across the UK. This unpaid programme is delivered across five days, with three held virtually and the other two in the office. Participants can choose a week from options in June, July or August, where you could be working in one of a number of business functions.
• KPMG - aimed at Year 13 students coming to the end of their A-levels and thinking of doing an apprenticeship, Discovery Work Experience is an opportunity to gain professional experience, develop new skills and grow your network. This three-day paid programme takes place in a KPMG office and can give you an advantage if you plan to apply for an apprenticeship with the company.
• NHS Business Services Authority - an NHS Year 12 work experience placement , based in Newcastle, is held in July. You'll get to work on a project in a non-clinical area of the NHS, such as digital, data and technology, people and corporate services, primary care services or finance, commercial and estates.
• Nuffield - the Research Placements & Experience programme facilitates hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) projects with a host organisation. This takes the form of either a two-week placement, where you'll get to produce a scientific or technical report or poster, or a five-day exploration with an industry expert, which involves creating a workbook and reflective report in a specific STEM sector. Placements have previously been held with the Natural History Museum, University College London (UCL) and The University of Manchester.

A number of charities and professional bodies also fund project work for those still at school. For example, the British Science Association (BSA) oversees the CREST Awards. The Gold Awards are projects for those aged 16 and over and willing to commit to at least 70 hours' work to a STEM project.

By honing your investigative skills and adopting scientific methodology to carry out your research, you will receive a certificate, as well as being able to use the experience to enhance your personal statement when applying for university.

What about summer schools?

Some higher education institutions (HEIs) run pre-university summer schools, often in partnership with employers. These summer schools are typically residential in nature and held on campus over three or four days, or up to a full week.

For instance, you could be living in a halls of residence for the duration of the programme to get a taster for university life - see what you need to know about student accommodation .

Examples of universities that run summer schools include:

• University of Brighton
• King's College London
• University of Leeds
• University of Sheffield

You can get an insight into a range of degree subjects, including:

• humanities and social science
• international relations

In addition to the work experience offered by universities themselves, organisations such as The Sutton Trust also advertise their own schemes. The UK Summer Schools programme is operated in partnership with a number of universities, including:

• University of Bristol
• Cardiff University
• University College London (UCL)
• University of Nottingham.

This week-long opportunity is available across the country, and you'll get to explore a subject of your choice alongside like-minded individuals.

As well as experiencing university life , you'll also benefit from:

• academic taster sessions
• skills sessions
• expert guidance on applying for university
• getting involved with social activities.

Is virtual work experience available?

You'll find that virtual work experience is offered either instead of or alongside these in-person opportunities, with many employers using a combination of approaches to deliver their insight and taster programmes.

To explore the range of virtual programmes, visit a dedicated provider such as Springpod , while Barclays LifeSkills provides a platform where you can learn where your skills would be most needed in the modern workplace, while getting to work on a real-life project.

The PwC Virtual Insight Programme gives students the chance to gain valuable skills while exploring their career interests. Whether you plan to do an apprenticeship or go to university, you can find out more about these pathways and where they could lead with this employer.

Held over three days, the interactive online sessions offer an insight into various business areas including audit, consulting, tax and technology. You'll also take part in skills sessions where you can build your personal and professional skills for when you're ready to apply for jobs and enter the workplace.

Am I eligible to apply?

While these programmes are generally open to A-level students across the UK, each organisation will have its own eligibility requirements.

For instance, Deloitte's Career Shapers is designed for students in:

• Year 12 - England and Wales
• Year 13 - Northern Ireland
• S5 - Scotland.

They also expect applicants to be predicted a minimum of 104 UCAS Tariff points in their A-levels (or equivalent). See how to apply for university for the grades you'll need.

PwC's Virtual Insight Programme looks for students on course for 96 UCAS points across your top three A-levels (not including general studies or the extended project qualification).

The Sutton Trust's UK Summer Schools scheme is for students who attend a non-fee-paying public school and meet some of the following criteria:

• the first generation in their family to go to university
• have gained at least five GCSEs at grades 9-6, including maths and English, with two being at grades 9-7
• received free school meals while attending secondary school
• live in a neighbourhood with a low rate of progression to higher education
• have been looked after or in care.

Where can I find and apply for these opportunities?

Many work placements are usually arranged by your school or college at local level in partnership with industry. For instance, placements are often available with your local authority in public services sector roles such as the arts, communications, planning, and environmental health.

Speak to your school or college's careers team to explore the latest opportunities.

There may also be the possibility of arranging your own placement, by applying to companies directly. Bear in mind that you'll need to work around your study commitments and be sure to keep your teachers informed of your plans.

For ideas of companies that may have their own work experience programmes, browse our employer profiles .

You can contact the employer through its website, by applying for a specific scheme.

Alternatively, you can make a speculative application by sending in your CV and cover letter to a named individual, explaining why you'd like to spend time working at their company and what you hope to gain from the experience. Read more about how to ask employers for work experience .

As summer schools are usually held between June and August, this shouldn't have an impact on your studies. You can apply online to universities of interest, including the list of institutions detailed above. Many applications open in the January of the year you plan to join the summer school, so it's advisable to look into this as early as possible.

Will I be paid for the work placement?

Most work experience schemes available to Year 12 and Year 13 students are unpaid, but there are exceptions.

KPMG's Discovery Work Experience is a paid in-person programme for Year 13 students where you'll be paid the National Living Wage (NLW) for your age. To work out how much you could earn, see GOV.UK - NMW and NLW rates .

In addition, the firm will also cover your travel expenses (up to £100 per day) while lunch is provided.

It's unlikely you'll be paid to attend a summer school, but many opportunities are free. For instance, The Sutton Trust's scheme covers all costs for the week, including your travel, food and accommodation expenses.

The University of Brighton's on-campus residential summer schools are also free and include accommodation and food, as well as the costs associated with any trips you'll be involved with.

Find out more

• Consider volunteering .
• Discover how to choose a career .
• Get the lowdown on using social media for job hunting .

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How to Write a Band 6 HSC Creative Writing Piece in 8 Steps

I think you’ll agree with me when I say: HSC Creative Writing is REALLY hard. How do you even come up with a creative writing structure or techniques?

It’s hard to think of an idea and it’s hard to know whether what you’ve written is any good.

Well, it turns out there’s a simple, proven formula for writing a Band 6 story – and it comes in 8 easy-to-follow steps!

In this article, we’re going to walk you through each one so that Module C becomes less of a nightmare and more of an ace up your sleeve.

Let’s get started!

What does the Module C: Craft of Writing rubric say? Step 1: Develop Your Story Idea Step 2: Develop Your Character Step 3: Develop a Setting  Step 4: Develop Your Point of View  Step 5: Using A Formula To Write A Band 6 Plot Step 6: Pick Your Narrative Type Step 7: Edit and Proofread Your Piece Step 8: Adapt your Piece to Exam Stimuli

What does the Module C rubric say?

Most students sit down and try to develop an idea for creative writing without first thinking about what Module C is about and then struggle to mould their story to the stimulus in the exam.

The result? A story that often doesn’t convey anything much in a meaningful way that nails the marking criteria for the HSC .

Here’s the point.

The marking criteria for HSC Module C creative writing to score a Band 6 requires you to:

‘…consider purpose and audience to carefully shape meaning.’

Let’s put some emphasis on ‘carefully shape meaning’. Writing your story, and then trying to ‘stuff’ Meaning into it, just won’t cut it.

To “carefully shape meaning” refers to the deliberate and thoughtful construction of your narrative to convey a specific message, theme, or emotional response to the reader.

It involves making conscious choices about language, structure, and literary devices to effectively communicate your intended meaning.

So… how do you do that?

Step 1: Develop a Creative Writing Idea

In our work with thousands of Year 12 students over the last decade, the #1 mistake we see students make over and over again when it comes to creative writing is this:

Starting the writing process by brainstorming a unique story idea.

Now you might be thinking – isn’t that exactly what you just said to do?  Doesn’t writing a great story start with a great idea for the story? 

Trying to come up with a great idea for a story out of thin air from the very beginning places a lot of pressure on you to have that ‘moment of inspiration’ and the reality is that (as you may have discovered) this can be almost impossible!

A great story starts with a great character.

How should you develop your story idea then?

Skip to Step 2 and come back to this step-by-step framework on how to come up with a great creative writing structure that’ll impress the HSC exam markers and meet the marking criteria!

Here’s How to Develop Your HSC English Module C Creative Writing Idea.

Step 2: Develop Your Character

So, a great story starts with a great character.

But how on earth do you create a great character?

Creating a normal character sounds hard enough. But a great one? Man, this sounds really hard.

The biggest mistake students make when trying to create a great character is trying TOO hard and writing about things you haven’t 100% planned out.

So, all of a sudden, your character becomes this epic person, who is a cross between James Bond and the Hobbit, living in Elizabethan England. OK… that might be an exaggeration, but you get the point.

So how do you create a great character that works?

Here’s where there’s good news. There is a proven process you can follow to write believable characters that the likes of Pixar and Disney use to craft characters worth remembering. And we’ve broken it down for you!

Here’s How to Develop A Character for HSC Creative Writing.

Step 3: Develop a Setting  

So you understand how to carefully create meaning for your HSC Creative Writing piece. Tick.

You’ve got a sophisticated character. Tick.

Now, in what setting and context do they live? Where will your story take place? When?

The moon? Ancient Rome? The Amazon? Your local area?

The biggest mistake students make at this step is simply making up the setting and context as you go (guilty!)

Do you think Disney makes up their setting and context for their stories as they go? No way!

Whatever setting you have it needs to:

Be intentionally chosen and planned Be something you are familiar with and can write about well Be consistent with your character Be flexible to fit with varied stimulus material you receive in exams

So how do you pick setting and context?

Making decisions about the setting of your story has a lot of layers to it. Where is the story set? When? What was going on in that time period? What did people wear? What was the culture like?

Here’s How to Develop A Setting For Your HSC Creative Writing Piece.

Step 4: Develop Your Point of View 

Which one is better?

My journey to the shops was made much less enjoyable by the sweltering heat. I was feeling light-headed and faint.  Your journey to the shops was made much less enjoyable by the sweltering heat which forced you to become light-headed and faint. Jennifer’s journey to the shops was made much less enjoyable by the sweltering heat which forced her to become light-headed and faint.

It was a trick question…

Writing in 1st, 2nd or 3rd Person can all be great – it depends on the type of story, the number of characters, and what you are trying to achieve.

I’m going to take a bet though. You probably don’t even think about which point of view to write in. When you start, you automatically write in the POV you feel most comfortable in. 

Sound like you?

Pixar intentionally chose Marlin’s POV in Finding Nemo — not Nemo’s. This wasn’t an accidental decision, it was an intentional one…

It all boils down to this – when you choose your POV:

You need to choose it intentionally You need to evaluate which POV will be most flexible with different stimulus type You need to consider how many characters you have and which POV supports dialogue You need to consider which POV enables you to get inside your characters head and whether this is critical

So, how do you choose a point of view for your HSC story?

Not sure whether to go with 1st person, 2nd person or 3rd person? Each point of view has different pros and cons depending on the structure of your plot, and the number of characters you have. Have you chosen the right one for your HSC creative writing story?

Here’s Selecting A Point of View for HSC English Creative Writing. 

Step 5: Using a Formula to Write a Band 6 Plot

OK, I know what you’re thinking.

We’re at Step 5 and I still haven’t got a plot or story idea yet. What on earth is going on?

Now that you’ve laid the foundation of your story, it’s FINALLY now the time to develop your plot. And because you’ve laid the foundation, creating a great story idea is going to be much easier.

So what’s the secret?

All great stories have the EXACT same plot structure.

It’s called the 5 Point Plot Structure:

Inciting Incident Rising Action The Conflict The Climax The Resolution

So how do you use this structure to come up with a story?

To take your basic 5 Point Plot Structure and turn it into a story that’s going to earn you a Band 6, there’s a lot to consider.

Here’s How to Develop Your Story Idea for HSC English Creative Writing.

Step 6: Pick Your Narrative Type

Okay, so we’re at Step 6 – surely we’ll be putting pen to paper soon… right? Wrong!

First, you need to pick what narrative type you’ll be writing.

I can hear you asking: ‘But aren’t we just writing a short story?’

Well sure, you can write a short story, but the HSC Creative Writing  PIECE can take any form you’d like – a monologue, a letter, or anything else that takes your fancy!

Writing something other than a short story also helps you stand out from the competition and impress those HSC markers!

So how do you choose a narrative type? 

You get some help from Art of Smart of course! Read our in-depth article on picking a narrative type that will help you get that Band 6 here:

Here’s How to Pick a Narrative Type for your HSC Creative Writing Piece.

Step 7: Edit and Proofread Your Piece

Finished your first draft? Perfect! But this is the most important step, so don’t skip it!

I’m about to teach you the easiest way to get extra marks in HSC Creative Writing.

Believe it or not, there’s an art to editing and proofreading that could push your mark right up!

We’ve boiled it down to 4 simple steps…

Read your piece out loud Show – Don’t Tell! Short and Simple Less is more

To find out how to use these steps to do a killer edit of your piece, check out our article below.

Here’s How to Edit & Proofread Your HSC Creative Writing.

Step 8: Adapt your Piece to Exam Stimuli

Congratulations!  You’ve got a KILLER HSC Creative Writing piece under your belt.

Trust me, that hard work is going to pay off in the HSC Exam!

“But how can I possibly adapt my story to the question they throw at me in the actual exam?!”

We’ve got you covered.

Here’s How to Adapt Your HSC Creative Writing Piece to Exam Stimulus.

Then, guess what! You’re done with your HSC Creative Writing Piece – and most likely earned a Band 6 in the process!

Really want to nail that HSC Creative Writing Piece for HSC English?

We have an incredible team of HSC tutors and mentors who are creative writing experts!

We can help you master HSC English creative writing and ace your upcoming HSC assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby or the Hills!

We’ve supported over 8,000 students over the last 10 years, and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational HSC English tutor and mentor, get in touch today or give us a ring on 1300 267 888!

Elizabeth Goh isn’t a fan of writing about herself in third-person, even if she loves writing. Elizabeth decided she didn’t get enough English, History or Legal Studies at Abbotsleigh School for her own HSC so she came back to help others survive it with Art of Smart Education. She’s since done a mish-mash of things with her life which includes studying a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations) with a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University, working for NSW Parliament, and writing about writing.

• Topics: 📚 Study , ✏️ English

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4 simple creative writing tips you should follow to succeed in hsc english, hsc creative writing: how to develop a setting for your hsc english creative piece, how to edit and proofread your hsc creative writing piece, 45,861 students have a head start....

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Work Experience

Year 11 & Year 12

There are a number of organisations who provide an insight into their business for GCSE and A level students. Work experience can range from 1 day to 2 weeks and is a great opportunity for students to get exposure to these organisations. It will help in future applications.

Who offers work experience for school students?

There are a large number of companies offering work experience days and weeks to 16-18 year olds. There is strong representation from the finance industry and investment banks such as Credit Suisse, from professional services firms such as Ernst & Young, from legal firms such as Pinsent Masons and Old Square Chambers and from media companies such as The Guardian.

Please click on the links below to access details of each work placment.

Information on:  WRITING YOUR CV AND COVERING LETTER

Information on:  HOW TO EXCEL IN INTERVIEWS

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How to find work experience in year 12

Lottie Goodger

As soon as you go into sixth form, you will be told to start focusing on careers and finding experience that will help you to get into jobs or a relevant degree. This is particularly true if you want to do something vocational, either as an apprenticeship, as a sixth-form leaver or at degree level. Most jobs (before or after uni) and vocational degrees like to see that you’ve had some sort of experience in your chosen field, or in a field that gave you some transferable skills. It shows that you know what is involved in the job and that you are genuinely interested.

It can be daunting, though, trying to source work experience in sixth form. Places can be competitive for certain placements, and different areas of the country will have different levels of available placements. The process of finding a work experience placement can be long and pretty stressful, so we’ve put together some advice for sourcing work experience in Year 12.

Do you need work experience?

The first thing you need to do is figure out whether you actually need work experience for your chosen course/career. For most careers/jobs, the answer is a solid ‘yes’. Or at least it would be advisable to try and find some experience in something related to your chosen career before trying to find a full-time job in that field, as it demonstrates commitment and that you understand what is actually involved in the job.

For most jobs, work experience completed at school does not have to be directly related to what you want to do, because employers understand that many jobs that require experience to do well also require some skill or vocational qualification that you won’t have completed yet. For example, if you want to qualify as a hairstylist, most salons don’t offer hands-on experience because of the skills involved. Instead, you might consider placements that show customer service and people skills, attention to detail and creativity.

If you are looking at boosting a university application, then, with a few exceptions which I will talk about later, your work experience can be anything that demonstrates the broad skills needed for your course. You may not actually need work experience for your chosen course, but it can never hurt to demonstrate that you are proactive enough to undertake a placement.

For example, I did my work experience in an analysis lab at a metals factory (for a chemistry degree), but not everywhere will have somewhere like this. What you might consider instead, if we take chemistry as the example, is something that shows you can analyse data, write clearly and precisely and conduct research. Shadowing at your local paper, office work, even volunteering at your local charity shop can all show that you have these skills if you can pick them out and weave them into your personal statement in the right way.

It may also be that your school requires you to complete a work experience placement. Mine did. Whatever your reason for doing it, work experience is almost always a good idea, particularly in year 12 before the stress of A-Levels kicks in.

Through school/college

A common way of finding work experience is through your school or college. Most colleges have a careers department (dedicated almost exclusively to the sixth form) that can help you find work experience – they may even have a bank of placements or contacts that they can use to help you to get in somewhere. The first step is to make an appointment with the careers advisor and explain to them what it is you want to do and what you want to get out of a placement.

They might contact a specific place or company on your behalf, or they may give you contact details to do so yourself. If they do that, it will be up to you to then arrange the placement in a way that suits you, the company and the school/college (if you have to take time out to complete the work experience).

If your school does not have a careers advisor, go and speak to a teacher. It would be most useful to speak to a subject teacher (if you plan to attend university) or your tutor/supervisor (if you are looking for general/vocational work experience).

If you are doing compulsory work experience, they can still help you, but your college may say that they prefer you to source the placement yourself. If that is the case, then there are usually two ways of going about it.

Through friends and family

Your first port of call when looking for work experience is to ask friends and family, particularly if they work in an industry that you are looking to go into. This is particularly useful when sourcing competitive placements like medicine and veterinary medicine. It is also useful if you are looking to pursue a non-degree route – ask friends/family if they know anyone willing to be shadowed at work so that you can see what you will be doing first-hand.

Alternatively, ask friends and family to help you with sourcing a placement from elsewhere. It can be daunting applying for something professional for the first time, so asking experienced family members to help can be useful. This also gives them a chance to learn more about what you are interested in doing in your career.

On your own

Lots of students take it upon themselves to find work experience. How you do this depends on a number of factors – where you live, what you want to do, how long you need the placement to last.

Generally, you will need to contact relevant businesses and organisations well in advance of your placement (I did mine a few months in advance) and explain what you want, how long you want it for and what you hope to get out of it. All being well, they will be able to offer you a placement, or they may ask you to do a short interview. Unfortunately, not all places will be able to offer work experience, so make sure you contact a variety of places.

Depending on where you live, employers may advertise specific work experience positions on job websites like:

• StudentLadder

Although not all places do this. If you are from a town/small city, placements are mostly organised by contacting the organisation directly. Try to be professional but not too rigid or formal (as this can look like you are just going through the motions and have little passion for what you are applying to do).

If you are wondering where to start (especially if you live in a big area), look at smaller, local businesses as you are likely to have contact with more of the people involved in managing the organisation and you get to see what that industry is like in your area.

Keep an open mind – you may find relevant experience in the last place you would think. Remember, at this stage work experience is all about transferable skills and showing that you have the ability to work well in your chosen field.

As a side note, I have used the phrase ‘chosen field’ throughout, but you do not have to know what you want to do in order to benefit from work experience. It can be relevant to a career or university course, but it could just be a time for you to develop skills, or even to realise what you don’t want to do. Even work experience that you hate is not wasted time – you have discounted a career, perhaps before pursuing a degree in it!

Alternatives – a special word for medicine applicants

As I mentioned earlier, certain university courses are notoriously hard to find much-needed work experience for. Medicine (as well as veterinary medicine and dentistry) is the main one, and finding work experience (that is often a compulsory part of the application process) is a source of dread for every new intake of year 12s. If you can find a placement in a GP practice or, better yet, a hospital, then that’s fantastic. However, these placements are hard to come by if you don’t know anyone in the medical profession – which, let’s face it, the majority of us don’t – so these are some acceptable alternatives to work experience in a hospital setting.

• Volunteering in a hospice
• Working/volunteering in a care home/facility
• Shadowing someone in areas called ‘subjects allied with medicine’ i.e. pharmacist, physiotherapist.
• Volunteering with a first aid organisation, e.g. St John Ambulance.
• There are many programmes like GVI which allow people to volunteer abroad, including in a healthcare setting, but these are very expensive and so are often financially exclusive to lots of students.
• Working at a farm (or urban farm), animal rescue or livery (for vets)

The goal of medical work experience is to show that you understand what goes into healthcare and that you have the right characteristics for the job. Any way that you can demonstrate this is great.

Finding work experience in year 12 can be difficult, but it can be done reasonably stress-free. Employers know that many students will look for summer work experience and many are more than willing to take on and support young people. For support on this, speak to your teachers, careers advisor, family, friends or colleagues and explain to them what you hope to get out of your placement. Support can also be found online – The Student Room and Prospects have some helpful forums where people can share advice, although do check any advice before following it. We have some field-specific advice, too. Check out our media and marketing tips if you want some further information.

Last Updated on July 24, 2024

Published on August 1, 2020

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Year 12 Work Experience Programme

This programme will give you an insight into the exciting world of research at Imperial College. 

At a glance

• Applications for 2024/2025 will open in January 2025
• Non-residential
• For year 12 students
• Eligibility criteria apply

About Work Experience Programme

The work experience programme is designed to give students an insight into life as a researcher and other careers in higher education. Students will experience working life, from the daily commute to managing their time and navigating a professional environment, all whilst gaining a fantastic insight into the exciting world of research at Imperial. In 2024, the following departments will take part:

• Bioengineering
• Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment
• Mathematics
• Chemical Engineering
• National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI)

Applications for the Work Experience Programme closed on 6 March 2024. Applications will reopen in January 2025.

What to expect

During the five day programme you will get an insight into research being conducted within your chosen department and academic careers associated to this field of study. The programme will attempt to simulate typical working life. You will be expected to commute to and from campus each day, have lunch with your peers and meet deadlines. You will also have access to research and teaching laboratories, workshops and specialist technical suites whilst in your department. 

Please note that each department runs their own timetable and the content of each stream varies. 

As well as experiencing the world of academic research, students will also be given talks relevant to applying to university covering topics such as writing effective personal statements and interview skills.  You will be supported by a student ambassador throughout your time on the programme. Our ambassadors will help you navigate the campus, provide support during tasks and be able to answer your questions about university life.

At the end of the week there will be an academic-style conference where students will work in small groups to present a poster and short oral presentation about their time on the programme to their peers, leaders and invited guests.

This summer school is fully funded (free to successful applicants), which includes all course fees, materials as well as lunch.  Travel is not included, and it is expected that most participants will live in or near London (or have family in London they can stay with for the duration of the programme). However we may be able to offer successful applicants  financial assistance for their travel. 

Year 12 Work Experience promo

"I would 100% recommend the programme to anyone considering applying, because you gain a lot of advice from both people who have been through the admissions process recently and the admissions tutors themselves and you learn more about your subject in a more interactive way than you would at school." — Siyani, year 12 student, Work Experience Programme 2020 (life sciences stream)

Applicant information

Eligibility criteria.

To apply for the Y12 Work Experience Programme, you must be:

• in Year 12 at the time of application,
• able to travel to and from Imperial College London each day

This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London and aims to support state school students from backgrounds under-represented at university and Imperial. We use the criteria below to assess who is eligible to participate. The more criteria you meet, the more likely your application will be successful.

We recommend that you use our  eligibility checker tool   to see if you are eligible to apply.

 We will prioritise your application if:

• You have been in care
• You live independently (estranged), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact

 We will also assess whether:

• You are a  young carer  and have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem that is a significant demand on your time
• Your family income is below £50,000 each year
• You are eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
• Your parents/guardians did not attend university
• You live in a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education ( POLAR4  Quintile 1 or 2 areas) or high levels of deprivation ( IMD  Quintile 1 areas)
• Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals
• Your school has below average attainment

Academic requirements

To be eligible for this programme, you should: 

• Expect to study a science, technology, engineering or maths subject at university
• Have achieved a minimum of eight GCSEs with at least five at grades 7-9, including maths and sciences
• Have achieved a minimum of grade 5 in GCSE English Language

Please note that there are specific A-level (or equivalent) subject requirements for each department. For 2024 these are as follows:

• To apply for Bioengineering you need to be studying Maths and either Chemistry or Physics.
• To apply for Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment you need to be studying Maths and one of the following Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Maths or Physics.
• To apply for Materials you need to be studying Maths and either Chemistry or Physics.
• To apply for Mathematics you need to be studying Maths and Further Maths.
• To apply for Physics you need to be studying Physics and Maths.
• To apply for Chemical Engineering you need to be studying Chemistry and Maths.
• To apply for NHLI you need to be studying Biology and either Chemistry, Maths or Physics.

How to apply

Applications for summer 2024 closed on 6 March 2024. Late applications cannot be considered. We will release decisions on 3 May.

Applications are made through Aspire, our online application system. A link to Aspire will be added to this webpage once applications are open.

Setting up your account You must create an account with Aspire before you can complete your application.

• If you have applied to an Imperial Outreach programme in the past, you can use your existing account. There is a forgotten password feature on the Aspire login page.
• If this is your first application to one of our programmes, we recommend you use a personal email address rather than a school email address when creating your account. Security settings in some school email servers will prevent you from receiving emails from Aspire.

Completing your application Once you are logged in you will need to start a new application. As part of the application form you will need to tell us about your school, the subjects you are currently studying and the course(s) you plan to study post-16. Although the form will force you to include English, Maths and Science for Key Stage 4 (GCSE or equivalent) and ask you if you are planning on studying specific STEM subjects post-16, you do need to tell us about all the subjects you are studying at school. Please use the 'Other subjects' section to add this information.

Please take care to ensure you select the correct programme when using the drop-down options. Some of our programmes have similar names, so it is important to double-check.

You will be asked questions relating to the eligibility criteria listed above. Where possible, please try to have this information to hand before you apply. You will also be asked to write a short personal statement. This gives you the chance to tell us more about why you are applying for this programme and why you think you would be suitable.

As part of the application process, we will seek references from a parent/guardian and a teacher at your current school. Please speak to the individuals you would like to provide these references in advance, so you can check you have the correct email address and contact numbers for them and that they are happy to support your application.

References Once you have successfully submitted your application, we will email your parent/guardian and teacher referees. They will be sent a personalised link to Aspire, where they will provide information to support your application.

The reference forms ask similar questions about the eligibility criteria and include the opportunity to provide a supporting statement. These statements can be used to let us know about other challenges you may have faced and/or what you might get out of participating in the programme. Teachers will also be asked to verify the subject/grade information you provided in your application.

Decisions We will release decisions via email on 3 May 2024. If you are offered a place on the programme, or on the waitlist, you will have a limited amount of time to accept this offer. Successful applicants will receive details on the next steps.

For information about the application process, please see our  application FAQs .

For more information, please see our  Outreach Programme FAQs .

If your query is not answered in the FAQs, please email us via  [email protected]  or phone +44 (0) 20 7594 3575.

Want to stay up to date with Imperial outreach events? Click on the links below to follow us on our social media sites and follow the hashtag, #icoutreach

• Twitter:  @icoutreach
• Facebook:  icoutreach
• Instagram:  @icoutreach ‌

26 Creative Writing Careers

by Melissa Donovan | Aug 4, 2022 | Creative Writing | 164 comments

Creative writing careers — they’re out there!

If creative writing is your passion, then you’d probably enjoy a career in which you could spend all day (or at least most of the day) pursuing that passion.

But creative writing is an artistic pursuit, and we all know that a career in the arts isn’t easy to come by.

It takes hard work, drive, dedication, a whole lot of spirit, and often, a willingness to take big financial risks — as in not having much money while you’re waiting for your big break.

When we think of people who make a living through writing, novelists and journalists come to mind immediately. But what other jobs are out there for folks who want to make creative writing the work that puts food on the table?

The Creative Writing Career List

Here’s a list of creative writing careers that you can consider for your future. I’m not making any promises. You have to go out and find these jobs yourself, but they do exist. You just have to look for them and then land them.

• Greeting Card Author
• Comic Book Writer
• Copywriter (business, advertising, marketing, etc.)
• Writing Coach
• Screenwriter
• Songwriter (Lyricist)
• Freelance Short Fiction Writer
• Web Content Writer
• Creative Writing Instructor
• Legacy Writer (write people’s bios and family histories)
• Critic/Reviewer
• Ghostwriter
• Article Writer (write, submit, repeat)
• Video Game Writer
• Personal Poet (write personalized poems for weddings, funerals, childbirths, etc.)
• Speechwriter
• Write sleep stories
• Blogger (don’t tell me you don’t have a blog yet!)
• Creative Writing Consultant
• Specialty writer (food, travel, fitness, etc.)
• Write guided meditations

I’m not saying you’re going to make a lot of money with some of these creative writing careers. You might have to earn your creating writing income part-time or on the side. But if you do what you love, the money (i.e. the success) just might follow. You’ll never know unless you try, right?

Do you have any creative writing careers to add to this list? Share your suggestions by leaving a comment.

164 Comments

I find it so difficult to consolidate my thoughts when it comes to career paths. I know this is only a short post with some fairly obvious suggestions, but I really have to say cheers for arranging them in a way that means I can go “Oh yeah. I could do that. Or that..”

Baffled in the world of writing.

Thanks, GrapeMe. I’m sure there are many more creative writing career paths, and hopefully some folks will stop by and add their suggestions. What I wanted to do with this post was present some starter ideas for career building. If you’re in school or have a full-time job, then these are great ways to get your feet wet, and you never know where these jobs will take you! Good luck to you!

Great post!

I can tell you from personal experience that it IS possible to make a career in creative writing. My dream was to launch an on-line store where I could showcase and sell e-mail subscriptions to my collection of short stories. Additionally, I wanted to foster other short story writers by sponsoring short story contests.

Now, nearly three years later, LongShortStories is happily chugging along like The Little Engine That Could, bringing the best in short fiction to an ever-widening appreciative global audience.

It does take patience and perseverence, along with a huge leap of faith in yourself and the reading community at large, to create and maintain such an ongoing venture.

Am I successful? Yes. Am I rich? Yes, if by that you define success and richness as living out one’s creative dream. For that, I am so grateful to my loyal readers and contest entrants who see the power in the short story form.

Go for it, I say!

Wayne C. Long Writer/Editor/Digital Publisher

That’s one of the reasons I wanted to present this list — you never know where it will lead if you just start by dipping your toes in the water. And I think for those of us who are creative or artistic, there’s a true need to engage our creativity even if it’s not our full-time work. And if we can bring in a little extra spending money doing something we love, all the better!

Hi Wayne Hi. Felt great to see your view and understande your perspective,on this important and required art. Writing is something which will indeed shape the future have already writen poems, want to publish them. Am a Multiple Sclerosis patient would appreciate support in my persuit to make my work visible.

I’ve heard of most of these, except personal poet. Of course, the creative job (though not about writing) that I wonder most about is: who gets hired to design those patterns on paper towels?

I’ve been to several websites for personalized poetry. Actually, that’s something I briefly considered doing many years ago, but ultimately I chose another path. Funny you mention the paper towel patterns, because I have wondered the same thing many, many times!

Probably a clever little robot..

Children’s book author. 🙂 I completely agree with you that there is usually a way to turn your passion into a successful career, even if it involves looking for unconventional routes to do what you love.

Yes, those unconventional routes are the ones forged by pioneers, people who were compelled to follow their dreams. Reminds me of the saying, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

Nice list, Melissa.

I routinely participate in two of the twenty on your list. However, I would be hard pressed to call either a career. More of a labor of love, compulsion, passion than a reliable way to pay the bills — even though I participate daily. Still, I am incredibly fortunate. I would not change my vague professional choices for anything. Best of success to all who tackle anything on the above list.

Thanks, Devin. I believe that if we combine our passion with a desire to make a living doing what we love, anything is possible. Best of luck to you!

I couldn’t agree more. I mostly just do what I love and somehow the bills get paid. believing in yourself is also very helpful — of course there is no reason not to.

Mrs. Melissa Donovan,

I wanted to write for theater newsletter a friend created.

She gave me the opportunity and not a thought would come to me.

Not a theater professional but I like theater and felt I had something to say about it.

Upon returning a few theater books to the library, I got lost in a Exploring Theater Playwriting, a topic jumped on me Rules of etiquette.

Finally, I have the first draft.

I need guidance to help me orient myself with writing and I hope to find it online. This list is a good start. I scrub toilets for a living, can’t help but read and write before and after work. Words, concepts and definitions are very important to me, can’t imagine not pursuing writing soon, yet I need to sell it too somehow. Custodian/janitorial work speaks for itself, words require a lot more compelling.

Great list of creative writing careers, Melissa. To this list, I would like to add:

1. Letter writer — writing personal and business letters for clients. 2. Resume writer

…and you’re right. If you do what you love, the money frequently DOES follow!

Thanks, Christine! These are great additions to the list. Resume and cover letter writing are especially notable because one can make a good living in that field. However, I’m not sure it constitutes as creative writing so much as business writing. In any case, definitely worth mentioning!

I’m not quite sure what I would want to do in the writing field. I don tknow because so many of them I think I could do well in. I am so grateful for this list because it shows a very organized way of showing so many possibilities in this creative field.

If you try different forms, styles, and genres of writing, you’ll eventually find the one that fits! Good luck to you!

Melissa. I hope I could maybe get into non fiction writing or even journalism.

Good luck. Just keep writing and submitting, and you’ll get there.

Im just a 12 year old girl who wants to know what I want to do with my life when I get older. All of my other friends know exactly what they are going to be, but I wasn’t sure. So, I went and looked on some websites about jobs that have to do with writing, and this website gave me a very good idea of what I want to be, a song writer because I also love singing. Thanks! 🙂

Songwriting is an excellent career. I love that songwriters get to be creative, work with lots of other artists, and are immersed in music but don’t have to deal with the spotlight and publicity (unless the songwriter is also a star). Nice career choice! Good luck to you.

I am too and my parents have recently asked me what I may have wanted to be and I didn’t even know so it kinda scared me and I have recently realized I like to write stories.I know how this economy works though with the unemployment and it makes me wonder if a writing career would work.I love to write though,am I crazy or something?

At twelve years old, there is no reason to be scared if you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up. You have plenty of time! Lots of people start college without declaring their field of study, and lots of people start college thinking they’re going to do one thing and then change halfway through. But if you really love writing and want to pursue it, then there’s no better time to start than right now. No, you’re not crazy. Writing is a wonderful adventure. Also, you are living in the best possible time in history to be a writer. There are tons of wonderful opportunities available to writers that we did not have ten or twenty years ago. I wish you the best of luck, Thatgirl!

Melissa, I’m a former high school English teacher who realized a few years into teaching that writing was what I really wanted to do. I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education but am trying to change careers. I’ve been working on a YA novel and have been getting EXTREMELY frustrated. I have to say I found your post on accident but have found it to be very inspiring. Thanks for surge of reassurance that it can be done!

You’re welcome! I think it’s wonderful that you’re working on a novel and normal that you’re frustrated. Just keep at it and the frustration will eventually pass. You’ll find that in a battle of willpower, commitment wins out over frustration every time.

I really want to write and it has always been a favorite passtime of mine. If i am not writing I feel empty inside like something is missing. The problem is I am scared to take that ‘leap of faith’ and make a career out of it. Instead, I search for everything else to become in life just to run from the truth that writing has been and always will be my destiny. It started back in high school when I was told writers don’t make much money. I let that get in the way of what I could be now and I quit. Now, I see writers that are better and are doing better than I am and I get jealous because I feel I am a better writer than them all!! Then I realize that talk is cheap without evidence to back it up. Can anybody offer a advice or words of encouragement for me to finally persue my one and only true love and happiness in life?? It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you..

Well Skyi, I personally don’t think jealousy is going to get you anywhere. If you obsess over comparing yourself to your peers, you will be in a constant state of negativity. Also, you should keep in mind that regardless of how well you write, you are not entitled to success, especially in a field that you chose not to pursue. I think your best course of action would be to accept that you are where you are right now because of the choices that you (and you alone) made. Once you accept responsibility for your life, you can set a new course and start pursuing a career in writing. It’s never too late to become a writer. Stop focusing on what other writers are achieving and concentrate on writing the best you can. The only way to be a writer is to write.

Hey Melissa,

I think your website is great! I ran by it by mistake and really found the info helpful. I am venturing out into my writing career and can use all the info I can get my hands on. I do have a question: I have started a career and have ppl supporting me in this career but I am for certain that writing is where I belong and want to do. How do I make the transistion smoothly and let my supporters down easily? 🙂

Thanks in advance for the advice,

Thanks for your kind words. Your question confuses me. Why would you be letting your supporters down if you transition to writing as a career? If they are truly your supporters, it won’t be a let-down at all.

Wow! Is all I can say..I honestly thought that I was in this boat all by myself! Like you, I have ping ponged myself between careers and have always found my way back to writing. I mean literally I have been a secretary for over five years, graduated with a assoicates business degree, taken cosmetology courses and actually done freelance makeup artistry and STILL I find myself unhappy. I had to really sit myself down and think of what I was taking myself through…it didn’t make any sense for me not to pursue my passion; the one thing that I enjoyed most whether I was sad, mad, happy, etc. I have been writing since the tender age of six from poems to short ficition stories, won many rewards for my writing while I was in elementary through middle school. When I reached high school, I didnt want to be labeled as a “geek” and compared my life to peers which led me to where I am today. Don;t get me wrong, my life is not horrible; I have a good job and work with ppl that I am respected by but I know that life can be more fulfilling and better if I was to just do what in the heck I want to do! lol. It’s easier said than done and I know EXACTLY where you are coming from.

Like Melissa has mentioned, don’t spend your time comparing your life to others; your path to success is truly in your hands. 🙂 I wish the very best for you.

Thank you for this list! My dream career though is to be a show/concept writer for a theme park like Disney. There are stories for each ride and I would love to be one of the minda behind them.

Wow, writing a theme park ride would be a pretty awesome job. That never even occurred to me as a creative writing career. Thanks for adding it, Ren!

Hi Melissa, I’m coming up to my last year of high school and I’m trying to think of a career path. I love to write, but I’m not sure what the best way to start. What I would like to do the most is writing lyrics, and if not that poetry. However, I don’t think I would be able to. Do you know how I can get my writing out after college? How difficult was it for you? How did you start making a career out of your writing? What helped you the most? Thank you for your time, -Jessica

I believe it’s pretty difficult to make a living writing lyrics and/or poetry. But there are some careers in those areas, and just because it’s a challenging path doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it. As a lyricist, you will need to partner with musicians, so building a network of musicians and learning about the music industry would be a good start. I understand that some slam poets are now making a living in poetry, but their form requires live (and recorded) performances, something not all writers are crazy about. (Search for “slam poetry” or check out IndieFeed Performance Poetry podcast for more info.) You can also write poetry for greeting cards (you’ll have to do a little research on how to get work in that field).

A good start for a poet like yourself is to take some poetry workshops, which will help you understand whether your work is publishable. But you should also submit your poetry to journals and literary magazines. Visit their websites, check their submission guidelines, and then send them your work. That is how you start.

I made a career out of writing by studying creative writing at university, which gave me the skills (and more importantly, the confidence) to start my own blog and copywriting business.

What helped me the most? Writing a lot and reading even more.

Good luck to you!

Thank you so much for this list. This will be my last year in high school before I start collage, and my dream has always been to be a writer, but sadly I have always been told that writing doesn’t pay very good unless your amazingly good. The comments as well as the posting, has given me hope about having a job in writing.

One could argue that few careers pay well unless you are amazingly good. I would further qualify that to say you don’t even have to be good, just hardworking and driven. There are plenty of viable career opportunities in writing. It’s probably easier to make a good living as a technical or scientific writer than as a novelist (assuming you acquire the proper training in those fields), but if you are sufficiently motivated, you can succeed at whatever you want.

I’ve always loved writing and video games. Me and some of my friends would literally sit and talk for hours about ideas for video games we had and would start writing them down. Even before graduating from high school, I’ve been trying to find a path that would allow me to become a video game writer. It’s been three years since I graduated from high school and I’m still left without answers. I went to college for two years for secondary English education but it just didn’t interest me the way writing for video games do. A few days ago, I went to Pittsburgh University of Greensburg and talked with a professor there to see what I should do if I want to become a video game writer. Once again, I was left without answers. She pretty much told me that she had never heard of such a thing before. Please, if you could provide me with any information, anything at all, I would greatly appreciate it.

I would suggest studying creative writing with a focus on fiction. Another good option might be screenwriting. Video games are stories, so you would want to develop writing skills in general and storytelling skills specifically. You might also take some courses in programming or application development. That’s not my area of expertise, so I can’t be more specific. You best bet is to find someone who writes for video games and ask their advice.

I came across this on accident. I was looking for different options to take for a career path on writing. I have not written much in my life. When I was in middle school and in high school I used to write in my Journal a lot. I had a couple friends who wrote poems and short stories I thought they were good and I wanted to try too. I wrote in my journal about many different things, but it never seemed satisfying to me. I was too embarassed to show everyone what I could write. So I continued to write secretivley. I stopped writing, and 2 years later when I felt as if my whole life was nothing I started writing again, and now I feel alive! i still don’t think my writing is the best but it has made me feel so much better about myself.I started writing a novel. My fiance is excited for me and wants me to follow my dream and do what I want to do. When I came across this I felt like someone was nudging me. Thank you so much! This has inspired me entirely!

Thank you for sharing your writing experiences. I’m so glad you found Writing Forward inspiring. I know what you mean about coming across something that gives you a little nudge. All my life, I’ve experienced little nudges and they have always pointed me toward writing (even way back when I had my sights set on other career paths). Those little nudges really make one wonder about destiny.

I’m one of the few that lived the dream, earned money from writing and hated it! It sounds terrible, but writing for money sucked all the joy out of the creative process for me. I loved to write for school and my unpaid internship (I have a Bachelor’s in English), but the minute I needed to pay bills with my writing, the whole process felt like a soul-suck. Suddenly it wasn’t enough to write when the inspiration hit throughout the week (when my best writing happens anyway), but I had to be witty and original at the snap of a finger. Yet it wasn’t enough to be witty: you have to care about what sells, what different editors think “good” writing even is and follow contradictory style guidelines. It wasn’t that I wasn’t used to these things, but now if it didn’t happen or I didn’t sell, my power goes off. I had panic attacks every time I sat down to write. I had to go back and get a traditional job.

But if I’m out of it, why search this stuff a month and a half after admitting defeat? It’s because I love the art of writing: the creative process, the big dreams of those starting out, the insights others have, the glory of a sentence fashioned just right after five pages of terrible ones. The monetary aspect destroyed that for me. Just goes to show, it’s not for everyone. To anyone that wants to write for a living, be willing to work long hours, open to constant criticism and have a plan B.

Hi Michelle. I would say there’s a big difference between commercial writing and creative writing. Commercial writing means you’re writing for payment rather than to express your own ideas. I can certainly understand how writing commercially zaps creativity or feels like a soul-suck. I’ve experienced it myself. But I hope you’re still pursuing your creative writing. In fiction and poetry, I believe the best writing comes from the heart and is not driven by money or the marketplace.

I am a senior in high school and plan on going to college to major in journalism. However, I do not know exactly what field of work to go into. I was thinking about writing for People’s Magazine. I know it seems far-fetched, but hey, it’s my dream! Do you know how a person might have a chance at writing for a such a successful magazine??

Jamie, it sounds like you have decided which field of work to go into (journalism). More specifically, it sounds like you want to write for a Hollywood gossip publication. There are probably many opportunities in that area, not limited to People Magazine. For example, there are tons of websites that focus on celebrity news, and you could also work as a writer for one of the entertainment news shows (like ET or Inside Edition). That’s definitely not my area of expertise, but it sounds to me like you’re already heading in the direction that’s right for you.

Thanks for the comment! I am not exactly positive that I want to write for People Magazine, but I do know that I want to write. What do you do for a living (if you don’t mind me asking)? I would love to write for any company, really. I just like to write. I am interested in entertainment. Which is why I want to write for a magazine. But, writing for something a little more discreet is fine too.

I’m a web designer and copywriter by trade. I help small businesses build effective online marketing campaigns. My livelihood is somewhat supplemented by the work I do here on Writing Forward. I’m also working on a couple of big writing projects (a novel and a book of creative writing exercises). The exercises book will be out soon and available here. The novel could take years! There are many opportunities for writers; you just have to find them.

That is really neat! I just want to do anything to make my family proud! I love to write! 🙂 I can’t wait to gain a higher education. Thanks for taking the time to read my comments and commenting back!

It fills my heart with hope to see a young person so excited about education. Something tells me that you’re going to do quite well, Jamie.

Hey, i found this while looking for it, oddly enough. I am currently attending college and in pursuit of a Creative Writing degree, I am about two years in! with almost completed half of my courses for my four year, I still have some question’s as most. My concentration will be in Technical writing, Grants and contracts, but i will be writing on the side to keep the creative spark. I was curious, however, if you could point me in the direction of a detailed description of a day in your shoes as a copy write. i would much oblige Thnx again.

That would be a lengthy essay indeed. I will say this: every day is different. Also, most of my time is not spent writing. It’s spent on marketing and taking care of administrative tasks.

Liberating thought: even if writing does not provide a full living, it can provide enough of one to let a person withdraw from the pressure to move upward in another career. A decent-paying day job plus supplemental writing can add up to as much or more income as a hated rat race job.

I agree 100%. For many writers, it’s an outlet for creativity or it supplements their income — small things that have a big, positive impact on quality of life!

Melisa, Thanks for the list. I am a writer who intends to find my feet more in the art of writing. I am inspired by the list. My contribution is, if you love to write anything at all, start writing. You can’t imagine where it might take you. God bless you.

Thank you for your inspiring words.

hi I would like a career in writing but I just dont know what to do. I was into journalism but had a talk with a journalist a few weeks ago and got really discouraged. I have a blog and write short stories. But I just dont know what to do in my life. I am 18 years old and would like to stop wasting time and money in lectures I am not going to use. Currently I am doing a course on media production and I’m liking it. But it is like there is something missing. When I write I feel whole.

Many eighteen-year-olds have no idea what they want to do. It sounds like you know you want to write; you just need to figure out what form. College is a great place to figure that out. You can take classes in different types of writing (fiction, journalism, business writing) and find what fits. If you’re drawn to journalism, I don’t think you should give up on it just because one journalist discouraged you. Talk to more journalists, take some journalism classes, and do a little citizen journalism. Experiment and stick with your studies!

I am a short story writer, and a poet. But I am only 13. Trying to hook myself into this early <3

I started writing when I was thirteen too. Stick with it!

I will! Haha, even my boyfriend likes my writing.

That’s good. It’s important to have a support system. Try to find others who will appreciate and support your writing, too. Good luck!

I’m having a hard time finding a career path. I’m still in high school, but it’s not going too well.

My odd circumstances are going to leave me in dire straights soon, where I can either choose to drop out of high school and get my GED or go through with two more of high school. (I’m a senior, kind of. I left public school for home school, and it’s not working out. For myself or my mother.) So, I figured that now would be the best time to find a career path that is both logical but suited to my creative side.

Is there any security in being a creative writer? I mean, this list is comparatively small when you look at more practical things like nursing degrees or business degrees. I understand that the big blow up in internet culture, creative writing via blogging is becoming a fast hit with book publishers, but how likely is it that creative writing will be a degree that I can support myself (and/or a family) on?

In this day and age, I don’t think there is true security in any career field. Perhaps there never has been. Careers in the arts have a reputation for being harder than other careers, but I am not sure I believe that to be true. I think these careers are different in that you usually don’t have an employer, benefits, etc. You are hustling rather than working set hours for a regular paycheck. In my experience, people with self-discipline and drive create their own job security (in any field). Also, there’s a kind of competition in the arts that doesn’t exist in many other industries.

In terms of your education, my advice would be to finish high school. However, I’m not privy to the details of your circumstances. I just think there is a greater value in getting a diploma alongside your peers.

Nobody supports themselves on a degree. You can get a degree in astro-engineering and end up homeless. Success is the result of making smart choices, working hard, internal drive, external support system, and luck. You might find yourself eventually making a choice between living a more secure, conventional life and pursuing your dream of becoming a career writer. Sacrifice of one kind or another is inevitable.

My cousin has his undergrad degree in English and MFA (master’s in fine arts) in creative writing. He’s taught technical writing in college and now works at home as a contractor for corporate companies (tech writing.) He recently finished the first draft of his sci-fi novel by saving up and taking a few months off at a time. And, yes, he certainly is not a starving artist.

I am studying creative writing and education, both of which are terribly impractical, income-wise. But it’s possible to make a decent living if you’re passionate, dedicated and willing to take day jobs that you won’t necessarily enjoy.

See, I just don’t think these fields of study are impractical, especially studying education (we will always need teachers). With all the budget cuts, a career as a teacher might look improbable right now, but these cuts only apply to public schools. There are many other opportunities for teachers and places where their skills can be used.

Thank’s Melissa for the encouragement.I will surely look into that.This blog page of yours is really helpful for all the aspiring writers.

I read the article and I loved it. I am an aspiring author (Junior in highschool), and wish to one day publish a succesful fiction novel, like many others. I always knew I wanted to write, but I was told constantly that it would not suit for a career, and that healthcare and buissness were far better choices, money-wise. I am aware that sacrificing wealth over happiness is a nessecity in this pathway, but I am not so interested in wealth. My love for writing and spreading messages to inspire people, and even entertain is what I strive for. I realize it is hard to make a successful fiction novel. I will forever write them, but I need a job that will at least get me by. I’m not so sure which would be best for a fiction novelist. I was leaning more on article writing, but that is more technical, I believe. I was inspired by the coments and your responses. Recently, I firmly decided to go with creative writing, but the desicion to pick what to do is dificult. I will continue writing, and hopefully, I’ll make it one day. 😀

You sound like my kind of writer, Karolina.

I once heard someone say that money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy comfort. Well, many writers find comfort in the craft. I wish you the best.

Hi there guys! I’ve really enjoyed reading everyones opinions and experiences. I could really do with some advice of my own- I’ve always considered myself a creative soul; I’m a songwriter, have written screen plays and am currently working on my first novel. My major passion in life is professinal wrestling (eg.wwe), I currently write a wrestling blog and love the idea of one day writing creativtly for the tv shows. Having scouted my dream job with wwe, I learnt that they require applicants to have a ba degree in creative writing or a similar field aswell as experience in scriptwriting for tv. I am 22 yrs old and looking to settle down with my girlfriend however the idea of finally going to uni and gaining the skill set to at least improve my writing has big appeal. I realise my chances of ever workibg in such a niche field are slim and would settle for any work in which I could contribute to a creative process, but is uni with all its costs and time it takes to complete worth it?

I majored in creative writing in college, and I definitely think it’s worth the time and money, especially if you plan on a career in creative writing. If the job that you’ve got your eye on requires a BA, then you should certainly pursue it if you can. Dream big!

This is a wonderful post and I thank you for it. I have been struggling over the last few years when it came to finally making a decision in regard to what I want to do with my life. This has definitely given me a few ideas and I will be getting the ball rolling as soon as I possibly can! :]

Thanks, Lisa-Marie. I’m glad you got some ideas out of this post, and I wish you the best of luck in your writing future!

I recently just started a hobby of writing, they’re fictional based stories, but i was inspired by real events in my life & though the stories i write are fictional, they are realistic to a certain extent as well. Guess you could consider them historical fiction &/or drama & suspense stories. I’m kind of new at writing & i don’t know very many people that are well to do writters, so I’m kind of on my own. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of where i should start?

There are plenty of writers on the internet, and you can easily connect with them. You can search for writers’ groups. Look for writers on social media. Start a blog. Writers love to discuss the craft and share information, and the web makes it easy. If you’d prefer to do something in person, check your local community college for creative writing classes and workshops or poke around and see if you can find a writer’s group that is accepting new members. Best of luck to you, Matt.

OK, thank you !!

You’re welcome.

Hello Melissa! Thanks for this list.. I’m an English major with a Creative Writing minor, and lately I have been struggling to make a decision about my future career(s). I write poetry but my main focus is writing fantasy/mystery fiction, and I’d like nothing better than to just write novels for the rest of my life. However, I know I may never be able to support myself by doing just this. I’ve been stressed out lately thinking what career I could get into, but technical writing doesn’t appeal to me and I don’t have a burning desire to teach. This list reminds me that I have more options than I thought!

That’s great, Monica! I too majored in creative writing (at my school, it was called a concentration). I’ve also found that most employers appreciate a worker who has strong writing skills. I got more than one promotion and/or raise because of my writing when I was an office worker! I wish you the best of luck!

I have always aspired to become a published author, and now that I am in the last years of my life I find myself wanting to have a writing career more than ever. All my life I have worked hard to make a living to raise my family, the physical demands of my jobs have paid their toll on me, and I think it is about time I settled down and did something I could enjoy. I have always excelled in the creative arts, from writing to acting to art, but have never held a job in which I could use these talents. Following is a list of the creative writing jobs I could do from your list: Greeting Card Author, Advertising (Creative), Freelance Short Fiction Writer, Columnist, Video Game Writer (includes storytelling/fiction!), I would also like to get a few novels published. I can also draw just about anything-ultimately I would like to get my own stories published- with not only my creative writing, but my illustrations as well. I have written several books and have ideas for many more, but because I have to make a living I have been unable to get anything published because the cost is too much. In other words, because I have had to take physically demanding jobs that paid little wages I have never had the capitol to get started. I have sent out many submissions and have entered many contests, but made little ground in the creative field. I want to write, I’m good at it, and I just need to find a way to get my work noticed-this has been very difficult. I would merely like to make a living in something I’m good at and I have a driving desire to do. Is there any advice you can give me, or any contact information for agents and publishers who might be interested in helping out a new author?

Hi Tim. It sounds like you’re passionate about art and writing. I’m not sure how much you’ve submitted your work, but I would say keep at it. If you have a lot of completed material, you can polish it and just keep submitting it. Chances are that eventually, your work will be accepted. You might also want to start a website to build a readership and audience. A professionally designed site will be an expense, but you can start with a free platform like WordPress.com. You can use your site/blog to post your writing and your art. You can also self-publish and build your own readership. However, I would note that running your own website is time consuming, and there can be a lot to learn in terms of marketing, so you might want to pick up a couple of books or hire someone to help you with the process. I wish you the best of luck!

Wow! Thank you so very much for creating this list! I actually haven’t really thought of doing some of the jobs listed on here. I’m only 20 years old and I’m finding it EXTREMELY hard to make it in the writing business! However, I am pursuing my dream and I am planning to do whatever it takes to make it. Thank you ever so much Melissa!

Many blessings to you,

Good luck to you, Nada!

I wish to be a writer some day.I am currently working in a IT company which offers a decent pay.But I have always loved writing since my school days even though I eventually graduated in Engineering.I want to make a career switch and pursue a career in writing.I now the pay is not that great in writing but then arts is always difficult.I want to take a shot at it and live my dream.I am very apprehensive about the future and don’t know how to tell it to my parents.I keep a blog for short-stories and poems.

Most writers start their careers while they have full-time jobs. You can definitely ease into a writing career. If you can get paid for a few freelance projects, get a blog and audience going, you’ll be able to lay a solid foundation for a future career. Best of luck to you!

Hello, my name is quadree Breeland and I am a 19 year old college student in Delaware and I am looking to transfer to Columbia college in Chicago. I might not be the greatest writer but I love it. I have written 2 full short scripts. One is a police procedural and the serial killer who kills people with their own video games. Literally and the other is a thriller about a guy who quit the CIA because of problems with his father and a Russian terrorist comes back to try and kill him and anything around him. I love writing and I am very creative. My dream career is to write the dialogue, story, or the missions in video games. Basically, I wanna write for games. I know I won’t get a job like that as soon as I get out of college, but I have no problem applying for a job as a comic book writer, game or film reviewer, or writing for a web series. Im not really a novelist, but I wouldn’t mind taking a job like the ones I stated above when I graduate. I guess all I want is a reply with school advice and career advice. I am trying to find a good blog or site to post my stories at. I’m trying to find schools for me with film, or writing in the entertainment industry. I’m trying to find schools with dorms, clubs, and a good social life. You know, parties and stuff.

You have some great story ideas that would work well for scripts or video games. I would suggest that you try to find an internship with a company that produces video games. If you do that while you’re still in school, you’ll have a much better shot at landing a job in your chosen field when you graduate. Good luck to you!

Blogging sounds interesting and fun, but I don’t know how to pinpoint a topic to dedicate a blog to! I’m not an expert at anything and don’t do much of a hobby that I think could carry out well as a blog. Any ideas, suggestions, etc?

Hi Rachel. You could always write a personal blog in which you share your personal stories, ideas, and experiences. You can also do a photo or art blog. You do need some central theme or topic to write around.

When I was purusing an art undergraduate degree in philosophy and graduated in 2009, I had no idea that a career in the liberal arts can be this tough. My hobby of writing has started upon graduation, and had been looking for work that can utilize my writing skills ever since.

I have seen job posts that requires a degree in journalism if were to pursue staff writer, but no mention of a degree in philosophy.

I came across your website and like what you blog about.

Thanks, Katherine. Yes, it’s tough to get these jobs, and many work best as second jobs or extra income. Part of what determines whether you can land these positions is your skill level. It’s all about practice and getting in those 10,000 hours. Keep at it!

I want to add Medical Writing/Editing to this list. Although some may think that it is not “creative writing”, it can be very creative depending on the type of medical writing that you do. Medical Regulatory writing is more factual, but consumer medical/health writing can give you the chance to be creative and factual at the same time. Medical Writers/Editors are paid very well ($45,000 to $100,000) and you do not have to be a medical professional to write about health topics.

Resources to learn more about medical writing:

American Medial Writing Association

Hi J. I appreciate that you mentioned medical writing, but when we differentiate between business, academic, and creative writing, medical writing definitely does not fall under the creative category. It is a form of scientific writing. Copywriting (what I do) requires a lot of creativity but it’s still not creative writing; it’s a form of business writing. However, I’m glad you mentioned it, because for creative writers, there are a lot of opportunities in the field of business, scientific, and technical writing. While some of these careers may require education in their respective fields (and some may not), they are industries where one can make a good living as a writer.

Thank you SO MUCH for creating this article!

But isn’t making a career in writing only just … too dangerous. Because I’ve always wanted to be a novelist but I also want to make a (possible) career in the medical department. So I was thinking isn’t having a “back-up” plan better? And if so does it have to be from the same branch?

I wouldn’t call creative writing a dangerous career choice. There’s no reason you can’t study medicine and write. You could even be a medical writer. You might look into majoring in medicine and minoring in English. There’s nothing wrong with having a back-up plan, and no, it doesn’t have to be in the same discipline.

Thank you, Melissa, for this wonderful post. I have a BA in Creative Writing and really wish I had done more during uni to try out different writing careers, as internships seem extremely hard to come by for graduates. Any words of wisdom on how a graduate might gain professional experience in a particular writing field, short of going back to school?

Well it depends on which writing field — fiction, poetry, journalism? One thing you can do is submit your work to professional magazines and journals and build up your writing credits. You have a blog (that would have been my next suggestion). Get your work out there; that’s the best way gain experience.

I would really like to try my hand at journalism, but I’m starting to think the only way to do that (as a graduate without experience in the field) is to offer my services for free. But I also like your suggestion about submitting to magazines. I once read “Do good work. Then put it where people can see it.” Exposure is definitely something I need to work on! Thank you again.

Thanks, Julie. Writing is one of those careers where you may have to do some free work or take an internship to prove yourself before landing a paid gig. Musicians have to do the same thing. They play for free (or for pennies) — sometimes for years — before they start getting paid. Submitting to magazines is a great way to get experience and get paid since they often buy articles based on merit. Good luck to you, and keep writing!

Thank you so much for making this website, and I can see that you are very dedicated to helping people pursue a writing career. I’m a junior in highschool, and I have considered many careers, but whenever I thought i knew what I wanted to do, deep down I knew it wasn’t. I finally figured out why I’ve been unable to pick a career, and it’s because I absolutely love to write. I would write all day, everyday if I could. I just thought that writing was a hobby, and I couldn’t make a career out of it. I now know that I can make a career out of writing, and this is what I wish to pursue in college. Only problem is that my parents want me to be a doctor or something, but this doesn’t interest them. All they care about is me making enough money, but I feel that money isn’t everything, and I would rather do what I love, and be happy. I have faith in myself, that someday I can be a sucessful writer. I just wish my parents could see that this is what I love to do. By reading all your posts on this website, it has really helped brighten my day, and it has shown me that I’m not alone, and that I can do what I love, if I have faith in myself. thank you

You’re welcome! I’m glad you found strength and inspiration here, and I wish you the best of luck with all your writing and education. Keep writing, no matter what!

“Now, I’m not saying you’re going to make a whole lot to live on with some of these creative writing jobs but if you do what you love, the money (i.e. the success) just might follow.”

Therein lies the problem with this article. That’s not how writing works; “success” is not synonymous with “the money.” The vast majority of novelists could not live completely off their book sales, and I can think of no short fiction writers who could make that claim. Don’t even get me started on poets; getting published in the most highly regarded journals in the country leads neither to fame nor fortune. 

Writing isn’t accountancy or business management. You don’t get into creative writing to fulfill some sort of career desire. You do it because you feel compelled to write, because you have something to say. It is the effective communication of the idea that defines success, not the money attached. 

The problem with your comment, Jane, is that is disregards the title of the post that it criticizes. Young and new writers often ask me about whether they can make a career out of creative writing. This article answers the question can I make a living doing what I love (writing)? You may feel there’s something wrong with that, but I don’t. In fact, I admire people who pursue their passions and attempt to turn them into viable careers. People do need to eat.

“You don’t get into creative writing to fulfill some sort of career desire. You do it because you feel compelled to write, because you have something to say. It is the effective communication of the idea that defines success, not the money attached.”

I don’t think anyone has the right to tell other people why they should write or how they should define success. You and I come from a similar place since these ideas reflect my own personal feelings about writing, but I would never tell someone else what constitutes a valid reason for writing or how they should define their own success. There are, indeed, people who get into writing to fulfill a career desire and who define success by how much money they make.

“The problem with your comment, Jane, is that is disregards the title of the post that it criticizes.”

It does indeed, because it’s a faulty premise. Let’s look at your list: there are very, very few novelists who are able to live completely off their royalties, and I don’t know of any short fiction writer anywhere who could make that claim. As for “personal poet,” even professional poets who win the country’s best prizes don’t “make a living” from their poetry sales. Calling these “careers” would be misleading.

But notice how many novels, shorts stories and poems get published every year. My point was that writing is a field not exclusive to professionals. Anyone can write a novel with the possibility of publishing, but it is disingenuous to call this a “career” when it’s not a main source of income for most.

“There are, indeed, people who get into writing to fulfill a career desire and who define success by how much money they make.”

Writing is not economics or finance, it’s a process of communication. Using this communication tool as a money-making strategy would involve telling people what they want to hear. There are descriptions reserved for those who only tell others what they want to hear.

Jane, you seem to be more interested in looking for minute points to argue rather than grasping the full intent of this post. There are plenty of novelists and other creative writers who have built full-time and part-time careers with their work. I happen to know “personal poets” who subsidize their income by writing personal poetry. Might I suggest that you open your mind to the possibility that the people you know and experiences you’ve had are not definitive? You are merely presenting your opinions and personal experiences as facts, and they are not facts.

I don’t care if a writer’s work is a main source of income, a part-time source of income, or if it doesn’t lead to any income at all. My job here is to encourage writers to pursue their dreams and that includes trying to make a career out of their writing, if that is what they want to do. I never said that writing is economics or finance. I said that some writers get into it as a career (James Patterson is an example — he himself says he’s a better marketer than writer). If you think such people are hacks or sellouts, then that is your opinion. I have my own opinions about it, but I don’t go around publicly judging other writers because I have not walked in their shoes. I do not know what is in their hearts. And neither do you.

“Using this communication tool as a money-making strategy would involve telling people what they want to hear. There are descriptions reserved for those who only tell others what they want to hear.”

There are also descriptions reserved for people who go around the internet stirring up malicious arguments and for people who lack manners. I neither appreciate nor welcome your insinuations. Such insults, however cloaked in wit, will only get you banned from commenting here. I built Writing Forward to be a positive, uplifting space for writers to explore their craft. It’s a shame that you’re so pessimistic about other people’s potential and what is possible for aspiring writers.

Thank you for your ideas in writing career paths, it gives me some things to think about. As a child and in my teen years I used to write short stories. However, as an adult I have lost that creative side and find that I am empty and in need to be creative. I have considered pursuing a MA in creative writing with hopes that I can find that creative side of again. I feel, however that spending the time and money on this degree may not deem worthy because it is incredibly difficult to obtain a job that pays well enough to keep the bills paid. Do you have any suggestions?

Yuly, I don’t think anyone can tell you whether it would be best for you to pursue writing on your own or to get an MA. If you are disciplined, I think you can do it on your own. If you need a lot of direction, guidance, and support, then an MA program might be better for you. Either way, you can pick up plenty of books to inspire you. When I’m uninspired and need to get more creative, I usually go through creative writing exercises and prompts, which always get my ideas flowing again. Good luck to you!

I’m in the 8th grade, and it seems that whenever something is needed, such as a testimony of my school, a farewell speech for a retiring teacher, or a greeting at an event, my name always seems to come up. Then I get a phone call, saying what is needed and the deadline. I’m glad to do it, and obviously I don’t charge anything. However, if adults always think of me, a kid, when they need something written, surely other people will do the same when I’m older. Is my reasoning off, or is that a possible job opportunity?

If the school is calling on you for writing, then that is certainly a testament to your writing abilities. It’s a good indicator that you are a talented writer, and yes, I would say that if you enjoy writing, these are all signs that writing might be a good career option for you.

I just completed my engineering(Civil Engineering). I have absolutely no aptitude for that subject. I did it due to pressure from family. Now, its my career. My life. I feel its high time I take a stand. I have great passion towards writing. I have thereby, developed decent writing skills. So, I would like to pursue a career in the same. Right now, I need some place to start and venture into the world of writing. That’s exactly where I need help!

I have to admit that I honestly don’t understand why some families pressure kids to pursue one particular career. I guess I can empathize when it’s a family tradition (five generations of doctors or something like that) but I can’t get behind it at all. I think each person should pursue what’s in his or her heart. Do what you love!

What if their not sure what they want to do or where their passion lies? What should they do?

Every person has to find his or her own path. If I wasn’t sure about my passion, I’d try lots of different things until I found it.

I agree. Kids should decide for themselves. And where are the guidance counselors in all this?

Maybe some schools don’t have guidance counselors or the kids simply aren’t going to see them.

I’ve experinced the delima’s first hand similar to you,concerning family and friend’s who where great math major’s but couldn’t get through college without the English major’s writing their paper’s?I was the English major who didn’t even finish my assocites in literature because I couldn’t do Algebra.Yet my god given passion is english and the art’s ,and especially writing.All I can say is ,especially in are high tech world today,pursue what your gifted at,and if it’s writing ,do what your heart’s telling you,don’t be like so many and waite till your 50ty,you can still do it,don’t let friend’s and family say different,one dedicated art person that does give a dam.

There is a lot to learn by getting a degree, so I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t finish your associate’s in literature. However, there is a lot you can learn about the craft by simply reading and studying on your own. With or without a formal education, it takes a lot of work to make it as a writer. Good luck to you.

I’m a college student and I need some advice for a journalism career career. I love the entertainment industry as a whole. Video Games, movies, tv shows, celebrities, and music. I am currently in school for journalism and I just need help what kind of journalist I should be. I’ve already looked into entertainemt journalism and I live that. Writing articles/pieces about the entertainment industry looks like an awesome job. But what do entertainment journalists focus on. Do they just focus on being on the red carpet all the time or writing articles about celebrities all day? Do entertainemt journalists write articles about Video games, movies, tv shows, music, and other celebrity stuff. Should I become a freelance journalist? I guess my dream job is to write articles or do reports for ign in New York or another entertainment company with an office. Maybe a staff position?

Or maybe I should try games journalism? But dont entertainment journalist write about video games too? I’m a gamer and I would love to write about the newest games or movies coming out or do reviews.

I’m not an entertainment journalist (or a journalist for that matter), so I cannot give you career advice, but you might try reaching out to an entertainment journalist who can answer some of these questions for you. Good luck!

I am currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing and I have to say that this is one of the most accurate lists I came across. What is good for aspiring writers to keep in mind, especially those with CW degrees, is that writing is a craft. It’s very practical, so unlike history, philosophy or literature degrees a writer has transferable skills. If you are a writer looking to make some money while writing a novel or a collection, you can offer editing and proofreading services. Becoming a content writer is a profitable pathway as well. A lot of companies look for skilled writers to produce their online articles and they usually pay well. And for the more daring, there is online publishing. Is not a guaranteed route but it gives you a boost of confidence; no matter how much you make, it’s good to know that somebody paid to read your work.

Thanks, Stephanie. I’ve taken the online and self-publishing route and haven’t looked back.

Just a little quibble: A history degree does produce transferable skills related to research and analysis, writing, word processing, etc.. It’s not “just learning names and dates.” 😀

Thinking about chaning careers. Although I got my B.G.S – General Studies and and a Masters in Management – I took a lot of creative wirting classes in college and it is something that I think I could be good at. This might be a good place to get some ideas on getting started. Thanks!

You’re welcome, and good luck to you!

i am doing engineering first year..i took the decision as i have always been quite good at maths and stuff..but i started writing last year simply for the passion that was ignited by some great novels and i am totally a novice in it..yet i like it a lot. So right now i am in a dilemma which career path i should take…one thats based on my interest but im not so good at(writing).. or the one in which i am good at(maths,science)??

I think most young people struggle with this same dilemma. Unfortunately, nobody can tell you which life path is best for you. You must find that answer within yourself. I do think that you can pursue both science and writing (you could, for example, become a science writer). You can also study writing and become better at it. It’s up to you.

I want to get into freelance writing in the entertainment industry. I love writing and I’ve looked into copywritimg and story producing. Any advice or any writing careers I should take on?

The best advice I can give you is to study writing and the entertainment industry. If you want to write entertainment news, you might want to major in journalism at a university. For screenwriting, you can major in film studies at many universities. Get to know the industry and keep working on improving your writing. There are also tons of resources you can get if you don’t go to university. Start with the “Writing Resources” section here at Writing Forward, then head to your favorite bookstore and search for books on your field of interest. Good luck!

wow! you guys really love writing. Me too but I’m taking up pre dentistry right now but i really love writing much more. Actually i just wanna try this course but i think i’m not gonna continue because writing is really my passion and i’d love to pursue it. my parents don’t know any of this yet and i’m planning to tell them..any advice for me guys? thanks to whoever answers this.. 🙂

One thing to keep in mind is that you can study dentistry and writing. You can choose writing courses for your electives and set aside a little time each day for your writing. As far as changing your studies, I believe that each individual has to find his or her own path. Once you find your path, I think you should follow it, because I believe one of the worst fates is a life of regret. Hopefully, the people in your life will be supportive, although unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Ultimately, only you can make this decision. It is a big one. Take your time to think about it. Consider talking to a career counselor, who should be open-minded and objective.

Okay, so I’ve been thinking about the popular question, “what do I want to be when I grow up?”. Writing has been my passion for as long as I can remember, and I LOVE books. Seriously. If I wasn’t on a competitive, year-round swim team, I could read all day. I have been thinking about jobs that circle around the actual “writing” idea, if you know what I mean. I’ve considered being an editor, since I love books, but I’m not quite sure what an editor does. Any ideas?

Editors do some writing but their main function is to make editorial decisions. Their duties vary depending on where they work. A magazine editor, for example, decides which stories go into each issue, which one gets the cover spot, and will also assign articles to the writers. An editor at a publishing house makes decisions about which books to publish. Editors also actually edit, meaning they review the writers’ work and make changes to improve it. I don’t know for sure, but I would think (hope) that someone would start out as a writer before becoming an editor. I suggest using Google to learn more about different careers for editors.

First of all, thank you for this post and all your replies. It’s very good of you to reply to everyone who needs direction. So, my dilemma is that I will be commencing my masters degree in September and lately I’ve been thinking of pursuing a creative writing masters instead.

I’ve just finished my undergraduate degree in communications and I was deputy editor and features editor of the monthly university arts magazine, which I absolutely loved and learned so much through. My undergraduate thesis was in the form of a creative writing novella, which was roughly 18,000 words. I had always wanted to try my hand at fiction writing and by completing the thesis I became fully aware how much I enjoyed it. I also received very positive feedback from lecturers.

Once I finished my undergraduate degree, I applied for and received a place on a masters in public relations, which I think I would enjoy as it’s media related. However, as mentioned, I’ve been seriously considering giving up the PR masters and applying for the creative writing one instead. My issue is that I am torn between a course that’s practical and could very well lead to a successful career, and a prestigious CW course that I’m highly interested in but may be quite impractical in the long run. I have this dream of travelling and writing novels (long shot I know) and a CW masters could help me bring my writing skills and ideas to the next level. So, I guess I’m asking if you think a CW masters is necessary in becoming an author?

And what would your opinion be on switching courses into CW or staying with the original choice? Would it be more wise to stick with PR (which I’m currently interning in) and try do some writing on the side? My only problem is, with writing I feel I need guidance, direction and deadlines. I may find it hard to do it on the side, especially when the majority of my energy would be going elsewhere.

Any info/advice would be great 🙂 And sorry for the long post.

No, you definitely do not need a CW masters to become an author. My guess is that most published authors don’t have masters. I once heard a bit of advice from an author (can’t remember who) that I thought was sound. She said if you’re self-driven and will do your writing and study the craft on your own, then you don’t need a masters. One of the benefits of a masters program is that it forces you to write and learn. If you do that on your own, you don’t really need the coursework (unless you want it for prestige). Having said that, my guess is that there is value in a masters program, in being immersed in writing and literature and surrounded with other writers, even for those who are self-driven.

Nobody can tell you what to study. It’s a classic dilemma: follow your dreams or do the “smart thing.” Only you know what is the right path for you.

I just graduated with a BA in creative writing about 5 months ago, and I’ve been applying for jobs in the creative field like crazy. I’ve applied for practically every advertising firm in the Chicago area and I’ve heard back from two of them. I don’t know if it’s because I lack experience, or the economy is just that bad. I’ve tried applying for jobs out of my field, but it’s still no dice. I hope I can find something extremely soon, as I’m near desperation at this point. I really hope there’s hope, so I don’t regret getting a BA in creative writing : (.

I held office jobs for several years after earning my BA in creative writing. Since I had a degree in English, my employers often gave me writing assignments (including editing and proofreading), which helped me build my experience. It doesn’t happen overnight. Get a job to pay the bills and keep writing. Eventually, you’ll find your path. Good luck!

Erm hello Melissa.. I actually want to do Creative Writing since I love writing, but I also want to do History since I love both. However my parents object to both and want me to pursue some medical degree or something. Can you erm like give me some points to argue my pitiful cause since I don’t really think I’m into doctoring since I’ve got a slight phobia of blood and ever since Biology dissecting stuff had never exactly been my thing?? I hope it’s not too much to ask.. thanks in advance

I am just going to be straightforward about this, because I get a lot of emails and comments from young people like yourself whose parents are pressuring them into some career they abhor. I believe that each of us knows in our hearts who we are and what we want to do with our lives. If you have a phobia of blood, then it’s blatantly obvious that a career in medicine would be completely inappropriate for you. Now, if you had that phobia but desperately wanted to be a doctor, I would encourage you to get over it. But since that’s not what you want, why should you torment yourself? I understand why some parents advocate certain careers for their kids – they associate success with money and prestige. I do not. I equate success with happiness. And I believe that once we become adults, it is our own responsibility to find our happiness. So, once you are an adult, it’s up to you to find your path and follow it. Do what you love.

What is the difference between journalism and creative writing? I am still not very sure even after researching on the net. I have a dilemma on which course to take. I want to be a novelist but that might take years to complete a book. So, what my mother advised is that I should get a stable job that ensures my survival while I work on the book first. Which one should I do?

Journalism can fall under creative writing. For example, if you wrote a literary nonfiction book on a specific person or subject, it could be both journalism and creative nonfiction. Journalism is one of those forms that has become a bit gray. Originally, journalism meant reporting on the facts, objectively. Nowadays, a lot of journalism is heavily colored by the author’s personal views and ideologies. A novel is creative writing and not journalism at all; it is fiction where journalism is fact-based.

I think getting a stable job while writing your first book is a pretty smart way to go. Do you even have a choice? I mean, unless someone is willing to support you while you write your book, you’re going to need a job to pay the bills.

I have always had a passion for writing, but never had confidence to let anyone read any of my work. I do not have a fancy education, but I do have an amazing imagination! The work I did when I was younger my mom found and was amazed by my story. I do enjoy wrting poetry and short stories. During the development of my son, I wrote in my journal Letters to Baby. As the pregnancy developed things were less than peferct and not very positive. I stopped writing my Letter’s to Baby because it was sad things written. I only wanted my child to know he was loved from day one no matter where life took us. The baby is now 10 yrs old and so much has inspired me to write again. I started a story that I hold dear to my heart and I am super excited about it. I dont expect publishing ever, but I would like to get an outside opinion from someone in the industry that could give me tips and tools to help my creativity develope. I also would like to know some avenues I can go down to continue writing for fun and just to get things out of my mind. I am sure it is hard to make a living writing, but if I can make a little something to put away for a rainy day that would be great! Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

I would actually recommend that you take a creative writing class or workshop. An in-person one would be best, but if you’re too busy, try to find an online course (community colleges are great for this). This is an ideal way to connect with other writers while getting mentoring from someone who is experienced (the teacher), and you’ll find that many other writers share your insecurities. Make sure you vet the class first to make sure it’s credible. You might also want to research the instructor a little.

Another option would be to find a local writing group, but that may be more challenging since writing groups often arise out of established relationships. However, there are some open writing groups, especially online and in larger cities.

Your first hurdle will be to work on your confidence and worry more about strengthening your work than what other people think. Everybody starts somewhere. As long as you’re willing to work at it and improve your skills, it does not matter where you are now with your writing.

I am a discouraged writer in need of some information. I have been writing for a little over a year and I have had some success. I have been nationally published, being a staff member on one magazine start-up, an editor-in-chief of one failed start-up magazine, and I am a staff member for an online magazine for which I publish an article every three months. I have also been published on a few other informational websites. Additionally, I have ghost written close to 200 articles on a low paying website.

The problem I have faced (which has caused me to stop writing now for several months) is the total lack of pay I have received for my efforts. So many will ask you to write; however, they do not want to pay a reasonable rate for your craft. This is the only problem that I face as per my writing. I thoroughly enjoy writing, but I cannot continue to write for such low pay. Any tips, advice, what have you, would be appreciated. Otherwise, I will have to give up writing and move on to something else. Thanks.

I had the same problem when I first started freelancing. Then I realized that the reason I was getting low paying gigs was because I was accepting low paying gigs. The better paying jobs are harder to find, and in my case, I started my own website and business to attract clients and set my own rates. This involved a lot of marketing to get my own clients, and they are business people rather than content farms. However, there is a caveat: the writing must be at a professional level to warrant higher rates.

Hello Melissa,

Thanks for responding. I haven’t accepted a low paying writing job in some time now, nor have I used any content farms. I can market well as I am a singer songwriter, and I have made good progress with it in that realm. My writing is always professional and of the jobs I have found they have paid well. However, it seems as though it is near impossible to find enough well paying writing jobs to make ends meet. Anyway, again, thanks for responding and for your suggestions. Best of luck to you.

I wish I had some solid advice to give you, but I don’t know enough about your business and marketing strategies. There are plenty of self-employed and freelance content writers out there. I’m sure a lot of them struggle to make ends meet, but plenty of them have found considerable success. When I first started, I did my best to seek out successful writers and examine their approaches so I could learn from them. Getting your own website and operating as a business (or professional consultant) makes a huge difference.

I was just having this discussion with a friend a while back about how people get locked into three options when they write and that’s it. There are so many other opportunities out there if you know where to look for them. You just have to be open and aware of what is really out there.

Thanks for sharing this, I am glad this came along at the right time. Maybe I’ll send this over her way today!

You’re welcome! I’m glad you found this article helpful, Matthew.

I saved this article months ago when I was in a funk, but I forgot to read it afterwards. Reading it now has made me think. Looking back at it, I’ve been writing for many years, ever since I was 13, and I’m 23 now. I’ve went to college twice, graduated both times successfully, but throughout that time I stopped writing fiction. I kept my ideas, but I never finished the stories.

I haven’t been lucky in finding a job ever since I graduated and the ones I did find were still out of reach, I went back to my writing because I needed to do something. Anything to get my mind clear and my thoughts straight like I used to because I became frustrated with myself. When I decided to go to college I had clear plans, but once I finished things didn’t go my way and I realized that I already had something that I should have never let go, my writing. Now I’m looking into finishing my ideas and self-publishing them. I’m glad I came back to this article and read it thoroughly this time.

I’m motivated now more than ever to focus on my true calling. It may be tough, but it’s the only thing I have ever done that made me truly happy even when things around me weren’t good. I think I’m gonna try writing my ideas separately in the form of a series of short stories/chapters/volumes since I’m not good at writing long works of fiction. Is there any advice that you can give me? I would love to write a story for a webtoon, but I’m not that good at drawing and I don’t know how to ask an artist for help.

Hi Lyric. Many of us take time off from writing. Sometimes it’s because we’re busy with a new job. Other times family obligations keep us from our writing. Occasionally it’s some other hobby. Thankfully, writing is always here for us, and we can return to it any time. I’m glad you did.

Its so good to read through the interests in writing and thank you for the informative comments. I have self published a poetry book that people can use in their cards, tributes. on blurb.com called Handy Verse for Occasions with a possum on the front. I am working on my children’s stories and acitivities and will self publish in September this year. and I am blogging the challenge on madonnamm7.wordpress.com I had written the stories many years ago and did not have as much motivation and my husband encouraged me and I was inspired by the movie Julie and Julia (Meryl Streep) and started the year challenge.

Regards Madonna Weaver

That’s wonderful! I love the title Handy Verse for Occasions .

I have the most obscured dreams. I’d love to print a book with short stories of them. How may I accomplish that?

You might want to look into self-publishing through KDP or CreateSpace. Good luck!

I knew I wanted to write since I found out I like putting thoughts and ideas on paper. I kinda have it down, but I am struggling. Putting your thoughts and ideas is not easy as it looks, but that won’t stop me. I’m writing a book, but I just can’t seem to get past the first 10 paragraph. How do I focus my intent?

A lot of writers struggle with discipline. We get stuck and wander away from a project, we get lured away by some other idea, or life just gets in the way. The only way to focus…is to focus. Force yourself to do the work. I’ve known a lot of writers who got good results by adding writing to their daily schedule. Every day, at the same time, you sit down, and that’s your writing time. It could be twenty minutes or it could be two hours. And you do the work.

Thanks for the ideas. Given the current pandemic, being creative is something I need to look at more to try and get some additional income. Have published one collection of short stories but needing to do more.

You’re welcome, and good luck with your creative efforts!

In the past I have self published a poetry book people can put in their cards etc and also a book of children’s stories with Activities through Blurb.com I am writing a novel based on truth now. All the best to everyone in their writing. Regards Madonna Weaver

Thanks for sharing some of the opportunities you’ve carved out for yourself. These are great!

I have a creative writing career that I would like to add to your list. What about a Technical Writer? We have two technical writers employed in our company and I chat with them on a daily basis. It is a great job with above-average earning potential. Thanks for allowing me to post here.

That’s a great writing job, but it’s technical, not creative. Creative writing encompasses fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Great career though!

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Creative Writing Careers: Exploring Future Prospects for Aspiring Writers

In a world where technology continues to evolve, and traditional job roles are being redefined, creative writing careers have emerged as exciting and viable options for individuals with a passion for words. Gone are the days when writing was solely confined to the realm of literature or journalism. Today, the demand for skilled writers extends across various industries, offering a plethora of opportunities for those seeking a career in writing. In this blog post, we will delve into the diverse career prospects available to future writers and explore how this field continues to evolve in the digital age.

1. Content Creation and Copywriting: 

As the digital landscape expands exponentially, the need for engaging and persuasive content has never been greater. Companies, both large and small, are constantly in search of skilled writers to create compelling content for their websites, blogs, social media platforms, and marketing campaigns. A content creation and copywriting career allows writers to showcase their creativity while delivering impactful messages to target audiences.

2. Editing and Publishing: 

Behind every great writer is an equally great editor. The publishing industry relies heavily on professionals with a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of language and grammar. Whether it's working for a publishing house, literary agency , or as a freelance editor, there are ample opportunities for aspiring writers to embark on a career path that involves refining and polishing the work of others.

3. Technical Writing and Documentation: 

Technical writing is a specialized field that involves translating complex concepts into clear and concise language. Software development, engineering, and healthcare industries require skilled technical writers to create user manuals, product documentation, and instructional guides. This career path blends writing with a strong understanding of technical subjects, making it an excellent option for those who enjoy both writing and problem-solving.

4. Journalism and Freelance Writing: 

While the rise of digital media has disrupted traditional journalism, it has opened up new avenues for writers to share their perspectives and expertise. Journalists now leverage online platforms, such as blogs and independent publications, to report on various topics and directly engage with their audiences. Additionally, freelance writing offers the flexibility to work on diverse projects, ranging from feature articles to ghostwriting books, enabling writers to build a versatile portfolio.

5. Teaching and Writing Education:

For writers who have a passion for sharing their knowledge and nurturing the next generation of wordsmiths, a career in teaching or writing education can be immensely rewarding. Many universities and educational institutions offer creative writing programs where experienced writers can serve as mentors and instructors. Moreover, online platforms and workshops allow writers to create their own courses and share their expertise with a global audience.

The realm of creative writing careers has expanded significantly in recent years, offering aspiring writers a range of exciting prospects. From content creation and copywriting to editing, technical writing, journalism, and teaching, the opportunities in this field are diverse and ever-evolving. With the advent of the digital age, writers have found new platforms to express their creativity and connect with audiences worldwide. Whether you dream of becoming a novelist, a blogger, or a copywriter for a major brand, the path to a fulfilling writing career is within reach. Embrace your passion, hone your skills , and seize the opportunities that lie ahead as a future writer. For more ideas, check out The Big List of Careers for Writers .

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A Seriously Long List of Jobs That Involve Creative Writing

Who says you can’t make any money from creative writing?

Okay, so a lot of people. But they’re wrong. If you’re a creative writing major, have a degree in writing, or simply identify this skill as the best thing you’ve got to offer the world, there are a ton of ways to build a career with your talents.

In fact, writing skills are way more valuable than your Uncle Richie realizes (or whichever relative scoffed at your dreams last Thanksgiving). Anyone with a gift for words has the ability to communicate vital information, motivate others into action, and help others feel seen and understood.

The survival of many industries depends on their ability to connect with human beings. They need brilliant wordsmiths. And here’s the really exciting part: not everyone can do what you do as well as you can do it.

So no, being a writer does not mean you’re sentenced to a life as a “starving artist.” 

That said, some creative writing jobs are easier to snag than others. There’s also a difference in pay across different writing gigs. Some jobs will be easier to fill with AI in the future, and—the important detail—some will be more in line with your vision for your writing career. 

So here’s a comprehensive list of opportunities and considerations to help you narrow down your focus. You’re about to find out:

• What writing jobs are out there
• The skills you need to land work in the creative writing field
• Which industries are looking for folks like you
• What type of education or experience you need to get started

Let’s start by taking a look at your many, many options.

Career Opportunities in Creative Writing

Before we launch into this very long list of creative writing jobs, I’d like to clarify the term “freelance writer.”

A freelance writer is a contractor. Rather than hiring them on as employees, an individual or business hires a freelance writer to complete specific tasks within their area of expertise. 

If you choose to work as a freelancer rather than an employee, you’d be your own boss. You’d set your own rates, determine your own schedule, and decide which projects to take on and which to skip. You’d also be free to work with as many different clients as you’d like.

The downside is that you don’t get benefits like paid time off, health insurance, and employer contributions to your retirement fund. You’re responsible for paying quarterly taxes directly to the government, as no one withdraws them from your paycheck. 

Depending on the specific creative writing career you’re building, you might also need to look into professional liability insurance or setting up an LLC. These topics get complicated and vary according to where you live, so I’m not even going to try to give you advice on any of that. It’s better to consult your accountant, mentor, and/or fellow freelance writers in your area.

The main thing I want to convey is that if you choose to freelance, you have to think of yourself as an actual business. That’s what you are after all. It comes with a lot of freedom and extra responsibilities. So weigh your options carefully.

One more quick note:

Salary Ranges Are Tough to Nail Down

I’ve included an average salary range for each of the job descriptions below. These ranges are huge and the numbers are almost meaningless. I put them there because if I were you, I’d want to see them so I could at least get a sense of the income one might make from these different writing jobs.

But the standard salary for each job can vary widely depending on the size of the company hiring you and the cost of living in your (or their) area.

The income range gets massive when you add freelancers to the mix. A rookie freelance copywriter who’s just building their portfolio and client list might make $20,000 in a year. Meanwhile, an in-demand freelance writer could make well into six figures and out-earn an in-house copywriter.

So use the salary information I provide to get a general idea of what’s possible. For more concrete numbers, check out job listings in your area and talk to people who already do the kind of work you want to do.  

And what kind of work is that? Let’s decide! Here are a ton of ways you can make money as a writer.

Content Writing Jobs

Content is all the media that encourages consumers to engage with a brand—blogs, videos, social media, podcasts, you name it. Creative writers like you and I might prefer to think of those things as art, but in business-speak, it’s content.

And as a professional content writer, you’ll have to ride that line between creativity and capitalism. After some looking around, you should be able to find an employer or client who wants you to bring some creative vision to your work. But you’ll also have to care about which creative strategies get buyers to bite. 

More on that in a bit, though. For now, here are the most common content writing jobs.

Content Writer

A content writer focuses more on long-form writing that builds a relationship with the target audience. In other words, content writing is less about making a sales pitch and more about being helpful and conveying the brand’s personality.

Common content writing tasks include:

• Email newsletters
• Articles and blogs
• Case studies

Average Salary: $40,000-$70,000 per year

A copywriter is more involved with the kind of creative writing that says, “Hey, you should spend money on this.” They compose things like:

• Website copy
• Landing pages
• Print and online ads
• Sales emails
• Sales pages and mailers

In many businesses, the content writer and the copywriter are the same person. But if you freelance as a copywriter specializing in one specific area—sales emails, for example—get familiar with the other materials your client is putting out to make sure your sales copy builds on the relationship they're already building through content.

Average Salary: $60,000-$120,000 per year

Technical Writer

Technical writing is basically “how-to” writing. It includes:

• Instruction manuals
• Explainer video scripts
• White papers
• Spec sheets

Technical writing might be your jam if you’re great at grasping complex concepts and clarifying them for the rest of us. It’s truly a magical writing skill that involves simplifying and being thorough at the same time. 

If you can pull that off, it’s only a matter of time before you’re considered an irreplaceable rockstar in someone’s business.

Annual Salary: $60,000-$90,000 per year

Social Media Writer

You’ll sometimes see social media fall under the umbrella of content writing, but it’s also its own position in many businesses.

As you can probably guess, a great social media writer comes up with brilliant captions that engage audiences on social platforms. But there’s more to it than that.

To do this job well, you have to be on top of social media trends so you can jump on challenges and hashtags while they’re still fresh. You also need to understand which customer segments are more likely to be on which platforms and how to engage with them.

Depending on the size of the company you’re working with, there’s a good chance you’ll also have to come up with the visuals and create the videos that accompany your brilliant captions.

If you love social media, you’ll be in heaven. If you don’t, you probably won’t be able to fake it. 

Average Salary: $50,000-$80,000 per year

Journalism and Media Jobs

In this category of creative writing jobs, we’re looking at everything that has to do with news and mass communication.

I know. That includes a lot. So let’s get to it.

A journalist investigates, researches, and writes the news for print and/or online publications. That’s a tidy little sentence to describe a writing job that involves a lot of specialized skills and a strict code of ethics.

While journalism absolutely belongs under the heading of “creative writing careers,” it’s an area where you can’t get fast and loose with your creativity. Journalists are responsible for revealing the truth to the public. Ideally , they do this without guiding the reader’s opinion or embellishing actual events. 

The ability to compose engaging articles that inspire thoughtful questions without pushing an agenda is a remarkable skill in and of itself. Successful journalists also tend to be curious, driven, resourceful, and fast writers.

This is one of the few writing jobs where having a degree (usually in journalism) is relatively important, especially if you hope to work for a notable publication. 

Average Salary: $60,000-100,000 per year

Broadcast Writer

A broadcast writer prepares the news for television, radio, and online media. In other words, they take all the deets about what’s going on in the world and turn them into scripts to be read by news anchors.

Like a journalist, a broadcast writer faces the challenging task of conveying information in an unbiased way. They also need to be adept at writing pieces intended to be read aloud—scripts that flow naturally for the speaker and can be quickly understood by the audience. 

Much like journalists, broadcast writers must be able to work quickly, often under pressure. If you like the idea of being in front of the camera yourself, this creative writing career path can include conducting interviews, attending press conferences, and reporting the news.

Average Salary: $40,000-$100,000 per year

Scriptwriter

A scriptwriter is anyone who writes a script for a play, movie, radio show, podcast, video game, or television show. Scriptwriters who write plays are called playwrights, movie writers are more commonly called screenwriters, and television writers are best known as—get this—television writers.

Playwrights and screenwriters almost always work on a freelance basis. Much like traditionally published book authors, they work with a literary agent and are constantly trying to sell their next project.

Television authors also need representation, though they’re usually hired onto the writing staff of a TV show as an employee. There is such a thing as freelance television writing where a writer steps in to pen a single episode of a show, but this practice isn’t as common as it used to be.

All of these jobs have the potential to be deeply fulfilling for a creative writer. They come with fun challenges like learning how to tell a great story purely through visuals and dialogue. 

Keep in mind that—much like becoming a successful author—it takes a long time to build a solid career in this field. There are a lot of gatekeepers and frequent rejection .

Film, theater, and television are also much more collaborative art forms than book publishing. Whatever you write, you have to be prepared for producers, directors, set designers, sound designers, actors, and editors to put their fingerprints on it, too. It’s entirely possible that the end product will be quite different from what you imagined.

In other words, if you’re precious about your work, this might not be your field.

Average Salary: $40,000-$80,000 per year

Publishing and Editing Jobs

Feel like your true home is in the book world? Then you’re looking for something in publishing.

When we think about creative writing jobs in publishing, we usually think of authors first. After all, that’s the dream for a lot of creative writers. But it’s no secret that authorship comes with rejection, requires a ton of patience, and doesn’t always cover the bills.

The good news is, you can still build your career around books even if you’d prefer to pass on all the uncertainty that comes with being an author. This field has plenty of other opportunities to flex those creative writing skills.

But we’ll get to those in a moment. First, let’s look at the best-known writing job in publishing.

As I mentioned before, authors are almost always freelance writers. This means that whether you plan to publish traditionally or self-publish, you have to think of yourself as a business.

Publishing traditionally means working with a publishing house to release your book into the world. This process usually involves finding an agent who then pitches your book to publishers and negotiates a book deal for you. We have a guide to the entire process right here .

Self-publishing means you produce and market your book yourself. This publishing model has boomed in both popularity and earning potential in the past decade and change. You must have an entrepreneurial spirit to succeed on this publishing path, though. You can learn more about it here . 

Whichever path they choose, successful authors build platforms and a following through channels like social media , email newsletters, and speaking engagements. Those platforms help them develop relationships with readers, give them more visibility, and make them more appealing to publishers.

You also need to some degree of sales smarts, whether you self-publish and take on the full responsibility of marketing your book or you decide to publish traditionally, which requires creating a compelling book pitch that gets agents and publishers onboard.

Average Salary: I can’t even give you a range in good conscience. So many factors influence author earnings, and only a small percentage of authors make a living on books alone. I recommend checking out this article for a clearer understanding of what you can make as an author. 

As Doug can tell you , there are several kinds of editing you could do, including:

• Developmental editing
• Line editing
• Sensitivity reading
• Fact-checking

Each type of editing evaluates a different aspect of a written work. These options also allow you to zero in on your greatest strength as a creative writer. Are you the sultan of story structure ? You might be interested in developmental editing . Are you a research rockstar and a stickler for accuracy? Maybe fact-checking is for you. 

This is a job you can do as an employee of a publishing house or as a freelancer. If you go the freelance route, you’ll likely be working with a lot of indie authors.

Average Salary: $60,000-$80,000 per year

Copy Editor or Proofreader

Copy editors are magical beings who have the kind of superhuman focus that allows them to catch tiny issues like grammar errors, misspelled words, inconsistencies in story details, and the like.

It’s true that AI is getting better and better at catching these mistakes. That’s why Dabble uses ProWritingAid to power grammar, spelling, and style checks. It helps creative writers prepare a draft that isn’t utterly riddled with errors.

But at this moment in time, we still can’t count on AI to catch nuanced errors, recognize clever word play, or appreciate an author’s deliberate decision to shirk old grammar rules. We still need human eyes to do this job.

Often confused with a copy editor, a proofreader is the very last person to review a book, and they look for any and all errors. If there’s a missed typo, a messed up margin, or a wonky image, they’ll flag it. Think of them as quality control.

As you likely guessed, both jobs require you to be extremely detail oriented.

Average Salary: $50,000-$90,000 per year

Literary agent

You probably associate this career path with sales more than creative writing. But the literary agents who succeed are the ones who understand what makes a book great . 

This job is best suited for someone who’s ready to do a ton of reading and enjoys rubbing elbows. You can expect to spend plenty of time on the phone, in lunch meetings, at publishing events, and in pitch meetings. You have to be good at building relationships and love talking books. 

What many creative writers don’t realize about agents is that their job also involves giving feedback on current projects and helping their clients talk through new ideas. The advice of a good agent can mean the difference between a book deal and a manuscript that never graduates beyond PDF status. 

Keep in mind that it takes time to succeed in this career. As a literary agent, you’ll make 15% of what your authors earn from their books. Expect some lean years as you build your client list.

Average Salary: $50,000-$70,000 per year

Book Reviewer

As a creative writer, you’re probably great at explaining why books work. You have smart things to say about character development , plot structure, and pacing. And if you’re a fast reader—and would love to make reading part of your creative writing career—you’d probably enjoy being a book reviewer.

Book reviewers do exactly what you think they do: they review books. Many choose to specialize in a specific genre or two. Specializing can be an effective strategy when it comes to building a name for yourself and giving readers a reason to value your opinion. It’s a way of establishing yourself as a genre expert.

Just note that this isn’t an easy career to just plop into. While you can find job listings for book reviewers, there aren’t many of them. Most people who do this for a living start by writing reviews on a freelance basis or even for their own blog/social media platform.

As you build your portfolio and reputation, you can submit your reviews to other publications, monetize your own review website/podcast/vlog, or possibly land a job as an in-house reviewer for a magazine, newspaper, or online platform.

Average Salary: $20,000-$80,000 per year

We already covered what a copywriter is, so I won’t go too deep on the subject here. I just want to make sure you know that it’s possible to do copywriting work within the world of publishing.

Publishing houses have copywriters on staff to handle things like press releases, media kits, author bios, social media content, and marketing materials.

In this role, you’d be able to enjoy the stability of a marketing-focused creative writing job while still getting to think about books all day. Not too shabby.

Average Salary: $50,000-$120,000 per year

Advertising and Marketing Jobs

If you’re on the lookout for creative writing jobs that make your value as an employee easy to quantify, advertising is the place to be. 

The goal of all advertising is to persuade your audience to make a purchase or take some other action that benefits the business you work for. 

Modern technology makes it easier than ever to track the success of your ad copy and marketing campaigns, which means you often have access to numbers that demonstrate what the return on investment is when someone hires you.

Now, all this might sound very cold and business-y, but this is an area where creative writers thrive because your goal is the same as it would be if you were writing a novel or screenplay. You’re trying to find the best words to connect emotionally with your audience.

Not everyone can do that. You can.

Let’s take a closer look at the different ways you can do that.

Advertising Copywriter

Oh, look! We’re talking about copywriters again. Since we’ve already covered this, I’ll give the abbreviated explanation for the article skimmers.

An advertising copywriter writes copy (go figure) advertising a product or service to potential buyers. This includes anything that could potentially lead to a purchase, including:

• Marketing emails
• Print or online ads

Brand Strategist

If you already know what a brand strategist is, you might be surprised to see this position appear on a list of creative writing jobs. Brand strategists don’t write as much as they, well, strategize brands.

This person is responsible for conducting market research, analyzing trends, creating buyer avatars, planning campaigns, and overseeing the production of marketing materials. 

Depending on the size of the marketing team, a brand strategist might also write copy and content. But what makes this career a decent option for a creative writer is the storytelling aspect.

Brand strategists are responsible for translating the business’s message into a story that resonates with buyers. They also need to understand their consumer on a deeper level—a skill that comes more naturally to someone who’s spent time studying character development.

Creative Director

Much like a brand strategist, a creative director looks at the big picture of a company’s marketing efforts. What story is being told? How can they best use the creative resources available to tell that story in an emotionally compelling way?

The creative director leads all the creative professionals on a marketing team, including copywriters, designers, and social media content creators. They make sure everyone is on the same page, telling the same story and communicating the same message.

Average Salary: $120,000-$200,000 per year

Content Marketing Specialist

Remember when we talked about content writing? This is that, plus some added responsibility.

While a content writer is usually told what to write, a content marketing specialist is the person who decides what type of content will be most effective for the business. 

They strategize content like emails, blog posts, videos, and social media depending on which formats and messaging are most likely to help buyers connect with the brand. 

This person also selects the SEO and analytics tools to help them make sure their strategy is effective. They watch the results closely and regularly optimize their content marketing efforts to get better performance.

And yes, a content marketing specialist might also write some or all of the content themselves.

Skills Required for Creative Writing Jobs

I tried to give you some sense of the skills required to stand out in each of the creative writing jobs we just went over. 

Nevertheless, if you’ve found something that interests you, I strongly suggest researching it further and connecting with someone who’s already killing it in that field. Get a sense of what it means to excel and you’ll be in a good spot to pursue your creative writing career seriously.

If you’re still not sure where you want this journey to lead, no problem! Follow your curiosity and let yourself gravitate towards the work that excites you. In the meantime nurture the following skills essential for every creative writing career.

Writing Skills

Okay, so I’m not exactly dropping a bone-rattling truth bomb here. Of course you need strong writing skills to build a career as a creative writer. You know that. That said, some writers underestimate the importance of building on the skills they already have. 

This is an issue I think tends to plague young writers the most. We catch wind of the fact that we’re “good writers” from teachers and peers and get attached to the idea that a good writer is something we already are. Like inherently.

I know I wasted a lot of energy in my early adult years worrying about whether or not people thought I was a talented writer instead of working to continuously become a better writer.  Ongoing improvement is how you’ll stand out from the crowd, especially as you zero in on the type of creative writing you want to do. 

If you want to be a copywriter, find a mentor and start a course on copywriting. If you dream of being a bestselling author who makes a living from books alone, join a writing group, attend writing conferences, and download this free e-book on writing a novel that rocks.

Keep sharpening those writing skills, no matter how exceptional you already are.

Research and Analysis Skills

Research and analysis sounds like a skill set that only applies in marketing and technical writing. But in all creative writing jobs, research and analysis have the same goal: understanding what it takes to connect with an audience.

Now, if you become a screenwriter or a novelist, you might not pore over metrics the way you would if you were a brand strategist. What you will do (hopefully) is consume a ton of art in your genre to understand what works.

Constantly refresh your understanding of what speaks to readers, which trends are hot, and why current bestsellers are selling so well. It’s also important to stay on top of new developments in the publishing industry and strategize your career accordingly.

And if you plan to be a self-published author, your research and analysis skills will help you make important marketing decisions.                                                                                                                              

Creativity and Imagination

If there’s one area where you have a leg-up on AI, it’s this one. Everything AI creates comes from ideas and structures that already exist. As an adaptable, creative human being, you can find unique ways to express ideas that haven’t been explored before.

This skill is essential for all the creative writing jobs we’ve discussed. The best ad writers figure out how to write copy that stands out from the competition. Great editors help writers tap into their own original voices. Even in technical writing, imagination is crucial for finding new ways to simplify complicated topics.

Communication and Collaboration Skills

There are no writing jobs that allow you to compose brilliance alone in your cave and release it into the world with no input from anyone else. 

You have to be open to feedback, and in ultra-collaborative fields like screenwriting, you must be ready for the possibility that your vision won’t often be everyone’s top priority. (It hurts, I know.)

If you’re still working on building your collaboration skills, I can offer a few suggestions.

One is to make a habit of identifying what’s important to you about every project you work on. What’s motivating you? What are your goals? When you can answer those questions, you’ll be more confident gently pushing back on things you care about and more open to offering compromising when it comes to less important issues.

Another tip is to cultivate a genuine appreciation for what others can contribute. As a writer who regularly wrestles with a stubborn, foot-stomping ego, I often return to this interview with Dolly Parton for a reminder of the kind of artist I want to be—someone humble enough to celebrate when another person makes my good thing better.

And of course, working with people you respect helps boost that collaborative spirit, too.

Finally, clear communication is absolutely essential. Make sure you know what clients, employers, or team members expect from you. Also manage their expectations by being frank about your availability, timeline, and expertise.

Adaptability and Time Management

Most writing jobs involve deadlines and your reputation as a reliable writer hinges on your ability to meet those deadlines. That means you’ve got to get good at managing your time.

This can be especially difficult if you’re a freelance writer, because there’s no one dictating your schedule. There’s just today, a deadline in the future, and all this space in between that can be whatever you want it to be.

Time management takes practice, and a quick Google search will take you to loads of suggestions for making the process easier. You can try time blocking , the Pomodoro Technique , deep work strategies … test whatever you think will do the trick.

For me, the most effective method is to remember two things. First, I need to maintain my reputation as a reliable writer if I want to pay my rent and gradually increase my income. Second, I don’t want to be stuck at my desk when my husband comes home from work or friends are inviting me out on the weekend.

Those two limits help me draw time boundaries on that wide-open calendar and keep me motivated to stick to it.

Even as you create structure for yourself, however, you have to keep in mind that things might change. A client might shift direction. A project could fall through. You might find yourself partnering with a collaborator on something you thought would be a solo situation.

It’s important to know your own work boundaries so you don’t get walked on. But being adaptable (within reason) is also crucial for building positive, long-term professional relationships.

Industries That Hire Creative Writers

We’ve examined your professional opportunities by looking at the most common creative writing jobs. Now let’s take a look at them by industry.

If you’re already in the workforce, you might discover that there are writing jobs within your current industry—jobs you never even knew were there. If you’re in school pursuing something other than a creative writing major, you might discover that you can totally flex your wordsmith skills in your field of study.

And if you still have no idea how you want to put your talents to work, this list might help you uncover some less obvious job opportunities.

Entertainment Industry

You already know that the entertainment industry needs scriptwriters. You can probably guess that there’s a need for copywriters in those massive marketing departments, too. 

But there’s also song writing, video game writing, script reading/analysis, and script consulting. Every single thing you see on TV has a writer behind it—usually an entire writing staff —including award shows and reality television.

You can even get hired to rewrite or “punch-up” someone else’s script. 

Publishing and Journalism

We covered the big writing jobs in this industry earlier, so for now, I’ll just add this:

As technology advances, these creative writing careers are more accessible than ever. You develop specialized skills online, build your own platform, and publish your own work. It’s entirely possible to forge your own path in these industries that used to be heavily guarded by gatekeepers.

That’s not to say it’ll be easy to make a name for yourself, nor is it to say that I think everyone with a Wordpress account should feel free to market themselves as a journalist. 

What I mean to say is that if you want a career in these traditionally intimidating fields, there’s space for you. There are more ways than ever to learn what you need to learn and create what you want to create.

Advertising and Marketing

Again, we’ve talked about these writing jobs, so I’ll just tell you a quick story.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I took an improv class (it’s mandatory here) with a woman who was a freelance namer. That was her whole job. She named products for major companies and made a whole entire L.A. living doing it.

While I can’t help but wonder if AI has taken over her job yet, it’s an important reminder that writing skills are worth a lot in marketing. The right words are straight-up gold . 

Education and E-learning

Creative writing is a teachable skill. If you enjoy guiding others, teaching might be a solid career option for you. You could teach creative writing in a formal education environment (you’ll need a degree), at a local community center, or even online.

The education world also needs creative writers to put together written materials like textbooks, discussion guides, glossaries, and study guides. You could even write scripts for educational videos.

This is an area of creative writing that doesn’t get a lot of attention, but there’s an increasing demand for it. Not only do modern students turn to the Internet for information and homework help, the digital world has made self-directed learning easier than ever. You can find an online course for almost anything from auto repair to world literature. 

What’s great about this industry is that it allows you to combine your passion for creative writing with your interest in another subject. Plus, there’s the business about inspiring curious minds and all that.

Nonprofit Organizations

If you’re intrigued by the challenges of a job in marketing but want to feel like your work serves a greater purpose, consider writing for a nonprofit.

You’d be doing many of the same things you’d do for a for-profit business: email marketing, advertising, blogging, video creation, and the like. The goal is similar—you want to get the word out about the organization and create a positive association in people’s minds.

But there’s also a strong fundraising element, since that’s how a nonprofit stays afloat (and covers your paycheck). This means you can also expect to write grant proposals and oversee donor communications. 

You can do all of this as part of the team or on a contract basis. Grant writing in particular is a good option if you’re looking to set up shop as a freelance writer.

Corporate Communications

Corporate communications is an oversized novelty umbrella that covers a lot of stuff. Simply put, this term refers to the many ways a corporation communicates its mission, goals, successes, and functions to everyone. 

Seriously, everyone . The public, employees, shareholders, partners… every person who exists.

Now, if you work with a small startup, “corporate communications” could be your entire job. For larger companies, however, you’re more likely to work in a specific department. You might be on the marketing team or you could be responsible for internal communications like employee manuals and reports.

Bottom line: if you’re dreaming of a creative writing career in the corporate world, the job opportunities are definitely there.

Career Development and Education Options

You know what creative writing jobs are out there. You know what skills these different industries are looking for. What about education? What kind of training do you need in order to land the job and crush it?

It depends on the specific job as well as what kind of time and money you have to invest in your creative writing education. 

The good news is that you don’t have to rack up insane student loans in order to make a good living as a writer. There are certain positions where a degree is mandatory, but there are plenty of hiring managers who don’t care where you got your creative writing skills as long as you have them.

And it’s never been easier to find training as a writer. Let’s look at your options.

Degree Programs in Creative Writing

If you plan to get a four-year degree to boost your knowledge as a writer, you might be eyeballing a creative writing major. This area of study is most useful if you plan to become a fiction writer, screenwriter, poet, or the like.

If you’re mapping out a career that’s a little more predictable and a little less “artsy,” consider majors like journalism, communications, technical writing, or marketing.

Industries that are most likely to have a mandatory college degree requirement include journalism, academia, and large corporations or nonprofits.

If you plan to go into entertainment or work as a freelance writer, a formal education can help you develop essential skills. Although—real talk—many of those skills can be learned through the less expensive educational avenues we’re about to go over. 

Many folks who earned creative writing degrees will tell you that the biggest benefit of their program was the network it provided when they left college. That’s no small thing, but it’s also not what we think we’re going to college for. 

Writing Workshops and Online Courses

You can easily find live workshops, online courses, and writing groups to help you sharpen your skills or develop new ones. 

This option is a good compromise between a formal education and fully self-directed learning. There’s often a fee, but it’s tens of thousands of dollars less than you’d spend on a creative writing degree. There’s a structure to keep you on track but you don’t have to show up at a physical location multiple times a week for months at a time.

Whatever type of creative writing skill you want to work on, a quick Google search will help you find courses you can take. You can also search the course selection at sites like Coursera , Udemy , and Masterclass .

Finally, a lot of folks who sell online writing courses offer free webinars as a way to get you on their mailing list and pitch their full program. If you don’t feel like you have a clear enough goal to invest in an entire course, these webinars provide a great opportunity to pick up some basic insights and start practicing new skills.

Networking and Professional Associations

Look for networking events and professional associations specific to the field you wish to enter. You absorb so much information just by being around experts and peers, plus you’ll have access to seminars, boot camps, training programs, and more.

Many organizations also hold or participate in conferences. These conferences provide learning opportunities that not only sharpen your creative writing skills but also educate you about your chosen industry. If you don’t have the travel budget, you can attend many conferences online at a discount.

And don’t forget to build your own little network of creative writers! Even fiction-focused communities like Dabble’s Story Craft Café are full of writers who rely on more predictable writing work like copywriting and communications to pay their rent. These are great places to share information about building creative writing careers of all kinds.

Building a Portfolio and Gaining Experience

Finally, we learn best by doing. As you pick up new advice and information through your chosen educational channels, put that insight to work immediately.

Offer to write the press release for your cousin’s startup. Ask a strapped-for-cash nonprofit if they’d be interested in letting you write your first grant proposal on their behalf. Create a blog that allows you to showcase the kind of content you hope to one day get paid to write.

These things help you build a portfolio to show prospective clients or employers. They also give you an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, get feedback early, and discover the challenges that are unique to different writing jobs. 

The faster you experience those things, the faster you learn and the sooner you’re ready to make a living as a creative writer.

Writing is an in-demand skill. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you dream of paying your bills with your words—either as a full-time job or a side hustle—you absolutely can. It may take patience, diligence, and a lot of learning, but the work is out there.

The last bit of advice I’ll offer you is to find a community of writers who have your back. No one understands the journey like another writer. You can count on your network of fellow wordsmiths for moral support, job leads, feedback, and more.

If you’re still in the process of finding those friends, join us at the Story Craft Café—especially if fiction is part of your writerly aspirations. The community is free to join and a great place to talk craft, share your work, and stay productive with daily word sprints. Follow this link to get started.

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

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What's the defining line between sci-fi and fantasy? There's actually a lot more to it than magic versus technology.

Does science fiction alone feel too limiting for your vast imagination? Do you feel like your fantasy world could use a dash of futuristic technology?

Prose describes how you write your book, and it can be challenging to get right. So, in this article, we cover what makes good prose.

Work experience opportunities

Although we can’t offer office-based work experience, especially to those under 18, for those who are interested in pursuing a career as a writer and seeking relevant work experience, here is a range of options that we suggest and that we can support with:

Be part of a writing community

You can join a Spark Young Writers group (if you’re not already) which will help develop you as a writer as well as show you the benefit of having writerly peers to share your writing with and get positive feedback from – the equivalent of continuing professional development.

Lead part of a writing workshop

Writers often have to do work that isn’t directly writing for themselves in order to make a living. Running writing workshops is a great way to do this, as it is still really closely linked to writing, and uses those skills too. If you are a member of a Spark Young Writers’ group, we could offer you an opportunity to lead part of a workshop – usually a warm-up exercise. Our lead and assistant writer would work with you – often just before or after your usual session – to help you plan and practise what you’ll do. They would then support you during the delivery of the warmup session, and give you feedback afterwards to improve your skills as part of their debrief once the session is over.

Submit your writing to a magazine

We have our Spark Young Writers’ magazine which is published online twice a year. You could submit work to that and, while I can’t make any guarantees about it being accepted, you’ll get feedback from a professional editor either way. Submission details here: https://www.sparkwriters.org/get-involved/

Write a review

Another thing to try would be to write a review of a Sparks event that you have attended. Perhaps you attended a one-off workshop, or the Summer Writing Challenge, or our Conference. We’re always looking for content and ways to promote our work to young people. If we can use it as part of a marketing campaign or on our blog, we will. Writers often write “speculative” pieces – bits of writing that they haven’t been commissioned to write but write anyway in the hope that someone will be interested and pay them for publication. Writers might go on holiday and write about the experience – either as a whole or about a particular thing – and then try and sell it to a travel magazine, or an in-flight magazine to help to cover the costs of the holiday, which they would have taken anyway. Now, we wouldn’t pay you, but it would be a good little extra in terms of work experience.

A collection of these things, although individually quite small and short lived, do add up to a great representation of a writer’s life. I’m sure you could think of more too – a lunchtime reading of your work in your school library perhaps, asking school to commission you to write a poem for a special occasion, or write a short play for a drama group, write song lyrics for your friend’s band, write a piece for the local paper about an issue that you’re passionate about – there are endless opportunities within your grasp.

Get Writing

If you’d like to submit a piece of your writing for possible inclusion in the magazine, please see the Get Involved page to see more details. This magazine is published online three times a year: summer (June/July), winter (October-December) and spring (February-April) terms.

Book now for Creative Writing groups 2024-2025

Our Spark Young Writers groups for September 2024-June 2025 are now available to book. 

Submission now open for Anthology 2024

Spark Young Writers can submit up to 500 words of their writing for inclusion in this year’s Anthology. The deadline for submissions has been extended to the 14th of August, 2024. Full details can be found here .

Submissions for the 29th edition of the  Spark Young Writer Magazine  are also being accepted. The deadline is 29th November 2024

Looking for creative writing resources?

Check out all our ideas for writing prompts at our Get Writing tab. 

A wide selection of images, videos and Funsheets for young writers to complete.

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Last updated on Feb 14, 2023

10 Types of Creative Writing (with Examples You’ll Love)

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

About Rebecca van Laer

Rebecca van Laer is a writer, editor, and the author of two books, including the novella How to Adjust to the Dark. Her work has been featured in literary magazines such as AGNI, Breadcrumbs, and TriQuarterly.

A lot falls under the term ‘creative writing’: poetry, short fiction, plays, novels, personal essays, and songs, to name just a few. By virtue of the creativity that characterizes it, creative writing is an extremely versatile art. So instead of defining what creative writing is , it may be easier to understand what it does by looking at examples that demonstrate the sheer range of styles and genres under its vast umbrella.

To that end, we’ve collected a non-exhaustive list of works across multiple formats that have inspired the writers here at Reedsy. With 20 different works to explore, we hope they will inspire you, too. 

People have been writing creatively for almost as long as we have been able to hold pens. Just think of long-form epic poems like The Odyssey or, later, the Cantar de Mio Cid — some of the earliest recorded writings of their kind. 

Poetry is also a great place to start if you want to dip your own pen into the inkwell of creative writing. It can be as short or long as you want (you don’t have to write an epic of Homeric proportions), encourages you to build your observation skills, and often speaks from a single point of view . 

Here are a few examples:

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This classic poem by Romantic poet Percy Shelley (also known as Mary Shelley’s husband) is all about legacy. What do we leave behind? How will we be remembered? The great king Ozymandias built himself a massive statue, proclaiming his might, but the irony is that his statue doesn’t survive the ravages of time. By framing this poem as told to him by a “traveller from an antique land,” Shelley effectively turns this into a story. Along with the careful use of juxtaposition to create irony, this poem accomplishes a lot in just a few lines. 

“Trying to Raise the Dead” by Dorianne Laux

 A direction. An object. My love, it needs a place to rest. Say anything. I’m listening. I’m ready to believe. Even lies, I don’t care.

Poetry is cherished for its ability to evoke strong emotions from the reader using very few words which is exactly what Dorianne Laux does in “ Trying to Raise the Dead .” With vivid imagery that underscores the painful yearning of the narrator, she transports us to a private nighttime scene as the narrator sneaks away from a party to pray to someone they’ve lost. We ache for their loss and how badly they want their lost loved one to acknowledge them in some way. It’s truly a masterclass on how writing can be used to portray emotions. 

If you find yourself inspired to try out some poetry — and maybe even get it published — check out these poetry layouts that can elevate your verse!

Song Lyrics

Poetry’s closely related cousin, song lyrics are another great way to flex your creative writing muscles. You not only have to find the perfect rhyme scheme but also match it to the rhythm of the music. This can be a great challenge for an experienced poet or the musically inclined. 

To see how music can add something extra to your poetry, check out these two examples:

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

 You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to ya? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah 

Metaphors are commonplace in almost every kind of creative writing, but will often take center stage in shorter works like poetry and songs. At the slightest mention, they invite the listener to bring their emotional or cultural experience to the piece, allowing the writer to express more with fewer words while also giving it a deeper meaning. If a whole song is couched in metaphor, you might even be able to find multiple meanings to it, like in Leonard Cohen’s “ Hallelujah .” While Cohen’s Biblical references create a song that, on the surface, seems like it’s about a struggle with religion, the ambiguity of the lyrics has allowed it to be seen as a song about a complicated romantic relationship. 

“I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

 ​​If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

You can think of song lyrics as poetry set to music. They manage to do many of the same things their literary counterparts do — including tugging on your heartstrings. Death Cab for Cutie’s incredibly popular indie rock ballad is about the singer’s deep devotion to his lover. While some might find the song a bit too dark and macabre, its melancholy tune and poignant lyrics remind us that love can endure beyond death.

Plays and Screenplays

From the short form of poetry, we move into the world of drama — also known as the play. This form is as old as the poem, stretching back to the works of ancient Greek playwrights like Sophocles, who adapted the myths of their day into dramatic form. The stage play (and the more modern screenplay) gives the words on the page a literal human voice, bringing life to a story and its characters entirely through dialogue. 

Interested to see what that looks like? Take a look at these examples:

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

“I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father.” 

Arthur Miller acts as a bridge between the classic and the new, creating 20th century tragedies that take place in living rooms and backyard instead of royal courts, so we had to include his breakout hit on this list. Set in the backyard of an all-American family in the summer of 1946, this tragedy manages to communicate family tensions in an unimaginable scale, building up to an intense climax reminiscent of classical drama. 

💡 Read more about Arthur Miller and classical influences in our breakdown of Freytag’s pyramid . 

“Everything is Fine” by Michael Schur ( The Good Place )

“Well, then this system sucks. What...one in a million gets to live in paradise and everyone else is tortured for eternity? Come on! I mean, I wasn't freaking Gandhi, but I was okay. I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place! Like Cincinnati. Everyone who wasn't perfect but wasn't terrible should get to spend eternity in Cincinnati.” 

A screenplay, especially a TV pilot, is like a mini-play, but with the extra job of convincing an audience that they want to watch a hundred more episodes of the show. Blending moral philosophy with comedy, The Good Place is a fun hang-out show set in the afterlife that asks some big questions about what it means to be good. 

It follows Eleanor Shellstrop, an incredibly imperfect woman from Arizona who wakes up in ‘The Good Place’ and realizes that there’s been a cosmic mixup. Determined not to lose her place in paradise, she recruits her “soulmate,” a former ethics professor, to teach her philosophy with the hope that she can learn to be a good person and keep up her charade of being an upstanding citizen. The pilot does a superb job of setting up the stakes, the story, and the characters, while smuggling in deep philosophical ideas.

Personal essays

Our first foray into nonfiction on this list is the personal essay. As its name suggests, these stories are in some way autobiographical — concerned with the author’s life and experiences. But don’t be fooled by the realistic component. These essays can take any shape or form, from comics to diary entries to recipes and anything else you can imagine. Typically zeroing in on a single issue, they allow you to explore your life and prove that the personal can be universal.

Here are a couple of fantastic examples:

“On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years” by Min Jin Lee (Literary Hub)

There was so much to learn and practice, but I began to see the prose in verse and the verse in prose. Patterns surfaced in poems, stories, and plays. There was music in sentences and paragraphs. I could hear the silences in a sentence. All this schooling was like getting x-ray vision and animal-like hearing. 

This deeply honest personal essay by Pachinko author Min Jin Lee is an account of her eleven-year struggle to publish her first novel . Like all good writing, it is intensely focused on personal emotional details. While grounded in the specifics of the author's personal journey, it embodies an experience that is absolutely universal: that of difficulty and adversity met by eventual success. 

“A Cyclist on the English Landscape” by Roff Smith (New York Times)

These images, though, aren’t meant to be about me. They’re meant to represent a cyclist on the landscape, anybody — you, perhaps. 

Roff Smith’s gorgeous photo essay for the NYT is a testament to the power of creatively combining visuals with text. Here, photographs of Smith atop a bike are far from simply ornamental. They’re integral to the ruminative mood of the essay, as essential as the writing. Though Smith places his work at the crosscurrents of various aesthetic influences (such as the painter Edward Hopper), what stands out the most in this taciturn, thoughtful piece of writing is his use of the second person to address the reader directly. Suddenly, the writer steps out of the body of the essay and makes eye contact with the reader. The reader is now part of the story as a second character, finally entering the picture.

Short Fiction

The short story is the happy medium of fiction writing. These bite-sized narratives can be devoured in a single sitting and still leave you reeling. Sometimes viewed as a stepping stone to novel writing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Short story writing is an art all its own. The limited length means every word counts and there’s no better way to see that than with these two examples:

“An MFA Story” by Paul Dalla Rosa (Electric Literature)

At Starbucks, I remembered a reading Zhen had given, a reading organized by the program’s faculty. I had not wanted to go but did. In the bar, he read, "I wrote this in a Starbucks in Shanghai. On the bank of the Huangpu." It wasn’t an aside or introduction. It was two lines of the poem. I was in a Starbucks and I wasn’t writing any poems. I wasn’t writing anything. 

This short story is a delightfully metafictional tale about the struggles of being a writer in New York. From paying the bills to facing criticism in a writing workshop and envying more productive writers, Paul Dalla Rosa’s story is a clever satire of the tribulations involved in the writing profession, and all the contradictions embodied by systemic creativity (as famously laid out in Mark McGurl’s The Program Era ). What’s more, this story is an excellent example of something that often happens in creative writing: a writer casting light on the private thoughts or moments of doubt we don’t admit to or openly talk about. 

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner (Reedsy)

I tell him they’d been there a month at least, and he looks concerned. He has my tongue on a tissue paper and is gripping its sides with his pointer and thumb. My tongue has never spent much time outside of my mouth, and I imagine it as a walrus basking in the rays of the dental light. My walrus is not well. 

A winner of Reedsy’s weekly Prompts writing contest, ‘ Flowering Walrus ’ is a story that balances the trivial and the serious well. In the pauses between its excellent, natural dialogue , the story manages to scatter the fear and sadness of bad medical news, as the protagonist hides his worries from his wife and daughter. Rich in subtext, these silences grow and resonate with the readers.

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Perhaps the thing that first comes to mind when talking about creative writing, novels are a form of fiction that many people know and love but writers sometimes find intimidating. The good news is that novels are nothing but one word put after another, like any other piece of writing, but expanded and put into a flowing narrative. Piece of cake, right?

To get an idea of the format’s breadth of scope, take a look at these two (very different) satirical novels: 

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality — all simply store workers. 

Keiko, a thirty-six-year-old convenience store employee, finds comfort and happiness in the strict, uneventful routine of the shop’s daily operations. A funny, satirical, but simultaneously unnerving examination of the social structures we take for granted, Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is deeply original and lingers with the reader long after they’ve put it down.

Erasure by Percival Everett

The hard, gritty truth of the matter is that I hardly ever think about race. Those times when I did think about it a lot I did so because of my guilt for not thinking about it.  

Erasure is a truly accomplished satire of the publishing industry’s tendency to essentialize African American authors and their writing. Everett’s protagonist is a writer whose work doesn’t fit with what publishers expect from him — work that describes the “African American experience” — so he writes a parody novel about life in the ghetto. The publishers go crazy for it and, to the protagonist’s horror, it becomes the next big thing. This sophisticated novel is both ironic and tender, leaving its readers with much food for thought.

Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is pretty broad: it applies to anything that does not claim to be fictional (although the rise of autofiction has definitely blurred the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction). It encompasses everything from personal essays and memoirs to humor writing, and they range in length from blog posts to full-length books. The defining characteristic of this massive genre is that it takes the world or the author’s experience and turns it into a narrative that a reader can follow along with.

Here, we want to focus on novel-length works that dig deep into their respective topics. While very different, these two examples truly show the breadth and depth of possibility of creative nonfiction:

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Men’s bodies litter my family history. The pain of the women they left behind pulls them from the beyond, makes them appear as ghosts. In death, they transcend the circumstances of this place that I love and hate all at once and become supernatural. 

Writer Jesmyn Ward recounts the deaths of five men from her rural Mississippi community in as many years. In her award-winning memoir , she delves into the lives of the friends and family she lost and tries to find some sense among the tragedy. Working backwards across five years, she questions why this had to happen over and over again, and slowly unveils the long history of racism and poverty that rules rural Black communities. Moving and emotionally raw, Men We Reaped is an indictment of a cruel system and the story of a woman's grief and rage as she tries to navigate it.

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

He believed that wine could reshape someone’s life. That’s why he preferred buying bottles to splurging on sweaters. Sweaters were things. Bottles of wine, said Morgan, “are ways that my humanity will be changed.” 

In this work of immersive journalism , Bianca Bosker leaves behind her life as a tech journalist to explore the world of wine. Becoming a “cork dork” takes her everywhere from New York’s most refined restaurants to science labs while she learns what it takes to be a sommelier and a true wine obsessive. This funny and entertaining trip through the past and present of wine-making and tasting is sure to leave you better informed and wishing you, too, could leave your life behind for one devoted to wine. 

Illustrated Narratives (Comics, graphic novels)

Once relegated to the “funny pages”, the past forty years of comics history have proven it to be a serious medium. Comics have transformed from the early days of Jack Kirby’s superheroes into a medium where almost every genre is represented. Humorous one-shots in the Sunday papers stand alongside illustrated memoirs, horror, fantasy, and just about anything else you can imagine. This type of visual storytelling lets the writer and artist get creative with perspective, tone, and so much more. For two very different, though equally entertaining, examples, check these out:

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure." 

This beloved comic strip follows Calvin, a rambunctious six-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger/imaginary friend, Hobbes. They get into all kinds of hijinks at school and at home, and muse on the world in the way only a six-year-old and an anthropomorphic tiger can. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is, Calvin & Hobbes ’ popularity persists as much for its whimsy as its use of humor to comment on life, childhood, adulthood, and everything in between. 

From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell 

"I shall tell you where we are. We're in the most extreme and utter region of the human mind. A dim, subconscious underworld. A radiant abyss where men meet themselves. Hell, Netley. We're in Hell." 

Comics aren't just the realm of superheroes and one-joke strips, as Alan Moore proves in this serialized graphic novel released between 1989 and 1998. A meticulously researched alternative history of Victorian London’s Ripper killings, this macabre story pulls no punches. Fact and fiction blend into a world where the Royal Family is involved in a dark conspiracy and Freemasons lurk on the sidelines. It’s a surreal mad-cap adventure that’s unsettling in the best way possible. 

Video Games and RPGs

Probably the least expected entry on this list, we thought that video games and RPGs also deserved a mention — and some well-earned recognition for the intricate storytelling that goes into creating them. 

Essentially gamified adventure stories, without attention to plot, characters, and a narrative arc, these games would lose a lot of their charm, so let’s look at two examples where the creative writing really shines through: 

80 Days by inkle studios

"It was a triumph of invention over nature, and will almost certainly disappear into the dust once more in the next fifty years." 

Named Time Magazine ’s game of the year in 2014, this narrative adventure is based on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. The player is cast as the novel’s narrator, Passpartout, and tasked with circumnavigating the globe in service of their employer, Phileas Fogg. Set in an alternate steampunk Victorian era, the game uses its globe-trotting to comment on the colonialist fantasies inherent in the original novel and its time period. On a storytelling level, the choose-your-own-adventure style means no two players’ journeys will be the same. This innovative approach to a classic novel shows the potential of video games as a storytelling medium, truly making the player part of the story. 

What Remains of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow

"If we lived forever, maybe we'd have time to understand things. But as it is, I think the best we can do is try to open our eyes, and appreciate how strange and brief all of this is." 

This video game casts the player as 17-year-old Edith Finch. Returning to her family’s home on an island in the Pacific northwest, Edith explores the vast house and tries to figure out why she’s the only one of her family left alive. The story of each family member is revealed as you make your way through the house, slowly unpacking the tragic fate of the Finches. Eerie and immersive, this first-person exploration game uses the medium to tell a series of truly unique tales. 

Fun and breezy on the surface, humor is often recognized as one of the trickiest forms of creative writing. After all, while you can see the artistic value in a piece of prose that you don’t necessarily enjoy, if a joke isn’t funny, you could say that it’s objectively failed.

With that said, it’s far from an impossible task, and many have succeeded in bringing smiles to their readers’ faces through their writing. Here are two examples:

‘How You Hope Your Extended Family Will React When You Explain Your Job to Them’ by Mike Lacher (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency)

“Is it true you don’t have desks?” your grandmother will ask. You will nod again and crack open a can of Country Time Lemonade. “My stars,” she will say, “it must be so wonderful to not have a traditional office and instead share a bistro-esque coworking space.” 

Satire and parody make up a whole subgenre of creative writing, and websites like McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and The Onion consistently hit the mark with their parodies of magazine publishing and news media. This particular example finds humor in the divide between traditional family expectations and contemporary, ‘trendy’ work cultures. Playing on the inherent silliness of today’s tech-forward middle-class jobs, this witty piece imagines a scenario where the writer’s family fully understands what they do — and are enthralled to hear more. “‘Now is it true,’ your uncle will whisper, ‘that you’ve got a potential investment from one of the founders of I Can Haz Cheezburger?’”

‘Not a Foodie’ by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (Electric Literature)

I’m not a foodie, I never have been, and I know, in my heart, I never will be. 

Highlighting what she sees as an unbearable social obsession with food , in this comic Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell takes a hilarious stand against the importance of food. From the writer’s courageous thesis (“I think there are more exciting things to talk about, and focus on in life, than what’s for dinner”) to the amusing appearance of family members and the narrator’s partner, ‘Not a Foodie’ demonstrates that even a seemingly mundane pet peeve can be approached creatively — and even reveal something profound about life.

We hope this list inspires you with your own writing. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, let it be that there is no limit to what you can write about or how you can write about it. 

In the next part of this guide, we'll drill down into the fascinating world of creative nonfiction.

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Find your ‘what’s next?’

Feed your curiosity and develop the skills you need to start a successful career, on one of our paid two-week work experience placements.

With us, you’ll find support and a deep sense of purpose. You’ll help us drive our shared mission – to connect more people with great stories and ideas.

All 250 of our work experience trainees across the year are chosen via random selection and paid the National living wage for the duration of the hybrid placement.

You’ll learn from and listen to those around you, becoming a part of the team, joining meetings, and trying out new tasks. Opportunities to connect with your department and colleagues from around the business will give you an insight into how we do things.

Average rating by trainees asked to ‘rate the programme as an opportunity to learn about publishing and gain practical experience​’

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Are all about breaking through the noise to get books to everyone, because a book can change anyone. It’s how you get (and keep) people’s attention.

Our marketing and publicity teams form relationships with journalists, festival directors, radio, and TV producers. They build creative promotions, break through the noise and get our books into the media.

You could support with:

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Skills you’ll develop:

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Lie at the heart of the publishing process. They seek out and bring new and existing stories to life through books, apps, eBooks, TV, and live events.

They look back proudly on our legacy but keep us moving forward by coordinating with the other teams in the business to get our books out in the most creative and profitable way.

-Exercising your eye for detail by reading submissions

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Sales act as a team of matchmakers, pairing the right book with the right retailer in the UK and around the world. That could be anything from hand selling to an independent bookseller or for supermarket shelves.

They arm the other teams with the best insight and advice about the publishing market, tailored for each specific book.

-Gathering market research

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-Communication

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-Creative sales ideas

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Publishing Operations:

If Editorial are at the heart of publishing, Publishing Operations are the lungs. They take our exciting stories and bring them to life in their final forms – whether that’s as an audiobook, eBook, or classic printed book.

Their reach spreads across the business, working collaboratively with our different business areas. The PubOps team help the business achieve their creative goals, deliver books on time, and stay within budget.

-Editing eBooks into shape using digital coding languages like HTML and CSS

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Basic coding

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Employer Brand and Outreach:  

Employer Branding and outreach are how we position Penguin as a top employer to attract the great talent that drives our mission to make great books and stories for everyone.

Just as we are with our readers, we are very intentional with how we talk about life at Penguin – especially when it comes to demystifying publishing for those in underrepresented groups or who may have never considered working for us before!

-Posting to our online social media channels

-Creating engaging content about our news, events, vacancies, and culture

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-Research projects about what engages our target audiences

-Managing the content on our careers site

-Copywriting  

-Content creation  

-Administration  

-Internal and external communication

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-Website Content Management Systems  

Eligibility criteria

-You must be over 18 at the point of placement

-You must not have carried out a training programme with us, in any department, within the last 6 months

-You must have access to a computer/laptop, wifi, and a safe and comfortable working space that suits you to enable you to take part in a hybrid placement

-You must have the right to work and train in the UK for the duration of the programme. It is your responsibility to check whether this is the case and we’re afraid that we’re unable to sponsor applicants

-You must be able to join us at our London offices for at least 2 days each week so that you can build relationships across the business

How do I apply?

We run cohorts every 3-4 months. our next window is open from 5 th – 19 th august 2024 for placements between october – december..

Our application process is very simple. Submit an application with a bit about you, your availability, and which department interests you.

We’ve taken steps towards breaking down barriers into publishing by offering places based on random selection. Your and the team’s availability are the only influencing factors.

High demand means we’re unable to offer everyone a place. If we don’t have a place for you this time round, do keep trying.

Are you paying your work experience trainees?

We see work experience as a learning experience – a chance to dip your toe into the working world and see what publishing is like.

As part of our aims to make publishing more inclusive, we want to break down barriers to entering the industry. We offer places based on random selection, but are aware that not everyone can afford to take two weeks to gain unpaid work experience. By paying work experience, we hope that this opportunity will be open to even more people.

Will I need to travel to your London offices?

What support can you offer to candidates with a disability or long-term condition.

Prior to joining, we ask all employees if there’s any adjustments they’ll need when they start. We’re members of the Business Disability Forum, and have access to support through Unum, occupational health, Employee Assistance Programme, and other specialist providers.

We can consider a broad range of adjustments, including physical adjustments (like furniture, equipment, or software) or non-physical adjustments (like altered work hours, communication preferences or more one-to-ones).  

You might not know what barriers you face until you get to the office – that’s fine too. You can discuss the request with your manager at any time. We also use a tool called the Tailored Adjustment Plan, which can help structure a conversation with your manager about these adjustments.  

We also have a brilliant internal network, AccessAbility, for those who identify as disabled, neurodiverse, or chronically ill, or who are currently coming to terms with a related identifier.  

If you have any questions or want to ask about adjustments or alternative formats, you can contact us at  [email protected] . Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your adjustment request.  

Are there any age restrictions?

Our applications are open to everyone over the age of eighteen.

Will you sponsor my VISA?

You will need a pre-established right to work and train in the UK for the entirety of your time with us, and we do not offer sponsorship.  

What hours will I work?

The internship is a full time role, and  you’ll  be working Monday to Friday 9-5 unless discussed otherwise with your line manager and HR.

Will I get a permanent job at the end?

Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that all trainees will secure a permanent role with us at the end of the work experience. We will however make sure to put you in the best possible position to take on an entry-level role in publishing by building your industry and role-specific knowledge, helping you network with the business’ stakeholders, and giving you application tips and tricks.

Where are your London offices?

We have locations  across  the UK- for more details please see our  ‘Find us’ page here! 

Do I need to read lots of books to work here?

Our  mission  to  ‘ make books for everyone because a book can change anyone ’  is  really important  to us  – and we know that to deliver this we need a range of perspectives. In some of our roles you may need t o work closely with our products and be an avid reader, in others  this will be less important . It really depends on what  you’ll  be doing with us! Your application answers will help us match you to a team that is right for you.

Can I reapply if I'm not successful?

Absolutely! We know that some of our roles are  very competitive  and that a rejection can be disappointing, but this  doesn’t  mean that you  wouldn’t  be perfect for another opportunity. Please feel free to apply to another of our programmes or permanent roles and know that we  won’t  penalise you for  any  previous  rejections.  

Can anyone apply?

You don’t need to have ever worked in publishing or have any experience to apply to our paid work experience- they are completely open to all.

We removed our degree requirements in 2016 and you don’t need to be studying or have studied at university to be eligible. You will have to have Right to work within the UK for the two weeks you are on the programme.

Do I get to choose which team I'll be in?

On your application form you’ll indicate which team you’re interested in working on. We then use your availability and the team’s availability and match you to where we think you’ll be best suited. We’ll make sure you’ll get some time to meet others from around the business of course.

Will I have an employment contract?

No, even though you’ll be paid, there is no formal employment contract or selection process like a CV or interview. You’ll provide your bank details through our application portal and be paid on both of the Fridays you’re with us.

When will I get paid?

You’ll be paid on both of the Fridays you’re with us.

What if I don't have a UK bank account?

Unfortunately you’ll be unable to take part as we can only pay into a UK bank account.

Do I need a National Insurance (NI) number?

Yes, you will need an NI number.

If you’re from the UK, you should automatically have received an NI number just before you turned 16. If you didn’t get one and you’re under 20, phone the National Insurance numbers helpline. If you’re over 20, you need to apply for a National Insurance number.

You should be able to find your NI number on your payslip, P60, or letters about tax, pensions and benefits. If you have a personal tax account you can also view it there and print a confirmation letter.

If you’re still unable to find it or are from outside of the UK, you can apply for one here – https://www.gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number

Will being paid for Work Experience impact my benefits?

Please speak to your relevant job centre who will be able to advise you on this.

Can I apply and be paid if I am an overseas student?

Yes, but you must have the right to work and train in the UK in order to be eligible for work experience, and you must have a UK bank account that we can pay into.

Will I be taxed?

You might be taxed if you have other forms of income. Please contact the HMRC with any tax queries.

What happens if I've inputted my information incorrectly?

Please let us know as soon as possible via [email protected] to amend.

How does work experience differ from a job, internship, or temp role?

Work experience is a learning opportunity. It’s a chance to dip your toe into publishing and see what the working world is like. You’ll be shadowing the department and have the chance to try out a few tasks.  

Even though you’ll be paid, work experience isn’t a job – there’s no employment contract or selection process like a CV or interview. We offer places via random selection to ensure the opportunity is open to all.  

For a job, internship or temp role, there will be some form of selection involving a combination of: CV and cover letter, competency questions via Applied, video interview with Hirevue, and/or an interview. There’ll also be a contract and a level of responsibility not expected for those on work experience.  

How much will I get paid?

You’ll be paid the National Living Wage.

If I only complete part of the internship, will I still be paid?

Payment for your placement is based on the number of hours it lasts. The amount you’re paid will therefore depend on the length of your placement. If for any reason your placement is less than the usual 2 weeks, the pay you receive will reflect this.  

If you cannot complete the full placement, please let us know as soon as possible. Preferably on the Tuesday before you’re paid, as this will allow us to make the change. If we find out after then you’ll be paid too much and we will be in contact with you to arrange repayment.  

What is a P45 and New Starter Checklist?

A P45 shows how much tax you’ve paid on your salary so far in the tax year, and will be given to you by your last employer. For those who don’t have a previous employer or who are currently working, you’ll have to complete a New Starter Checklist which we can provide for you.  

We need you to provide us with this a week before your placement starts.  

What if I don't have a P45?

You won’t have a P45 if you don’t have a previous employer or if you’re currently working. In this situation, you’ll have to complete a New Starter Checklist which we can provide for you.  

Do I get company benefits?

As you’re not an employee, you will not be entitled to company benefits.  

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51 Creative Writing Activities For The Classroom: Comics, Prompts, Games, And Pretend Play

January 4, 2024 //  by  Milka Kariuki

Creative writing can be tough for learners of any age. From knowing where to start to establishing the vocabulary to develop their story, there are a bunch of different skills they’ll need to perfect their creative writing pieces. There are so many creative writing activities out there, but which ones are best for your kiddos? Our list of 51 creative writing activities is the perfect place to start looking if you’ve got a creative writing unit coming up! Read on and see which ones might grab your little writers’ attention!

1. Make Your Own Comic Books

We bet your kiddos just love comic books! Let them create their very own in the style of the super popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid books! Encourage your students to come up with their own plot, dialogue, and illustrations to spark their creativity. Even your most reluctant writers will love this fun activity! 

Learn More: Puffin Schools

2. Mad Libs

Using Mad Libs is a super popular way to develop your little creative writers! Use these free printables to get their creative juices flowing as they try to come up with words to fill the gaps to create weird and wonderful new stories. The best thing is that you can use these printables as many times as you like as their answers will be different each time!

Learn More: Teacher Vision

3. Flash Fiction

Flash fiction is a fantastic way to get your kiddies writing creatively while keeping things short and sweet! Use the range you prompts included in this resource to challenge them to write a creative story in less than 100 words. Flash fiction is amazing because your students won’t be overwhelmed by a huge writing task and it also means that your more confident writers will need to focus on the quality of their work, not the quantity! 

Learn More: TES

4. Write a Story Based on the Ending

Test your students’ creativity by providing them with writing prompts that start at the end! In backward story writing, your budding writers will need to plan and pen a story that eventually leads to the ending you give them. This idea is a fantastic way to turn your traditional creative writing lesson on its head and in many ways take the pressure off your kids, as ending their stories is often the most difficult part for them!

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

5. Found Poetry

Your learners will love this fun and creative found poetry activity. You can encourage them to collect words or a group of words from a favorite story or song then write them on a piece of paper or cut them out of a printed page. The overall goal is to have them rearrange the words differently to make an interesting poem with a unique writing style or genre!

Learn More: Homeschooling Ideas

6. Picture Dictionary

A picture dictionary is a brilliant way to support every member of your younger elementary class in their creative writing. The words paired with pictures give your writers a ‘dictionary’ that they can use pretty independently, so your less confident writers or non-native English-speaking students can still access your writing lessons! 

Learn More: Twinkl

7. Creative Journal Writing

Why not start a creative journal with your kiddos? Have them engage in daily journaling activities by giving them a different creative prompt each day. For instance, write a story about what would happen if dogs took over the world or what would you do if you were the security guard at a zoo and someone stole an animal? The fun is never-ending with these prompts!  

Learn More: Think Written  

8. Roll a Story

Roll-a-Story is one of the best ways to help any of your kids who are suffering from a bout of writer’s block! They’ll roll the dice to discover the character, setting, and problem for their story then set to work weaving their creative tale! It could be a story about a wise doctor being chased by a mysterious creature in a casino, or maybe a rich artist losing their wallet in a library. Then it’s up to your students to fill in the gaps!

Learn More: TPT

9. Pass-it-on Story Writing

There’s no telling quite where this fun writing game will end up! Start by writing the first sentence of a story on a piece of paper then pass it around your class, having your kids come up with a sentence that continues the story. The paper is then passed around the whole class until every student has contributed. Finally, once it makes its way back to you, read out your collaborative story to the whole class!

Learn More: Minds In Bloom

10. Picture Writing Prompts

Creative writing prompts activities test not only your little ones’ imaginations but also their ability to craft a story and dialogue from that. Display an intriguing picture prompt for your class and have a discussion about it, recording their ideas. You could discuss what the person or animal in the picture is doing or what they’re thinking, where they think the picture was taken, and much more. They can use your collective notes to inspire their story!

Learn More: Pandora Post

11. What’s the Question?

What’s the Question is a simple, yet super engaging game that requires your young learners to think creatively. Spark their creativity by writing an answer on the whiteboard such as “the moon would explode,” and task your kiddos with coming up with a question to match it. There’ll be lots of laughs as everyone shares what they came up with!

Learn More: That Afterschool Life

12. Creative Writing Printables

This website is absolutely full of quick and fun graphics for children that’ll encourage their creative writing! The cute graphics and simple directions make it an easy bellringer activity for your writing class. Just print out some of these cool sheets and let your students get creative as they write thank-you notes to helpful heroes or finish little cartoon comics!

Learn More: Jarrett Lerner

13. Paint Chip Poetry

Nothing says creative writing quite like figurative language! Grab some of these free paint swatches from your local home improvement store and have your students create metaphors about their chosen color! We love this low-prep activity as once your kids have finished their poems, they’re a ready-made multi-colored display that’ll brighten the walls of your classroom! 

Learn More: Fabulous In Fifth

14. Story Storm Activities

Once again, these Jarrett Lerner activities do not disappoint! Your students will have a blast pretending they are the principal for a day and they’ll get to create their very own rules for the school. Not only will this be an engaging writing exercise that we’re sure they’ll love getting creative with, but it also challenges children to think about why rules in school are important.

Learn More: Tara Lazar

15. Story Bag

Story bags are a fantastic way to destroy any kind of writer’s block! Grab an assortment of random objects from your home or classroom and pop them into the story bag. Next, gather your students around and pull out all the objects in the bag. Can they then write a story connecting all the items? Be sure to leave time to let them share their stories at the end of the lesson!

Learn More: Life Hack

16. Change the Ending

An easy way to ease your kiddos into the writing process is by having them rewrite part of a story. Grab their favorite read-aloud, and challenge them to come up with a new ending! They’ll need to finish the story in a way that makes sense, but aside from that, they can be as creative as they like! Your reluctant readers will like this one as much of the work on setting and characters has already been done! 

Learn More: Make Beliefs Comix

17. Plot Twist Writing Prompts

BUT WAIT – there’s a twist…This fun writing practice is perfect for older middle or high school but could also be simplified for younger students. Write these twist prompts on notecards and have your kids draw one each before letting them go off and write a story around their chosen twist! They’ll be eager to share their finished work with classmates at the end. After all, who doesn’t love a good plot twist?

Learn More: Pinterest

18.  Craft Box Craft

Every kid loves the book The Day the Crayons Quit for its creative narrative about this familiar box of coloring supplies! This extension activity rolls art and creative writing into one! Your students will have fun coming up with dialogue for each of the different crayons and you could even make it into a fun display for your classroom walls!

Learn More: Buggy And Buddy

19. Dialogue Pictures

Personalizing writing activities always makes it more engaging for kids! Print out a picture of yourself with a blank speech bubble, and model how to add in some dialogue. Then, let your kiddos practice speech bubbling with a photo of themselves, a pet, or a favorite celebrity, and have them come up with some interesting things for each of their subjects to say!

Learn More: SSS Teaching

20. Figurative Language Tasting

Your students will be creative writers in no time after practicing their figurative language with food tasting! Not only do tasty treats make this activity incredibly fun, but it also brings the writing process of metaphors and hyperbole to life. Just give each of your kids a few pieces of candy or snacks, and have them practice writing figures of speech relating to each one! They’ll have the words on the tip of their tongue- literally! 

Learn More: It’s Lit Teaching

21. Explode the Moment

One of my favorite writing concepts as a teacher is ‘exploding the moment’. This method is perfect for showing your kiddies that even the smallest moment can be turned into an imaginative, descriptive story! Start by having them brainstorm some ideas and expand on tiny memories like losing a tooth, getting a pet, or making a winning goal in a soccer game!

Learn More: Raise The Bar Reading

22. Round-Robin Storytelling

Round-robin storytelling is the perfect collaborative creative writing activity! This one can be done verbally or in writing, and it challenges your class to build a story using a given set of words. They’ll have a fun and challenging time figuring out how to incorporate each piece into one cohesive story.

Learn More: Random Acts Of Kindness

23. Acrostic Poems

Acrostic poetry is one of the least intimidating creative writing exercises as there are no rules other than starting each line with the letter from a word. Challenge your kiddies to use each letter in their name to write lines of poetry about themselves, or they could choose to write about their favorite food or animal!

Learn More: Surfin’ Through Second

24. Sentence Sticks

This exercise requires minimal prep and can be used in so many different ways. All you’ll need are some craft sticks in which you will write sentences with blanks and word banks. Your young writers can then pull a stick and fill in the blanks to practice creative thinking! Task them with a different goal each time; can they make the sentence silly or sad for example?

Learn More: Liz’s Early Learning Spot

25. Conversation Prompts

These fun prompts require your kids to think creatively and answer a range of interesting questions. They’ll be excited to write stories about waking up with a mermaid tail or describe what is in a mystery package delivered to their doorstep! These creative prompts are perfect for bellringers or transitions throughout the school day!

Learn More: Twitter

26. Pretend Play Writing

Do you remember playing with fake money and fake food when you were younger? This idea takes it a step further by incorporating some writing practice! All you’ll have to do is print the templates for dollars, shopping lists, and recipes then let your little learners have fun with these play-pretend writing ideas!

Learn More: Prekinders

27. Question Cubes

Your class will be on a roll with these amazing question cubes! Whether the cubes are used for responding to a story, brainstorming the plot of a story, or practicing speech and listening, they are an easy, affordable tool for your little readers and writers! You can snag some foam dice at the dollar store and hot glue questions on each side to spark some creative writing ideas for your class.

Learn More: A Love 4 Teaching

28. Balderdash

Not only is Balderdash an addicting board game, but it can even be used in the classroom! Your little learners will have a blast as they create made-up, imaginative definitions for words, important people, and dates. Whoever guesses the real answer out of the mix wins the points!

Learn More: EB Academics

29. Two Sentence Horror Story

This creative writing exercise is best for older students and would be a great one to try out around Halloween! You’ll be challenging your learners to write a story that runs chills up their readers’ spines, but there’s a twist…the story can only be two sentences long! Your kiddos will love writing and sharing their writing to see who can come up with the spookiest short story!

30. Telephone Pictionary

Another game that your kids will be begging to play over and over again is telephone pictionary! The first player will write down a random phrase, and the next person must draw their interpretation of the phrase. The third player will write what they think the picture is and so on!

Learn More: Imagine Forest

31. Consequences

You need at least two players for this fun creative writing game. Each pair or group of kids will start by having one person write a random phrase and conceal it by folding the paper. Then, they pass it to the next student to fill in the blank using the prompt. Once all the blanks are filled in, let them unfold the paper and get ready to reveal some seriously silly stories!

32. Story Wands

​​Story wands are a fun way to have your kids respond to stories and study what makes something their favorite. Responding to what they’re reading is a super helpful exercise in preparing them for creative writing as it allows your students to connect to their favorite stories. By figuring out what elements make stories great, this is sure to help them in their own creative writing assignments!

Learn More: Little Lifelong Learners

33. The Best Part of Me

Probably my favorite creative writing activity, this one is infused with social-emotional learning and self-esteem building! Let your students get to choose their favorite physical characteristics about themselves; whether it be their eyes, hands, feet, etc. Then, they take a picture to attach to their written reasoning! Make sure to boost the creative element of this writing task by encouraging your learners to use a bunch of adjectives and some figurative language!

Learn More: Sarah Gardner Teaching

34. Me From A-Z

Challenge your kiddos to get creative by coming up with 26 different words to describe themselves! Me From A-Z gives your students the opportunity to explore who they are by coming up with words describing them in some way using each letter of the alphabet. Why not let them decorate their lists and turn them into a display celebrating the uniqueness of each of your class members?

35. How to Make Hot Chocolate

How-to writing is a great way to get the creative writing wheels turning in your kiddies’ brains! They’ll have a fun time coming up with their instructions and ways to explain how to make hot chocolate! Do they have a secret recipe that’ll make the best-ever hot cocoa!? Once they’ve written their instructions, be sure to try them out and do a taste-test of their recipes!

Learn More: Teacher Mama

36. Give Yourself a Hand

Hands up if you love this idea! For this creative writing activity, have your little ones trace their hand on a piece of paper and decorate it with accessories. Then, encourage them to write a list of all the different things they do with their hands all over their tracing! This is a great warm-up to get the creative gears turning.

Learn More: Write Now Troup

37. Word Picture Poem

A word picture poem is a fantastic way to challenge your kids to write descriptive poetry about a common object! Your little poets will learn to find beauty in ordinary things and strengthen their sensory language skills and their vocabulary. For some added fun, you can even task them with writing a short story about the item as well! The results are sure to be fun to read!

Learn More: Teaching With Terhune

38. Shape Poem

Shape poems are some of the most creative poetry as they combine words and art into one! First, your young poets can choose an object to use as their muse and lightly trace an outline onto some paper. Then, they’ll write words along the outlined shape in the form of a poem that describes the object! The result is a bunch of fun and striking poems that’ll look great displayed around your classroom!

39. Crazy Hair Poetry

Here’s another one that combines writing and art! Start by guiding your kiddos in drawing a self-portrait then adding some crazy hair by blowing watercolor paints around! After the paint dries, have your kids come up with a short but creative poem describing their hair art.

Learn More: Grade School Giggles

40. Fingerprint Poetry

Nothing is more creative than getting your kiddies to let down the barriers in their mind and tap into their stream of consciousness! Show them how to pick a topic and then let their words flow straight from mind to paper in a swirling pattern. This fingerprint idea can be used for a get-to-know-you activity as well!

Learn More: Kristen Dembroski

41. Doggie Haiku Poems

Put a fun twist on classic haiku poetry! Your students will have a paw-some time writing three-line poems about dogs which they can then illustrate afterwards! Before starting the activity, you can use Dogku by Andrew Clements as a read-aloud to get your class hooked on this idea!

Learn More: Teaching Fourth

42. Fractured Fairy Tale

Ever wondered if the Big Bad Wolf was framed? Or if Sleeping Beauty was actually a snorer? Your writers in training will have a fun time taking a classic fairytale and putting their own spin on it! Following five simple steps, your kids will be funky fairytale authors in no time!

43. Letter Writing

These creative letter-writing prompts are sure to boost your kiddies’ imaginative writing skills! Whether writing to a pen pal or a favorite celebrity, letter writing is a great way to practice handwriting, word flow, descriptive language, and communicating all rolled into one! Have your writers grab their pencils and let the creativity flow as they write fun response letters to these prompts!

44. Hersey’s Kisses Similes

Teach sensory language and similes by connecting this tasty treat with the sense of taste! Your students will have a lovely time brainstorming how chocolate connects to each of our senses and applying that knowledge by writing some sweet similies! What a fantastic way to teach them how to use these essential creative writing tools!

Learn More: Teacher By The Beach

45. Sensory Poetry

Another great way to teach sensory details is to have your learners write poems about their favorite foods! Task them with writing a line for each sense to describe the food! Everyone will be hungry after this creative writing lesson so it might be a good idea to have some snacks on hand!

Learn More: Mrs. Tice’s Class

46. Season Personification

Each season of weather has an array of characteristics making this the perfect activity to practice personification in creative writing! Allow your little writers to choose a season to write about as if it were a person with human characteristics. Winter is a no-brainer! It’s Elsa!

Learn More: Write Shop

47. Class Book of Character Traits

To be creative writers, your kids need to know how to create realistic characters for their stories. For this class book, you’ll start by giving each student two opposing character traits. Next, have them demonstrate these traits by illustrating two characters and displaying them through dialogue!

Learn More: Crafting Connections

48. Socialgrams

With Instagram being all the rage these days, your kiddos will have a fun time creating a ‘socialgram’ on paper! Challenge them to create a descriptive and engaging caption to go along with their “photo” in the post. Then, classmates can comment on each other’s work! 

Learn More: Breezy Special Ed

49. Story Introduction Worksheets

Creative writing worksheets are a simple, minimal-prep tool to use in your creative writing units. Print out a variety of options, and have your kids practice their skills by finishing imaginative story introductions. By giving them a place to start their story, you can really take the pressure off your kids which will help ease them into the creative writing process!

Learn More: Lanternfish ESL

50. Dialogue Worksheets

Here’s another low-prep option for the last-minute planners! Pre-written dialogue can help guide the mood of the story and allow your kiddies to just focus on filling in the characters’ actions. This is also a great way to model how dialogue is spaced out and balanced in a story!

Learn More: ESL Writing Worksheets

51. Character Trait Posters

In this personalized character trait activity, your students will create a poster of themselves and label it with a bunch of different character traits. Descriptive, interesting characters are what make a story captivating, so this is a great introduction to understanding characters and their physical as well as personality traits! This is an activity that’s sure to help them build a strong foundation for their creative writing skills to build from!

Learn More: Life In First Grade

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How Can Year 12 Students Find Tech Work Experience?

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If you’re a Year 12 student with dreams of making waves in the tech industry, you’re in the right place! In the fast-paced world we live in, work experience is a GOLDEN ticket to success! 

But here’s the catch: landing that first tech gig can be challenging . Fear not! We’ve got the insider scoop on finding valuable real-world experience in tech. Giving you a head start in this competitive field. 

Let’s dive in and give you a head start in this competitive field!

What are the Benefits of Tech Work Experience?

Tech work experience is a game-changer with multiple benefits. It’s a practical application of classroom knowledge, letting you solve real-world problems and gain hands-on skills. Plus, you’ll stay updated with industry trends, build a valuable network, and enhance your resume, making you stand out to employers. 

What’s more? Soft skills like teamwork and problem-solving get a boost, and you’ll gain confidence as you contribute to projects. It’s also a potential pathway to job opportunities , and you’ll adapt to the ever-changing tech landscape. And you’ll gain insights into company culture while experiencing personal growth.

In short, tech work experience offers: 

• Company Culture Insights
• Networking opportunities
• Resume Enhancement
• Practical Application
• Soft Skills Growth
• Confidence Boost
• Industry Insights
• Personal Growth
• Adaptability

3 Simple Steps to Find Tech Work Experience

In 2022, 46 474 tech businesses were incorporated in the UK, making it a vibrant and diverse industry with ample opportunities for aspiring tech enthusiasts. However, finding the right work experience to kickstart your tech career can be challenging. 

Fear not, because we’ve covered three straightforward steps to help you secure that valuable tech work experience you seek. Whether you’re a coding whiz, an aspiring data scientist, or simply eager to dip your toes into the world of technology, these steps will guide you toward gaining real-world tech experience:

Step #1: Know Your Passion

This first step concerns honing your passion for technology or computer science. Take some time to identify the specific areas that intrigue you. Once you’ve figured that out, start tracking down companies in your local area that align with your interests. 

Think about which technology careers excite you the most: web development, data analytics, digital marketing , or computer hardware. Knowing your passion is crucial in finding the right work experience opportunity.

Step #2: Look for a Relevant Agency

Once you’ve identified your passion, it’s time to dive into your local tech ecosystem. Google companies in your area that specialise in the specific technology field you’re interested in. For example, search for local digital marketing agencies if you’re keen on digital marketing. If computer hardware is your thing, explore nearby companies in that domain. 

Don’t limit your search to just technology companies; larger organisations often have the technology or IT roles/departments where you can gain valuable experience. Agencies can be particularly appealing as they often handle diverse client projects, allowing you to see projects from start to finish.

Step #3: Contact Them for Experience

Now that you’ve identified potential companies or agencies, it’s time to connect. Reach out to them via email to inquire about work experience opportunities. Many companies, even if they don’t have a formal work experience programme, are open to offering placements to enthusiastic individuals. 

Craft a polite, confident, and enthusiastic email expressing your interest in gaining hands-on experience. Be clear about your passion, what you want to learn, and your availability. This proactive approach could lead to a valuable work experience opportunity that aligns perfectly with your tech aspirations.

Read about how to send an email asking for an internship .

Where to Find Tech Work Experience?  

In the past year, there were over 2 million job openings in the tech field . It’s estimated that around 1 million tech positions are still available. Study Mind is your ideal starting point if you’re eager to dive into the tech industry and gain valuable hands-on work experience.

Study Mind: 1 Week Technology Work Experience Programme

Our tech work experience Year 12 programme is designed to provide you with valuable insights and real-world exposure in various tech fields. We’re trusted by 36 schools , offering a programme led by industry experts to ensure you get the best possible learning experience.

Here’s what you’ll get when you enroll in technology summer school with Study Mind:

• Learn from Industry Experts: Our programme is led by experienced professionals passionate about technology. You’ll gain valuable insights and receive guidance on how to succeed in the tech field.
• Gain Hands-On Experience: You’ll be able to apply theoretical knowledge practically, working on real-world projects and challenges – a crucial skill in the fast-paced world of technology.
• Certificate Provided: You’ll receive a certificate showcasing your successful completion and active engagement in the course, a valuable addition to your resume.
• Options for Accommodation: Choose from accommodation options to enhance your experience. Live alongside fellow students in the work experience programme, promoting camaraderie and connection. Enjoy continuous support and guidance from our committed team throughout your entire duration.

As for the package options, we offer several choices to suit your needs from 1-5 days to choose from.

Bottom Line

So, to all aspiring tech enthusiasts, remember this: every great tech professional was once a beginner. The path might have twists and turns, but with determination, continuous learning, and a love for what you do, you’ll reach heights you never thought possible. You’ve got this!

Take the first step towards your tech career and book our 1 Week Tech Work Experience Programme .

The projects you’ll work on during tech work experience can vary based on the company or agency you join. You might contribute to web development projects, assist with data analysis, support digital marketing initiatives, or participate in computer hardware tasks. The diversity of projects exposes you to different aspects of the tech field, enhancing your skills and giving you a well-rounded experience.

While not guaranteed, tech work experience can open doors to job opportunities. Many companies view work experience as a trial period, and if you perform well, they might consider offering you a permanent role. Even if it doesn’t lead directly to a job offer, the experience gained, and the connections you make increase your chances of securing a full-time position elsewhere in the industry.

Aim for a personalised email introducing yourself, expressing your passion for technology, and explaining why you’re interested in their agency. Request a meeting or discuss work experience opportunities, maintaining a professional and thankful tone throughout the communication.

If direct access to tech companies is limited, consider alternative routes. Look for startups, non-profit organisations, or local businesses with tech-related needs. You can also seek freelance opportunities or contribute to open-source projects to gain valuable experience. Additionally, consider contacting university professors or local tech organisations for recommendations on available opportunities.

International students are more than welcome to join our programme! We recognise the value of a diverse student body and have hosted students worldwide. We offer pick-up services from Heathrow Airport for added convenience. This programme is a fantastic opportunity for international students to gain practical tech skills and connect with industry experts.

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